Master Debaters

I’m comfortable with most of the Democrats running in the primary. Obviously, I have my preference about who I’d like to see win, and who I think would be the strongest candidate in the general election (coincidentally, those happen to be the same guy).

I like John Kerry. I like John Edwards. Graham and Gephardt I respect, at least. Sharpton is an excellent speaker, and Carol Moseley Braun has so far done an excellent job of fending off the relentless attacks on her poor Senate record and curious associations with brutal dictators. Or at least she would do, if anyone thought her relevant enough to attack. And Wesley Clark would be a great addition to the race.

There are those two other candidates, though. I’ve covered Kucinich before. There’s not much left to say about him; he’s one-note and going nowhere. And I don’t hate him; if by some bizarre twist of fate he were to become the nominee, I’d grudgingly support him.

Joe Lieberman, on the other hand, I do hate. I would have a very hard time voting for him. And his behavior during last night’s debate is an excellent example of why.

But first, the backstory. I grew up in Connecticut. Lowell Weicker, though a Republican, is a typical New England Republican—social progressive, fiscal conservative, pragmatic overall. And an honorable and honest politician. Lieberman beat him by running a sleazy, deceptive campaign. He ran to Weicker’s right on most issues, and won thanks mainly to William F. Buckley, who rounded up a posse of conservative Republicans to cross party lines and give Lieberman a tiny 10,000 vote victory. In the Senate, Lieberman has spent his time advocating censorship and capital gains tax cuts.

In the debate last night, he pulled a trick from the same bag he used to smear Weicker, taking a poor paraphrase of Dean’s trade position from a single article, and using it to accuse Dean of advocating protectionist policies that would result in a new Depression. Move right, hit hard, don’t concern yourself with honesty. Typical Lieberman. Typical Lee Atwater and Karl Rove, too, as it happens.

Dean parried gracefully, and if any harm was done it was to Holy Joe himself, as the debate audience clearly did not appreciate the attack. Which goes to show two things: some socially progressive, fiscally conservative, typical New England politicians are tough as well as honest; and Bill Buckley’s endorsement means little in the Democratic Presidential primary.

Filed under: politics/2004