RIP, Joe Lieberman — the Democratic Party went insane without you
NY Post
Joe Lieberman’s death is a stark reminder of the insanity that has consumed his party.
The four-term senator from Connecticut and first-ever Jewish VP candidate was an honorable, reasonable man.
Over the course of his career, he showed he was unafraid to break with party orthodoxy.
He was the first national Dem to take then-President Bill Clinton to task publicly over his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a risky move given the intense polarization around Clinton’s shenanigans and alleged perjury to obfuscate them.
And though he shared his party’s views on domestic issues like the environment and gay rights, he split with them on foreign policy — backing the Iraq War and remaining a staunch friend of Israel throughout his political life.
The split over Iraq effectively drove him out of the party: He lost a Senate primary to lefty Democrat Ned Lamont, now Connecticut’s governor, but then won in the general as in independent with bigtime bipartisan backing.
