Full Speech Text: Lieberman

From the DNC, and in the extended entry. You’ll notice that “Hope is on the way” continues as the refrain.

The Honorable Joseph Lieberman’s Speech Before the Democratic National Convention Thursday, July 29, 2004

It is great to be standing before this Democratic National Convention where four years ago I had the high honor of accepting your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America. I shall forever be grateful to Al Gore and the members of this great party for that barrier-breaking opportunity. You proved that the American Dream is alive and well - which is what the Democratic Party has always been all about.

That was a heck of a campaign in 2000, wasn’t it? And when it was all over, Al and I won, didn’t we? But campaigns are about the future - not the past. And I am proud to stand before you tonight and say that America’s future will be a lot brighter with John Kerry and John Edwards in the White House. They’re not only going to win the popular vote, as Al and I did — they’re actually going to get to take office, and then they’re going to lead an America that is strong at home, strong abroad, and respected the world over.

America looks very different today than it did four years ago. People are worried about their jobs, their rising health care bills, their kids’ education, their retirement, and their environment. John Kerry and John Edwards have practical, sensible plans to relieve those worries. But all of these plans won’t mean much unless we can restore Americans’ sense of personal security; unless we can free the American people from the fear of terrorism. On September 11, 2001, we were brutally attacked by Islamist terrorists who hate us more than they love their own lives; fanatics who are as great a threat to our security and freedom as the Nazis and Communists we defeated in the last century. Make no mistake: this war, like those earlier conflicts, is a war of values.

Our enemies reject our founding faith that every child on earth is endowed by our Creator with the right to life, liberty, and opportunity. To make America safe again, we need strong leaders who know when to use American power to destroy these Islamist terrorists. But we also need wise leaders who also know when and how to build bridges with Islamic people throughout the world; bridges that are built on the faith we share in one God, and the dreams we share of a better future for all of our children. In other words, we need the strong and balanced leadership of John Kerry and John Edwards. To make America safe again, we must keep our military strong. We must support our brave and brilliant troops - the new greatest generation - who have liberated Afghanistan and Iraq from murderous tyrannies, and who are fighting tonight in both nations to defeat terrorists and allow free and stable governments to grow there.

John Kerry and John Edwards are committed to finishing that work, to honoring the service of our soldiers, and to supporting them and their families when they come home. We owe them our support in this noble cause. To make America safe again, we must strengthen our defenses here at home. I am proud that we Democrats led the way in creating the Department of Homeland Security after September 11th, and I know that John Kerry and John Edwards will keep us united in the common defense of America’s homeland.

In this campaign, we will vigorously disagree with the other side. But we should not resort to personally demonizing them to win the election. Such tactics are wrong, regardless of who practices them, because they divide and diminish America at a time when we must stand united and strong. Instead, we will support John Kerry and John Edwards’ vision for a positive, hopeful future for the American people.

Look at this week’s convention: we have set the standard. And if we keep it up, we will win the voters whose support we need - Americans yearning to cast a vote, not of protest, but of promise. And when we do that, we will send John Kerry and John Edwards to the White House. These two leaders are guided by the values and commitments that Democratic presidents have put into action over the decades: Woodrow Wilson’s commitment to make the world safe for democracy; FDR’s commitment to end isolationism and defeat fascism; Harry Truman’s commitment to stop communism with the swords of America’s military and the plowshares of the Marshall Plan; John F. Kennedy’s commitment to muscular and idealistic internationalism; and Bill Clinton’s commitment to strengthen our alliances throughout the world.

John Kerry and John Edwards are on the right side of this proud history. They are heirs to this legacy of leadership, and they will carry it forward as our next President and Vice President. We know that to some generations much is given, and from others, much is asked. Ours is a unique generation that has both been given much, and asked much. I have known John Kerry for four decades since we met at college, and I can tell you that throughout his life, he has cared about his community and answered his country’s call to duty with patriotism and purpose. He is ready now to be the leader this generation of Americans needs. So let us go forward from this convention to give him and our country that great opportunity for a better tomorrow. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.

Source: Democratic National Convention Committee

Catholic Vote Up For Grabs

The LA Times reports that Kerry isn’t expected to see the kind of support that Kennedy got from Catholic voters 1960.

Even though Kerry will be the first Catholic to be a presidential nominee since Kennedy, Kerry can’t count on the support of the nation’s 63.4 million Catholics. Catholics are not as homogeneous as they were in 1960 when eighty percent of Catholic voters supported Kennedy. According to the LA Times:

“Today, there’s an argument to be made that there’s no such thing as the Catholic vote,” said John Kenneth White, a professor of politics at Catholic University of America. “It looks an awful lot like America.”

[. . .]

In 1960, voters worried that Kennedy was so Catholic that the Vatican would have undue influence in the White House. The question today is whether Kerry is sufficiently Catholic, whether he hews closely enough to the church’s teachings to be given the sacraments — or even to align himself publicly with his faith.

“Now the pressure is coming from the bishops, not the suspicious Protestants in Kennedy’s time,” said Edward Sunshine, associate professor of theology at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.

The two men’s challenges are not all that have changed. Kennedy was not asked to take a public stand on polarizing issues like abortion, which was legalized in 1973, or same-sex marriage.

Catholics, once heavily Democratic, now are nearly as likely to be Republicans as Democrats. And they have reached economic parity with Protestant voters.

Blog report from Lieberman's concession

Guest contributor (a.k.a. BrendanLoy.com Washington Correspondent) Dane Lindberg files a report from Arlington, VA, complete (as you can see) with photographs. Excerpt:

At 8:00 PM, there were a few supporters at the beginning of the event, standing around and talking in both the ballroom and the hallway outside. The room was much smaller than it appears on television. … There were a significant number of reporters walking around, asking people for comments before anything really happened.

As the evening continued, the room filled up. Most people were standing around talking and waiting instead of watching one of the two televisions in the room. Most of the people stayed upbeat and happy; however, the crowd also accepted the likelihood that this was probably the end of Lieberman’s campaign. …

Here is that cute kid that they showed on CNN just moments before I took this picture. She was riding around on her father’s shoulders all evening, and he was trying to teach her about the candidates (she kept pointing to Dean’s name on TV screen and saying “Lieberman”).

Heh. Possibly the only person in America confused about the differences between Dean and Lieberman. :) Here is Dane’s whole report.

Lieberman finished? (Again?)

Take this with a grain of salt, recalling that Drudge was reporting Lieberman’s imminent withdrawal from the race this time last Tuesday, too. But here’s an AP report on Lieberman’s “contingency plan” to drop out:

Democrat Joe Lieberman, facing an uncertain showing in his must-win state of Delaware, was making contingency plans Tuesday to withdraw from the presidential race, according to sources close to the campaign.

The campaign was making calls to close supporters asking them to be at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va., Tuesday night at the postelection party. If Lieberman does not win at least one state - and his best hope is Delaware - he will make his concession speech there, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He then would head home to Connecticut for a formal announcement in Hartford Wednesday.

While campaign staff continued to insist that Lieberman was moving on to campaign in Virginia this week, others close to the senator confirmed they have been told about a tentative 3 p.m. event in Hartford on Wednesday.

Where's Joe?

This was posted yesterday at our Contributing Partner, Election Connection … it’s a phone-cam shot of Lieberman’s South Carolina Columbia campaign headquarters. It seems a picture DOES say a thousand words …

The caption:

A locked door with a sign saying No Solicitation greets any visitors to Joe Lieberman’s campaign headquarters on Devine Street in Columbia.

Lieberman The Optimist

On FOXNews: “Thanks to the people of New Hampshire, we’re in a three-way split decision for third place!”

Says he is going to stay in the ring. Also just called Howard Dean “John Dean” by mistake. This isn’t a race, “it’s a cause.”

Lieberman tries to bridge gap between extremes

From ED / Univ. of AL Crimson White:

This story is the third in a series focusing on 2004 presidential candidates. Some say he's too conservative, some beg to differ, and some say it doesn't matter because he won't be around by the time the Democratic presidential primary comes to Alabama.

Lieberman strikes back

Lieberman Lashes Out at Dean

Senator Says Endorsement Runs Counter to Gore's Views

By Dan Balz and Edward Walsh
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 10, 2003; Page A10

* * *

DURHAM, N.H., Dec. 9 -- Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) responded to his rejection by former vice president Al Gore with a sharp attack on Howard Dean on Tuesday, questioning Gore's judgment and warning that the former Vermont governor would lead the Democratic Party back into the political wilderness.

* * *

Earlier Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show, Lieberman said he was "caught completely off guard" by the Gore endorsement. "I heard about it from the media," he said.

Lieberman returned repeatedly to the theme that Dean is someone who would reverse the gains Democrats made under President Bill Clinton. "What really bothers me is that Al is supporting a candidate who is so fundamentally opposed to the basic transformation that Bill Clinton brought to the Democratic Party in 1992," Lieberman said on "Today." "Clinton made our party once again fiscally responsible, pro-growth, strong on values, for middle-class tax cuts, and Howard Dean is against all of those. So Al Gore will have to explain why he is supporting somebody who I think would take our party and country backward, not forward."

Lieberman's campaign aides said the Gore endorsement will "crystallize" the race for the Democratic presidential nomination by dramatizing the differences between Lieberman and Dean. "It seems to have energized our supporters and brought us a whole lot of new ones," said Mandy Grunwald, Lieberman's media consultant.

* * *

Lieberman, speaking at a coffee shop here, said he had no idea whether his criticism of Gore's "people versus the powerful" message of 2000 -- criticism he has aired several times since that campaign -- contributed to Gore's decision. He said he has spoken with Gore "occasionally" and had sought his endorsement. "I hoped we would have a chance to speak before his decision," Lieberman said.

* * *

William Saletan on the Clark and Lieberman Bail

From Slate:

But imagine how much worse today's media drubbing would have been had Clark or Lieberman pulled out alone. The story would have been that an isolated loser was making himself an isolated quitter. Together, Clark and Lieberman have enough clout to create an alternative, if weaker, story line: The problem isn't them; it's Iowa—and without their participation, the caucuses mean that much less.

Here! Here! The problem is Iowa. The Caucuses are becoming more and more insignificant for presidential elections. Since 1972 the Democratic Caucus winner has only gone on to the presidency once, Jimmy Carter in 1976 (and even here there was a major undecided vote). Furthermore they have a less than stellar record at even picking the candidate that will go on to win the Democratic nomination. So there seems to be no shame in focusing your energies on more important states. Remember, the skip Iowa strategy helped McCain win big in the 2000 NH primary.

Lieberman Quits Iowa

Sorry about my absence of late. I've been a little tied up with personal stuff.

In a sign that things are tightening up for the Lieberman campaign (Lieberman's been losing ground in national polls) the Senator has decided to end his campaign operations in Iowa. This is in no way a sign of defeat; remember Wesley Clark never even started in Iowa for the same reasons, it's a waste of resources. Senator Lieberman will open up new offices in New Hampshire, as well as in Arizona, Oklahoma and South Carolina where he probably has a better chance and the benefits of a win are greater. But it is still a big question mark whether Leiberman can be successful in the South and West. His plain spoken manner may not be enough to overcome his Northeastern credentials, which have little currency in there.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Lieberman Accuses Dean Over Israel

The Dems had a debate last night and the claws are starting to peek out from the paws; there's a good AP summary here from the Doylestown Intelligencer / AP. The top-line:

Sen. Joe Lieberman accused Howard Dean in a campaign debate Tuesday night of turning his back on Israel, and the Democratic presidential front-runner shot back that he and former President Bill Clinton held the same view on the issue.

"It doesn't help ... to demagogue this issue," Dean quickly added in the sharpest clash of the young Democratic debate season.

Dems' Favorite Songs

Fox News has a list of the Democratic candidates' favorite songs. The list is quite telling I think:

Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun-- "You Gotta Be," Des'ree.

Al Sharpton-- "Talking Loud, Saying Nothing," James Brown. He called it "James Brown's song about the Republican Party."

Sen. John Edwards-- "Small Town," John Mellencamp.

Sen. John Kerry -- "No Surrender," Bruce Springsteen.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean -- "Jaspora," Wyclef Jean.

Sen. Joe Lieberman --"Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," Fleetwood Mac; "My Way," Frank Sinatra.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich -- "Imagine," John Lennon.

Rep. Dick Gephardt -- "Born in the USA," Bruce Springsteen.

Sen. Bob Graham -- "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes," Jimmy Buffett.

I always knew Bobby Graham was a parrothead.

Latest Presidential Campaign Polls

Curiously, everyone seems to be talking about the latest CNN/Gallup poll and its finding that most Americans cannot name a single democratic presidential candidate. What no one seems to be talking about is the the same poll has Lieberman pulling ahead of the crowd gaining 5% to lead Gephardt (the next on the list) by 10 percentage points.

Lieberman Meets Oklahoma Oil, Gas Producers

From Newsday:

Presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman told Oklahoma oil and gas producers Tuesday he would push for tax incentives to help create more jobs in the industry ...

... "As long as we're dependent on foreign oil, we are not going to be as strong a country as we could be, no matter how strong we are militarily or even economically," Lieberman said as he munched on a tuna fish sandwich in the steakhouse's back room.

Candidates Argue Taxes

The 2004 Democratic hopefuls spent Monday night discussing how much of Bush's tax cuts should be repealed. Kerry, Kucinich, Mosley-Braun and Lieberman all agreed to repeal only those cuts effecting the rich, while Howard Dean lined up with Dick Gephardt and Al Sharpton to advocate reversing the Bush cuts across the board.

"I think it's very important that Democrats not promise more than we can deliver," Dean said. "We can deliver health care for every American, or we can have the tax cuts."

Are Dean's supporters still trying to convince the public and the pundits that he's a moderate?

Source: NH Primary Monitor

Lieberman Lashes Left-Wing Democrats

Note to all from the Lieberman camp: "I am not George McGovern." (My words, not his.) From CNN:

Joe Lieberman attacked the left wing of his party Sunday, saying Democrats "don't deserve to run the country" if they move left and embrace "the failed solutions of the past."

"If we're for middle-class tax increases, if we send a message of weakness and ambivalence on defense, if we go back to big government spending, if we're against trade [and] for protectionism -- which never created a job -- we don't deserve to run the country," Lieberman, a presidential candidate, said on "Fox News Sunday."

"We're not going to be able to meet the challenges that America faces today."

If you can't tell, his real target with these jabs is Dean.

Lieberman Winning South Carolina

A recent poll shows Joe Lieberman with a slight lead in South Carolina (13% to Gephardt's 8%). The Democrats will do well to pay attention to these southern polls; to have any chance at catching Bush, the presidential nominee will have to make serious inroads into Bush's southern popularity. Interestingly the same poll showed the "insurgent" Howard Dean with a mere 4% of potential South Carolinian votes (6th place among competing Dems).

Perhaps Dean should run a commercial in SC as well.

Lieberman to Revive US Manufacturing (or subsidize it at least)

David Lightman is discussing Lieberman's plans for reviving the economy today. It’s an expensive plan ($10 billion or more) including cuts in corporate welfare, and limiting non-military federal spending to the rate of inflation. Yet, free trade Dems are likely to take issue with the part that proposes the resuscitating the US Manufacturing sector.

It has 17 components for reversing the decline in American manufacturing. Some involve taxes, such as creating an American Manufacturing Tax Credit that the senator says would reward companies for the percentage of manufacturing production they keep in the United States.

He would also eliminate the capital gains tax for multiyear investments in small and mid size manufacturing companies and give a credit for new purchases of information technology.

TNR's Primary gives Lieberman a B for the move, but its likely the cost and the controversial focus on manufacturing will disappoint some mainstream, more affluent supporters. At any rate, given Hoffa's stiff warning earlier this week about presidential hopefuls heeding labor's needs, Lieberman's timing is perfect and should help solidify some of the labor minded left.

Lieberman Pledges to Reverse Job Losses

First came the candidates, like so many locusts, and thence came the campaign promises, and together, anon, they lit upon the land. From Yahoo / AP:

Democrat Joe Lieberman, warning that America is "hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs," promises to reverse the trend as president with tax incentives and tougher trade policies.

Lieberman called President Bush's massive tax cuts a disaster for working Americans and accused some Democrats of dangerous protectionism.

"Rather than thinking we can build walls around our economy, as some Democrats would have us do, I want to build bridges to markets around the world for American-made goods," Lieberman said Friday in a speech to about 20 employees at a high-technology manufacturing company.

Lieberman Speaking Out On Bush, Rivals

Joey L is turning up the volume. From Yahoo / AP:

The mild-mannered Connecticut senator, his presidential campaign stalled in the Democratic Party's middling mass, is directing harsher salvos at President Bush and — most notably — his rivals.

He says Howard Dean probably can't get elected, accuses John Kerry of waffling on Iraq and calls Dick Gephardt's health care plan "big-government spending."

The most conservative of the field's nine candidates, Lieberman may finally be following the advice of frustrated advisers and even former President Clinton. Their counsel: Toughen your spine in a primary race dominated by liberal voters and angry partisans.

Workers Tell Lieberman Their Greatest Worries

Another local press account of how a candidate - here Lieberman - is rubbing elbows with the common man, this time from the Nashua Telegraph (NH). Among other items, Lieberman talks of plans to help US firms compete agains foreign competition, and to increase government purchasing of US products. A taste:

Lieberman said in two weeks, he will detail plans to help manufacturers compete with foreign competition. Specifically, he mentioned China, which makes up more than 20 percent of the U.S. trade deficit.

“There certainly is a strong feeling among a lot of American manufacturers that the Chinese and others around the world are breaking international trade terms and dumping products here at prices below what manufacturers can produce here,” he said.

Lieberman is also exploring incentives for the federal government to “buy American” with its $2.3 trillion in annual spending.

“We ought to offer a premium for buying American products with that money,” he said. “I’ll be back with details.”

Lieberman A Tough Sell Among Jewish Donors

From the Washington Times:

In theory, the senior senator from Connecticut has a lot going for him as the only Jew among the nine Democrats in the intensifying hunt for the 2004 nomination.

But some of his co-religionists also say Jewish donors feel drawn to President Bush, who is turning out to be the best friend Israel has ever had in the Oval Office.

"The smart political money in the Jewish community right now is sitting on the sidelines or supporting the president," says Lee Cowen, a Washington-based Jewish fund-raiser.

Lieberman Focuses On "The Economy, Stupid" And Recent Job Losses

JL was stumping in New Hampshire today. This account from the Stamford Advocate (CT):

Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman drew inspiration from former Presidents Bill Clinton and Harry Truman on Monday, telling customers at a diner that "It's still the economy, stupid," and "The best social welfare program is a job."

At his next campaign stop, a sheet metal factory, he also quoted former third-party candidate and free trade opponent Ross Perot as he talked about the "sucking sound" of American manufacturing jobs heading overseas to China and East Asia.

There's more here from WTNH, and there's this account of Lieberman rubbing shoulders with the locals from the local Concord Monitor.

Lieberman Tries To Recapture The Buzz

From the New Haven Register (CT):

Lieberman’s campaign message had focused on "electability," that as the most conservative of the nine-member Democratic pack he has the best shot of beating President Bush come November 2004.

Some observers, however, say that Lieberman has to lean more to the left if he’s to win over Democratic voters in key primary states.

"He has the image of being ‘Bush Lite,’" said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University. "He needs to prove he’s not Bush Lite to core (Democratic) voters ...

... But according to a top campaign staffer, Lieberman’s going to hold fast to the traditionally Republican positions on national defense, fiscal conservatism and moral values.

And Dean is of little concern, the staffer said.

Lieberman Feels Right At Home

From the Portsmouth Herald (NH):

U.S. Sen. and presidential candidate Joe Lieberman spent his Fourth of July in New Hampshire, mingling, chatting and laughing with what he called the "independent-minded people" of New Hampshire ...

... "Let our conceptions be enlarged to the circle of our duties," Lieberman repeated because he said he really likes that line. "Let us extend our ideas over the whole of the vast field in which we are called to act."

Lieberman said he felt right at home in New Hampshire because his own independent way of thinking and his optimism - just like those of the residents he was speaking to - differentiates him from the other candidates.

Presidential Hopefuls Parade in N.H.

AP:

AMHERST, N.H. - While people across the country celebrated Fourth of July with barbecues, baseball games and parades, residents of the first-in-the-nation primary state sized up possible presidents.

Four presidential hopefuls made their pitch to voters while marching with kids on bikes, Revolutionary War re-enactors, scouts, unicyclists and bands. New Hampshire's primary is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2004.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had the most supporters — and noisemakers — while marching in Amherst and then Merrimack, both within 15 miles of the Massachusetts state line. Kerry has ranked first in New Hampshire's latest polls and Dean has come in second.

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and Florida Sen. Bob Graham had fewer supporters present, but both shook as many hands and kissed as many babies as the regional candidates.

More...

Lieberman Campaigns In Greenville

From the Greenville News (SC):

Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman trolled for primary votes in Greenville Thursday, touring Greenville Hospital System's Cancer Treatment Center, and meeting publicly with local backers and privately with black clergymen.

Lieberman said GHS's cancer research laboratories fit perfectly with his proposed $150 billion American Center for Cures, a program to step up research into chronic diseases by funding clinical trials, research grants to speed drug development and large-scale research across disciplines.

Lieberman Draws $5 million Reprieve

From the Washington Times:

A late surge in donations has preserved the viability of Sen. Joe Lieberman's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, but political observers warn that his weakness in two early primary states still imperil his chances for the White House.

Mr. Lieberman, of Connecticut, was perceived by many as an early front-runner for the nomination because of his position as vice presidential nominee on Al Gore's ticket in 2000.

Polls gauging the mood of Democratic voters nationwide have Mr. Lieberman at least five points ahead of his rivals. Yet despite his popularity, the Lieberman campaign took on an air of desperation as second-quarter fund raising ended on June 30.

When It Comes To Ice Cream, Lieberman's Got Graham Scooped

From the Concord Monitor (NH):

Sen. Joseph Lieberman won a sweet endorsement of sorts yesterday from one of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Sen. Bob Graham of Florida was campaigning at the Puritan Backroom Restaurant at the same time Lieberman's wife was there handing out scoops of ice cream the restaurant's owner had named in the couple's honor.

Without giving away the names, Hadassah Lieberman asked Graham whether he'd prefer a cappucino-flavored concoction, or a chocolate scoop studded with almonds, chocolate chips and marshmallows.

He chose the coffee flavor, "Cup of Joe Lieberman," over the "Heavenly Hadassah."