Thinking Outside the Aisles

Senator Joseph Lieberman won the Connecticut senatorial race last week, but it was among the toughest congressional races he had ever fought. Only six years ago, Lieberman was at the top of his party, the Democratic candidate for vice president of the United States. This year, the Connecticut Democratic party rejected his candidacy for senate, forcing him to run as an independent. The cause for this rejection is truly disappointing: his views are spread across the political spectrum, from right of center on foreign policy issues to left of center on domestic issues. Sadly, this diversity in opinion was not acceptable to the Connecticut Democratic party. Yet, despite what primary voters may have felt, there is much to laud and to be learned from Lieberman's spectrum of positions.

Lieberman has long maintained strong and consistent views on foreign policy and has never been afraid to stand up for them. He has been highly supportive of Israel throughout his career, recognizing its legitimacy as a nation and the many values of allying the United States with a stable democracy in the Middle East. In line with this support, and with his deep sense of pride in the American system, is his firm belief that all people deserve to live in free and democratic societies, and that the pursuance of such societies will serve as a guarantor for America's security. He has worked hard to support the growth of freedom from Haiti to the former Soviet Union, cosponsoring the ADVANCE Democracy Act of 2005 with Senator John McCain, and encouraged the growth of tolerance and religious freedom through the International Religious Freedom Act.

The most controversial of Lieberman's positions is the consistency he has demonstrated in his support for the war in Iraq. This is truly a case where he displays his integrity and willingness to stand up for what he believes is best for America, regardless of party politics. "If opponents or supporters of the war go beyond disagreeing to exploiting the war for partisan political purposes ... " he wrote on his campaign Web site, " ... we could lose more than an election. We could put our mission in Iraq, the lives of thousands of American soldiers carrying it out, and our national security at risk." By putting politics aside and the issues at the forefront in this manner, Lieberman lost his party's nomination, but he proved that his beliefs are more important to him than playing the political game. He is not afraid to criticize the manner in which the war has been carried out, but when all is said and done, he stands by his vote in 2003, and for that he should be commended.

Lieberman's decision to caucus with the Democratic party is clear when we examine his stance on social and domestic issues. The senator is ardently pro-choice. He favors the possibility of gay marriage. He voted against drilling for oil in Alaska, criticized the Bush tax cuts, and rejected the idea of privatizing social security. He has no trouble believing all this, while still believing in the power of democracy and the need for an assertive foreign policy.

I am proud to be a Republican who is supportive of Senator Lieberman. I am proud that members of the College Republicans, following the request of a club member, went to campaign for him this election weekend and, frankly, I am disappointed that the College Democrats did not send the information about the trip out to their members, as well. Bipartisanship and the ability to break party lines is an important lesson to learn from Senator Lieberman-a lesson of placing convictions over party loyalty and even career aspirations. Party loyalty may indeed be a legitimate and necessary aspect of our two-party system, but sometimes it is important to step outside the confines of platform and to evaluate each issue individually, leaving the whip on the senate floor. Now that opposing parties control the legislative and executive branches, Lieberman's ability to think outside of party lines is more valuable than ever. The Democratic primary in Connecticut may not have understood its importance, but thankfully, the people of Connecticut did. As the fliers I handed out for his campaign stated, "A good man is hard to find." Thankfully, Senator Lieberman was not lost.