Former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman died last week at the age of 82. Lieberman was an observant Orthodox Jew and was the first Jew to be part of a major presidential ticket, running for vice president alongside Al Gore on the Democratic ticket in 2000. Lieberman was considered a moderate, and he ultimately became a political independent, while continuing to caucus with the Democratic Party. He was a strong supporter of the Iraq War and advocated for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. He supported unions and free trade, and pushed for greater rights for the LGBTQ community. He was a staunch supporter of Israel, but also worked on behalf of Muslims as a member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council. Lieberman endorsed Republican candidate Senator John McCain for president against Barack Obama in the 2008 election, and he was considered as a possible vice presidential candidate on the McCain ticket. But some of McCain’s advisors argued against the selection of Lieberman, and McCain ultimately chose Sarah Palin. McCain later regretted listening to his advisors, saying “my gut told me to ignore it and I wish I had.” Why did his advisors recommend against the selection of Lieberman?

MSC 2014 Lieberman-McCain Kleinschmidt MSC2014 by Tobias Kleinschmidt  is licensed under CC BY 3.0 DE DEED via Wikimedia Commons

A. Some of his advisors were concerned about Lieberman’s observance of Sabbath and holidays, worried that he might be unavailable in times of need.

B. They argued that the best way to draw votes from Barack Obama was to name a female as his vice presidential running mate.

C. His advisors recognized that a portion of the far right electorate who would normally vote Republican (especially against the Black Barack Obama) would never vote for a Jewish candidate.

D. While Lieberman was viewed as a moderate to conservative Democrat, he was a supporter of abortion rights, which McCain’s advisors said would prevent many Republicans from voting for a McCain/Lieberman ticket.

E. They felt that McCain’s religious “family values” constituents would not want McCain to have a running mate whose name means “Lover Man.”

Click here for the answer.

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