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Al Gore Chooses Joe Lieberman for VP
Al Gore made history today by picking a Jewish running mate, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who is Orthodox and observant. The Vice President is getting points for inclusiveness, for sticking to the political center, and for separating himself from the President, since Lieberman was the Democrat who condemned Clinton on the US Senate floor. But there are downsides. Lieberman brings no geographical help, the Jewish vote is small and 80% Democratic already, and he's not a star-quality speaker. Furthermore, Lieberman's voting record could make it harder for Gore to make his case against George Bush on privatizing Social Security and promoting school vouchers. We'll get some history and sample reaction.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readAl Gore made history today by picking a Jewish running mate, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who is Orthodox and observant. The Vice President is getting points for inclusiveness, for sticking to the political center, and for separating himself from the President, since Lieberman was the Democrat who condemned Clinton on the US Senate floor. But there are downsides. Lieberman brings no geographical help, the Jewish vote is small and 80% Democratic already, and he's not a star-quality speaker. Furthermore, Lieberman's voting record could make it harder for Gore to make his case against George Bush on privatizing Social Security and promoting school vouchers. We'll get some history and sample reaction.
