IT'S ODD, TO SAY THE LEAST--Joe Lieberman, first ever Jewish-American presidential candidate, leading the Democratic field in support from black voters. But according to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll asking black Democrats who they liked best from a list that included Al Sharpton, that's exactly what is happening today.
The first explanation most political observers give for this popularity is also the most obvious: name identification. A former vice presidential candidate gets a head start from having his name on the leftover blue and red bumper stickers that still decorate the rear ends of cars across the country.
But Lieberman supporters and advisers insist that something bigger is happening: Black America loves Joe Lieberman. They offer several reasons. He is breaking barriers. He speaks the language of values. And since the 2000 campaign ended, even before he knew for sure he would run in 2004, Lieberman spent time cultivating support among African-American leaders in Washington and around the country.
"He understands the role of faith in government and American life, and that really resonates with African-American voters," says Donna Brazile, the strategist who ran the Gore-Lieberman campaign in 2000. "Culturally speaking, African Americans are quite conservative on lots of issues. Some people think that because we have dark skin, we're liberal. That's not right."
Of all Lieberman's attributes, none is more important than his attentiveness, especially to a constituency wary of being taken for granted. Last spring, as he waited for Al Gore to decide whether to make another bid for the White House,
Lieberman telephoned Eddie Bernice Johnson, then head of the Congressional Black Caucus, to ask which caucus members he might support with his PAC. She gave him a list of the CBC members thought to be most vulnerable, and Lieberman contributed to almost 20 of them. Among his contributions was a $1,000 check to the reelection effort of Rep. Earl Hilliard of Alabama.
Hilliard had a long record of hostility to Israel. He refused to sign a resolution in support of Israel's war on terrorism, and sponsored a bill, after September 11, that would have lifted sanctions on states that sponsor terrorism. Columnist Cynthia Tucker called Hilliard "a loose cannon, a dimwit, and perhaps a crook" who "gained a reputation for trying to persuade his colleagues to vote against pro-Israeli initiatives." Hilliard lost in a nasty June primary in which his opponent solicited and received large sums from Jewish Democrats. After the race, he warned of a "future with a great deal of conflict between African Americans and Jews in this country" and suggested African Americans would seek "retribution" for his loss.
Lieberman's advisers point out that the money was given in late March, several weeks before the primary turned into a bitter referendum on the Middle East. But the senator's critics say the Hilliard contribution is one example of just how far Lieberman is willing to go to win support among black politicians and voters.
Another, they say, came last week, when Lieberman blasted the Bush administration for filing a brief with the Supreme Court opposing the University of Michigan's affirmative action program. "I am deeply disappointed by the president's decision today," Lieberman said. "This was an opportunity for the president to demonstrate his commitment to achieving real equality in education. Instead, he sided with the right wing of his party, and sent a signal that equal opportunity in higher education is a low priority for his administration."
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