Lieberman's Candidacy Receives Much Discussion

Source: The New York Times

On August 8, 2000, The New York Times reported that "Although he frequently wears a yarmulke on his head, Mr. Lieberman is seen by some Christians as a kindred spirit for his willingness to wear his religion on his sleeve. His talk of the Talmud's inspiring both his values and his votes has often been cited by those Christians who believe that the Bible ought to guide public policy...'For a lot of serious Christians in America, the fact that he's an observant Jew would be viewed very positively,' said the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, a Roman Catholic priest who is editor of First Things, a neoconservative religious journal. 'America is incorrigibly and confusedly a religious nation, and the fact that a person is viewed as religiously devout, someone who lives what he believes, is clearly a plus.'

"In the Senate, Mr. Lieberman has championed some of the issues dear to Catholics, many mainline Protestants and conservative Christian evangelicals. He has supported school vouchers and pushed for the State Department to punish countries for religious persecution. He has castigated the entertainment industry for producing violent music and television programs. And his Senate speech in 1998 denouncing President Clinton on the ground of sexual immorality won praise from Christian clergy. 'I think the vice president made an excellent choice,' the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who is supporting Gov. George W. Bush, said in an interview...'It is a public acknowledgment that his candidacy has two great needs. One is credibility, which Mr. Lieberman brings to anything he touches. The second is an everlasting divorce from Bill Clinton, and this is that.'"