[ad_1]
Last week, my favorite former Democrat and not-so-secret friend, Sen. Joe Lieberman, passed away. We were colleagues in his Connecticut delegation to Congress in the 1990s, but our friendship has superseded that era.
Just last May, I reached Joe by phone. I got used to saying this and greeted my friend, “Vice President.” As expected, I got a chuckle. He quickly acknowledged my recognition by saying, “I hope so, you and I.”
I told him I proudly voted for him even though there was another guy on the ticket (Al Gore). That also elicited a chuckle.
I did it because I knew America would be better off if he were vice president. It couldn’t be like that. The state of Florida denied him that honor and honor by a margin of more than 500 votes. However, one election does not tell everything about a person. His contributions to America only increased.
But, as a joke, I have sometimes confronted Joe about losing a House seat race that a Democrat has lost only once in about half a century. Lieberman was one of the Democrats who lost, at least in part, to the Ronald Reagan landslide in 1980.
Clearly, God had better and bigger plans for my friend.
Although our paths often crossed in Connecticut politics, we never criticized each other or had harsh words to say about each other.
On the contrary, I overheard or stole many of the one-liners and jokes he used at the numerous “rubber chicken dinner” events we both attended (but never on the Sabbath). This classic is still my favorite that I sometimes speak about on college campuses or when addressing political crowds.
There were two men in a large cemetery in an undisclosed city in Connecticut.
They were writing down names from gravestones in the middle of the night. After each person wrote their name on their notepad, as the sun began to set, one man said to his partner (let’s call him Bob), “It’s time to go Bob.” The man at the front (let’s call him John) gets irritated with Bob and says again, “Bob, we’ve got to go. Dawn’s coming!” And then Bob goes on writing yet another name on his notepad. Meanwhile, John walked up to Bob and tugged on the collar of his coat.
Bob continued to write names on the tombstone, looking up at John.
He looked up at John and said, “Not in such a hurry, let me finish. After all, this man has the same right to vote as anyone else.”
It was always surrounded by loud laughter and applause. At least in this town, it was common knowledge that dead people could vote. Note: Anyone (as long as they are of the same sex) can replace a deceased person if the voter rolls are not regularly updated and proper identification is presented at the polling place.
The reason I called Joe last year was to seek advice and help on yet another political project. I wrote a column about the need to adopt a constitutional amendment regarding age limits for federal employees, including the president, all federal elected officials, government employees, and even Supreme Court justices. The magic age for retirement is 80.
Joe was busy seeking momentum for the No Label Party effort. However, after a phone conversation, he said he would think about my idea for a bit and then get back to me.
During our time in Congress, Lieberman and I worked on several bills that later became law. Bills need to pass both houses of Congress to become law, so I was often his “go-to Republican” in the House, and he was his “go-to Democrat” in the Senate.
Examples include Weir Farm, Connecticut’s first and only national park, and components of the 1994 crime bill. We didn’t publicize anything we had been working on together. We were just doing our jobs. he was my friend
In fact, on my first day as a member of Congress, several hundred people showed up for my post-swearing party. The room fell silent when a surprise guest arrived with my lovely wife (Hadassah) to my event, which was meant to celebrate and honor me as a Black Republican. It was Senator Lieberman.
In fact, he surprised me too. But like I said, he was a friend. He didn’t care about the fact that I was a Republican.
Sometimes I asked him for advice. So what I did last May was pretty normal for me. And Joe said:
Dear Gary
I read your column and thought about your thoughts on a constitutional amendment that would set an age limit for the presidency.
I think this is a good idea worth pursuing, provided you’re willing to take on all the organizational and financial work required. It would be great if you could find an existing organization that takes up your cause and funds you as a leader.
As for me, I am already overloaded with many good and professional activities. Therefore, I would like to take a step back and wish you all the best on this matter.
The best,
Joe
I was honored that he liked the idea. As always, he gave me sound advice. But this time the friend could do no more. And I understood.
We pray for the Lieberman family’s soul. Thank you for sharing Joe with all of us. We were lucky as a nation to tap into his talent.
Rest in peace Joe. You will always be my favorite Democrat and Connecticut politician.
Gary Franks, Tribune Content Agency, American Voice.
[ad_2]
Source link
