WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: Former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) testifies during a hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee January 15, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on "A False Narrative Endangers the Homeland," focusing on the administration's narrative on the threat from al Qaeda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Joseph Lieberman, the one-time vice presidential hopeful and Connecticut senator, has penned an editorial for the Wall Street Journal calling for New Yorkers to vote against Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. The editorial, here, urges Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s primary opponent, Joe Crowley, to run against her as an independent.
Crowley is already on the ballot, with the Working Families Party, but he has said that he fully supports Ocasio Cortez and is not really running against her.
People of a certain age probably won’t remember who Joe Lieberman is. He’s is a centrist Democrat who often caucused with the Republican party. He is also a staunch supporter of Israel and an observant Jew. He retired from politics in 2012, after a failed run for the White House on the Al Gore ticket in 2000.
Lieberman has been maintaining a very low profile since retiring from politics. But today, on July 17, he wrote an editorial for the Wall Street Journal urging New Yorkers to vote against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic candidate for New York’s 14th congressional district.
Here’s what you need to know.
Lieberman Says He Has Nancy Pelosi On His Side — Against Ocasio Cortez
GettyNancy Pelosi
Lieberman’s op-ed says that Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, is opposed to Ocasio-Cortez taking over Joe Crowley’s house seat. And in fact, Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez are already in a tight rivalry.
Lieberman wrote, “Nancy Pelosi has tried to put distance between Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and House Democrats. “They made a choice in one district,” Mrs. Pelosi said. “It is not to be viewed as something that stands for anything else.” She knows that if Democrats are to regain a majority, it will be by winning swing districts with sensible, mainstream candidates. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is making that task harder across America.”
Lieberman Says Democrats Need to Prove They Are the Winning Party by Electing Mainstream Candidates Like Joe Crowley, Not Ocasio Cortez
In the primary, Ocasio-Cortez ran against — and trounced — longtime incumbent Joe Crowley. Many at the time hailed her victory as the sign of change coming to the Democratic party.
But Lieberman says that Democrats need “sensible, mainstream candidates” like Joe Crowley — and unlike Ocasio Cortez.
Lieberman wrote, “Joe Crowley’s re-election would be evidence that Democrats are capable of governing again. His voting record shows that Mr. Crowley is a progressive. I know him as a bridge builder and problem solver, which is exactly what Congress needs more of in both parties.”
Lieberman Says Ocasio-Cortez’s “Abolish ICE” Platform Makes No Sense
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Lieberman is extremely critical of Ocasio Cortez’s foreign policy, which he says is “straight from the DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] playbook”, backing Venezuela, criticizing Israel, and opposing foreign intervention in Syria.
Lieberman slammed Ocasio-Cortez for calling to “Abolish ICE,” which he said “makes no sense.” He wrote, “She has received the most attention for calling to “Abolish ICE,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This makes no sense unless you no longer want any rules on immigration or customs to be enforced. I have not heard anyone say that. Nonetheless, at least three credible candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination rushed to endorse Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s position.”
Joe Crowley Initially Congratulated Ocasio Cortez On Her Win, But He Is Technically Running Against Her On the Working Families Party Ticket
.@repjoecrowley stated on live TV that he would absolutely support my candidacy.
Instead, he’s stood me up for all 3 scheduled concession calls.
Now, he’s mounting a 3rd party challenge against me and the Democratic Party- and against the will of @NYWFP.
After Ocasio-Cortez swept to victory against Joe Crowley, the two said they wanted to work together peacefully. But almost immediately, cracks started to appear in their relationship. Ocasio-Cortez slammed Crowley for running against her on a third party ticket, because Crowley’s name appears as a candidate for congress on the Working Family Parties ticket.
Crowley says his name is just on the ticket as a formality, and that, because of technical issues, it would be almost impossible for him to take his name off the ballot. But Ocasio Cortez says Crowley has stopped taking her calls — and she can’t understand why he seems to be running against her.