Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman passed away on March 27, 2024, at the age of 82. People knew him for being independent and being the first person to do new things at work. His family said he broke down and died after a fall in New York City. At the time of his death, his wife Hadassah and other family members were with him.
It was a big deal for Lieberman when he ran for vice president as a Democrat with Al Gore in 2000. They lost a very close race for the Supreme Court to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
Like when he backed the Iraq War, Lieberman wasn’t known for following the rules of his party. On issues like abortion and the economy, he agreed with the Democrats. But when it came to foreign policy, his tough stance often made people disagree with him.
Because Lieberman was so strongly in favor of the Iraq War, his Democrats’ run for president in 2004 fell through. He did not support the war with his party, which hurt him in the 2006 Democratic Senate run as well. He ran as an independent and won, which means he will be in the Senate four times.
It made Democrats mad when Lieberman officially backed John McCain at the 2008 Republican National Convention. It also changed the direction of his political career. John McCain, who is good friends with Lieberman, thought about running against him. This showed that they liked each other on both sides of the line.
After he stopped running for office, Lieberman worked with No Labels and other groups to make American politics more civil and inclusive. His honesty, public service, and efforts to bring people together were praised by many people, even those who didn’t agree with him politically.
Lieberman will be buried in two different places. The very first one will take place at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, Connecticut. People in the future will be impressed by how he led with honor and fought for everyone, no matter what party they were in.