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When former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman died in March he left a national political legacy, but in Connecticut he also left a legacy related to his understanding of and use of the news media to further his political ends.
No synopsis of Lieberman’s career would be complete without a nod to his admiration, respect for, and use of the media to advance his political agenda.
He was the author of seven books, the first of which – The Power Broker(1966) – a biography of former Connecticut Democratic Party chairman John Bailey is considered a Connecticut political classic, both for its content and the role it played in helping launch Lieberman’s career in elective politics.
As a lifelong writer he had a special affinity for the press and its power to influence events.
He was the first politician in Connecticut to understand the power of the media to raise the sleepy profile of the Office of Attorney General into a tool for nearly constant positive publicity. His regular news conferences and news interviews allowed him to boost his statewide name recognition and build an unassailable reputation as someone standing up for the average voter. He set the media management standard for everyone who has followed in that office since, including current U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal who succeeded Lieberman in the A.G.’s office.
In Washington he was equally accessible both to the local press back home and the national press where he often paired himself with former Arizona Senator John McCain. Learning from his experience in Connecticut, Lieberman was always available and especially on Sunday mornings for the national public affairs shows that play a role in setting the weekly agenda in Washington, D.C.
Bottom Line: Lincoln said, “public sentiment is everything,” with it nothing can fail, without it nothing can succeed. Lieberman lived by those words throughout his public career and it worked. While he had many critics in Connecticut, in his lifetime he surpassed the accomplishments of most of them.
This post was adapted from a post previously published on The Laurel.