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Lieberman tries to make a connection(Stamford Advocate, The (Stamford, CT) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Aug. 6--Greeting potential primary voters in the Milford Senior Center's lunchroom last week, Joseph Lieberman was received warmly by kitchen worker Charity Cantrell. The woman had never met her U.S. senator before, but Cantrell said the two "have a history" because they were part of the civil rights movement and 1963's March on Washington. Cantrell, who is black, handed Lieberman a menu for him to autograph, then turned to embrace him, revealing words printed on the back of her shirt that define the senator's campaign -- "Hard Work." Six years ago, Lieberman's seat was so secure that he won a third term while criss-crossing the country as presidential candidate Al Gore's running mate and snubbing his Republican opponent's demands for a debate. But an aggressive primary challenge from Greenwich cable entrepreneur Ned Lamont had Lieberman on a statewide bus tour in 90- and 100-degree temperatures, asking Democrats to turn out and vote for him Tuesday. "These are whirlwind days," Lieberman told The Advocate while on the road last week. But he said he likes this type of campaigning and making "interpersonal connections." The senator began Wednesday morning visiting Jennie's Diner in Wallingford accompanied by veteran ESPN sportscaster Chris "Boomer" Berman of Cheshire. "He's a good man," Berman said. "(The) state can't afford to lose a guy like this. It just can't." Democrat Henry Oefinger, owner of a neighboring liquor store, said he felt the same way. He said he supports the senator's controversial decision to petition his way onto the November ballot if he loses Tuesday, then regretted talking to a reporter. "We don't want to alienate any potential customers," Oefinger said. The bus was preparing to pull away when a young man approached. The senator stepped outside to greet him. "What's your feeling on stem cell (research)?" asked a nervous Paul Narducci, a Wallingford resident whose ongoing struggle to help his paralyzed 3-year-old son has garnered attention from the media there. As the pair huddled over photos of young Jonathan Narducci, Lieberman told the boy's father he supports stem-cell research and President Bush was wrong to veto legislation that would have eased restrictions on federal financing. Nearby sat the black Chevy truck that has been following Lieberman for the past month carrying a papier-mache sculpture of Bush kissing Lieberman's cheek after the 2005 State of the Union address. The pickup carrying "The Kiss" is a symbol of Lamont supporters' charge that Lieberman is too closely allied with Bush and unrepentant about the Iraq war. Narducci told Lieberman he will vote for him, but not to expect the support of his one-time loyal parents. "The war and 'the kiss' turned them right away," Narducci told the senator. "If there's ever a moment when you need something . . . call my office," Lieberman said before his bus left. Asked to share his thoughts on Bush's six years in office, Lieberman said he has "a lot of mixed feelings." "The record shows I've disagreed with most of the policy initiatives of his administration," Lieberman said. "I don't hate (Bush). A lot of Democrats seem to in the way a lot of Republicans hated (former President) Bill Clinton. It was as wrong then as it is now." Lieberman launched his 10-day bus tour July 28 as a Quinnipiac University poll showed he was in a dead heat with Lamont. Dubbed "Joe's Tomorrow Tour," he hoped to focus the debate on Connecticut's future and which candidate had the record and experience to serve the state better. But Lamont, whose campaign has tapped into Democrats' anger at the Iraq war and Bush, has gained a 13-point lead over the incumbent. Briefly discussing the war, Lieberman repeated a phrase Clinton used when stumping for the senator, an old friend, in Waterbury last month: "No Democrat is responsible for the mistakes made since the fall of Saddam Hussein." "I think history will treat the administration harshly for what it did after Saddam was overthrown," Lieberman said. Should the Democrats win back Congress, many political observers expect the party will launch investigations into how the Bush administration led the country into and conducted the war. But Lieberman said his focus is on ending it. "The (question) of what happened before is not insignificant but I don't want it to distract us," the senator said. Despite public opinion to the contrary, Lieberman has stuck to his position that the war was necessary, progress has been made over the past year in Iraq and American troops need to stay in place to help support the new government. "There are politicians who dance around a lot," he told a samba class at the Milford Senior Center. "I like to walk straight." That's why Helen Casey, a speech pathologist at the senior center, likes the senator. A registered Republican, she approached reporters to ask how she can support Lieberman in the Democratic primary. "He votes the way he thinks is right on each issue," said Casey, who "regrets" the war but believes the troops must stay. Walking to the bus, Lieberman was followed by Bob Adams of Milford, who launched his "Connecticut Bob" Internet blogspot about four months ago. Bloggers like Adams have made a significant contribution to Lamont's grassroots campaign. "The only way to talk to your senator is to try to find him and catch him on the run," Adams said before he tried unsuccessfully, camcorder in hand, to interview Lieberman about the details of his petition drive. Lieberman launched the drive so he can still appear on the ballot as a third-party candidate if he loses Tuesday's primary: The 7,500 signatures he needs to submit to the secretary of the state to appear on the ballot are due Wednesday. The senator wound up canceling four lunchtime campaign stops in Milford, Stratford and Bridgeport to tape some final television ads, but fit in a noon rally in Bridgeport to criticize retail giant Wal-Mart's labor practices. Lamont also was there. As the endorsed candidate of the AFL-CIO and other unions, Lieberman was in his element at the rally. After a brief meeting on the bus with state AFL-CIO President John Olsen, the senator emerged at Bridgeport's City Hall Annex through a phalanx of cheering campaign workers. He was the first to address the crowd, many of whom chanted "Let's go Joe. Let's go Joe." Lamont supporters waved signs accusing the senator of accepting Wal-Mart campaign contributions; Lieberman's backers circulated fliers accusing Lamont of owning stock in the company. Lieberman supporter Adam Arifaj of Trumbull braved the 100-degree temperatures in a banana suit with a sign that read "Like Wal-Mart, Lamont is bananas." Lieberman quickly departed for his New Haven commercial shoots in a black Mercury Crown Marquis, leaving the press behind. He also missed Lamont's criticism of him for failing to provide Americans with universal health care after 18 years in office. Universal health care and expanding Medicare access were the subjects of Lieberman's 3 p.m. stop on Wednesday in Newtown. He told staff and patients at Kevin's Community Center, a free clinic, that he is working on legislation to establish an American Center for Cures. The project, done in cooperation with U.S. Sen. Tad Cochran, R-Miss., would focus on curing cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other maladies. "Sometimes people get mad at me when I work with Republicans," Lieberman said. But, he said, bipartisanship can get things done. The senator wrapped up the day's travels with quick visits to Plainville and a New Britain Rock Cats minor league baseball game. At J. Timothy's Taverne, Lieberman took time to chat with Dave and Tina Madore and pose for a photo with Andy Grigerek. All three diners are Democrats, but in interviews afterward none committed to voting in Tuesday's primary. Valmore Malenfant, whom Lieberman greeted at Laurel Lanes bowling alley, called the senator "a very honest man." He said Lieberman "got sucked in" to supporting the Iraq war like everyone else who believed Bush's claims that Saddam Hussein was an imminent threat. "I think he's done a lot for Connecticut," Malenfant, who is a Democrat, said. "Who's Ned Lamont?" Another bowler, Sue Wisk, will vote for Lieberman in the primary but wished he had arrived later to greet more players. But the senator, an Orthodox Jew, was on his way home to New Haven to attend synagogue and begin a day of fasting. Asked what he has learned from the primary campaign, Lieberman paused. "I'll be better able to answer that next week," he said. |