Joe Lieberman, one of the biggest major independent politicians, died March 27 at age 82 from injuries sustained from a fall in his Bronx home.
Lieberman served as U.S. senator from Connecticut for six terms spanning 1989-2013. He was also a nominee for vice president when he ran alongside Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election.
Lieberman was a supporter of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. He also supported a strong relationship with Israel, free trade economics, abortion rights and LGBTQ rights, including protection from hate crime and the right to serve openly in the military.
On Jan. 19, 2011, Liberman announced he would retire from the senate, halfway through his fourth term. Upon his official retirement from senate duties, he became senior counsel of the white-collar criminal investigations practice at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, a prominent law firm in New York City.
Though he considered himself genuinely independent, as a politician, Lieberman could be described as an ardent Democrat with conservative views, especially in matters such as foreign policy and global terrorism.
Some of these conservative views would result in him being criticized toward the end of his career.
His endorsement of the Iraq War in 2003 greatly hindered his prospects for being the Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential election, and his support of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election led to him being scalded by Democrats.
Partisan politics aside, Lieberman was also criticized for introducing the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010, which, if enacted, would give the president the authority to shut down the internet should there be a threat to national security.
He was also strongly against the whistleblowing website Wikileaks.
Lieberman’s ability to float back and forth between parties on certain issues and stand his ground on others was an essential character trait that made him unafraid to voice discontent with policies he did not like.
