Lieberman: Perry makes “good first impressions”

One often sought after endorsement by both Republican and Democrat politicians is that of Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. His independent status in the US Senate and tendency to play with both sides of the aisle leads some to believe his endorsement can carry more weight than some. In 2008, Lieberman endorsed Senator John McCain and we know how that turned out so take it with a grain of salt.

Report from Fox News:

Sen. Joe Lieberman, who earned the ire of Democrats in the last presidential election by endorsing John McCain, said he hasn’t yet decided who he’ll support in 2012 — though he thinks Republican Rick Perry is making “some very good first impressions.”

Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who is not seeking reelection next year, told Fox News it’s “too early to say” whether he’d pull a repeat of 2008 and snub President Obama. An independent as of the 2006 race, Lieberman is generally aligned with Democrats on social issues and with Republicans on military and national security matters. He straddles the aisle on financial legislation.

“I’m going to approach this 2012 election as the independent that I am and therefore I don’t know who I’m going to support at this point,” Lieberman said Wednesday.

He suggested one of his tests will be to gauge whether the candidates believe, as he does, that America should “remain strong and involved” around the world. “In both parties there are groups that would try to pull us back,” he said.

But he praised Perry, the Texas governor who officially jumped in the race for the GOP nomination Saturday, for “his willingness to not be coy about America’s role as a world leader.”

Given President Obama’s record since elected, I can’t see Lieberman endorsing him for another 4 years since he didn’t put the Lieberman stamp on him the first time around.

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Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

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