On September 3, 1998, Americans, the Democratic Party, and the Clinton White House collectively held their breath as CNN cut to live coverage of Connecticut Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman’s US Senate floor speech rebuking then-president Bill Clinton’s own public disclosure detailing his pursuit of an “inappropriate” relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Lieberman pronounced, “Such behavior is not just inappropriate. It is immoral.”
Archival footage of this historical speech is just one of the emotional highpoints of a new documentary film of the consequential life of Joe Lieberman, one of America’s most successful and prominent Jewish politicians. In today’s toxic political environment, it’s notable that Lieberman’s speech, while tough and direct, was never characterized as an “attack,” more like a “scold,” as Lieberman’s son, Matt Lieberman, described the moment in a recent conversation.
Centered: Joe Lieberman debuts on December 30 at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, produced and directed by the same filmmakers behind 2020’s Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin. Director Jonathan Gruber covers the long, impactful life and career of the Connecticut Democratic senator from childhood right up to Lieberman’s surprising death at the age of 82 this past March 27 after a fall at home.
At the time, Lieberman’s 1998 historic Senate speech was the first by a prominent Democrat speaking out in such a public forum, and all the resulting national media coverage – front-page New York Times, ABC News Nightline special coverage, among many others – transformed Lieberman into a national political figure.
“Whether he or we think it fair or not, the reality is in 1998, a president’s private life is public,” said Lieberman. “When his personal conduct is embarrassing, it is sadly so not just for him and his family; it is embarrassing for all of us as Americans.”
Lieberman pronounced himself “angry and disappointed” – in character as the “conscience of the Senate.” He said, “These feelings have gone beyond my personal dismay to a larger, graver sense of loss for our country, a reckoning of the damage that the president’s conduct has done to the proud legacy of his presidency and, ultimately, an accounting of the impact of his actions on our democracy and its moral foundations.”
Although Lieberman’s language sounds harsh, director Gruber worked to leave the impression that “even when discussing very intense topics, Joe seemed to project a sense of humility about himself,” which was centered on his Jewish faith and observance.
“We all need to tap into our inner ‘centeredness’ and move forward to affect change. We all have a tremendous amount of power to affect change,” said Gruber in describing a theme of the film.
As in Upheaval, Gruber doesn’t shy away from including the controversial decisions of Lieberman’s career.
“It’s very, very important for a bio-documentary to discuss his life in totality,” says Gruber. “For me, one of the most powerful moments in the film is when he talks about his vote to authorize America’s 2003 war against Iraq to remove the brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein,” which became a wedge issue in the 2004 Democratic Presidential primaries which Lieberman had entered as an early favorite.
The film documents Lieberman’s first public admission that the Iraq invasion, with his support, had resulted in tragic losses, which, in retrospect, caused him to question the wisdom of this vote to support the war.
“Although it came pretty late (20 years later), he was able to acknowledge that it was a big deal. Some people never acknowledge a mistake. There are many leaders I can think of who take no blame and want all the credit,” said Gruber.
IN A recent interview with The Forward, Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Lieberman’s hometown shul, Stamford’s Agudath Sholom, said he saw Lieberman as “the modern embodiment of the biblical Joseph – somebody who can really serve as a role model for the vision of being a Jew who is not isolating oneself from the world, but engaging in elevating the world.”
“It’s one of the great accomplishments of Joe Lieberman’s career, Irwin Kula, president of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, told The Forward.
“He never uses theology or God, but he found a way to bring those values into American discourse and policy in a language all of us can understand.”
Lieberman's widow approves
According to producer Rob Schwartz, the decision to agree to the making of the bio-documentary on his life did not come easily to Joe Lieberman and his steadfast, loving wife, Hadassah Lieberman.
Agreeing to participate in the production of the bio-documentary, Lieberman was swayed by producer Schwartz’s plan to create a follow-on public-school civics curriculum because of his concern that civics is no longer taught in America’s secondary schools.
“We’re in discussions,” Schwartz said, “with the superintendent of America’s 4th largest school district to introduce a Lieberman-based public school civics curriculum.” Lieberman finally agreed to participate in Centered after watching Upheaval for the third time, inducing a strong emotional reaction, and “based on our curriculum commitment,” Schwartz recalled.
In a recent conversation, Hadassah Lieberman declared herself “very pleased” with the way the film came out.
“I am very pleased. It really expresses Joey in the way he was, a patient listening man interested in hearing different sides of an issue, especially the importance of learning from each other despite our differences.”
This film “speaks to us about politics and leadership, particularly in this time of crazy words, attacks, and accusations from politicians,” said Mrs. Lieberman.
The man who launched Sen. Joe Lieberman to major national prominence by selecting him in the 2000 election cycle to be the Democratic nominee for vice president, then-VP Al Gore, beautifully summed up the “consequential life” of Joe Lieberman at a recent Washington memorial service with these words,
“We can say of Joe the very best we can say of any man. His was a life of constant consequence for his family, his friends, his nation.”
“While I was already familiar with the word ‘mensch,’ I did not know the true meaning until I became a good friend of Joe Lieberman.”
Centered: Joe Lieberman makes its Israeli debut with a December 30 showing at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival. For tickets visit https://jer-cin.pres.global/order/37771