Sen. Joe Lieberman: A moderate proposal

Besides moderation, the only more potent sedative for young Americans may be the gentle voice of a college professor, Princeton excluded. There's nothing new in underlining the outspokenness of liberal and conservative America, leaving a dormant majority in the middle. Comprising people of reason and good parentage, the middle is currently in limbo, caught in the increasingly bitter struggle between Democrats and Republicans. Still, although the vital center may be without caricature, it is not without a solid leader. And the brightest star in the moderate firmament is none other than a certain Connecticut senator running for president.

The importance of returning to moderation in these trying times is stressed not only by leaders from the Democratic party, but also Republicans displeased with the current administration. Both sides feel that the White House has ventured dangerously to the right, neglecting the needs of the American people while yielding to special interests. Likewise, a leftist alternative would no more represent the majority of Americans than a continuation of the current administration. Nor could it correct the errors of the past few years without creating its own. Generally wary of governance from the left, the American people are unlikely to trade the current administration for a liberal one.

No, a leftist candidate representing the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential election would indeed take the party into the political wilderness. The Democratic Party, once the choice affiliation of progressive moderates, has lost a great deal of its support from the center. Intuitively, the road to recovery is not paved on the ideals of liberals, but with the sensibility and pragmatism of moderates. Following the most liberal (and often most vocal) voices would only further alienate the American center when the party should be courting their favor.

Now that Americans are beginning to realize the emptiness of the president's rhetoric, as he has divided more than he has united and governed without compassion, the American center is starting to be more receptive to new ideas. Or maybe people just want reasonable, established ideas in an attractive package. Something familiar and friendly would be nice — someone honest and experienced. That's why Joe Lieberman is the president that America wants and needs. In the words of campaign manager Craig Smith, "Joe has everything that people liked about Clinton and none of what they didn't. He has everything the people like about Bush and none of what they don't." Senator Lieberman is positioned in the middle of a three-way race right now, offering an alternative to the extremes of the political spectrum. The perfection of his candidacy is all too obvious when his opponents can attack him in no other way besides saying he is "too nice". But his gentlemanly exterior should not be mistaken for a lack of passion. In fact, it would be difficult to find someone angrier with the president than Joe Lieberman unless they too had an election stolen from them.

Still, as Americans, we expect our leaders to behave with decorum. Those inclined towards tantrums and the like are ill suited for the White House, and we would do well to avoid trading in a conservative cowboy for a liberal one. Joe Lieberman is angry but he does not let an emotion dictate his behavior and push him to say things he'll later regret. Instead of anger, Joe Lieberman offers something more concrete. Like Clinton, he advocates policies that will nurture the American economy. Like Bush, he is steadfast about the protection of the American people. In addition, Lieberman has been candid and critical about failed policies and irresponsible governance from both presidents. In this manner, Joe Lieberman has convinced me that he can keep America on course, willing to borrow ideas from both liberals and conservatives. He is fond of saying, "I am not afraid to tell my friends when they are wrong and I am not afraid to agree with my opponents when they are right."

There is nothing boring about staying resolute on one's principles and Joe Lieberman has not wavered on his beliefs, however unpopular they may be. At the risk of estranging key Democratic support from labor unions, lawyers, and the entertainment industry, Joe has remained steadfast on his principles. A vocal supporter of fair and free trade, tort reform, and responsible entertainment, Senator Lieberman doesn't quite sound like a Democrat in the traditional sense. In fact, he is a man to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans, a moderate candidate for the moderate American.

The trouble is our peers demonstrate relatively little about the wisdom of moderation, indulging excessively in their habits of drink, sex and politics. Due to fashion, tradition, naiveté or a combination of all three, young Americans are historically drawn to these three excesses. Hopefully though, the explanation of our campus's solid record of political ambivalence lies in our moderation, perhaps not in action, but in philosophy. If this were the case, then our awakening would be a burst of moderate effervescence — maybe just enough to help elect a Democrat to the White House.

Patrick Yao Tang is a molecular biology major from East Amherst, N.Y.