Risky Pick.

Will Gore's Choice of Running Mate Ultimately Help Him Win?

VICE President Al Gore surprised the nation last week by choosing as his running mate Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the first time a Jew has been put on the national ticket of either the Democratic or Republican parties.

The choice isn't without its risks, even putting aside the potential for anti-Semitism among voters.

Many pundits believed Gore was more likely to pick Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, charismatic and telegenic, married to Teresa Heinz, the widow of Republican Sen. John Heinz of Pennsylvania, or Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, a rising star in the Democratic Party. Lieberman is the opposite of these two Low-key and pious, he has no political sizzle. He is moralistic and intellectual.

Still, Democrats praised Gore's move for being bold and historic.

"Joseph Lieberman is a giant in the Senate," said Sen. Edward Kenedy of Massachusetts. "He's worked bril1lantly, effectively and tirelessly to promote the highest values of public service and integrity in public office."

The decision to pick Lieberman was purely political -- and the most innovative action Gore has taken since securing the nomination in March. Because one of the main problems Gore has had -- besides a nagging inability to maintain control of his own campaign -- is distancing himself from the problems associated with President Clinton. It was Lieberman, of course, who took to the Senate floor during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and condemned Clinton, a friend of 30 some years dating back to Yale Law School.

Lieberman on Clinton

"Such behavior is not only inappropriate, it is immoral and it is harmful," Lieberman said in that now-famous speech. "It is wrong and unacceptable and should be followed by some measure of public rebuke and accountability."

With Lieberman on the ticket, Gore now has an ever-present reminder that - while he stood by the president and even went so far as to call him "great" - he did not condone his boss's actions.

Picking Lieberman is not without its problems, though. Some parts of the Democratic base aren't happy with Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew who is conservative on certain issues.

Ironically, some of Lieberman's most outspoken critics are Jewish. Many Reform Jews are concerned that Lieberman projects a face of Judaism that is backward. Orthodox Jews, for example, segregate men and women in their synagogues.

"I'm excited an Orthodox Jew was selected, (but) I'm not excited about which Orthodox Jew," said Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun, the country's largest Jewish magazine. Lieberman "is indistinguishable from a Rockefeller Republican," Lerner said. "He's played a major role in pushing the party from its traditional role as supporter of the interests of working people, the poor, the left-out."

Lerner also is critical of Lieberman's unwavering support of Israeli government policies. "(He) is a part of the Jewish establishment that takes the view, 'Israel, right or wrong,'" Lerner said. "Lieberman is for whatever the Jewish state wants. Many American Jews do not necessarily agree with that position."

Lieberman also has opposed legislation that has been supported by gay political groups; he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which opposed same-sex marriages, and sided with Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina to cut funding to school programs that depict homosexuality in a positive light.

Signs of evolution

Some lobbyists for liberal causes say Lieberman has actually become less conservative in recent years. "Sen. Lieberman has evolved over time," said David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign, the country's most prominent lobbying organization for gays and lesbians. Signs of his evolution, Smith said, are the senator's co-sponsorship of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and sponsorship of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation sought by gays.

In the end, it remains unclear how Lieberman will help or hurt Gore's chances of winning in November. What is obvious is this Because Lieberman is the first Jew to appear on the national ticket of a major party, the turnout of Jewish voters in New York state will be record-breaking. The overwhelming majority of those voters will vote for Gore-Lieberman, which can only help the senatorial candidacy of Lieberman's other law-school friend, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Jewish voters may not like Hillary Clinton, they may not even trust her because of her sympathy for Palestinian causes (not to mention the kiss she gave to Suha Arafat, Yasser's wife), but ultimately they will vote for the Democratic ticket - and Hillary Clinton.

"The Suha Arafat kiss," Lerner said, "will be obliterated by the fact that the Clinton Gore legacy was the nomination of a Jew to the vice presidency."

Paul Alexander is a columnist with Bloomberg News.