Even His Mom Wonders Why Lieberman ‘Didn’t Catch On’

Resting in a wheelchair as her son finished a speech at City Hall here Saturday night, 89-year-old Marcia Lieberman shook her head and gave that worried look that only a mother can give.

The U.S. senator from Connecticut vying for the Democratic presidential nomination was the kind of boy who brought struggling students home from school for tutoring. At 61, he still calls his mother every night from the campaign trail, no matter where it takes him.

So why, she wonders, isn’t her Joseph faring any better in his presidential quest?

“He’s such a good man,” she said softly. “I don’t know why he didn’t catch on.”

The question lingers for many as New Hampshire prepares for Tuesday’s primary.

While Lieberman hopes for a third-place finish, some polls indicate he could place as low as fifth, a disappointing result that could jeopardize his pledge to continue his candidacy into the round of Feb. 3 primaries.

For some here, Lieberman’s effort in New Hampshire had seemed a marriage made in voter-candidate heaven: a no-frills, plain-spoken, tell-it-like-it-is political veteran campaigning throughout a state that prides itself on its low-key demeanor and rock-solid New England values.

He skipped the Iowa caucuses to concentrate on New Hampshire and even rented an apartment in Manchester with his wife and constant companion, Hadassah.

Lieberman warns the pundits not to count him out, referring to John F. Kerry, the senator from Massachusetts who he said proved in Iowa that late rallies by written-off candidates can bring surprising results.

But for Lieberman, there is little sign of that type of momentum. While the unflappable senator traveled the state Sunday touting one new poll that placed him in a statistical tie for third place with Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, he remains on the low-intensity fringes of the Democratic race.

Like the frigid temperatures here, his popularity with voters has barely reached double digits in most surveys. He may end up learning the same cruel lesson about New Hampshire politics as one-time Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, who said, “Now I know why they call this the Granite State, because it’s so hard to crack.”

Lieberman hopes to attract some of the state’s 260,000 registered independents -- 42,000 of whom voted in the last Democratic primary -- with a centrist platform of tax cuts for the middle class and unapologetic support for the Iraq war. He casts himself as a political kindred spirit of straight-talking Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who galvanized independent voters here in 2000.

On Sunday, Lieberman announced the endorsement of 1,000 New Hampshire independents -- much-needed support if he is to finish respectably.

Still, Lieberman’s campaign vehicle has begun to show the telltale wobble before the wheels come off. While he drew 500 onlookers in Nashua on Saturday and packed a Manchester diner Sunday, his crowds have mostly paled when compared with the other major contenders.

The other day, Lieberman aides called a Washington Post reporter on the trail, asking if he planned on returning to cover their candidate. “I’m kind of busy with [former Vermont Gov. Howard] Dean right now,” the reporter replied.

Following a fired-up Edwards at a Democratic fundraiser Saturday, Lieberman appeared wooden with his awkward thumbs-up gestures. Edwards inspired standing ovations; Lieberman polite applause.

Even political observers who want to like Lieberman say they can’t bring themselves to jump on his bandwagon.

John Petruzzelli, a ninth-grade teacher from Philadelphia, headed a student field trip to New Hampshire to study the political process. He arrived thinking Lieberman would be the best of the Democratic field; after watching the candidate, he said he may have to add another chapter to his lesson plan: the death rattle of a political campaign.

Following Lieberman’s speeches, Petruzzelli said he felt like, “Somebody wake me up, please.” And while most campaign headquarters buzzed with scores of volunteers, the Lieberman camp featured a dozen people sitting around phones that rarely rang.

“There was barely a pulse to the place,” Petruzzelli said. “They were really nice and took the time to talk to us. But if they think Joe’s going to get more than a few votes here, they’re in for a rude awakening.”

Book publisher Willem Meiners drove up from Maryland to meet the candidates. He admires Lieberman for sticking by his support for the war with Iraq. He likes that Lieberman’s a devoutly religious man who has followed his convictions, such as not campaigning on Saturday in observance of the Jewish Sabbath.

“He’s a nice guy, but nice guys finish last,” Meiners said. “Or in the case of the New Hampshire primary, probably next to last.”

Over a two-eggs-over-easy breakfast Sunday at a Manchester diner, car parts manager Frank Fleming offered Lieberman friendly advice.

“The guy should change parties,” he said as the candidate shook hands nearby. “He appeals to middle-class people with solid values -- including Republicans tired of George Bush. But the Democrats don’t see his value. So I say ditch them and switch over to a party that would appreciate him.”

Experts say Lieberman erred by making a direct appeal to McCain’s voter base, confusing many Democrats by linking himself with the popular Republican.

Said Elaine Kamarck, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University: “It was probably a strategic mistake to align himself with McCain early on.”

GOP strategist Ronald Kaufman said he was “mystified” by Lieberman’s lackluster showing to date in New Hampshire.

“Joe will be in the book of great Americans never to be president. It’s funny because there was a place for Lieberman’s message in this campaign, but somehow he missed the boat,” he said. “I’m sure he’s scratching his head and asking himself why.”

Lieberman insists there are too many undecided voters to count him out. Standing before reporters in minus-3 degree temperatures Sunday, he said, “We’re going to do a lot better than people predict.”

Yet on the primary’s eve, Lieberman insiders -- including his sister Ellen Lieberman, a theater director in Connecticut -- still search for answers.

Following the Nashua City Hall speech on Saturday, she pushed her mother’s wheelchair, pondering why “the honest man who is as he appears to be” is not connecting with voters.

“I just don’t know,” she said. “Do you know why?”