Former Sen. Joe Lieberman helped launch his own political career decades ago with a book on a Connecticut boss – but says he isn't seeing enough 'power broker' in President Joe Biden.
Lieberman, who served as the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2000 and served with Biden for two decades, says Biden needs to take greater command of his party.
'I must say that I haven't seen enough of that yet,' Lieberman told DailyMail.com in an interview
'I had the highest regard for real affection for him. And I was proud to support him in 2020, [and] don't minimize the difficulty of the political situation,' Lieberman said.
'While in my 24 years in the Senate, I saw Joe Biden do a lot of .. powerbrokering which was the title of my original book way back about [state party chair] John Bailey. I haven't seen him be able to do enough of it now as president,' Lieberman said.
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) wrote a book about a Connecticut power broker, and said of Biden: 'I haven't seen him be able to do enough of it now as president'
'And the irony and difficulty is that the biggest loser of a failure to adopt the bipartisan infrastructure bill I think will be President Biden himself,' he added.
He said Biden 'really has the come in and plead with, pressure, to do whatever it takes' to advance the bipartisan infrastructure bill. He called it 'historically significant' and 'really good for the country.'
He was less convinced about the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better plan, which he described as insufficiently vetted.
And he said of the left's demands: 'They are hurting the president and the Democratic Party as it approaches midterm elections
Lieberman said Biden should 'either negotiate a compromise on the large reconciliation bill, or put it into some sort of committee negotiating process among Democrats until they can come up with a compromise agreement.'
Lieberman, who chairs the group No Rules, is an avowed centrist who penned a new book, The Centrist Solution, which tells yarns from his political careers interspersed with concrete guidance and advice for how to forge compromise.
Lieberman, who in his books describes such as achievements as the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, Bill Clinton's 1993 budget, and his move to become an Independent, says he talks regularly with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin.
'I'm encouraged when I hear that Senator Senator or Senator Manchin have gone to the White House. So far I haven't seen anything productive anything real come out of it,' he said.
Asked if he knows what Sinema is seeking, he said: 'I really don't know. I talk to Joe Manchin a fair amount, but I haven't really been in touch with Sen. Sinema.'
He says he hasn't seen the portrayal of Sinema on 'Saturday Night Live' where she is played as someone refusing to reveal what she wants in talks, but says he gets the sense Democrats are more frustrated with her than they are with Manchin.
Lieberman, who chairs the group No Rules, says he doesn't know what Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is seeking through negotiations
He said he was disappointed with Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa for appearing on stage and accepting Donald Trump's
