Last night Al Gore’s vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman took center stage at the Democratic Convention. Throughout his speech, he attempted to portray himself as a civil rights activist, saying he walked with Martin Luther King in the march on Washington for jobs and freedom. Later he said he had worked in the South registering African Americans to vote. He made multiple references to his family’s religion—Orthodox Jewish, as well as his family’s having fled communism.

Lieberman has come under fire from Latinos and African Americans in particular since he was announced as Gore’s VP candidate for his positions on a number of issues. He is pro-school vouchers and supported California’s anti-immigrant Prop 187. Last night, he addressed the issue of affirmative action, which he has been accused of opposing. He said “when it comes to affirmative action, mend it but please don’t end it.” We now turn to some of what Joe Lieberman said last night.

Tape:

• Sen. Joe Lieberman Speaking At Convention

Guests:

• Earl Afari Hutchinson, an author and longtime commentator at KPFK in Los Angeles. His latest book is ??The Disappearance of Black Leadership.
• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.