The state loses a fine leader

   

By Reginald Johnson

 

      Commentary

   The state of Connecticut lost one of its best leaders with the recent passing of Lowell P. Weicker.

The long-time senator and later governor was never afraid to steer an independent course and do what was right.

Weicker, who I covered as a reporter in the 1980s for Fairpress, was the last of an extinct species known as "liberal Republicans." While he was a senator, he was the first Republican to call out former President Nixon for the Watergate abuses and actively took part in the investigation of that scandal. In helping to lead the probe of Watergate, Weicker performed a major service for the country.

Lowell P. Weicker. He served three terms in the U.S. Senate and one term as Connecticut's governor. (Photo Wikimedia Commons)

Later he bucked the conservative drift of the GOP under Ronald Reagan and began to be hated by the Republican right. He even went to Cuba, met with Fidel Castro and praised the communist government. Unfortunately those words came back to haunt him, when Democratic Party senate challenger Joe Lieberman ran a red-baiting campaign, trying to undermine Weicker in pro-defense industry Connecticut. That attack, plus Weicker's lackluster re-election campaign, led to his defeat and loss of his senate seat in 1988.

Weicker jumped back into politics in 1990, winning the state's governorship on an independent slate. There again, he went against the grain and pushed for a long overdue, but highly unpopular, personal income tax. Despite vitriolic opposition, Weicker and his allies were able to push the tax through. Weicker also worked with officials in Bridgeport to help that city climb back from bankruptcy.

Lowell Weicker was not perfect. My understanding was he could be rude at times and a touch arrogant. But if you look at his record on a range of issues, he was really quite good. He left his mark and he will be missed.