"Don't Ever Bet Against America"

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America has chosen, but which way she’s chosen remains to be heard.

On November 6 th , even as reports that Democrat Joe Biden was projected to become the President-Elect of the United States, President Trump issued a statement that promised the “election is far from over” as final results remain to be tallied in key battleground states.

The Trump campaign and the GOP have already begun to sue in states like Arizona and Pennsylvania over ballot handling, while the President vowed to “ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.”

With final results up in the air, and the specter of the 2000 election looming, former Senator and Vice-Presidential nominee, Joe Lieberman, told The Cats Roundtable he hoped that in the event of the final outcome, both candidates could put the country first.

“I have great confidence in the country and in the people of the country—but I don’t want to be naive about this,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman’s skepticism isn’t unfounded. As the running-mate to Democratic nominee, Al Gore, in the 2000 presidential election, Lieberman conceded to the Republican candidate, George W. Bush, and his running mate, Dick Cheney, following a Supreme Court decision on ballot recounts in Florida.

The former Senator said that while Biden could be a “step forward in America,” Trump had shown once again he was “the leader of a great force in our country.”

“The question is, can we get together, notwithstanding our differences, and get some good things done for the country?” Lieberman asked, adding he believed Biden, if in fact he does win, was “uniquely positioned” to do so.

No one would claim it’s far-off to say that any administration, red or blue, is going to be asked to fill a tall order. With a surging pandemic and an anxious economy, Lieberman said Biden would have to work with congressional Republicans, who are still projected to keep their majority in the Senate, to make something stick for all Americans. But Lieberman told The Cats Roundtable he was hopeful Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Biden could find common ground, citing their time as colleagues in the Senate.

“Fortunately they have a history of working together, and I hope they will again, for the good of our country,” Lieberman explained.

But a Biden administration won’t just face challenges from outside the Democratic party. Lieberman spoke hard-ball with The Cats Roundtable, explaining left-wing Democrats “deserve a seat at the table,” but Biden would have to make it clear he was the final voice for the party.

“One of the big challenges for a President Biden will be not to push the left-wing democrats out of the tent. They deserve a seat at the table, but they’re not in charge,” Lieberman noted.

While the Trump campaign begins to file litigation to “ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” the President is also facing growing pressure from Democrats, even Republicans, to concede.

Lieberman explained to The Cats Roundtable that the final decision is not always so easy.

He recalled the evening in 2000 when the Supreme Court overturned Florida’s statewide recount. Gore called him and asked Lieberman if they should keep on fighting.

“I can tell you what my instinct is,” Lieberman reflected. “if you have a reasonable case, why keep it in your pocket, or in your desk? Take it to court.”

But that midnight, Gore had decided to end his election, for what Lieberman called “the good of the country.”

“Even though it wasn’t what I advised him, I had a great admiration for what he did, and ultimately I think he did the right thing for the country,” Lieberman confessed

He hoped that one of the candidates, in order to avoid disrupting the orderly transfer of power, would read the writing on the wall.

Lieberman said that Trump was not one “to quietly into the night,” but again emphasized the country must take priority. In the case of Trump falling short of his bid to build a road back to the presidency, Lieberman said “we’re democrats, we’re republicans—but it’s all about this great country that we’re blessed to live in.”

“And that’s what has to come first,” Lieberman offered. “Don’t ever bet against America. We’re going to be okay.”