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Lieberman Farewell Rally

Aired February 04, 2004 - 15:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Hartford, Connecticut, Joe Lieberman on the stage, being surrounded by supporters, friends, and family, here to talk about the day after, which was, by any stretch, a grim political day for him.
Let's listen to see what he has to say.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you.

CROWD: Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe!

LIEBERMAN: Thank you.

CROWD: Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe!

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, dear friends.

Let me tell you, running for president was a great journey. But it is very good to be home.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: Thank you so much, Mayor Eddie Perez, for your gracious introduction, for your public service, for your steadfast support throughout the campaign this last year. Eddie Perez, you represent the American dream that I have fought for all my political career.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: See, we had a plan. We were going to be the viva chutzpah ticket.

(LAUGHTER)

EDDIE PEREZ (D), MAYOR OF HARTFORD: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: It was just over a year ago, January 13 of last year, that I went back to my high school in Stamford, Connecticut, and announced my candidacy for president of the United States.

And on that day, I said, about the year ahead, some mornings when I wake up, I may not know exactly where I am. But I promise you that I will always know exactly who I am and what I stand for. Every day along the way, I will feel blessed by God to live in a land where our dreams can become real.

Well, it's one year and I must say, and another amazing journey later, and I'm proud that I kept that promise, even as our White House dream did not become real. I know who I am and what I stand for. And so do you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

And, of course, of course, I feel continually blessed by God, with a family I treasure, with friends old and new ones made this year, and with a state filled with people who have given me extraordinary opportunities to be of service. I'm proud to know and to have had the support of so many friends here in Connecticut, beginning with my best friend in the United States Senate, who could not be here today, Senator Christopher J. Dodd.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: From -- from the moment Chris Dodd walked me down the Senate aisle to be sworn in, in 1989, he has been by my side in a fight for a better future for our state and our kids. And I can't thank him enough for that.

Rosa DeLauro and John Larson gave selfless dedication to my campaign. And it is an honor to serve with them in Congress. Thank you, George Jepsen, Nancy Wyman, Susan Bysiewicz, Denise Nappier, Dick Blumenthal, leaders of the state legislature. I see Moira Lyons, Martin Looney, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Amann. All of you, thank you, all the other state and local elected officials and party leaders and labor leaders whose support meant so much to me in this remarkable year and campaign that ended yesterday.

A special word of thanks to my Senate staff, both in Washington and here in Connecticut, led by Clorin Marty Riddle (ph), Sherry Brown. There you go.

(APPLAUSE)

O'BRIEN: All right, Senator Joe Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, who, as you well know, ran for vice president along with Al Gore four years ago, graciously bowing out of the presidential race with a slogan that perhaps he should have employed sooner, the viva chutzpah ticket. How is that for a demographic mix? In any case, let's remind quickly why, in fact, Joe Lieberman made this decision. A lot of it is just numbers here. Look at -- John Kerry, after yesterday, now has 260 delegates to the convention in Boston pledged to him, Howard Dean in second with 121. You go through the list and finally get to Joe Lieberman, with only 25 delegates.

And I think the key moment for him, although he didn't say so, was Delaware last night. The fact that Delaware did not go his way, not even close, was rather telling and perhaps the final nail there.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired February 4, 2004 - 15:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Hartford, Connecticut, Joe Lieberman on the stage, being surrounded by supporters, friends, and family, here to talk about the day after, which was, by any stretch, a grim political day for him.
Let's listen to see what he has to say.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you.

CROWD: Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe!

LIEBERMAN: Thank you.

CROWD: Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe! Let's go, Joe!

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, dear friends.

Let me tell you, running for president was a great journey. But it is very good to be home.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: Thank you so much, Mayor Eddie Perez, for your gracious introduction, for your public service, for your steadfast support throughout the campaign this last year. Eddie Perez, you represent the American dream that I have fought for all my political career.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: See, we had a plan. We were going to be the viva chutzpah ticket.

(LAUGHTER)

EDDIE PEREZ (D), MAYOR OF HARTFORD: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: It was just over a year ago, January 13 of last year, that I went back to my high school in Stamford, Connecticut, and announced my candidacy for president of the United States.

And on that day, I said, about the year ahead, some mornings when I wake up, I may not know exactly where I am. But I promise you that I will always know exactly who I am and what I stand for. Every day along the way, I will feel blessed by God to live in a land where our dreams can become real.

Well, it's one year and I must say, and another amazing journey later, and I'm proud that I kept that promise, even as our White House dream did not become real. I know who I am and what I stand for. And so do you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

And, of course, of course, I feel continually blessed by God, with a family I treasure, with friends old and new ones made this year, and with a state filled with people who have given me extraordinary opportunities to be of service. I'm proud to know and to have had the support of so many friends here in Connecticut, beginning with my best friend in the United States Senate, who could not be here today, Senator Christopher J. Dodd.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: From -- from the moment Chris Dodd walked me down the Senate aisle to be sworn in, in 1989, he has been by my side in a fight for a better future for our state and our kids. And I can't thank him enough for that.

Rosa DeLauro and John Larson gave selfless dedication to my campaign. And it is an honor to serve with them in Congress. Thank you, George Jepsen, Nancy Wyman, Susan Bysiewicz, Denise Nappier, Dick Blumenthal, leaders of the state legislature. I see Moira Lyons, Martin Looney, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Amann. All of you, thank you, all the other state and local elected officials and party leaders and labor leaders whose support meant so much to me in this remarkable year and campaign that ended yesterday.

A special word of thanks to my Senate staff, both in Washington and here in Connecticut, led by Clorin Marty Riddle (ph), Sherry Brown. There you go.

(APPLAUSE)

O'BRIEN: All right, Senator Joe Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, who, as you well know, ran for vice president along with Al Gore four years ago, graciously bowing out of the presidential race with a slogan that perhaps he should have employed sooner, the viva chutzpah ticket. How is that for a demographic mix? In any case, let's remind quickly why, in fact, Joe Lieberman made this decision. A lot of it is just numbers here. Look at -- John Kerry, after yesterday, now has 260 delegates to the convention in Boston pledged to him, Howard Dean in second with 121. You go through the list and finally get to Joe Lieberman, with only 25 delegates.

And I think the key moment for him, although he didn't say so, was Delaware last night. The fact that Delaware did not go his way, not even close, was rather telling and perhaps the final nail there.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com