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American Morning
Interview with Senator Joe Lieberman
Aired December 10, 2003 - 08:03 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it doesn't kill your campaign, it only makes it stronger. For Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, those are words to live by. After being blindsided by Al Gore's decision to back the front runner, Howard Dean, Lieberman declared during last night's debate that the endorsement has only energized his campaign.
Senator Lieberman joins us this morning from Durham, New Hampshire.
Senator, good morning.
It's nice to see you.
Thanks for joining us.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Soledad.
Good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Let's start by talking about last night's debate. I was surprised to see that all of you did not gang up and attack Howard Dean. In fact, more was really said about Vice President Al Gore, former Vice President Al Gore, than about Howard Dean.
Why do you think that was?
LIEBERMAN: Oh, I don't know. I wanted to really frame a contrast. And for me, the Gore endorsement of Dean really does clarify the race. Howard Dean and now Al Gore are saying they want to take the country back. I want to take the country forward. And I believe that Howard Dean has endorsed a series of policies that would take the Democratic Party back to where it was before Bill Clinton transformed us in 1992. And I'm talking about Clinton's strong on fiscal responsibility, supporting tax cuts, strong on defense, pro- trade and strong on values.
And on each of those, Howard Dean is moving in a different direction, away from the center. And I think that spells danger for the Democratic Party.
So for some unexpected reason, that endorsement got people angry. And our Web site and our phones and just people on the street said not only have I been with you, but I'm going to work harder. But, you know, I was laying back. I see what's on the line now. I want to get in and help you get this nomination.
O'BRIEN: Were you angry with the way that -- with the endorsement overall? Were you angry in the way that you heard about the endorsement?
LIEBERMAN: Well, I sure was surprised that I heard about it from the media and not from Al. And I was surprised particularly because in endorsing Howard Dean, Al Gore is standing with somebody -- for instance, in one of the biggest battles of the Clinton administration, when Newt Gingrich tried to cut the guts out of the Medicare program in 1995, Howard Dean stood with Newt Gingrich instead of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, while we were standing with them trying to protect the program.
So, you know, I'm the same person that I was in 2000 when Al was gracious enough and good enough to ask me to be his running mate and say that he felt I was prepared to be president in an emergency. So I was surprised. But that's, that, that reaction only doubles my determination to continue to fight for what I believe is right for my party and my country.
O'BRIEN: You went to great lengths, I think it is fair to say, to talk about the respect that you showed to Al Gore when you waited before you announced your candidacy, to see if he was going to run. That was emphasized many times over the last 24 hours.
Are you sorry you waited? To some degree, some have said you did a disservice to your own campaign by waiting in terms of fundraising, in terms of just getting the word out there.
LIEBERMAN: Well, there's no question that it made it, made the start harder for me because the other candidates, certainly several of them, were out there getting ready and putting everything in gear. But, you know, I did what I believed was right and I don't look back with any regrets. The guy chose me to be his vice president, gave me an enormous opportunity in 2000. And I just didn't see how I could turn around and turn against him and effectively run against him.
So to me that's what this campaign is all about, not that particular decision, but that kind of decision. I've continued to try throughout the campaign to say and do what I thought was right for the country, whether it was politically easy or politically expedient or not. Because ultimately, beyond the particular positions we take on education, trade, health, housing, retirement security, I think that people are judging is this somebody that I can trust to do what's right, to keep me safe, to make my life better, and not just play politics?
And that's the basis of my campaign and about my confidence about where we're going to go in a race that is still totally undecided, particularly here in New Hampshire, where they're not going to let anybody from anywhere, no matter who, tell them how they're going to vote.
O'BRIEN: Not even the...
LIEBERMAN: They are notorious.
O'BRIEN: Not even the polls? The polls show Howard Dean way out in front. They show, a CNN/Gallup poll, I think "USA Today," as well, also show you lagging, fourth place.
How do you make up that gap? What's your strategy?
LIEBERMAN: This is the one state that I'm going to talk directly in that Howard Dean has a significant lead in. In every other state, this is still a very close and competitive election. And even here, more than a quarter of the voters say they are undecided. Many of the voters that we talk to who say they're for another candidate said they could change their minds.
And the way you do this is to reach out to people. I'm spending a lot of time here. I'm doing a televised town meeting this Saturday night. I'm actually moving up here with my wife and family on January 1. And we're just going to go out and make our case one by one to the people of New Hampshire. They, you know, Bill Clinton, when I spoke to him the other night, reminded me that in December of 1991, he was at four points in the polls and everybody said his campaign was over. He came back where and I believe this is where my comeback is going to start, too.
In any -- my point is, I'm saying what I believe is right and I think ultimately that's what the voters in New Hampshire are going to want in their candidate and in their commander-in-chief.
O'BRIEN: Senator Lieberman, it's nice to have you this morning.
Thanks, sir.
LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Soledad.
You have a good day.
O'BRIEN: You, too.
Thank you.
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 December 10, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it doesn't kill your campaign, it only makes it stronger. For Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, those are words to live by. After being blindsided by Al Gore's decision to back the front runner, Howard Dean, Lieberman declared during last night's debate that the endorsement has only energized his campaign.
Senator Lieberman joins us this morning from Durham, New Hampshire.
Senator, good morning.
It's nice to see you.
Thanks for joining us.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Soledad.
Good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Let's start by talking about last night's debate. I was surprised to see that all of you did not gang up and attack Howard Dean. In fact, more was really said about Vice President Al Gore, former Vice President Al Gore, than about Howard Dean.
Why do you think that was?
LIEBERMAN: Oh, I don't know. I wanted to really frame a contrast. And for me, the Gore endorsement of Dean really does clarify the race. Howard Dean and now Al Gore are saying they want to take the country back. I want to take the country forward. And I believe that Howard Dean has endorsed a series of policies that would take the Democratic Party back to where it was before Bill Clinton transformed us in 1992. And I'm talking about Clinton's strong on fiscal responsibility, supporting tax cuts, strong on defense, pro- trade and strong on values.
And on each of those, Howard Dean is moving in a different direction, away from the center. And I think that spells danger for the Democratic Party.
So for some unexpected reason, that endorsement got people angry. And our Web site and our phones and just people on the street said not only have I been with you, but I'm going to work harder. But, you know, I was laying back. I see what's on the line now. I want to get in and help you get this nomination.
O'BRIEN: Were you angry with the way that -- with the endorsement overall? Were you angry in the way that you heard about the endorsement?
LIEBERMAN: Well, I sure was surprised that I heard about it from the media and not from Al. And I was surprised particularly because in endorsing Howard Dean, Al Gore is standing with somebody -- for instance, in one of the biggest battles of the Clinton administration, when Newt Gingrich tried to cut the guts out of the Medicare program in 1995, Howard Dean stood with Newt Gingrich instead of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, while we were standing with them trying to protect the program.
So, you know, I'm the same person that I was in 2000 when Al was gracious enough and good enough to ask me to be his running mate and say that he felt I was prepared to be president in an emergency. So I was surprised. But that's, that, that reaction only doubles my determination to continue to fight for what I believe is right for my party and my country.
O'BRIEN: You went to great lengths, I think it is fair to say, to talk about the respect that you showed to Al Gore when you waited before you announced your candidacy, to see if he was going to run. That was emphasized many times over the last 24 hours.
Are you sorry you waited? To some degree, some have said you did a disservice to your own campaign by waiting in terms of fundraising, in terms of just getting the word out there.
LIEBERMAN: Well, there's no question that it made it, made the start harder for me because the other candidates, certainly several of them, were out there getting ready and putting everything in gear. But, you know, I did what I believed was right and I don't look back with any regrets. The guy chose me to be his vice president, gave me an enormous opportunity in 2000. And I just didn't see how I could turn around and turn against him and effectively run against him.
So to me that's what this campaign is all about, not that particular decision, but that kind of decision. I've continued to try throughout the campaign to say and do what I thought was right for the country, whether it was politically easy or politically expedient or not. Because ultimately, beyond the particular positions we take on education, trade, health, housing, retirement security, I think that people are judging is this somebody that I can trust to do what's right, to keep me safe, to make my life better, and not just play politics?
And that's the basis of my campaign and about my confidence about where we're going to go in a race that is still totally undecided, particularly here in New Hampshire, where they're not going to let anybody from anywhere, no matter who, tell them how they're going to vote.
O'BRIEN: Not even the...
LIEBERMAN: They are notorious.
O'BRIEN: Not even the polls? The polls show Howard Dean way out in front. They show, a CNN/Gallup poll, I think "USA Today," as well, also show you lagging, fourth place.
How do you make up that gap? What's your strategy?
LIEBERMAN: This is the one state that I'm going to talk directly in that Howard Dean has a significant lead in. In every other state, this is still a very close and competitive election. And even here, more than a quarter of the voters say they are undecided. Many of the voters that we talk to who say they're for another candidate said they could change their minds.
And the way you do this is to reach out to people. I'm spending a lot of time here. I'm doing a televised town meeting this Saturday night. I'm actually moving up here with my wife and family on January 1. And we're just going to go out and make our case one by one to the people of New Hampshire. They, you know, Bill Clinton, when I spoke to him the other night, reminded me that in December of 1991, he was at four points in the polls and everybody said his campaign was over. He came back where and I believe this is where my comeback is going to start, too.
In any -- my point is, I'm saying what I believe is right and I think ultimately that's what the voters in New Hampshire are going to want in their candidate and in their commander-in-chief.
O'BRIEN: Senator Lieberman, it's nice to have you this morning.
Thanks, sir.
LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Soledad.
You have a good day.
O'BRIEN: You, too.
Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
