[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 154 (Thursday, December 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11771-S11772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THE ELECTION

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from New Mexico. I 
thank him for his customary graciousness. As I think about this year 
and look across the map of the United States and look at the results in 
the various States, I have even greater love and affection for New 
Mexico than I did before the year began.
  Mr. President, have you noticed that many things in politics and 
government seem to be taking longer than usual this year? It is 
December 14 and the 106th Congress is surprisingly still in session. 
But happily that allows me to come to the Senate chamber--this great 
American forum, which I love and respect so much--and reflect on the 
extraordinary opportunity Vice President Al Gore gave me to be his 
running mate this year.
  When I accepted the Vice-Presidential nomination at the Democratic 
Convention in Los Angeles in August, I began by asking: ``Is America a 
great country or what?''
  Last night, we ended that remarkable journey in a disappointing way. 
Nevertheless, I want to answer my question this morning by declaring: 
``Yes, America is a great country!''
  Let me offer to my colleagues a few reasons why I feel this way 
today. In selecting me, a Jewish American, to be his running mate, Vice 
President Gore did what no presidential candidate before him had done. 
That required personal courage and confidence in the American people. 
Today we can look back and say that the Vice President's confidence was 
totally justified.
  The fact is that while my faith was the focus of the earliest 
reactions to my candidacy, it was not even mentioned at the end of the 
campaign. That is the way we all hoped it would be. And that is good 
news for all Americans--a fulfillment of the promise that America makes 
to its citizens that in this country no matter who you are or where you 
start, you should be able to go as far as your God-given talents and 
individual determination will take you.
  The absence of bigotry in this campaign and the fact that the Vice 
President and I received the second highest number of votes in history 
of American national elections should encourage every parent in this 
country to dream the biggest dreams for each and every one of their 
children.
  Anything is possible for anyone in America.
  In the five weeks since election day--because this turned out to be 
the closest election in American history--our nation's greatness was 
tested in a different way. But I am confident that in the end our 
election process can only be made stronger by this experience.
  For one thing, it opened our eyes to some long-overlooked problems 
with our system of voting, to the disparities in technologies and 
practices that may be stopping large numbers of voters from having 
their votes counted and that in particular may be undermining the 
electoral rights of many poor and minority citizens. These problems 
call out for investigation and reform.
  Whether you are happy or sad with the results of the 2000 election, I 
do think every one of us should be grateful this morning that here in 
America, we work out our differences not with civil wars but with 
spirited elections. We resolve our disputes not through acts of 
violence but through the rule of law. And we preserve and protect our 
system of justice best when we accept its judgments that we disagree 
with most.
  This election is over. I congratulate Governor Bush and Secretary 
Cheney and wish them well. Mr. President, I had the opportunity to do 
that personally in a very cordial conversation this morning with the 
Vice President-elect, Secretary Dick Cheney.
  As Vice President Gore said eloquently last night, it is time now for 
all of us to come together in support of these United States and the 
shared values that have long sustained us. Governor Bush and Secretary 
Cheney are in my prayers, and I know they are in the prayers of all 
Americans, as they begin now to assume the awesome responsibilities 
that go with leadership of this great country.
  In the strong words and soft voices they both used last night, Vice 
President Gore and Governor Bush raised us all up and pointed America 
toward the reconciliation that our history expects and that our 
national interests now require.
  As they both noted last night, this was the closest election we have 
ever experienced, with the vote for President essentially ending in a 
tie, the Senate split 50-50 and the House nearly even as well. That 
puts a special burden, not just on Governor Bush but on all of us in 
Congress to work on a bipartisan basis and in a cooperative spirit. As 
I have in the past, I fully intend to work with my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle and with President-elect Bush to find that 
constructive consensus without which we will not help the American 
people realize their potential.
  For my family and me, this campaign has been a thrilling and joyful 
experience. It has deepened the appreciation we have for the goodness 
of the American people and the love and loyalty we feel for this 
country. We could not have asked for a more warm, open, and accepting 
reception as we traveled around this blessed land. We could not have 
been more impressed with the common sense and strong values that unite 
our very diverse citizenry. From their Government, it became clear to 
me over and over again, most of them, most of the American people, want 
only a little help every now and then as they work so hard to make 
their lives better. That is exactly what we, together, should do for 
them.
  The most powerful emotion that I feel on this morning after is 
gratitude. I am grateful to be an American, proud to be an American; 
grateful to my wife Hadassah--my love and my partner--for the devoted 
support she gave me and the extraordinary way she reached out to 
everyone she met in this campaign; grateful to our dear children and 
mothers and sisters and brothers and relatives and friends whose help 
and love sustained us; grateful to Tipper and the Gore children for 
being such genuine and such generous friends, and

[[Page S11772]]

for the skill and grace with which they conducted themselves in this 
campaign; grateful to the Gore-Lieberman campaign staff, whose 
idealism, ability, and hard work make me optimistic about America's 
future; grateful to my Senate staff here in Washington and back home in 
Hartford--they have served with me on behalf of the people of 
Connecticut for so many years, and continue to do so with such 
commitment during this eventful and unusual year--grateful to the 
people of Connecticut whose support over the past 30 years has put me 
in a position where Al Gore could give me the extraordinary opportunity 
he did this year; and grateful to the people of Connecticut without 
whose backing this year I would not now have the privilege of looking 
forward to 6 more years of service to them and with you, my colleagues, 
as a United States Senator.
  My greatest gratitude is to Vice President Gore himself. He has been 
my friend and colleague for 15 years now, but I have never been prouder 
of him than I was this year, and than I was last night. He conducted 
the campaign with dignity. He presented his policies and programs with 
conviction. He spoke with a precision that showed respect for the 
American people. He stuck to the record, and he worked hard, very hard. 
Al Gore ran this campaign as he lives his life: with honor, 
intelligence, and devotion.
  Today, the Vice President can look back on 24 years of public service 
with great pride in his accomplishments, and he can look forward to the 
years ahead with great excitement about the unlimited opportunities 
that await him. I wish him Godspeed, and I look forward to his 
continued friendship. The Vice President knows, as I do on this 
morning, that Psalm 30 assures us that weeping may linger for the night 
but in the morning there are shouts of joy.

  So, today, as some of us weep for what could have been, we look to 
the future with faith that on another morning joy will surely come.
  I thank my colleagues in the Senate from both parties for their warm 
personal wishes and support during the last 5 months. I look forward, 
now, to returning to this Chamber in January and working with all of 
you to help improve the lives of the American people and to help 
elevate their respect for the institutions of our great democracy.
  Mr. President, I again thank my friend and colleague from New Mexico 
for yielding me the time, I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. We are all very proud of the Senator from 
Connecticut.
  The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I believe under the unanimous-consent agreement I am to 
speak next, but I note the presence of the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee who would like to speak. I yield to him, and I 
ask I follow him this morning.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). Without objection, the Senator 
from Alaska is recognized.

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