Norton's Statement on Senator Lieberman's Retirement
Norton's Statement on Senator Lieberman's Retirement
January 19, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement on Senator Joseph Lieberman's (I-CT) retirement announcement:
"The people of the District of Columbia have no senator of their own, but they have had in Senator Joe Lieberman an unfailing champion of their rights. Senator Lieberman has been the lead sponsor of virtually every bill for our rights since I have been a Member of the House. As conditions allowed, he was always there for this city, first for statehood, then for seats in the House and Senate, and finally for the House vote. Beyond sponsorship, Joe Lieberman has been our chief advocate and strategist in the Senate. Most recently, he brilliantly led us through the toughest of our battles for votes for the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, when he got a filibuster-proof 61 votes for passage in 2009. With his trademark eloquence in debate, Senator Lieberman deftly managed the bill for a full week, taking on detractors, exposing myths, and defeating attempts to derail the bill. We wish Senator Lieberman well, but when he leaves the Senate, he will have the abiding appreciation of the citizens of the nation's capital, who will never forget his principled determination to help deliver them from second-class citizenship in their own country."