Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

story

Remembering Senator Paul Wellstone

By Fox News
Published | Updated

This partial transcript from Hannity & Colmes, October 25, 2002 was provided by the Federal Document Clearing House.

Click here to order last night's entire transcript.

ALAN COLMES/CO-HOST: We're sad to report tonight that Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone was killed in a plane crash today, along seven others, including his wife Sheila and daughter Marsha. In remembrance, we'd like to show you some clips from the senator's appearances on HANNITY & COLMES.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PAUL WELLSTONE (D), MINNESOTA: Labels of left, right, and center, I just reject them all. I mean, I try to be in cafes all the time in Minnesota, just drop in and have coffee with people. And nobody asks me am I left, right, or center.

I think politics is much more concrete than that. You know, it's about issues that are very important to people's lives. And people long for politics that speaks to them and includes them.

As the son of a Jewish immigrant who fled persecution from Russia, I can say this in a melodramatic way. More than anything, I believe in democracy. And this is all about expanding participation and expanding democracy. It's whether people think that you're speaking to their lives. It's whether people think you have integrity. It's whether people think that you understand them, that you're on their side, that they trust you and believe in you. That matters a lot to people today in politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLMES: Joining us now, former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro.

You know, the Senate's a small club. So with 100 people, you also have 100 wives or maybe almost 100 wives. And the wives have become a very important part of that clique. You knew Sheila Wellstone as well.

GERALDINE FERRARO, FMR. NY CONGRESSMAN: Yes, I knew both of them, in

fact. About a month and a half ago, there was a leaders lecture, where Fritz had been invited down by Senator Daschle to speak about his experience in the Senate.

And Paul and Sheila were at the event. And then, we all went out to dinner afterwards. And I was sitting with them. And Sheila also was an incredible person. She was an advocate for women and children, who were victims of domestic abuse. And she was very active in -- with her husband in they had an exhibit every year in Washington in October for domestic violence month. And she just was really there doing a whole lot of good. And she's been kind of left out of the whole thing. She is also a terrible loss.

COLMES: One of the angles on this, and it sounds to crass to talk about what happens next.

FERRARO: Yes.

COLMES: But in politics, I guess that's always discussed. And with the name Fritz Mondale being floated as a possible next candidate.

FERRARO: Yes.

COLMES: And you ran with him, what would be your thoughts on that possibility?

FERRARO: Well you know the thing about it is if you look at Paul Wellstone's life, and his time in the Senate, he was a person of tremendous integrity. Really cared about those who needed help. He was always there, speaking out, from many of the clips you had from your show were just indicative of the person he was.

COLMES: Yes.

FERRARO: Fritz is exactly the same way. And he's had a history of supporting people who had difficulty when he was attorney general, when he was a senator, and certainly when he was vice president of the United States, a man also of tremendous integrity.

So you know, I think, you know, it's a week and a half before the election. And the Democrats have to get a candidate on the ticket who in that very short period of time can assure the people of Minnesota that he will do a good job. And I think, you know, they know Fritz. And I think the voters in Minnesota are really smart.

HANNITY: Do you think they'll do it, Gerry?

FERRARO: You don't want to see someone who has – you know, you don't want to see someone like Paul Wellstone not come back to the Senate, but you know, he's never going to be replaced but someone like Fritz Mondale is a wonderful person who could pick up the mantle.

And I got to tell you, I remember Fritz Mondale. And he was very much the same as Paul Wellstone once said that if he had to lose his integrity and win an election, he'd rather lose an election and keep his integrity. That's the tradition of a Paul Wellstone. And you saw that with Paul's votes on the war. You've seen that with his votes on welfare reform. He wanted to keep his integrity. He kept his integrity. He died with his integrity well intact.

HANNITY: You know, I got to tell you, Gerry, it reminds us all that, you know, life, every moment, every minute, every day, it's a gift. And we can't take it for granted, I'll tell you that.

FERRARO: Absolutely not.

HANNITY: You know, look, I've debated Paul a lot. And every single debate we've ever had was very civil. Every single one of them. And in part it was a credit to him. And the difference I see in a Paul

Wellstone and a lot of Democrats today, and he was a proud liberal, and he didn't back away from that. It wasn't about polls or focus groups or Dick Morris for him. He really, you know, he reminds me a little bit of Alan in one sense that he really believes this stuff.

FERRARO: Well, and I think that...

HANNITY: And I think it's a real credit to him.

FERRARO: The thing about it is whether you're on the left or on the right, if you really believe in what you're doing, and Paul Wellstone was about that. He believed -- he truly believed in the issues. He truly was being honest, not only with himself, but with the people that he represented.

And I think that's -- he respected people who did not agree with him, even though he didn't agree with them. And that's what's so wonderful listening to those people who were on the other side, saying the same thing about him.

COLMES: Congressman Ferraro, thank you very much for being with us tonight.

FERRARO: Thank you, Alan.

COLMES: And coming up next, a moment you've all been waiting for, we're going to take you back to the very first HANNITY & COLMES. Shocking. And don't forget, log on to foxnews.com. You can become a Fox fan.

Be sure to tune in to "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" this weekend. They have an exclusive interview with Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator John McCain. More coming up.

Click here to order last night's entire transcript.

Copy: Content and Programming Copyright 2002 Fox News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2001 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon Fox News Network, Inc.'s and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.