Who was Paul Wellstone?

[Scuba]

Terrific read summarizing the life and politics of the Minnesota firebrand ....


http://www.bluecheddar.net/?p=36039

Even the assignments in Mr. Wellstone’s classes were courses of study in the practice of organizing. In my freshman year, Mr. Wellstone assigned us to research the welfare system in rural Rice County, Minn. He took us to organizational meetings of welfare mothers, fighting to replace a food commodity program with food stamps. In the early 1970s, movement organizing was the only variety of organizing on display on college campuses. Most students were exposed to organizing through mass protest demonstrations. Mr. Wellstone introduced us to old-fashioned community and labor organizing tactics.

...

Mr. Wellstone was also an accomplished campaigner. Though he had never held elected office, he pulled off a major upset in 1990 when, running on a shoestring budget, he defeated the incumbent Republican senator, Rudy Boschwitz. Watch this 1990 ad in which Wellstone goes looking for his opponent, Boschwitz. Beautiful.

...

Few thought he had a chance when he announced that he would run for the Senate against Mr. Boschwitz. Russell D. Feingold, now a like-minded liberal Democratic senator from Wisconsin, today had this recollection of dropping by to meet Mr. Wellstone in 1989: “He opened the door, and there he was with his socks off, 15 books open that he was reading, and he was on the phone arguing with somebody about Cuba. He gave me coffee, and we laughed uproariously at the idea that either of us would ever be elected. But he pulled it off in 1990 and gave me the heart to do it in Wisconsin.”

...

,,,

Often, Mr. Wellstone was the only senator voting against a measure, or one of only a few. He was, for instance, one of three senators in 1999 to support compromise missile defense legislation. He was the only one that year to vote against an education bill involving standardized tests, and the only Democrat who opposed his party’s version of lowering the estate tax.

Lot of interesting tidbits and links to other relavent videos too. We need more people like Wellstone in Washington.

[Brickbat]

1. A friend and a hero.

And I almost never use either of those words.

[leveymg]

2. A martyr.

Along with the Kennedys.

[TRoN33]

3. I once met him and...

Shook his hands. He's amazing guy, a proud Minnesotan and willing to share his thought after question asked. I knew this was the guy who can beat W. Bush in general election in 2004 if Paul Wellstone is still alive. I knew something is not right about that tragic event. The unseen powerful force played the part with the death of Paul and his family and friends. That unseen force is still working inside the Republican sphere, I have no doubt about that.

Paul Wellstone's legacy will be never forgotten.

[annabanana]

4. The true apotheosis of the activism of my youth.

The very personification of the best of the 60's.

[mountain grammy]

5. Thank you!

[TomClash]

6. He got elected, served admirably . . .

. . . and then all of a sudden . . . he was dead.

Certainly a life worth living, a life of which he could be proud.

[Chaco Dundee]

7. Paul Wellstone

He was a principled,noble human being.

[GatorOrange]

8. I was just starting to turn away from the darkened Conservative path when the Senator died..

As I read up more on Wellstone's accomplishments and the fact he had a Liberal Spine when few bothered to display one made me curious about him. Needless to say I found him to be a fine man and just the kind of Liberal we need in Congress today.

[DirtyDawg]

9. And then...

...'they' killed him and his family...and you have to ask why we can hate them so?

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. He went to my High School and was

captain of my older brother's wrestling team. I came to the meets and met him many times in his younger days.

I was 3 years behind my brother and in junior high at the time.


I think he was murdered in my opinion but that's another story.

[secondwind]

12. several of us thought the same thing, Iching..... that someone tampered with that plane.

[adirondacker]

17. It's Very cool that some on this site had the close connections to offer insight on admirable

folks involved in politics. Thanks for the enlightenment Iching.

[secondwind]

11. Wellstone was my daughter's guidance counselor at Carleton... how fortunate

she was to have this wonderful man to turn to for advice!!!!

[awoke_in_2003]

13. marking for later. nt

[tavalon]

14. Hilarious title

I was shocked that you wouldn't know. Of course you would.

[sarisataka]

15. One of the rarest creatures on earth...

a politician with integrity.

He is missed

[Egalitarian Thug]

16. +1

[SomeGuyInEagan]

18. My wife said, "Finally, a politician I WANT to vote for."

When we moved back to Minnesota. Sadly for all of us, she didn't get that chance.

[Jenoch]

19. Senator Wellstone sat down next to me at the 1996 NCAA National

Wrestling Tournament. We didn't talk non-stop, but we did talk for the time he was sitting next to me. The conversations were all about wrestling.

The only real fault Senator Wellstone had was his hiring of incompetent pilots.

[Taverner]

20. Or flying in those deathtraps

Commercial planes are very safe

Those small ones, not so much

[Jenoch]

22. The King Air is a good airplane.

Of course, statistically, it is more likely to die in a small airplane rather than an airline, but to call all of them death traps is quite the exaggeration.

[Taverner]

23. True - a bit of an overreaction

But they do kill more than big-ass jumbo jets do

[Jenoch]

25. Here is an interesting story from last year's 10th anniversary

of the crash. It provides some details on the pilots.

http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/October-2012/Wellstone/

It also has information on many of the people who were close to the Wellstones.

[IronLionZion]

31. Minnesota is a big state with small remote towns

commercial planes just aren't going to get the job done when he goes to see his rural constituents.

If anyone is wondering how someone as radical as Paul Wellstone could possibly get elected and re-elected, its because he will risk his life to fly to the funeral of a constituent way up in the north country instead of his own fundraiser, on the same night that he has a debate. He was such a good man that he would give his life for his constituents.

[Taverner]

32. No one is doubting that Wellstone was a great Senator

It's just personally, I am afraid of small planes.

[applegrove]

21. Did not know him. But I knew he was very important when

Karl Rove and the GOP freaked out that his funeral was partisan. I knew then his death had the possibility of changing the hearts of humanity if he was such a danger to Rove, even in death. I look forward to watching the video.

[KoKo]

24. Recommend! Glad to see the reminder here about Paul Wellstone!

It's been a long time since someone posted about him here.

[ruffburr]

26. I'm Glad too see

So many GREAT posts on Paul Wellstone, He, I believe could've helped save this country, I always feel a great sadness When I think of Paul and his family.Thanks for all you tried to do Paul

[Puglover]

27. A few days after he died I sent this off to Bartcop.

http://www.bartcop.com/wellstone2.htm

To my surprise he published it. To this day I could kick myself because I neglected to say that after Paul had a good laugh he said to me in all seriousness, "I will never feel good about that vote."

I loved that man.

[ScreamingMeemie]

28. .

:'( Thanks for sharing that again.

[Puglover]

29. Oh shit have I shared it before?

God.............age.

[ScreamingMeemie]

30. I remember reading it.

I love it that you posted it. I love it that he acknowledged his error.