I Wish Wellstone Were Here to See This

[liberalpragmatist]

Why do the good have to die young?

If only 79-year-old Former President Robert Francis Kennedy were speaking tonight, after his brother, Sen. Ted Kennedy*

If only 75-year-old Martin Luther King were speaking before Obama.

And, from my subject line, if only Wellstone revved us up even more, and if only he could've seen the Democratic Party today.

We owe it to all of them.

*NOTE: I consciously did not include JFK, b/c, realistically, even if he weren't shot, he'd probably have long been dead by now, given his health.

[kwolf68]

1. Here Here

He's looking down with a big smile on his face. He's the first politician I really believed in...Until him I was politically active, but didn't trust any of these guys...

Senator Wellstone gave me my respect for Democracy back and I will be forever in debt to him.

It was my dream to have voted for him as the President of the United States of America. But his legacy will live on...We owe it to him.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

2. while strom thurmond and bob hope live to 100

it's not fair

[kwolf68]

3. No shit

I have said that on many occasions. Strom was born during the Pleistocene Epoch and we lose Senator Wellstone at such a young age.

[Radical Activist]

4. I wish he were here to be the nominee

That would have been so amazing. Like having the conviction of Kucinich but with more charisma. The excitement of Dean but with the progressive record to back it up. If only...

[G_j]

12. he just may have been marginalized as Kucinich has been also

Barbara Lee said that Paul would have insisted the party could not win without adopting progressive policies.

[LSdemocrat]

15. Wellstone wouldn't have been marginalized

Wellstone had a much higher profile than Kucinich, and Wellstone was a better speaker than Kucinich.

He would have been a formidable candidate.

[Radical Activist]

16. Yes, but not THAT badly

Wellstone would have been marginalized as any real progressive is. Still, Wellstone was a Senator from a major state who could have raised more money than Kucinich. Wellstone also had a national reputation before the campaign that Kucinich didn't have. All of those things would have made Wellstone a bigger player from day one.

I would hope that Wellstone would have hired a campaign manager that...I don't know...had worked on a campaign before, unlike Kucinich. The corporate media truly was out to ignore and marginalize Kucinich from the start, but he did blow a lot of opportunities by running a disorganized campaign. The Kucinich grass-roots volunteers is where all the strength of that campaign was.

[G_j]

17. yes, you are probably correct

& I think if Wellstone had been around the platform may have been somewhat more progressive.

I might add that "we" also played a part in marginalizing DK by repeating the "unelectable" mantra among ourselves. I saw it here at DU countless times.

[Radical Activist]

18. liberals low self-esteem

You're right. One of the great things about Wellstone was his argument that progressive values were electable if you showed conviction and stood up for them. If only more Democrats would learn that lesson. Liberals don't have enough confidence in their own views.

[G_j]

20. well said

and very sad when you think of it.

....in a perfect world maybe, but....

We see these values as wonderful and admirable ideals, yet to actually believe they are possible is another thing. Express the belief that these high ideals can be materialized 'on the ground' and you may become 'unelectable'. Hold on to those ideals and risk being a 'purist'. Take those ideals to a third party and risk being a 'traitor'.

I think this is why people like a Martin Luther King or Paul Wellstone become almost mythological figures.

Maybe the time will come when we truly sit down and examine what we really believe.

[WillyT]

5. Yep...

Sigh...

[resist]

6. Me, too. Thanks for reminding us.

[mark11727]

7. Made a mental picture of elder RFK and MLK...

...then my eyes welled up at the thought. Damn.

[liberalpragmatist]

13. I have a mental picture too

I see RFK, with whispy, white hair. He slouches slightly with age. His face is marked and pale, the skin under his skin a bit flabby. He wears glasses. But his smile remains as indelible as ever as he evokes glorious memories of all the good the Democratic Party has done.

I see MLK, bald now, his face wrinkled, his skin paler, his eyes, smaller, his weight greater, but his trademoustache, now salt-and-pepper. But his voice remains as booming and powerful as ever, his eyes retain a twinkle, and he brings the convention to their feet, before introducing Barack Obama.

[LSdemocrat]

8. It's amazing thinking about how young RFK and MLK were in the 60's

Both would be younger than Reagan, Carter, Poppy Bush, and Bob Dole.

It's incredibly depressing thinking about what they could have accomplished if they had lived.

[liberalpragmatist]

11. No kidding

[Borgnine]

9. I feel the same way.

However, Wellstone, RFK, and Martin Luter King WERE there tonight in a sense. I could feel them flowing through Barrack Obama, and in the optimistic and hopeful words of the majority of tonight's speakers.

[maggrwaggr]

10. I'm glad they're not here to see how terrible things have become

the coverage, or lack thereof, of this convention is just sad.

It's really depressing how low this country has sunk in terms of what it considers "media".

These people are obviously being paid (and paid well) to simply bash everything that comes up.

It's really ridiculous and it would have been unthinkable even ten years ago.

Not only is it mean spirited and immoral, it's just plain classless and base.

[Avalon Sparks]

14. I feel the same way....

Paul and Sheila Wellstone's missing voices leave a void in the convention.

I would have loved to hear him speak this week. His wisdom, passion, and sincerity are greatly missed. It still hurts so much to have lost him.

He will always be my hero!



I've got this as background on my PC for the convention.

[ljm2002]

19. "Why do the good have to die young?"

Given your list, I'd say that in at least some cases, the good die young because the bad kill 'em.

And yes, I do believe it's more that just lone nutcases that are behind the known assassinations -- and that some of the other deaths are assassinations, just not recorded as such.

Go ahead, call me a conspiracy theorist, I can take it. But as our religious friends are fond of reminding us, human nature doesn't change so much over the ages -- and if there is one thing constant in history, it's that people will kill for power. They'll kill to get it, and they'll kill to keep it. Why anyone would think that we in the U.S. are somehow immune from this well known facet of human nature is beyond me.

[Bridget Burke]

21. So many lone gunmen, so many unsafe small airplanes...

So many coincidences.

[tom_paine]

22. They didn't "die young" they were murdered probably by the Imperial Family

Just like all the Caesers who stood between Augustus' wife's son and the throne died mysteriously or were banished.

Then (and this is a historical fact) Livia killed Augustus.

No, it's quite clear who was behind those deaths, now that Caeser has revealed himself.

Wellstone was a man of deep honesty and integrity. He could have and WOULD have spoken out against this.

He could have revitalized the Democratic Party, I believe, though he didn't yet know it himself, I think. Hell, I bet people like me, who didn't even agree with many of his positions, would have followed his banner for his integrity, strength and the fact that he challeneged the Bushevik Lie Machine.

Just specuilation...we'll never know, sadly..