Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of Paul Wellstone's death

[Ignacio Upton]

I'm sure that this will be mentioned tomorrow, but I will mention it now. Four years ago we lost lost one of our most progressive Senators to a tragic plane crash. Unfortunately his Senate seat is now held by smarmy Repug Norm Coleman (who we will beat in 2008) and his death has turned into nothing more than a debate about where "was Wellstone...Wellstoned by Rove?" or about tin foil. But in life he was a leading figure for our side of the aisle. He was the one who first said "I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" which was later echoed by Dean during his campaign. He was also one of only 11 Senators to vote against both the 1991 Gulf War and the current war (although I personally disagree with his vote on the 1991 war, I respect him for his honestly and principle.) In 1990 he came out of nowhere as an obscure professor from Carleton College to unseat Republican incumbent Rudy Boschwitz, who outspent him 7-1. He was Don Quixote in that race, and while he was never a "safe" incumbent, he pulled off re-election in a 1996 rematch against Boschwitz, and when he voted against the Iraq War Resolution, he went up in the polls 6%-9% against Coleman, whereas before he was only leading 2%-3%.
He didn't always vote on issues where progressives wanted him to (for the DOMA and for the Patriot Act) but overall he delivered and was proud to say that he was a Democrat. If he were alive today he would be fighting alongside Russ Feingold for censure and leading the charge to take back our country.

Here is his website, Wellstone Action:
http://www.wellstone.org/









...And let us not forget the green bus:

[Temporary1]

1. A man who knew how to fight back like any other

Hopefully Bernie will keep up his legacy in the Senate.

[Ignacio Upton]

3. Him and Russ and Tester

...And Brown, Whitehouse, McCaskill, Klobucher, Cardin, Menendez, Webb, Casey, and Ford (even though the last two are not progressives, by supporting the Democratic leadership they help to create a progressive majority.)

[stillcool]

2. ouch...

that hurts. :cry:

[DemonFighterLives]

4. I'm on with this!

May the BFEE never forget!

:dem:

[Jcrowley]

5. What a terrible loss

He was reviled by Elder Bush and James Baker which means he was doing good. There's a legendary picture of Elder Bush leaning over to whisper something to Baker while Wellstone is reading the riot act to the Bush admin. during a session and the legend is that Bush 1 is saying "Who is that little fuck?" Not too many congresscritters with his backbone roaming around these days.

K&R

[Ignacio Upton]

6. Have a picture of that?

n/t.

[Jcrowley]

8. I do

but it's on my bookshelf, a small black and white photo, and I haven't ever been able to find it on the web. I've tried. The twisted up face of George Bush 1 is pretty revealing as is the non-plussed just business expression of Mr. Baker who is really far more influential and wicked than either of the inept Bushies.

It was also in a book called "Spiders Web- Bush, Saddam, Thatcher and the Decade of Deceit", an amazing book by a Wall Street reporter named Alan Friedman. Highly recommend that as well as listening to an interview by Alan Friedman from the Dem Now! archives. Really amazing and in-depth as to the business dealings that underly the massacre in Iraq.

There's alot to consider as to the King Air plane that Wellstone and most Senators flew. He was offed.

[wicket]

26. Any way you can scan it in?

I'll host it on my webspace for you.

[Jcrowley]

34. Don't have a scanner

I'll try to find it on the web but as I said I've never had luck with this. I've got it sitting right here and I tell you the look on Pappy bushes face is extreme. He's laying back in his chair with his hands on his belt lookin' over with a twisted look that says "How dare you mess with me?" Seems to be a cross between Archie Bunker and Don Corleone.

[DemonFighterLives]

7. To help you it was chickenshit!

Poppy had it out for Paul!
http://www.progressive.org/?q=node/1439

His Senatorial career was bookended by opposition to war with Iraq. His first speech in the Senate was against the 1991 Gulf War, and his defiance earned him a famous sobriquet from President George H.W. Bush, who asked: "Who is that little chickenshit?"

:dem:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Does Poppy remember where he was when Wellstone died(was killed)?

JFK? No recall. :eyes:

[Lindacooks]

11. Yeah, and remember, Poppy is the guy who can't

remember where he was when JFK was assassinated. Even though he was in Dallas. That guy has the look of a serial killer, especially as he ages - the evil keeps coming out. Same for The Quaker Oats Man - er, Babs.

[Jcrowley]

13. Ah yes

From link:

"I have dedicated my life to the cause of economic justice and equality of opportunity for all Americans," he writes at the end of his autobiography. "The famous abolitionist Wendell Phillips was once asked, 'Wendell, why are you so on fire?' He responded, 'I'm on fire because I have mountains of ice before me to melt.' So do we."

Paul Wellstone breathed fire on those mountains.

Who's gonna pick up the torch?

[Ignacio Upton]

21. The Progressive article is dated October 10, 2002

That was 15 DAYS before Wellstone died. I'm sure it's just a type-o.

[DemonFighterLives]

24. Didn't know about the date

It was just the first article I found mentioning poppy's kind words.

[dogday]

38. A Prince among men, he fought the good fight

I will never forget him and his cause.....

[BeHereNow]

18. Congress Critters...You mean the wild boar pack feeding at the trough?

No one will ever be able to convince me that Wellstone was not murdered
by the BFEE.
With the complicity and silent condonement of the
imposters posing as our representatives.
They know- that is why they have become spineless jellyfish
content with sucking the blood and coin out of America.
God damn them all.

BHN

[Ignacio Upton]

20. Why is theory periodically brought up?

I've heard people say that Rove killed Wellstone in order to garuntee Coleman his Senate seat, and that they killed Mel Carnahan in his plane crash two years earlier)how could they have done that then when Clinton was in charge?) However, Carnahan still beat Asscrack posthumously. Assuming both plane crashes were assassinations, if they couldn't save Ashcroft, why would they attempt to help Coleman with the same tactic two years later?

[dflprincess]

33. Wellstone was killed one day before the deadline that would

have left his name on the ballot. This left the DFL scrambling to find a new candidate because a vote for Wellstone would no longer be valid (lots of absentee ballots were not counted because of this). Carnahan died after the deadline so his name stayed on the ballot as a valid candidate. After the election, his wife was appointed to the seat. With the Wellstone crash, they killed his wife as well - so there was no chance of Sheila stepping in as the candidate.


How I wish he'd lived, we need him desperately.

[NotGivingUp]

28. Perfectly said. I agree with every single word.

[DemonFighterLives]

29. I agree

A little death and prodding and the PNAC agenda can go forward.
Some only recieve a little anthrax or a sneer from GFY cheney. Paul paid the ultimate price.

I think it was at Coleman's innauguration or another event/with cheney, where you could see his wife basically cringe as Noamy took his place laying down by the devil.

Here is an essay about Hollow Man from Garrison Keillor, of "A Prairie Home Companion" fame.

http://www.guerillastickers.com/norm_coleman.htm
:dem:

[katinmn]

9. 4 years already

Wow. We went from Wellstone to Coleman. What a complete reversal. The last four years have been some of the darkest in our country.

RIP Paul and Sheila. We really miss you.

[Rex]

12. The story of the plane crash got weirder as time goes on.

How I miss Paul Wellstone. He was one of the few.

RIP.

[lonestarnot]

16. What a man he was! Miss him.

:cry:

[Usrename]

14. He is missed..

these bastards could never have done this to our country if he were still here.

[philly_bob]

15. Somebody should do a movie on PW

Also, remember how the RW Media made a big thing about how awful it was that people made political speeches at Wellstone's funeral -- and then took over the airwaves for four days of maudlin, ideological mourning when Reagan died.

[katinmn]

27. There's a documentary: Wellstone!

http://www.carryitforward.org/

And there's a new play that is getting great reviews here in the Twin Cities.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

17. I'll never forgive them for the lies they pulled w/ his funeral

they couldn't even have the decency to let us grieve without distorting thingsw with their media echo chamber and turning it into another smear point
I can't wait til Franken wins that seat back from that vile POS Coleman

[pnorman]

19. For a long time, my sig-line was the link to that Welstone Memorial Ceremon...

It ran to over 4 hours, and I must have watched it to the end, at least a dozen times. I could never find a method of saving that as a file, and now it's no longer on the web.

That's okay, he lit a fire that still burns in all of us. "STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) Oct. 29 memorial eulogy.

He was my best friend in the Senate.

But, in truth, Paul Wellstone was one of those rare souls who so many saw as their best friend. He had a powerful authenticity that made a miner in the Iron Range know he was as important to Paul as the President of the United States.

He never had to proclaim his decency. It shone forth in great acts of political courage and small acts of human kindness. He never had to say he cared.

We saw it in him everyday – in dozens of ways – from that hand relentlessly chopping the air as he stood on the Senate floor speaking for those who otherwise had no voice.

The hard-working folks he cared about most didn’t have lobbyists or influence. But they had Paul Wellstone. And he truly was their best friend.

Paul always had a great sense of humor and a sense of perspective. He never took himself too seriously. He loved telling the story of one of his early Senate speeches, which he thought rather eloquent and passionate. a senior Senator, Senator Hollings of South Carolina, approached him and said, “Young man, you remind me of Hubert Humphrey.” Paul swelled with pride. Then Senator Hollings added, “You talk too much.” And Paul would laugh and laugh when he told that story.

Paul may have talked a lot, but he meant every word. He showed the way to lead is by following your conscience.

And when injustice was proposed, or unfairness was advancing, or selfishness was on the march, Paul would go into battle and he did not care if he was the only one. He may have suffered from a bad back, but he had a spine of steel.

Everyone called him Paul. Not just his colleagues, but staff and citizens alike. He wouldn’t have it any other way. No one ever wore the title of “Senator” better – or used it less.

To the people of Minnesota, I say thank you. Thank you for giving Paul to the nation.

Now we see an outpouring of grief and admiration in this arena and across our land every bit as authentic as he was. It is a tribute to him and to the yearning for a politics that truly can be the noble profession of putting principle above polls. Paul was the soul of the Senate. Sometimes he cast votes that even some of his friends disagreed with on war or on welfare. But when he did, he was the mirror in which we, his colleagues, looked at ourselves and searched our own hearts.

We celebrate the community organizer who understood how to bring people together – rural and urban, environmentalists and labor, Republicans and Democrats … even Minnesotans and Iowans.

We pay tribute to a leader – a true DFL liberal – who constantly reminded those of us who are Democrats of the real center of gravity of our party – the progressive ground of our being – that everyone should have the chance to reach their full potential.

And we honor a man of principle who, for all his convictions, also had the rarest of gifts in politics. He actually sometimes decided the other person was right.

Paul Wellstone didn’t just dare to imagine a better America – he helped build it.

Because of what he did, family farmers will have a better future. Because of what he demanded, mental illness will someday soon be treated equally in our health care system. And because of who he married – and because of Sheila’s passionate charge – more women and children will find safe harbor from the scourge of domestic abuse.

Paul was a hopeful man. Green was his color. The color of springtime. The color of hope. And the color of that bus he climbed aboard 12 years ago as he set out on his way to a better America. But Paul never meant it to be a solo voyage. He wanted us all on board. Now we must continue Paul’s journey for justice.

So tonight, I ask you: Will you stand up and join together and board that bus?

For Paul Wellstone, will you stand up and keep fighting for better wages for those who mop our floors and clean our bathrooms; for those who take care of our elderly, nurse the sick, teach our kids, and reach out to the homeless?

For Sheila, will you stand up and keep fighting for our families so women and children will be safe from domestic abuse?

For Paul, will you stand up and keep fighting for cleaner air and cleaner water – to protect the environment for our children and our future?

For Paul, will you stand up and keep fighting for peace, understanding, and an end to exploitation of women and children around the world?

For Paul, will you stand up and keep fighting to end discrimination based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation?

For Paul, will you stand up and keep fighting for the poor, the homeless, those left on the roadside of life?

Let’s get on that green bus together. Let’s keep moving to a better America. Let’s stand up and keep fighting – and keep saying yes. For justice. For hope. For life.

For Paul.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

pnorman

[pnorman]

37. Here's some more:

David Broder quotes a Wellstone campaign volunteer who says that "People say there are no political heroes left in the world, but we know better. We had one here."

Star Tribune columnist Doug Grow writes that "On election days, Paul Wellstone would board his green bus and the ugliness and the cynicism of modern politics would vanish."

Sen. Paul Wellstone "was a special treasure," writes Joshua Micah Marshall, "a sort of genuinely progressive, utterly engaged and sincere politician who somehow captured what was essential in the aspirations of his party, even if he supported policies that others didn't."

Arianna Huffington: "America loses a bold leader."

"Wellstone was willing to be the "1" in a 99-1 vote," writes Geov Parish, "and that's why people mourn him so."

Wellstone Was Lacking Mickey Kaus says that he "lacked the qualities that make a successful modern U.S. Senator: He wasn't a poser, a trimmer, a schemer, a dissembler, a self-aggrandizing egomaniac or a vicious infighter. He wasn't an a--hole." (scroll down to 10/25)

An idealistic servant and a voice for the "little fellers, not the Rockefellers."

"I couldn't say this of any other public official," writes E.J. Dionne, "but I think I know what Wellstone would say about what's happened: 'Don't mourn, organize.' That's what he did, that's who he was, and that's why he'll be so hard to replace."

The Nation's John Nichols on Sheila Wellstone's Senate career.

Those who disagreed with Wellstone often called him "the last liberal in America," and "maybe he was," writes Pioneer Press columnist Nick Coleman. "They meant it as an insult but he wore it as a badge of honor. Whatever his detractors said of Paul Wellstone, he had a heart that was bigger and braver than anyone else in Washington."

"He wasn't supposed to have left like this," writes one of those detractors, a conservative radio talk show host. "And you know it wasn't supposed to be like this or else a guy who didn't agree with him on anything wouldn't have felt such a grip in the throat."

In this appreciation of Senator "Softie," the Washington Post's Mark Leibovich calls Wellstone "one of the great agonizers in American politics," who "always seemed to relish the time he spent in gray areas."

Minnesota writer Bill Holm tells of speaking with Wellstone in 1998, just before Jesse Ventura became governor: "How curious, I told Paul, that the two most interesting politicians in Minnesota at the moment should both be wrestlers. He replied with a wry smile: 'But I'm a real one.'"
.
.
.

http://www.cursor.org/stories/wellstonearchive.htm

STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!

pnorman

[pnorman]

39. More yet:

Stem Cell Politics

The last day that I spent with Paul Wellstone began on a sunny morning in the living room of his St. Paul home. I'd arrived to join him as he campaigned for reelection in what was widely seen as the most hotly contested Senate race in the nation.

But when I walked in, Wellstone was not making calls for campaign contributions or rehearsing soundbites.

He was reading.

Wellstone was a passionate reader. He always had a new book under his arm. And he read widely -- far beyond the confines of the history, biography and public-policy shelves that political figures tend to frequent.

On that last day, he was reading Michael J. Fox's 2002 book, Lucky Man: A Memoir.

Wellstone couldn't stop talking about the actor's autobiography, especially the sections where Fox wrote about his struggle with Parkinson's disease. The senator from Minnesota, whose parents had suffered from that ailment and who had himself been recently diagnosed with a mild form of multiple sclerosis, related to what he was reading. He went on at some length about how important it was for prominent people to be open about their chronic conditions. He felt it helped promote understanding and empathy, which in Wellstone's view was often the first step toward political engagement. And, as the senate's most passionate advocate for medical research and a national health care system, he felt that engaging the great mass of Americans in a discussion about the importance of federal and state funding of groundbreaking -- and sometimes controversial -- studies was essential.

Wellstone believed, as many scientists do, that with proper support, embryonic stem cell research could identify treatments and perhaps even cures for life-threatening illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, Type I or Juvenile Diabetes, Duchenne' Dystrophy, and spinal chord injuries.

After President Bush's 2001 decision to sharply limit federal funding of medical research that uses embryonic stem cell lines, Wellstone said, "The sharp limitation of federal support may well close the door on some of the life-saving promise of embryonic stem cell research, which can be conducted consistent with basic ethical and legal principles that respect the value of human life. I do not believe that President Bush's decision will be the final word on this important federal policy. In light of this disappointing announcement, Congress, and the American people, will now surely be heard."

As he was on so many issues, Paul Wellstone turned out to be prescient.
.
.
.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=131964

pnorman

[spuddonna]

22. I miss him... He was a great man...

God bless his family, and may we all be inspired to fight even harder from his example!

[Nikki Stone 1]

25. I second that.

We need more like him.

[Binka]

23. A Prayer For Mark & David

They lost so much that dark day. :cry:

[LeftHander]

30. Had he been in Senate these past years....

I have no doubt the world would be much different right now. He is so missed and I still believe that there is more to his death than we know.

I believe it was foul play done by jamming the ILS system on the plane he was in.

[dpbrown]

31. What a wonderful populist politician who made a difference

Where is the next one?

[pnorman]

32. The War and the Election

Four years ago at this time, Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone was winning his campaign for re-election, despite having been targeted by Karl Rove and the most ruthless GOP political operation in history. The race had been tight until October, when the White House engineered House and Senate votes authorizing force in Iraq. Urged by fellow Democrats to take the safe way out, Wellstone instead voted no and declared: "I know the conventional wisdom among Republicans is that this is the issue that will do in. But I think people want you to do what you think is right." As it turned out, Wellstone was correct: He quickly opened a lead in the polls and was headed toward victory when a plane crash robbed the Democratic Party of its conscience.
.
.
.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061106/editors

STAND UP FIGHT BACK!

pnorman

[redqueen]

35. I cried so hard that day.

RIP, Paul.

[Missy Vixen]

36. Paul and Sheila Wellstone are still my heroes

and I am still from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. As long as each of us who believed in what they did continue to speak out and work, they live on.

Julie
Camp Wellstone grad, Summer '05

[Dinger]

40. God, I Miss That Green Bus, But Most Of All Paul : (

Thank you for posting.

[mhatrw]

41. He would have stopped the bankruptcy act & filibustered the assaults on the

Bill of Rights. It's not tinfoil to suggest that the FBI and the NTSB did not do the man justice in their "investigations" of his plane crash.

[Dinger]

42. Fourth Anniversary Of His Assassination

Have you ever read "American Assassination: The Strange Death Of Senator Paul Wellstone"?

http://www.assassinationscience.com/American_Assassination.html