Earlier today Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton shared a remarkable remembrance of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. I'm including the text below if you don't want to drop in on the site.
“Three years ago today, a chartered plane crashed in northeastern Minnesota, killing Minnesota's senior Senator, Paul Wellstone; his wife, Sheila; and their daughter, Marcia. Also onboard were Mary Macavoy, our state Democratic Party's Associate Chair; Tom Lapik, a longtime Senate staffer; a young aide, Will Mclaughlin; and two pilots. There were no survivors. They were flying to Minnesota's famed Iron Range, to attend a friend's father's funeral, when the plane crashed, just before landing and just before Senator Wellstone's reelection, just 11 days away.
“Paul and I were political allies and personal friends for over 20 years, and he was my colleague and mentor during my first two years in the Senate. In 1982, Paul was the Democratic Farmer Labor or D.F.L. candidate for State Auditor in Minnesota, while I was its candidate for the United States Senate. We both lost. Eight years later, we switched. Paul ran for the Senate, I ran for Auditor, and we both won. In between, we officed and worked together on energy and economic development programs for the Governor of Minnesota and became good friends. When Paul ran for reelection to the Senate in 1996, I agreed to be his Finance Chair. Paul hated fund-raising as much as I did, so we made quite a team. Fortunately, Paul's great popularity in Minnesota, his nationwide reputation as a champion for important progressive causes prevailed. He won a decisive reelection victory. Four years later, Paul helped me win my election to the Senate.
“Everyone who knew Paul and Sheila Wellstone knows that they were extraordinary, unmatchable, and irreplaceable. Marcia, Mary, Tom, and Will were very accomplished and special people in their own rights, and their losses were just as searing to their families and friends as Paul's and Sheila's.
“But, Senator Paul Wellstone was unique. He was the leader, the heart, and the soul of Minnesota's Democratic Party. He had more passionately devoted followers, supporters, and political organizers than anyone else in Minnesota, perhaps more than anyone in our state's political history. For Paul Wellstone was truly a man of, by, and for the people, especially, as he jokingly referred to himself and to them, the little fellers. He stood for, spoke for, and worked for the many against the powerful, the wealthy, and the narrow special interests.
“In 1990, he pulled one of the greatest political upsets ever by defeating a well-entrenched Republican incumbent, despite being outspent by 7 to 1 and being over 40 percent behind in the polls at Labor Day. He came to Washington, immersed himself in the work of the Senate, and, over his 12 years here, won respect and friendships on both sides of the aisle. Whether they agreed or disagreed with Paul, everyone knew that he truly believed his position was right, that he passionately cared about the people he was trying to help, and that he had the unflinching courage of his convictions. He also had the oratory eloquence to win skeptics to his side and the genuine good humor to keep even his opponents his friends. He used his skills, his terrific mind, always absorbing new ideas. His nationwide network of friends and advisers, his growing seniority in the Senate, and his passion and persistence to accomplish much more here than time permits me to recount.
“During his first term, he authored and passed the landmark gift ban legislation that virtually eliminated all lobbyist gifts to members of Congress and staffers. He was an original cosponsor of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform bill. In Paul's own words, he said, “I'm proud to be a politician because I believe strongly in democracy. My father, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, whose family had to move from town to town because of the Czarist persecution, taught me to cherish free elections and the idea of government of, by, and for the people. But, I am not proud of the current state of campaigns and politics in our country. The ethical issue of our time is that money has come to dominate politics, and the democracy my father so deeply believed in is severely compromised. Campaigns match image makers against image makers, pollsters against pollsters, and millions of dollars against millions of dollars. It is a superficial trivialized politics of attack ads, manipulated advertising, and nine-second sound bites. And, most importantly, money corrupts the process. This is a much more serious corruption than the wrongdoing of a single individual. This is the kind of corruption which results in too few people having too much wealth, power, and say, and too many people being denied a voice. It is the politics of democracy for the few, not democracy for the many.”
“Paul also worked tirelessly for years in partnership with Senator Domenici to enact mental health parity, requiring that mental illness be treated like any other illness. This important cause pitted Senators Wellstone and Domenici against very powerful and profitable special interests, insurance companies, and for-profit health providers whose profits increased by not providing or not paying for needed health care services. The two Senators succeeded in winning Senate passage of their amendment to the Kennedy-Kassebaum health insurance protection bill, with 70 votes in favor. Unfortunately, their amendment was defeated in the Conference Committee. The two Senators continued working together to enact their historic legislation. Tragically, this effort has lagged since Senator Wellstone's death. Despite the present Majority Leader's pledge and his remarks on the Senate floor on October 24, 2003, “to assure that mental health is appropriately addressed in this Congress,” that legislation has not been voted upon by the Senate, either in the last session of Congress or in this one. It would be the best possible commemoration of Senator Wellstone's life, and of his giving his life in the service of his country, for the Senate to pass that legislation and insist that it become law.
“There is so much more that Paul Wellstone achieved, such as protecting women and children from domestic abuse, on which he and his wife, Sheila, worked closely together, and so much more that he wanted to achieve before his life was tragically ended. His uniqueness recalls the words of Ernest Hemingway, “Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rare quality than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who would seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change.”
“Paul Wellstone dedicated his life to changing the world for the betterment of people. That is why he and Sheila meant so much to so many people, in Minnesota and across the country, and why all of us, their family, friends, and admirers, still feel their loss. They and Marcia, Mary, and Tom and Will all had so much life left to live. We will cherish them forever.
“I close with a brief passage from Paul Wellstone's political autobiography, The Conscience of a Liberal, “When I am in coffee shops with people, no one asks, 'Are you left, right or center?' No one cares. What people want is that your politics be about them. Tip O'Neill once declared all politics local, but I would go further, all politics is personal. These are people who, more than anything else, yearn for a politics they can believe in. They want politicians whom they can trust and who are, at least most of the time, on their side.”
“With Paul Wellstone, people had the very best on their side all of the time. He will always be missed. May his life - all of their lives - be examples and inspirations to us all.”
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