Paul Wellstone / An idealistic servant of Minnesota
Editorial
The Minneapolis Star Tribune
Published Oct. 26, 2002
The deaths of Paul and Sheila Wellstone have brought shock and heartbreak to every corner of the state they loved to serve. Because their bond with Minnesotans was personal, Friday's plane crash took away not only a U.S. senator but two admired friends.
The Wellstones were on their way to the funeral of a friend's father in Eveleth, to be followed by more stops in an intense campaign for a third term. The uncertainty that now surrounds that election, just 10 days away, adds confusion to the state's grief.
Wellstone burst into Minnesota consciousness in the late 1980s as the unlikeliest of DFL candidates for the U.S. Senate. He was dismissed at first as a rumpled, outspoken leftover of the 1960s -- a radical champion of little people and liberal causes.
But he soon proved to be much more. A son of Russian Jewish immigrants, he was reared on love of country and faith in its ideal of justice for all. His concern for working families, for human rights, for the well-being of society's most vulnerable, was utterly genuine. He was an intellectual, holder of a doctorate in political science and a professor at prestigious Carleton College. He was a passionate orator. He was an even more skillful old-school political organizer, working precinct by precinct, even block by block. He could convince average Minnesotans that their participation in politics would make a difference -- and then establish the human network that made the promise come true.
Outspent but never outworked, Wellstone rode his rickety 1968 green campaign bus into the Senate in 1990, defeating incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz, and also won their rematch in 1996. Sheila was always at his side, and became a leading voice for domestic violence prevention and mental health care. So were their three children -- one of whom, Marcia, a teacher in White Bear Lake, lost her life with her parents yesterday.
Wellstone was an unconventional addition to the nation's most exclusive club. With his plaid shirt, brown parka and unshined shoes, he didn't much look like a senator. In his outspoken opposition to the first Bush administration's Gulf War plans, Wellstone didn't behave in usual freshman-senator fashion either.
But he was a quick study. He had enormous respect for both the institution of the Senate and the people who had sent him there. It was not long before he was making his mark on issues -- student aid, veterans' affairs, agriculture, campaign finance reform, rural development, labor law.
Wellstone did his homework, learned Senate procedures, and became an effective contributor and collaborator. He gained wide respect in return, often as much for his clear sincerity and tenacity as for his positions. It was commonplace for constituents to tell him plainly that they disagreed with him on issues -- but respected him, liked him and would vote for him again.
Wellstone was not a committee chair; he aspired to that role in a third term. But he was a master of the amendment process, and used it time and again to shape legislation carried by others. His recent lawmaking credits include a requirement that health insurance plans treat mental illness as any other disorder, blockage of a bankruptcy reform bill, inclusion of conservation payments to farmers in the 2002 farm bill, and efforts to give welfare recipients a chance to seek higher education.
Many noted changes in his manner and method after years in Washington, but not much changed at the core of the man. He remained an idealist and an optimist. He laughed easily, often at himself and his 5-foot-5 stature. He always remembered to thank the cooks and servers at a banquet, and to greet the guards at office doors. He remembered names with a facility that reminded old-timers of Hubert Humphrey. Indeed, Wellstone had Humphrey's zeal for politics, policy and -- most of all -- people.
Wellstone loved his work so much that, even as he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he decided to break an old promise and seek reelection. He was loath to contribute by retirement to the possibility of a Republican takeover of the Senate. More significantly, perhaps, he was loath to sever the bond he had established with Minnesotans.
Now death has torn that bond. What abides are memories of a little man and his wife who made a big difference to Minnesota. That, and many heavy hearts.
startribune.com
Edward Kennedy: We've lost a great leader with a common touch
Published Oct. 26, 2002 KENN26
Sen. Paul Wellstone had an intense passion and enormous ability to reach out, touch, and improve the lives of the people he served so brilliantly.
Our desks are located side-by-side on the Senate floor. But in every great battle for justice in the United States Senate, Paul was far more than a seat-mate and constant companion. He was an extraordinary inspiration to me and to so many in the Senate as he willingly gave voice to the voiceless, and tirelessly gave strength to the powerless -- in Minnesota and across America.
Paul Wellstone never gave up. For Paul, when it came to matters of basic justice, there was no such thing as a hopeless cause. His energy, compassion, integrity, intellect and ability breathed life into so many of the neglected issues of our day, from mental health to job safety, special education, fairness for family farmers and human rights abroad. He challenged us all to do better.
Sen. Wellstone did his homework. He knew the facts, but he also knew the reality of everyday life for average Americans. When the Senate debated education policy, Paul knew the national arguments. But we all knew that Paul had spent more time visiting the public schools in his state than any other senator. He knew the challenges first-hand because he had taken the time to listen to parents, teachers and schoolchildren, so that he could be their voice in Washington.
We have lost a great leader with a common touch. And I'll miss him very much.
-- Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., is a U.S. senator.
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