Ten Years Ago Today, Senator Paul Wellstone Died

[WilliamPitt]

I was with Matcom and several other DUers on our way to the first big anti-Iraq-war protest in DC. We were passing through a toll booth when my phone rang, and I learned that Senator Wellstone had died in a plane crash.

There is no calculating the depth of that loss. We are still feeling it today.

[spanone]

1. k&r...

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

2. Champion of mental health parity

Thank you for caring, sir.

[progressoid]

3. He is dearly missed.

[sadbear]

4. Just imagine...

he was our greatest champion then and would have been the spokesman for a generation today.

[Bonobo]

5. He would not have even been a spokesman for the Democratic Party.

He would not be in step with the current party.

[sadbear]

6. I agree.

I chose my words carefully.

[Bonobo]

7. Perhaps he may have diverted the rush to the right. I do not know.

I think if the Republicans were to win the Presidency, you would see the Democratic Party once again take on the mantle of traditional Democratic values.

Sadly, it is (almost) all politics. I think Wellstone was a rare, rare breed. He was a man apart.

[SomethingFishy]

35. +1

Wellstone was a true liberal. It may just be me but it sure feels like his death was the beginning of the end of a true peoples party.

And before anyone jumps my shit yeah yeah I'll vote a straight "D" ticket but I'm sure not going to sing and dance about it.

[LynneSin]

8. I remember that - you guys called us to break the news.

I was driving down to that same gathering with RBNYC in the car with me. I remember you had called me on my cell phone but since I was driving I had RBNYC answer it. She started saying ‘No, OMG NO, NO’ in a loud voice I was thinking you guys were in a car accident. Then she told me about Paul Wellstone and it just hit us both hard.

I’ve been to DC so many times I pretty much know how to get to my destination fairly easily (at least to downtown DC). I was so upset I ended up getting us lost in Virginia somewhere.

It took us 6 years but at least we got rid of Norm Coleman with a good replacement like Al Franken!

[a kennedy]

9. We had just moved to Minnesota and were so excited to cast a vote for Paul in the election....

when in a drive through line at McDonald's, (I know :puke we heard on the radio his plane had crashed.....I was bawling as we drove to the window and when she came to get our order we just drove through, couldn't order and I couldn't stop crying. Hard to believe it's been 10 years.

[jenlucu]

10. Lurking 10 years today

I discovered DU on this day 10 years ago, when I first heard the news (I believe the plane was still missing at the time) I frantically looked on-line for news and stumbled upon DU.
On DU were people who got it.
He is missed greatly.
Can you imagine if here were still here? I think the world would be a different place.

[MinneapolisMatt]

11. Such a loss.

Not only for my state, but for the entire country.

[Brickbat]

12. I will never, ever forget that day.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. I always assume that he was more than his bigoted vote for DOMA indicated....

Let us remember the man as he was, a person who happily voted to prevent equal rights for those he saw as different from himself, a man who never recanted his vote, even in the face of brutal murders by anti gay bigots, Wellstone was still 'torn'. Here is Paul holding to his DOMA vote in a way that made me ask him 'how many crucified kids will it take to unfreeze your soul'
"When Sheila and I attended a Minnesota memorial service for Matthew Shepard, I though to myself, "Have I taken a position that contributed to a climate of hatred?" Of course, I had never believed this when I voted for DOMA. But if you deny people who are in a stable, loving relationship the right to marry, do you deny them their humanity? I still wonder if I did the right thing."
Still wondering. What a guy. Stable, loving couples, he was STILL not able to extend his cold heart to them. What would it have taken to move such a man?
Senator Kerry said this on the floor during the DOMA debate:
"I am going to vote against this bill...because I believe that this debate is fundamentally ugly, and it is fundamentally political. If this were truly a defense of marriage act it would expand the learning experience for would-be husbands and wives. It would provide for counseling for all troubled marriages, not just for those who can afford it. It would provide treatment on demand for those with alcohol and substance abuse.... It would guarantee daycare for every family that struggles and needs it."
See the stark difference between the two men? I sure do. Let's not forget the reality of what Paul left behind. I'm sure he did other things. I just don't care to gloss over his DOMA support. When he voted for it, he punched millions of us in the gut.

[jsmirman]

15. You're "sure he did other things"???

I won't dismiss your objection, but I sure will dismiss that cavalier, empty, frankly, ridiculously careless phrase.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Let me put it this way. Nothing he did could balance the wrong he did with DOMA

nor his continued support of that vote. I am not from MN, so I became aware of him when he voted for DOMA, that is when he voted that my community must never, ever be given any family rights, no matter what the States vote to do, not just marriage but anything that is 'like marriage'. For me, that defined the man.
Let me put it this way. His other accomplishments are darkly covered by his right wing vote against human rights, Wellstone felt his kind were superior to my kind, he felt we should not have equal rights or family rights of any kind. In any State. Never, ever.
Or I can put it this way: when a Democrat votes against my basic human rights, I do not give a shit what else he did. If that offends you, again, I don't care.
He voted that millions of Americans must be denied basic equal rights. That is a huge stain on any record if you ask me. Nothing mitigates nor excuses such an action.

[jsmirman]

64. I am SO jealous that you can be so doctrinaire

while here is little old me, having virtually every principle I care passionately about regularly SHIT ON by my own party, fighting my ass off and my heart out to get Democrats elected, so fuck me fuck me fuck me - the causes I care about can AT LEAST STAY IN THE GAME.

I am jealous you get to be so doctrinaire. Must be nice.

I have to fight as hard as I do because one Republican win is likely to destroy things for good that can never be replaced, and is likely to put the Court out of reach for my lifetime, and as I always say, I intend to live to be a crusty old fuck.

I have to fight as hard as I do to try to create the groundwork, the conditions for a sane and rational society that tries to not get us all killed in a biblical flood thanks to climate change, that protects the right of the individual to be protected from corporations that can give him cancer simply because, fuck them, a corporation moved next door, that gives them the right to sue to say "this is wrong," that protects our environment and natural resources and treasures that can never be replaced, that protects the smaller guy from unrestrained Wall Street fucking him again and again and again. And then for my greatest hope for there to be real protections for animals and real compassion in the policies set up to address the interaction between the public, the government, and our animals. Oh how I eat shit on that one.

So no, I cannot be doctrinaire. Bill Clinton signs DOMA, which for the record, I have always thought was one of the stupidest and most embarrassing to straight people pieces of legislative shit ever sent down the pike, which I also think was unconstitutional, but here I am. YEE HAW!!!! Loving me some Bill Clinton. For saving the fucking party and all of our asses by being awesome at what he does.

See my damn sig. Read those words. My fight is broad and is selfless and I will pound the pavement seeking out Dem votes on Election Day because it is my only choice and because there are people out there WHO NEED HELP.

Oh, how I am jealous of you.

[Brickbat]

18. Nobody glosses over his DOMA support. In fact, many people remember that he was evolving in his

opinion. He reached out and asked people to educate him on the position, which they did. It's a reality that good-hearted people for any number of reasons do not understand how bigotry towards GLBT is the same as racism or other forms of bigotry. Wellstone was an excellent example of that, and I take comfort in the fact that he questioned himself and asked for help from others about his views before he died.

[Bluenorthwest]

27. He died saying he'd gone to Matthew Shepard's memorial and STILL thought he'd

perhaps done the right thing. Or the wrong thing. He still just was not sure if 'they' were deserving of any family rights at all.
And yes, people do gloss it over, they get pissy if it is mentioned. They pretend he was inclusive.
He did not see gay people as equal. It is that simple. He voted to deny me equality for all time. And folks here think I should say 'he voted to deny me equality for all time, but he was otherwise a wonderful man'.
He stood against my basic human rights. Forgive me if that makes me think poorly of the man.

[Brickbat]

29. I understand what you are saying. To look only at the DOMA vote is to not see the whole picture.

Wellstone voted to extend family health benefits to the partners of federal workers who were gay, to allow gay people to serve openly in the military, and to add homosexuality to the list of protected classes when it comes to firing. He was the only senator to speak at the gay rights marches in DC in 1993 and 2000. He fucked up on DOMA, no doubt about it. But in many other cases, he didn't.

It's a goddamn shame he died before his work was done.

[sadbear]

30. Biden voted for DOMA, too.

A lot of Dems did. They made a mistake. Wellstone didn't have a chance to atone for it, but you have to believe a guy like that would have.

[hfojvt]

49. maybe Kerry should goto an Iraq Memorial Service

and agonize over his vote to authorize a war. While Wellstone's vote for DOMA almost certainly did not cause the death of Shepard, Kerry's vote almost certainly did cause the death of hundreds of thousands in Iraq.

And Wellstone's statement about DOMA?

Uhm, the purpose of that statement is to reach out to those Minnesotans (and perhaps others) who were strongly in favor of DOMA and to encourage them to reconsider their opinions.

[mzmolly]

52. He regretted that vote,

as you point out.

[jsmirman]

14. K&R

[Rowdyboy]

16. One of those nightmares you never wake from.....

May he rest in peace.

[JackRiddler]

17. And DU is still in denial.

[roody]

60. About it being murder?

[JackRiddler]

65. Yes. About even considering a self-evident possibility...

and demanding an investigation that looks on it as a self-evident possibility.

[99Forever]

19. Missed in so many ways. n/t

[Mary in S. Carolina]

21. Senator Paul Wellstone was up for re-election and early voting had already begun.

We lost a great man that day. What many people don't realize is that Senator Paul Wellstone was up for re-election and early voting had already begun. Thousands of Minnesotans, including me, had to recast our votes......it was really very sad, personal and emotional. My thoughts are with all the families that lost loved ones in the plane crash.

[glinda]

22. ....

[evilhime]

23. He is missed now more than ever

[riverwalker]

24. Missed and loved more than ever

It's cold, dark and rainy today in Minnesota. Even the sky is crying at what we lost.

Wellstone memorial and historic site near Eveleth Minnesota.

[Ishoutandscream2]

25. I found that out here on DU

when I was just Ishoutandscream. 2002 had to be one of the suckiest years imaginable. Just horrible.

[WilliamPitt]

38. It really was

the worst year of my life. Darkness from beginning to end.

[heaven05]

26. yep

was killed along with his family. Oh, I know conspiracy theorists don't get far here. HE WAS MURDERED! Repugs have

[Capt.Rocky300]

33. No they weren't....

The crew screwed up. This was a crew who had a history of poor proficiency and sub-par performance on checkrides. It was a demanding non-precision approach in icing conditions and they not only allowed the aircraft to get below stall speed, they were not aligned with approach course. They should have executed a missed approach and either made another attempt or diverted to their alternate. They tried to salvage a bad situation and used poor judgement in so doing. This was an avoidable accident and it happens more often than most people are aware of. Even with so-called "pros" at the controls.

[heaven05]

44. yeah

I remember all that capt. rocky. I'm never going to be convinced it was anything more than murder. Just on first instinct after crash, just didn't feel right. Neither did the explanations for crash. But anything is possible in the very evil world of big money, small minded amerikan politics.

[rainy]

36. You are so right. nt

[femrap]

37. Same with

Carnahan in MO.

Charlie Rose had the Director of 'Traffic' (I think that's the name of the movie about drug dealers). CEOs of multi-nationals are always atwitter with the Hollywood Big Shots so this Director ended up at one of their parties.

A CEO of an Oil Co. told the Director how he would 'create' a revolution in a foreign country. First $5M in fliers and to people to get those out. Of course the fliers are filled w/ lies.

The last thing this Director said to Charlie Rose was: "I will never fly in a small plane again. It's too easy to make it look like an accident."

I was

Generally speaking, most people can not fathom the depth of EVIL that exists in our 'pillars of society.' It's too much for their brain. After all The Truth Hurts. Denial is much more comfortable.

I mean look at what W got away with....killing hundreds of thousands in the Middle East based on LIES.

Even as a child, I thought there was something really wrong with that Oswald death....live on TV. But then I was born to question authority because so many of them seemed so stupid.

RIP Senator Wellstone and family members. I won't forget.

[rwsanders]

43. Found three books that to me illustrate the magnitude of denial in this country (and a question)...

Lies my teacher told me
Bury my heart at wounded knee (after reading this as a teen I was sure that there was some conspiracy in schools to hide this information)
The Imperial Cruise (I don't believe many have heard of this one yet. It is by the same author as "Flags of our Fathers". A stunning expose on how we created the problems in asia that led to WW2 in the pacific [britain and france bear some responsibility also] that is a direct parallel to how we created saddam and bin laden)
After reading these, you start looking around you wondering what world everyone else lives in. Its like they are zombies.
OK question for anyone that has lived outside the US, is there any other countries out there where the general populous is so unaware of things that happened even a year ago???

[femrap]

46. Thanks for the

reading list.

I traveled in Europe in the mid '70's and most Europeans were more knowledgeable about Watergate than Americans were. We had good conversations.

I'm surprised that my high school still demands the students read '1984.' I thought that would be banned by now. I better check again...this was a few years ago.

I see lots of Zombies and now I stay away from them. If I speak to them, I'm called 'Crazy'....like the song "I'm not Crazy. I just know too much." This world is gonna smack them upside the head one of these days....then they'll really look like Zombies.

[neversaydie]

63. seemed fishy to me too

I never thought it was an accident. It just didn't feel right. Wasn't that fairly close to the time JFK, Jr.'s plane went down?

Hey, you know, I read somewhere that ..."Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get you."

[hifiguy]

28. He was the first political hero of my adult life.

As a teenager I'd idolized RFK and George McGovern, but cynicism got the best of me until I first heard Paul Wellstone. He was a great, good, and thoroughly decent man. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of voting for him twice.

I remember the day he died as if it were yesterday and still sorely miss his wisdom and compassion.

[BlueDemKev]

31. Damn, that was such a tragedy.

And it hurt even more a week later when Walter Mondale lost what should have been a slam-dunk election.

[PowerToThePeople]

32. (imo) 10 years ago, Wellstone was murdered.

I had not found DU back then, but did listen to progressive radio and even had my own website against the war/patriot act/etc.

I remember hearing about the crash and I just knew it was not accidental.

There are so many things have have gone unanswered. We just "move on" buying the bs that the rw & msm give us. Not sure we can truly move forward as a country until we atone for the sins of the past. We are not doing this. This is not even on the table.

Rest in Peace Senator Wellstone.

[Odin2005]

34. + Infinity!

[liberalmike27]

48. I was looking for this

And yes, I've always felt like it was sabotage too.

I feel like he'd have kept on being another Bernie Sanders type, a guy we need 100 of, or 435 if you like.

[Oilwellian]

39. Will, I didn't know until I arrived at the DU gathering

I was so stunned by the news and was so glad to be in the company of fellow DU'ers. For me, losing Wellstone was almost as devastating as losing JFK, RFK, & MLK.

[Zoeisright]

40. I remember that horrible day like it was yesterday.

First time I ever really grieved for a politician. But then, he was from my small town in Minnesota.

[geardaddy]

41. I remember that day.

I remember all the fucking Goopers in my office in the MPLS suburbs saying "good riddance to that socialist."

Fuckers.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

50. I nearly lost my job that day.

Banquet manager said "Well, if he'd have kept his promise and not run for a third term, the fucker wouldn't be dead now, would he? Good riddance."

It was a good thing the head banquet kitchen chef caught my eye and distracted me, or I'd have taken a swing at the manager with no regrets.

[geardaddy]

53. Yep, I remember thinking how pissed I was.

Luckily for you, you had sympathetic people around. I didn't.

[kwolf68]

42. What a great man

I think he was destined to be President one day. What a down to earth, honest guy...the exact type of leader the founders had in mind when they created this big experiment.

Senator Wellstone...You sir are greatly missed.

[IVoteDFL]

45. I was fourteen years old

I wasn't very into politics yet, but my dad lived right off University Avenue where the Senator's offices were. People were crying in the streets, and leaving candles for days. I even remember my fundie grandmother saying that Paul Wellstone had been a good guy. And still to this day there are a few cars in Minnesota still driving around with their Wellstone bumper stickers.


It makes me very sad that I never got the chance to vote for him, though I feel a lot better with Al Franken sitting in his senate seat. Norm Coleman was a disgrace.

[geardaddy]

47. RIP Paul, Sheila, and Marcia

[mzmolly]

51. We were volunteering for the Wellstone campaign when we heard.

My Republican Mother In Law, called in tears to tell us. Sad, sad day.

It does not seem like ten years have passed.

[Owl]

54. I was a volunteer for his re-election campaign.

When I heard the news I walked out of work, went to my car, and cried.

Horrible day.

[reusrename]

55. ,;

[BigDemVoter]

56. Oh my god. . .

I remember that AWFUL day as if it were yesterday. . . . Has it really been that long?

[PlanetBev]

57. A lot of us were doing the same thing that day

Unsucessfully trying to hide our tears at work.

[deaniac21]

58. You mean was killed.

[jimlup]

59. That was a horrible day and I remember it well

and I have to say that I'm not convinced it wasn't m.

[Lifelong Protester]

61. Miss him something awful

I remember him introducing Al Gore at the Minnesota State Fair in 2000.

Wellstone was the REAL DEAL.


We need someone with his passion again in the Senate!

[burrowowl]

62. I was just waking up in NM

when I heard the news.

Paul Wellstone a Great Man!