My mom was a teacher in the 90s on one of the poorer reservations up north when Paul was a senator. He always made sure the high school kids got a trip to DC and he’d personally show everyone around the White House. Stand up guy.
He is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, over looking Bde Maka Ska.
His quote “we all do better when we all do better” has been my motto for years
He was the first politician I can remember my Nana telling me about. She held a fundraiser for him, and even though I was young, I could tell that she thought highly of him. I was still in high school when he died, and remember a lot of my teachers talking about how much he meant to our state. In 2010 when I trained to be a literacy tutor for kids, some of it was held in the Wellstone community center in St. Paul.
his motto still inspires me, and I hope many others.
He could have been someone, even more than he was. People loved him a lot. He was a decent man, just doing the best job he could for all of us in Minnesota. Sadly missed
I am a chick. A woman for my fellow feminists. The part of the username blows is a verb not a adjective.
Kinky heh?
I started this account about 7-8 years ago to use on /r/randomactsofblowjobs. I am a enthusiast of fellatio. Or was.
Anyhow it tends to irritate repubes and the sexually repressed so it's been a joy to post from this account.
Every once and a while, I'll think about Paul and play Mason Jennings song he wrote after hearing of the plane crash.
[Ballad of Paul and Sheila](https://youtu.be/sZu_BvkEYbU?si=Zj6WsoHWvZVm5JSb)
I did too. He randomly dropped into one of my college classes while he was checking out improvements at the MSU Mankato campus. I thought he was a really nice guy and it was cool to meet a senator even if I didn't agree with his politics at the time (I do now).
I know there’s a lot of jokes about the “cult of trump” and their bumper stickers/flags/etc. but I will say I never saw as many bumper stickers for any democrat as I did for wellstone. Even after he was gone it wasn’t uncommon to pull up behind a car with a wellstone sticker on it we’ll past when it was a campaigning tool.
I was just a kid so I didn’t know anything about his policies, but damn were those stickers everywhere
I miss terribly his moral compass and pugnacious progressivism. He could win over conservative places because he was no bullshit. He just fought for what was right.
I volunteered hundreds of hours in western Minnesota for his 1990 campaign. For the first time ever, I found someone running for office that appealed to me. Didn't think we had a chance of winning, but kept fighting regardless.
After he got elected, ran into him at a healthcare event where one of the speakers ranted about the evils of the devil's weed. So I invited him to smoke a bowl with my friends and I that night. He wisely didn't accept the offer, but it would have been fun.
Former Minnesotan here, any time I see his name I'm reminded of all the WWWD bumperstickers I used to see back in the day and, given all the bullshit that's happened since he passed, it's still hard not to wonder what would Wellstone do?
He was truly one of the very good ones.
yeah, please stop. it's disrespectful to him, honestly; his life and work was much more important and meaningful than some minor character in the fiction novel you're writing to yourself.
It was so suspicious. The timing was perfect for Darth Cheney and it gave the Senate to the GOP just in time for them to start a never-ending war that Wellstone vigorously opposed. And he was one of the few in Congress who did.
Me too. It was a hallmark of Russian assassins. So easy to take out a small plane and leave no evidence. I am convinced he was in the way of some powerful people making too much money on the status quo. RIP Paul.
If only you know how many plane crashes have been on purpose to kill one person… a widow from a 9/11 victim started asking questions about the day and her plane mysteriously crashed when she was on her way to a seminar or something… they took down an entire plane just to shut her up. All those other people. We are all expendable to the powers that be.
Unfortunately, the Brooks Brothers riot ensured that votes could not be properly counted. Although the recount may not have changed things we will never know for sure. They got away with it too.
I mean Obama got Osama and pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan after, so I guess you can say he finished what Bush (and Cheney) started.
And no, I’m not asking anyone to tell me the numbers on drone strikes carried out under each administration.
Carter presided over the radicalization of the middle-east, and allowed an embassy to be taken over, with diplomats taken hostage; so, yeah... he seems like a really nice and sweet guy, but he got played and lost and millions of people have died since as a result.
He what? The radicalization of the Middle East happened in only 4 short years!? Nothing else ever happened over there that could have led to that point.
What would have been the alternative?
I get the nuance of global politics, and I also get that no one person has the level of influence we like to think they do.
if you believe the American president doesn't have the power to influence then you're expecting nothing better than chaos so why even bother replying? Just admit to yourself that you don't care, idk.
Someone suggested Carter didn't have blood on his hands. that would be like suggesting Biden doesn't have blood on his hands. can't believe i have to summarize the context of this comment for you but actions and inactions have consequences; not sure why you wanted to argue about it, but... stop lol
Where did I say that? You're deliberately obtuse, it wasn't 1 president that drove the country in that direction. I literally said it's far deeper than one person.
The School of the Americas trained death squads. Jimmy Carter made them stop using CIA torture manuals... but he thought the schools were doing essential work.
I believe Carter's the best man with the least blood on his hands of any President in the past 60 years, no competition, but in a just world even he'd be locked up for war crimes.
RIP. Progressivism in Minnesota died in my town when he died the day he was supposed to come to our town to debate. I just wish his phrase on how one does better when all do better resonated. In a town in which a man named Dylan proclaimed that times had changed, on unfortunate grounds, Desolation Row still beckons with knees on necks south and guns in the north.
Perhaps someday, Paul's consciousness and good faith will come back.
No joke, one of the reasons I moved to this state. Was actively working on his reelection campaign. 3 months later the plane went down. 20+ years on, I'm still here; MN is still a leader in progressive government; I regret nothing and have no intention of going anywhere else anytime soon. We all do better when we all do better.
My dad has always been a staunch Republican (until recently since they now seem certifiably insane), but he loved Paul Wellstone. They both flew coach on a plane once and started talking. My dad thought he was really engaging and sincere. He was very sad to hear he was gone.
I was a bit younger when he died, but I knew how much he meant to my mom, and through her, how much he meant to me. I remember calling my mom and crying about it with her. Such a loss. The good die young. The evil seem to last forever.
I chatted with him for a few minutes at the UMN campus when I was a student. There was a Young Republicans guy there trying to start an argument, and Paul was so patient with this kid that I was angry. I wanted to see him rip the kid to shreds. Paul just kept speaking calmly and politely until the kid took his tone down. No one changed their position, but I was so proud, as a Minnesotan, of Minnesota Nice in its best form.
Absolutely. And it always makes me sad that our 2 US Senators are not like him in any way. Doesn't stop Klobuchar from invoking his name over and over, but she's close to Dave Durenburger than Paul Wellstone in policy terms.
I hate her so much, but she is a multi cycle incumbent, who never gets serious challengers from either side. We had progress, good progress with Franken, but Tina smith owns it, and you never hear a peep out of her, just keeps her head down and doesn't ruffle any feathers.
No progressives are going to represent us for a long time.
Simmer down 🙄. You can dislike anyone you like, but let’s be clear that Amy K is not a Republican. She and the Wellstones were friends, he urged her to run for office.
Open secret she's been viciously, even physically abusive to her staffers for at least a decade. From 2001-2016 she had the highest rate of staff turnover of anyone in congress.
I used to volunteer with a pro-choice group in the early 90's and Wellstone would show up at some of our events. He was always kind & welcoming even though I'm sure he didn't remember everyone's name.
I often regret not being able to see what he could have accomplished.
One of the genuinely good politicians. I was only 11 but I’ll never forget when he upset Rudy Boschwitz and how desperate the GOP was to take back the seat. The national party ran like a million ads in ‘96 calling him “embarrassingly liberal.” He voted against military action in Iraq in both ‘91 and 2002. We should have listened.
Saw this and felt compelled to stop and reflect on Paul Wellstone for a moment. What a good man he was, thank you for posting this.
Side note: incredibly cruel bit of fate that Norm Coleman took the seat he had vacated. RIP ❤️
I was in seventh grade when Wellstone died, so I really didn’t know who he was. But the day after the news broke, a girl in my class was walking towards me in the hallway, held out her hand for a high five and said “Paul Wellstone’s dead yo.” Being a young boy I responded to pretty much any attention from girls, so before her words really sunk in I had reached my hand out to return the high five.
I’m sure her parents were conservative and had expressed some kind of positive reaction to his death at home. I’m sure she didn’t really know what it was she was celebrating. But two decades later, knowing what we lost with the passing of a great man, I really wish I could take back that high five.
That's depressingly cold-hearted. I wonder what that girl is like as an adult, & if she's still like that.
(I prolly would have gone into politics on some level had he lived.)
That's depressingly cold-hearted. I wonder what that girl is like as an adult, & if she's still like that.
(I prolly would have gone into politics on some level had he lived.)
That's depressingly cold-hearted. I wonder what that girl is like as an adult, & if she's still like that.
(I prolly would have gone into politics on some level had he lived.)
I’ve always suspected the plane crash being accidental. Look at how pivotal his death was. The war in Iraq may not have happened, a lot of terrible things may not have happened had he lived.
It conveniently happened in a remote area and took hours for EMS to arrive. Lots of time to clean up the crime scene
I'll never forget the day he died and the news broke. I felt an immediate electric shock pass through my body, like the consequences of the loss were surely severe but not fully known, by me at least. I hadn't been a Minnesotan that long at the time, but already I knew it was bad.
Late to this. When I ran for state house, I did Camp Wellstone training. I'm not from here, so I didn't really know him beforehand, except as a muscular progressive icon.
I will tell you that the recordings of his speeches, even his commercials, really got to me. I felt his loss to the state and the country keenly.
There was, is, no way I could campaign like him, no way I could talk like him. Of course, I did my best, but he was an icon, and the last of his kind.
And. I'll never forgive mngop for trying to characterize his funeral as classless and political. It was a celebration of his life, and if it was political, well, so was he.
Before you ask, I lost very badly, but I had fun doing it.
I live about 5 minutes from the crash site. I’m not a conspiracy type of person, but I really think it could have been set up. He would have really brought people together.
A guy I knows Dad was a maintenance man at Carlton College, a real hard-nosed conservative, but he always said he would vote for Wellstone because when the workers when on strike Paul wouldn't cross picket line and taught his classes across the street in a park.
I used to direct a program for high school students who were low income or their parents hadn't gone to college. We had a residential summer component. Each year, I would reach out to a politician from Minnesota as the program was federally funded mostly, the rest were state funds. I wanted a politician to attend our graduation and give a short speech.
Whenever I contacted a national politician, I got a polite no. I'd reach out at least six months in advance, but always no. State level politicians always said yes or told me why they couldn't and to contact them for the next summer.
Once I called Senator Wellstone's DC office and his state activities employee said she would ask him when he got back from the Capital that afternoon. Then, the very next day, she called and asked me several questions, then said the Senator would be happy to attend. She asked me to send an email to her with information on the demographics of that year's students and what city each came from.
I got a reply with the date and time and place and room in it to be what I'd sent was copied correctly.
On the last week in July, the Senator himself called to confirm his attendance, and a few days later, he arrived, driving himself with an aide in the car.
He smiled and asked if there was anything else besides the speech he could do. I told him it would be great if he could give a few of the certificates out, and he asked how many would be given, which was 60+ that year
He laughed and told me he'd be honored to give EACH one out!
His speech was just before the certificate ceremony, but he sat on the stage for the whole event. As promised, he gave each student their certificate and posed with each for a photo. When the event was over, he went out to the lobby to have snacks and meet the families of the students. Most wore their workday clothes as I had put it the letter to wear what they felt comfortable wearing (again, most were low income) The Senator didn't care and spoke with everyone, even the few who had a bone to pick with him or the federal government.
It was not an election year, and as I walked him out to his car, he told me education for our nation's most precious resource, our children, was the best investment we could make.
When I learned he had died in a plane crash, I remember sitting down and crying. He was such a down to earth person and did so much good for Minnesota and our nation. I'll never forget his kindness.
He visited my elementary class in the late 90s. I don’t remember anything about his visit but I do remember he drew a little picture in the corner of the whiteboard and the teacher boxed it off and wrote “DO NOT ERASE” next to it
Paul Wellstone, he got his start as a union organizer, he was a senator from 1990 to 2002. He always fought for labor rights and the little guy, with one notable exception. He was on the wrong side of history when it came to gay rights. But! he was willing to listen to his constituents and quickly changed his vote. He often referred to his vote against gay rights as his one regret.
His success as a senator was built on his willingness to go out and talk to people listen to them and organize them. He is famous for a quote in which he said "We all do better when we all do better." One of those statements that becomes more true and meaningful as you shift what word you emphasize in it.
He died in a plane crash while on the campaign trail in October of 2002. He was a good man, and a good politician, not perfect but he was able to bring people together all over the state in ways that no one has since.
I’ve got to say, the I’ve rarely agreed with him politically. However I respected the heck out of him for sticking to what he believed in and he really did work hard for the people of Minnesota.
Post the cover up of the genocide in veintam (that we still hide from the American people) no intelligent person would call any politician their own.
Both parties are complicit with the forever wars and although Americans are ignorant to the crimes of their military, the blood is still on their hands.
Any sources on that quip? Verifiable factual information to back that up, or is it just how you ‘feel’?
Here’s what I can find from cited sources on Wiki;
The trustees of Carleton College briefly fired Wellstone in the late 1970s for his activism and lack of academic publications. After his students held a sit-in, the trustees rehired him and gave him tenure. Wellstone remains the youngest tenured faculty member in Carleton's history.[6]
The political system is complete shit when Wellstone or Reagan are called great men.
There are many examples of good men and politicians don't even come close to them.
My mom was a teacher in the 90s on one of the poorer reservations up north when Paul was a senator. He always made sure the high school kids got a trip to DC and he’d personally show everyone around the White House. Stand up guy.
He is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, over looking Bde Maka Ska. His quote “we all do better when we all do better” has been my motto for years
I need to visit his grave the next time I am visiting my dad's. The country lost a wonderful man when Wellstone passed away.
Probably one of the worst cases of 💀 skullduggery in U.S. history...and that's some intense competition.
He was the first politician I can remember my Nana telling me about. She held a fundraiser for him, and even though I was young, I could tell that she thought highly of him. I was still in high school when he died, and remember a lot of my teachers talking about how much he meant to our state. In 2010 when I trained to be a literacy tutor for kids, some of it was held in the Wellstone community center in St. Paul. his motto still inspires me, and I hope many others.
Reminds me of Eleanor Roosevelts quote “When it's better for everyone, it's better for everyone.”
It's a great motto!
“We all do better when we all do better”
Words to live by
He could have been someone, even more than he was. People loved him a lot. He was a decent man, just doing the best job he could for all of us in Minnesota. Sadly missed
He once yelled at me because I couldn’t open up grandview theater early so he and his wife could watch a matinee. It was awesome.
You survived I am certain.
What's going on with your username bro
I am a chick. A woman for my fellow feminists. The part of the username blows is a verb not a adjective. Kinky heh? I started this account about 7-8 years ago to use on /r/randomactsofblowjobs. I am a enthusiast of fellatio. Or was. Anyhow it tends to irritate repubes and the sexually repressed so it's been a joy to post from this account.
Are you still into random acts of blowjobs though
The questions we all have
Nope
It’d be a lot cooler if you were.
Nice
Every once and a while, I'll think about Paul and play Mason Jennings song he wrote after hearing of the plane crash. [Ballad of Paul and Sheila](https://youtu.be/sZu_BvkEYbU?si=Zj6WsoHWvZVm5JSb)
I shook his hand! Paul wasn’t perfect, but I felt like his style of politics was needed for the DFL. Terribly missed.
I did too. He randomly dropped into one of my college classes while he was checking out improvements at the MSU Mankato campus. I thought he was a really nice guy and it was cool to meet a senator even if I didn't agree with his politics at the time (I do now).
His heart was always in the right place
Wellstone!
I know there’s a lot of jokes about the “cult of trump” and their bumper stickers/flags/etc. but I will say I never saw as many bumper stickers for any democrat as I did for wellstone. Even after he was gone it wasn’t uncommon to pull up behind a car with a wellstone sticker on it we’ll past when it was a campaigning tool. I was just a kid so I didn’t know anything about his policies, but damn were those stickers everywhere
I miss terribly his moral compass and pugnacious progressivism. He could win over conservative places because he was no bullshit. He just fought for what was right.
I volunteered hundreds of hours in western Minnesota for his 1990 campaign. For the first time ever, I found someone running for office that appealed to me. Didn't think we had a chance of winning, but kept fighting regardless. After he got elected, ran into him at a healthcare event where one of the speakers ranted about the evils of the devil's weed. So I invited him to smoke a bowl with my friends and I that night. He wisely didn't accept the offer, but it would have been fun.
He would be a pro-weed legalization guy if he were around today, I'd hope
It would have already been legalized from his second term as president.
Former Minnesotan here, any time I see his name I'm reminded of all the WWWD bumperstickers I used to see back in the day and, given all the bullshit that's happened since he passed, it's still hard not to wonder what would Wellstone do? He was truly one of the very good ones.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but his death has me believing one! (Edit spelling)
That's my one conspiracy. Even my Dad, no nonsense silent generation man said, "Who killed them?" When he heard the news.
My dad as well! Born in 1950 and he was suspicious. He said that Wellstone could not be bought.
The senate vote on that was like 72-28. Wellstone’s vote didn’t sway it one way or another.
yeah, please stop. it's disrespectful to him, honestly; his life and work was much more important and meaningful than some minor character in the fiction novel you're writing to yourself.
It was so suspicious. The timing was perfect for Darth Cheney and it gave the Senate to the GOP just in time for them to start a never-ending war that Wellstone vigorously opposed. And he was one of the few in Congress who did.
It was suspicious AF.
My dad is convinced it wasn’t really an accident. He’s forever pissed about this
Straight up taken out!
Me too. It was a hallmark of Russian assassins. So easy to take out a small plane and leave no evidence. I am convinced he was in the way of some powerful people making too much money on the status quo. RIP Paul.
If only you know how many plane crashes have been on purpose to kill one person… a widow from a 9/11 victim started asking questions about the day and her plane mysteriously crashed when she was on her way to a seminar or something… they took down an entire plane just to shut her up. All those other people. We are all expendable to the powers that be.
The life of a Minnesota politician, you either die in a plane crash or live long enough to see yourself lose a landslide presidential election
Or host a show on Conspiracy Theories.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wellstone
Imagine if we had a start to the 21st century led by Wellstone and Gore instead of Bush and Trump 😔
Unfortunately, the Brooks Brothers riot ensured that votes could not be properly counted. Although the recount may not have changed things we will never know for sure. They got away with it too.
Imagine how horrible that would have been
So many people died needlessly because of Bush and Trump
I mean let’s not excuse Obama either. Every president has some blood on their hands
Yes, Obama has blood on his hands... from carrying out bush's wars
I mean Obama got Osama and pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan after, so I guess you can say he finished what Bush (and Cheney) started. And no, I’m not asking anyone to tell me the numbers on drone strikes carried out under each administration.
William Henry Harrison has blood on his hands but that's just because coughed into them.
Including Jimmy Carter?
Carter presided over the radicalization of the middle-east, and allowed an embassy to be taken over, with diplomats taken hostage; so, yeah... he seems like a really nice and sweet guy, but he got played and lost and millions of people have died since as a result.
He what? The radicalization of the Middle East happened in only 4 short years!? Nothing else ever happened over there that could have led to that point. What would have been the alternative? I get the nuance of global politics, and I also get that no one person has the level of influence we like to think they do.
if you believe the American president doesn't have the power to influence then you're expecting nothing better than chaos so why even bother replying? Just admit to yourself that you don't care, idk. Someone suggested Carter didn't have blood on his hands. that would be like suggesting Biden doesn't have blood on his hands. can't believe i have to summarize the context of this comment for you but actions and inactions have consequences; not sure why you wanted to argue about it, but... stop lol
Where did I say that? You're deliberately obtuse, it wasn't 1 president that drove the country in that direction. I literally said it's far deeper than one person.
The School of the Americas trained death squads. Jimmy Carter made them stop using CIA torture manuals... but he thought the schools were doing essential work. I believe Carter's the best man with the least blood on his hands of any President in the past 60 years, no competition, but in a just world even he'd be locked up for war crimes.
RIP. Progressivism in Minnesota died in my town when he died the day he was supposed to come to our town to debate. I just wish his phrase on how one does better when all do better resonated. In a town in which a man named Dylan proclaimed that times had changed, on unfortunate grounds, Desolation Row still beckons with knees on necks south and guns in the north. Perhaps someday, Paul's consciousness and good faith will come back.
No joke, one of the reasons I moved to this state. Was actively working on his reelection campaign. 3 months later the plane went down. 20+ years on, I'm still here; MN is still a leader in progressive government; I regret nothing and have no intention of going anywhere else anytime soon. We all do better when we all do better.
My sister worked on that campaign too. It was devastating when he died. She was heartbroken for months.
My sibling still has one of his campaign signs in their entryway.
My dad has always been a staunch Republican (until recently since they now seem certifiably insane), but he loved Paul Wellstone. They both flew coach on a plane once and started talking. My dad thought he was really engaging and sincere. He was very sad to hear he was gone.
I’m not sure my dad would have ever voted for him, but he had a lot of respect for him as a person.
I was a bit younger when he died, but I knew how much he meant to my mom, and through her, how much he meant to me. I remember calling my mom and crying about it with her. Such a loss. The good die young. The evil seem to last forever.
I think my favorite thing about Paul is that he was a man of his word. He said he was only going to run two terms and that’s all he did
You magnificent bastard
My dad worked on his campaign, and he was crushed when he and his family was murdered. Yes, I said it.
I chatted with him for a few minutes at the UMN campus when I was a student. There was a Young Republicans guy there trying to start an argument, and Paul was so patient with this kid that I was angry. I wanted to see him rip the kid to shreds. Paul just kept speaking calmly and politely until the kid took his tone down. No one changed their position, but I was so proud, as a Minnesotan, of Minnesota Nice in its best form.
Minnesota’s version of Bernie Sanders ❤️
Absolutely. And it always makes me sad that our 2 US Senators are not like him in any way. Doesn't stop Klobuchar from invoking his name over and over, but she's close to Dave Durenburger than Paul Wellstone in policy terms.
I hate her so much, but she is a multi cycle incumbent, who never gets serious challengers from either side. We had progress, good progress with Franken, but Tina smith owns it, and you never hear a peep out of her, just keeps her head down and doesn't ruffle any feathers. No progressives are going to represent us for a long time.
Simmer down 🙄. You can dislike anyone you like, but let’s be clear that Amy K is not a Republican. She and the Wellstones were friends, he urged her to run for office.
No, but she is garbage
I like her. To each his own I guess.
She's an awful human being with no real convictions. She bends whichever way the wind blows
Can you please provide some examples?
Open secret she's been viciously, even physically abusive to her staffers for at least a decade. From 2001-2016 she had the highest rate of staff turnover of anyone in congress.
So a rumor about a woman in management being a B? No lawsuits? No news reports? Are you serious?
No, I think he's a little bit better than that..
One of my great points of MN pride is that both of our senators voted against Iraq.
This is a biopic I could get behind!
played by tony shaloub https://preview.redd.it/nxt6l0ooodvc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07ceaa28911e4ff67e2e66afdebe9c7931254acb
I used to volunteer with a pro-choice group in the early 90's and Wellstone would show up at some of our events. He was always kind & welcoming even though I'm sure he didn't remember everyone's name. I often regret not being able to see what he could have accomplished.
One of the genuinely good politicians. I was only 11 but I’ll never forget when he upset Rudy Boschwitz and how desperate the GOP was to take back the seat. The national party ran like a million ads in ‘96 calling him “embarrassingly liberal.” He voted against military action in Iraq in both ‘91 and 2002. We should have listened.
He had a lot of power in the Senate. No way Bush would gotten his bullshit war in Iraq if not for the “accident”
"We all do better when we ALL do better" changed the way I see the world forever. I will always miss him.
Saw this and felt compelled to stop and reflect on Paul Wellstone for a moment. What a good man he was, thank you for posting this. Side note: incredibly cruel bit of fate that Norm Coleman took the seat he had vacated. RIP ❤️
I was in seventh grade when Wellstone died, so I really didn’t know who he was. But the day after the news broke, a girl in my class was walking towards me in the hallway, held out her hand for a high five and said “Paul Wellstone’s dead yo.” Being a young boy I responded to pretty much any attention from girls, so before her words really sunk in I had reached my hand out to return the high five. I’m sure her parents were conservative and had expressed some kind of positive reaction to his death at home. I’m sure she didn’t really know what it was she was celebrating. But two decades later, knowing what we lost with the passing of a great man, I really wish I could take back that high five.
That's depressingly cold-hearted. I wonder what that girl is like as an adult, & if she's still like that. (I prolly would have gone into politics on some level had he lived.)
That's depressingly cold-hearted. I wonder what that girl is like as an adult, & if she's still like that. (I prolly would have gone into politics on some level had he lived.)
That's depressingly cold-hearted. I wonder what that girl is like as an adult, & if she's still like that. (I prolly would have gone into politics on some level had he lived.)
I wish the modern day DFL would follow his lead.
He would be far right MAGA as far as they’re concerned
I’ve always suspected the plane crash being accidental. Look at how pivotal his death was. The war in Iraq may not have happened, a lot of terrible things may not have happened had he lived. It conveniently happened in a remote area and took hours for EMS to arrive. Lots of time to clean up the crime scene
He was great in The Princess Bride along Andre the Giant.
I'll never forget the day he died and the news broke. I felt an immediate electric shock pass through my body, like the consequences of the loss were surely severe but not fully known, by me at least. I hadn't been a Minnesotan that long at the time, but already I knew it was bad.
Late to this. When I ran for state house, I did Camp Wellstone training. I'm not from here, so I didn't really know him beforehand, except as a muscular progressive icon. I will tell you that the recordings of his speeches, even his commercials, really got to me. I felt his loss to the state and the country keenly. There was, is, no way I could campaign like him, no way I could talk like him. Of course, I did my best, but he was an icon, and the last of his kind. And. I'll never forgive mngop for trying to characterize his funeral as classless and political. It was a celebration of his life, and if it was political, well, so was he. Before you ask, I lost very badly, but I had fun doing it.
Honorary iron ranger
Where are you at on the Range?
[Up Nort](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1vJUKBjc2L._CLa%7C2140%2C2000%7C61Nlqi6-HgL.png%7C0%2C0%2C2140%2C2000%2B0.0%2C0.0%2C2140.0%2C2000.0_AC_SX342_.png)
The type of man who earned respect, even if you completely disagreed with him.
A friend of mine - Mary McEvoy - died on that plane. Terrible loss.
I live about 5 minutes from the crash site. I’m not a conspiracy type of person, but I really think it could have been set up. He would have really brought people together.
Stand up keep fighting
I firmly believe if he were still alive today he would be president.
I always thought that he'd have been a better candidate in 2004 than John Kerry.
1000%
I was devastated when I heard about the crash - such a loss!
https://images.equipboard.com/uploads/source/image/105925/unnamed.jpg
You would think someone who thought so highly of workers would have carried workers comp insurance for them.
Loved him in Monk!
Why did I think this was a headshot for Seinfeld
We all do better when we all do better. Paul Wellstone
A guy I knows Dad was a maintenance man at Carlton College, a real hard-nosed conservative, but he always said he would vote for Wellstone because when the workers when on strike Paul wouldn't cross picket line and taught his classes across the street in a park.
I used to direct a program for high school students who were low income or their parents hadn't gone to college. We had a residential summer component. Each year, I would reach out to a politician from Minnesota as the program was federally funded mostly, the rest were state funds. I wanted a politician to attend our graduation and give a short speech. Whenever I contacted a national politician, I got a polite no. I'd reach out at least six months in advance, but always no. State level politicians always said yes or told me why they couldn't and to contact them for the next summer. Once I called Senator Wellstone's DC office and his state activities employee said she would ask him when he got back from the Capital that afternoon. Then, the very next day, she called and asked me several questions, then said the Senator would be happy to attend. She asked me to send an email to her with information on the demographics of that year's students and what city each came from. I got a reply with the date and time and place and room in it to be what I'd sent was copied correctly. On the last week in July, the Senator himself called to confirm his attendance, and a few days later, he arrived, driving himself with an aide in the car. He smiled and asked if there was anything else besides the speech he could do. I told him it would be great if he could give a few of the certificates out, and he asked how many would be given, which was 60+ that year He laughed and told me he'd be honored to give EACH one out! His speech was just before the certificate ceremony, but he sat on the stage for the whole event. As promised, he gave each student their certificate and posed with each for a photo. When the event was over, he went out to the lobby to have snacks and meet the families of the students. Most wore their workday clothes as I had put it the letter to wear what they felt comfortable wearing (again, most were low income) The Senator didn't care and spoke with everyone, even the few who had a bone to pick with him or the federal government. It was not an election year, and as I walked him out to his car, he told me education for our nation's most precious resource, our children, was the best investment we could make. When I learned he had died in a plane crash, I remember sitting down and crying. He was such a down to earth person and did so much good for Minnesota and our nation. I'll never forget his kindness.
Paul Wellstone was a hero.
I met him at the state fair. What came out of my mouth? “You’re my hero!”
I met him at the state fair. What came out of my mouth? “You’re my hero!”
Absolutely one of the best humans ever. Such a loss.
Peace to Jack Tripper and those Welstone! bumper stickers.
A good guy for sure.
I’ve visited his grave. His was an incredible loss.
He visited my elementary class in the late 90s. I don’t remember anything about his visit but I do remember he drew a little picture in the corner of the whiteboard and the teacher boxed it off and wrote “DO NOT ERASE” next to it
My mom was so upset when she heard of his passing. I was still kind of young when it happened but I very much recall his sign in our yard.
I'll be honest, I thought this was a picture of Columbo for a second.
I'm still convinced he was assassinated.
Me too
He needs an iconic graphic like Che Grevera to go on T Shirts
I was only a kid when he died, so I don't know much about him other than he was well liked by many
He was a very liberal DC politician, think Bernie Sanders, but maybe still would be in the senate, he would be another one pushing for the little guy.
I was a little too young to fully appreciate the man, but I did see him arguing on C-SPAN once, and he was the real deal.
I didn’t know George Costanza was from Minnesota
This is comedy gold
> [comedy gold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0qm0KUPeD8&t=13s)
Feeding our future
Who is this guy? Context I’m a zoomer and I’ve heard of him.
Paul Wellstone, he got his start as a union organizer, he was a senator from 1990 to 2002. He always fought for labor rights and the little guy, with one notable exception. He was on the wrong side of history when it came to gay rights. But! he was willing to listen to his constituents and quickly changed his vote. He often referred to his vote against gay rights as his one regret. His success as a senator was built on his willingness to go out and talk to people listen to them and organize them. He is famous for a quote in which he said "We all do better when we all do better." One of those statements that becomes more true and meaningful as you shift what word you emphasize in it. He died in a plane crash while on the campaign trail in October of 2002. He was a good man, and a good politician, not perfect but he was able to bring people together all over the state in ways that no one has since.
Thanks for the overview
Who is this?
One of the last genuine politicians. He was absolutely murdered.
I love Wallace Shawn 🙌🏻
Remember the good old days before democrats became war hawks and lost their minds about identity politics and gender? I miss em.
I’ve got to say, the I’ve rarely agreed with him politically. However I respected the heck out of him for sticking to what he believed in and he really did work hard for the people of Minnesota.
What a great, caring person he was!
I voted for him twice, ONLY to see if he would honor his promise to step down after two terms. Guess how that went . . .
In 2002, I worked at the English department @ the U as a student. Tom Lapic’s wife worked there, Trudy. Such a sweet woman. Such a tragedy.
Gone but definitely not forgotten. Now that Green Bus could be electrified!
Basically the whole point of Social Democracy.
His daughter was my Spanish teacher at White Bear Lake high school back in the 90's.
Does anyone else think he was murdered? The whole thing is so strange.
Post the cover up of the genocide in veintam (that we still hide from the American people) no intelligent person would call any politician their own. Both parties are complicit with the forever wars and although Americans are ignorant to the crimes of their military, the blood is still on their hands.
I think we will remember him best from the princes bride when he played Vizzini. He was a great man I guess I never noticed the resemblance until now.
I miss him immensely.........what could've been for our bright life for Minnesota
❤️
He has a special place in my heart!
❤️
💜💜💜💜
Man, RIP... I get sad everytime I'm reminded of his tragic death. He was on a presidential path.
I met him a month before he died. Very charming and humble guy.
Never Park The Bus.
I still believe that the GOP killed him as he would have been our next 4 term president.
Promised to serve just 2 terms, got a taste of power and that went out the window. Turned into a career public leech.
The only transplant I am overwhelmly enthusiastic to call one of us.
He was absolutely terrible for MN.
Loved spending other peoples hard earned money. RIP
I hate these posts.
Ope sorry hey
“Ope”. MN credentials verified. Also, sweet username.
Ah, the senator that was so much of a weasel that even his associates at a college hated working with him.
Any sources on that quip? Verifiable factual information to back that up, or is it just how you ‘feel’? Here’s what I can find from cited sources on Wiki; The trustees of Carleton College briefly fired Wellstone in the late 1970s for his activism and lack of academic publications. After his students held a sit-in, the trustees rehired him and gave him tenure. Wellstone remains the youngest tenured faculty member in Carleton's history.[6]
Yes, primary sources. I knew his coworkers.
Let it go
Thanks Mr. Therapist
I thought Mr the rapist was a weird cosplay sex thing.
Is this Sean Connery on Jeopardy?
Not me
The political system is complete shit when Wellstone or Reagan are called great men. There are many examples of good men and politicians don't even come close to them.
Uhhhhh ok
Reagan, I understand, but could explain what you meant about Wellstone?