I don't know if I've ever shared the time I met Paul Wellstone - it's a minimal affair, but I thought it was humorous enough to share - it all started in talk radio......
flashback - I'm a broadcasting major a couple years out of college, now working the board at the Talk Station in Minneapolis - I had interned there, and because of my religious tendencies, I didn't find the hardcore Republican idiocy offensive at the time - in fact, I think it's safe to say I was drinking the kool-aid - (you are in a bubble, it's kinda easy, esp. on Christian college campuses)
anyways....our host wanted to talk to Paul, and Paul was looking for some media for something he was working on - unfortunately, he ended up on our show, where the bipolar ex-wife of the governor was in charge - in fact, the producer distinctly heard him mention at one point "I don't mind ABCD, the station, but why did it have to be HER show?" somewhat humorously
Anyways... I have a few minutes to kill before the show and I wander into the break room where lo and behold he's getting ready and he looks up at me - I can imagine he only saw one of two things
1. - A long haired kid (was still in my grunge phase) who looked like he might be an Ally in this bastion of Right Wing Rhetoric - (he would have been wrong)
2. - A starstruck media newbie - (I was a little starstruck - I admit it)
so what does he do? Smiles, walks right over and says "Hi, I'm Paul Wellstone" - to which I might have said "Uh yah, I know - I'm your board operator today" I hope I didn't say anything that dumb but that feels like what I said
Anyways, after a bit, he went on - we did our thing - and that was it - you know the rest of the story - he'd have been glad to know I stopped drinking the kool-aid and came over to the other side, but it was just one of those things I felt like writing on the Anniversary of his passing
RB