Today, October 25th, marks the sixth anniversary of the dreadful day we lost our greatest champion in Congress and my political hero. Never afraid to stand up for what he truly believed in, Paul Wellstone wasn't just Minnesota's senator, he was our senator. Back in 2002, as Congress was considering giving approval to President Bush to send troops to Iraq, Paul was the only senator who was up for re-election that year to vote 'no.' The only one. After doing so, he reportedly told his wife "I just cost myself the election." That was typical Paul Wellstone.
Today in 2008, we have a number of opportunities to make Paul smile up in heaven, the first and most obvious of which would be to take back his seat that was usurped by Norm Coleman six years ago. Al Franken is of the Wellstone mold, a proud progressive fighter who stands side by side with Joe Plumber, not Joe CEO. Norm Coleman never would have won that seat if it weren't for the terribly sad circumstances and now we and the voters of Minnesota finally get a chance to take back Paul's seat.
The second opportunity we have to make Paul smile would be to beat Michele Bachmann. In a recent interview Rep. Bachmann compared herself to Wellstone, saying:
"You have to remember I'm from a state where Paul Wellstone was elected during a Republican tide," explained Bachmann, in an interview where she frequently referenced the liberal senator who served Minnesota from his election in 1990 until his death in a plane crash just days before the 2002 election. "There's a great deal of authenticity that came from Paul Wellstone."
As if there wasn't already great reason for us to work to ensure her defeat, her self-comparison to Paul Wellstone makes me want to take the first flight to Minnesota and volunteer for El Tinklenberg. Bachmann is the antithesis of everything that Paul stood for - heck, she was the only member of her state's congressional delegation that voted against the Wellstone Act which required insurance companies to provide coverage for people with mental illness, a cause that Paul was at the very forefront of. The bill finally, years and years after languishing, became law this year, no thanks to Bachmann.
Between those two things and Barack Obama's election in less than two weeks, we have an opportunity to make sure that the very things that Paul fought day-in and day-out for become realized: universal health care, fair and safe working conditions and labor rights, public financing of elections, a clean environment, and the defense of our civil liberties, among many other things.
For those of you who don't know Paul, I leave you with some photos, clips, and a slideshow in hopes of giving you an idea of how honest, true, and great he and his wife were. For those of you who remember him fondly, take this time to say a prayer, and then do what Paul would - organize, organize, organize.
Here are a few of his campaign commercials, all innovative and all extremely reflective of the kind of man he was:
Here's Paul's speech against the Iraq War on the floor of the Senate as well as a terrific tribute put together by his colleagues last year:
And finally, here's a really moving slideshow that someone put together - if you watch one thing in this diary, please choose this...it's a testament to not only what a great man and senator he was, but just how much he has been missed.
Let's win this one for Paul, folks.