Last night, I saw the premier of Wellstone! (this is what his bumper stickers said). It will be playing at various cities throughout Minnesota, as well as Madison and UW-Eau Claire WI, through the election. See
schedule,
homepage for film and
wellstone.org for more information.
If you need a shot of motivation and inspiration for the next couple of weeks (and beyond), you really should see this film if you can.
[please see Extended Entry]
I am a cynical person, but I found this film deeply moving and inspiring. I moved (back) to Minnesota in 1999, so I didn't really know as much about Wellstone as I should have. The film was rich with archive footage, and great retrospective interviews with friends, staffers, and consultants. These interviews were great, and frequently really funny.
As you might anticipate, the film got a bit hagiographic at times, but it showed some of Wellstone's lower moments and unpopular positions (with liberals) too, such as his initial support for DOMA.
Sometimes, Wellstone would say something in a way that made me wince. But that was what was so refreshing about him, there was not the constant filtering to present the most media-palable output. At times, I have to say that Wellstone could seem like a bit of a dork. But a passionate, principled, earnest, hard-working one. And he could have kicked my ass in a fight no doubt, despite his back problems, and later, MS.
One thing that really struck me about the movie was that, while Wellstone was such a rare figure in Congress, he really shouldn't be. I'm not trying to downplay his courage and strength, but it is really crazy how few Congresspersons seem really in touch with the population at large like Wellstone clearly was. His stance against war, even Gulf War I, was really inspiring. He wouldn't allow election-year set-ups by the GOP to derail his stance.
If you get a chance to see this movie, I urge you to do so. And bring any friends that need a boost for GOTV. I really did laugh, and cry. I did not feel like a kid again, however.