Today is a very sad day for myself, the State of Minnesota...as well as the rest of the country. In case you havent heard our senator, Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, daughter Marcia, three campaign aides and two pilots were killed today in a plane crash in northern MN.

I still cant really put it to words. Some of you might just think of him as a radical, liberal, politician and that it shouldnt affect me all that much. But it does. Even though there were several issues that I didnt agree with him on, I am a Democrat, and I was going to vote for him in the upcoming election. He was a man of honesty, integrity, and he followed his convictions without fear of criticism.

This last summer I had the opportunity to meet Paul. It was at the MN State Fair where he was campaigning. He was shaking hands and talking to many people. So I walked up and he shook my hand and we started talking about farming and other things about myself. He asked where I was headed while at the fair and I told him I was gonna go get some cheese curds. To my suprise he asked if I minded that he come with. Now this was a 2 block walk to a 15 minute wait in line. He talked to and greeted other people on the way but the rest of the time he just talked to me like he had known me for years. No schmoozing, no campaign or politics talk. Just very down to earth, honest conversation while eating cheese curds on the curb of the street. He even insisted on paying for my order of cheese curds and a pop. I tried but to no avail.

I mentioned to him that several years before my brother had met him and talked to him during a Journalism conference that he attended his senior year of high school. Now that was back in the spring of 1995 while he was still in his first of two terms. I explained the story and described my brother and he actually remembered, his name and everything.

Even though I didnt agree with him on everything...he was a great man who can never be replaced. He will truly be missed.

Rest In Peace Paul Wellstone

 

I really liked, Paul Wellstone and I wanted to see him continue his work. He was about as liberal as a human can possibly be but you always knew what his position would be.

Tragic.....

 

First let me say for those that don't know I am a conservative republican. With that said and being honest there was not much that I agreed on with Paul Wellstone as far as his views. He was a very load and active voice for vets though he himself was not a vet. That in and of it self is very note worthy and commendable in my view.

I will say I had great respect for Paul Wellstone because he is one of VERY few that stood behind his views and believed in them with a passion. I don't ever recall him switching his views back and forth depending on how the public felt or what polls might say. That can not be said for most democrats, republican’s etc. in office today.

To me that is true character, one that truly believes in what they are saying, promoting, and trying to advance because they believe in what they are doing. It is sad we don’t have many more like him. Don’t take me wrong there are some, few, but some other democrats and republicans that are like Paul Wellstone but the sad fact is most are not and only say or do what they think the public wants or what will get them more money.

To me in the end it is character that counts regardless of if your one party or another or believes in one view or another. I love debating with someone who has true convictions behind their arguments. As I said, as far as his views I did not believe in, but for the man he was and his character I will forever have the highest respect for. He will be very much missed. May God bless him and his family

 

Sad days indeed... Let me just preface all this by saying I am generally a conservative, and I probably disagreed with Wellstone on way more issues than agreed... but I always respected the man for his integrity. He was truly a person who stood behind his decisions and NOTHING was going to change his mind. Not many people like him in the world.

Just to give others an idea, he was the ONLY senator facing reelection who voted against the Iraq resoultion in congress. If the senate had a vote that was 98-2 or 99-1, you could almost always count on one of those 2 or 1 being Wellstone.

We went up to our cabin this weekend and drove right past eveleth, where the plane went down. Lets just say the weather was not very nice (right around freezing, drizzle, rain, snow, and freezing rain, foggy, and a very low ceiling). Very sad... In 1993, a Northwest plane went down at the Hibbing airport, about 30 miles west of this accident, in nearly the exact same type of weather.

God bless the Wellstone family and all who mourn his passing....

 

Wellstone will be missed, that's for sure. He stood up for what he thought was right. Few people are able to do that. Fewer still are able to withstand the criticisms.

People like Wellstone gave voice to the people who didn't have one. People who were unemployed. People who were poor. If not for people like him, who would speak for them? Who would fight for them?