(MintPress) – The late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone may have left this world 10 years ago, but his legacy lives on, in part, through those who remember him as a champion for human rights and labor unions and a fearless critic of the proposed Iraq war.
Wellstone died Oct. 25, 2002, when the small aircraft carrying him, his wife, daughter, three campaign staff members and two pilots crashed in Northeastern Minnesota. The senator was on his way to a debate series, to be held at St. Scholastica College in Duluth, Minn., where he was set to take on Republican challenger Norm Coleman.
When news spread of the senator’s death, the state fell silent. Conservatives and progressives alike mourned the loss of a Minnesota maverick, known as a passionate lawmaker who didn’t back down from his convictions.
On that same day, the Star Tribune, a publication covering Minneapolis and St. Paul, described the crowd that gathered in the Twin Cities to remember the senator, who was a hero for many working class Minnesotans.
“The state came to a stop for a time as thousands of mourners left flowers and candles at the Wellstones’ Cathedral Hill condominiums and Wellstone’s campaign headquarters, both in St. Paul. About 2,000 people attended a candlelight vigil at the state Capitol,” publication staff writers wrote.
Now, 10 years down the road, his legacy is being remembered — not only by those within the northern state, but by progressives around the nation who miss the attitude of a man who was among a few lawmakers to stand up against the war. Two wars laters, the nation is emblazoned in a political climate more divided than ever — with corporate leaders pitted against labor unions, and vice versa, and a 2011 defense budget exceeding $690 billion.
Still, despite the tough political times facing the U.S., Wellstone’s memory lives on through a dedicated group employed through Wellstone Action, an organization dedicated to furthering the causes Wellstone stood for — not just in Minnesota, but throughout the nation.
Wellstone and the Iraq war
On Oct. 3, 2012 — 22 days before he died — Wellstone passionately addressed the Iraq War on the Senate floor — a speech directed at then President George W. Bush.
His speech bore the tone of cautious dissent, acknowledging the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein, but insisting that full-out war should be considered only with widespread global and national support.
“This debate must include all Americans, because our decisions finally must have the informed consent of the American people, who will be asked to bear the costs, in blood and treasure, of our decisions,” he said. “When the lives of sons and daughters of average Americans could be risked and lost, their voices must be heard by Congress before we make decisions about military action.”
He wrapped up his speech on the Senate floor by thanking his staff, not only for their hard work, but for their support in standing by him, regardless of the contentious nature of the issue.
“I would like to thank my staff for never trying one time to influence me to make any other decision than what I honestly and truthfully believe is right for the state I represent — Minnesota — for my country, and for the world in which my children and my grandchildren live,” he said. “To all of my staff, I thank you for believing me.”
That very same day, Minnesota Public Radio ran a story on the senator’s speech, in which he vowed to vote “no” on a resolution that would give the president power to go to war. It referenced a Star Tribune poll, which indicated that 54 percent of residents supported a war with Iraq — 75 percent, however, indicated the president shouldn’t act without the go-ahead from Congress.
Wellstone went ahead and voted against the war — an unpopular move in Congress, which saw 70 percent support in the House and Senate.
Wellstone Action
When Wellstone passed away, supporters wanted to be sure that the ideals he stood for didn’t fade. And so began the Wellstone Action, an organization dedicated to the late senator’s ideals.
In a way, it’s as if his influence is still felt in American politics, through those who consider the way Wellstone may have felt about the issues facing the nation today.
In 2003, the organization broadened its scope of impact — transforming from a Minnesota, local organization to one with national reach. Its founders did so because of the impact Wellstone’s actions not only had on the state, but on the nation.
“But Paul Wellstone was never just a Senator for Minnesotans — he inspired thousands beyond Minnesota’s borders,” the website states. “An educator, an organizer, and a leader long before he was a Senator, Paul’s background — and backbone — made him a visionary, a ceaseless champion for social justice. And his ideas just couldn’t be contained to the state that elected him.”
Perhaps Wellstone was set aside from other politicians because he was first an activist — and he never let that go. He served as a political science professor at Minnesota’s private Carleton College, where he was considered a radical by some — a label that got him fired from the institution. He was also perhaps seen as radical for his involvement in the presidential campaign bid of Jesse Jackson in 1988 — a controversial figure then and now.
There are certainly those who buck the trend in politics today, but with a different political persuasion than Wellstone. Republican/Libertarian Ron Paul is considered radical among those within the established Republican Party, as he seeks to transform the party to its small government roots — in all areas, defense included.
In 1990, Wellstone won his first Senate seat, one in which he held until Oct. 25, 2002 — the day his plane crashed. He was 12 days away from his third election, against Republican Norm Coleman, who eventually won.
He was known for owning the “liberal” label, which was — and is — thrown around in politics as a bad word. Progressive magazine published a piece following Wellstone’s death, in which they took a look at the life of the senator. Quoting his writing in the autobiography, “Conscience of a Liberal,” Progressive summed up what the activist turned legislator was all about.
“I have dedicated my life to the cause of economic justice and equality of opportunity for all Americans,” he wrote. “The famous abolitionist Wendell Phillips was once asked, ‘Wendell, why are you so on fire? He responded, ‘I’m on fire because I have mountains of ice before me to melt.’ So do we.”
Like then, the nation deals with issues that may look like mountains of ice — a looming fiscal debt, the possibility of war with Iran, the attack on labor unions and severe cuts to social programs. What the U.S. political scene arguably doesn’t have is a politician like Wellstone, a man who many could say they disagree with, but few could disagree with the notion that he at least didn’t back down from his ideals, regardless of if it would cost him an election.