|
Senator's life impacted many
Senator eulogized as 'one of the last unapologetic liberals'
By Mike Lauterbach
Perhaps more than any other senator, Paul Wellstone voted his mind.
As a freshman senator, he was one of the only senators to vote against the 1991 Gulf War. As an embattled incumbent, he voted against a new war in the same place, even as he confided to his wife and a small group here in St. Cloud that it might cost him the election.
Former St. Cloud Mayor Larry Meyer was at the small fundraiser and heard Wellstone speak on a speakerphone set up by his wife Sheila.
"He knew he was in a very close race and was concerned that this would be used against him," Meyer said. "But he said, 'this is what I believe and if that's the reason I'm not re-elected, then that's just the way it has to be.'"
Both Iraq votes were expected for Wellstone, who the Star-Tribune eulogized as "one of the last unapologetic liberals." But Wellstone's uniqueness came when he reached out to help people outside the Democrats' usual voting bloc.
He reached out to veterans. Last year, he authored the Homeless Veterans Assistance Act, a bill with the ambitious goal of eliminating homelessness among veterans in 10 years.
He helped secure more benefits for atomic veterans afflicted with certain types of cancer. And he got the endorsement of the Minnesota Veterans of Foreign Wars despite his decidedly anti-war stance and votes against military spending.
He reached out to small business. Wellstone served on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and supported legislation to help small businesses compete. He also co-sponsored legislation to help small minority- and women-owned businesses.
He also reached out through traditional Democratic proposals � help for farmers, better health care and education reform.
A former professor, Wellstone made education a priority throughout his time in the Senate.
He contributed and fought for bills for all levels of education, from more financial aid for college students to renovation for elementary schools in disrepair.
Farmers were another group Wellstone worked hard for.
"He was a very strong person," said Melissa Eckenrod, SCSU senior. "Coming from a family of farmers, I respected him for what he did for them."
Wellstone made his first appearance on the public stage standing up for farmers who were afraid that overhead power lines would damage their livestock and their own health. In the last year of his public life, he supported a farm bill that Wellstone's Web site said provided an 80 percent increase in funding for farm-based renewable energy projects.
Much of Wellstone's health care work came in the field of mental health. He used his position as a member of the Senate Health, Labor, and Pensions committee to introduce legislation that would have required insurers to cover mental health problems at the same level as physical illnesses.
During the course of his political career, Wellstone enjoyed constant support from his family, especially from his wife. Few were surprised to learn that two members of Wellstone's immediate family, his wife and his daughter Marcia, were with him when the plane went down.
"When I decided not to run for mayor," Meyer said, "(Paul) personally called me up and said, 'I know from Sheila that this is a team thing and it effects both (you and your wife), and I'm sorry to hear you're not going to run again."
Sheila Wellstone also played an integral role in her husband's campaign. Two weeks ago, she spoke about campaigning when she filled in at SCSU for Wellstone. At the time, he was still in Washington finishing up the Senate's extended debate on Iraq.
"I never would have thought that when we met when we were 16 and married when we were 19, that 39 years later this is what I'd be able to do," she said. "It has been an extraordinary experience."
Two weeks later, their joint experience would be over. But the legacy of the "last unapologetic liberal" will not be gone so quickly. Their imprint on Minnesota politics may well last longer.
A public service will be held Tuesday in memory of those who died in Friday's crash. The service will be at the University of Minnesota � Twin Cities campus in Williams Arena at 6:30 p.m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
