I’m not familiar with him, but it sounds like he was a great guy with a real heart for people. Sad loss. +
Damn It! This Sucks... Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), his wife, daughter and three campaign workers were killed this afternoon in an airplane crash during a snowstorm near Eveleth, Minn., officials at the Federal Aviation Administration said today. Wellstone, who was locked in a bitter campaign fight, had been scheduled to debate his opponent Norm Coleman, the former mayor of St. Paul, tonight. Immediate details of the crash were sketchy. Wellstone, was considered one of the Senate’s most liberal members—and one of its most stubborn. He surprised political observers 12 years ago when as a university professor who had never held elective office, he defeated then Sen. Rudy Boschwitz with an unconventional campaign that featured a state tour in a battered school bus. Six years later, Boschwitz tried to regain his seat but Wellstone easily defeated him. Wellstone was born in the Washington area and grew up here. He moved to Minnesota to teach.
He was going to a funeral. _______________ Senator Paul Wellstone, Democrat of Minnesota, Killed in Plane Crash By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS VELEVELETH, Minn. (AP) -- Sen. Paul Wellstone was killed Friday when his small chartered plane crashed near an airport runway, Democratic sources said. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 58-year-old senator, in the midst of a grueling re-election campaign, died along with members of his family and staff as well as two pilots Wellstone's campaign manager confirmed the death of the lawmaker -- one of the Senate's most prominent liberals -- in the final days of his campaign for a third term in the Senate. Greg Martin, a spokesman for the FAA, said the plane went down about two miles from a runway in a wooded area. Wellstone's campaign had chartered the craft to ferry the senator and his traveling party to a funeral. Wellstone won his seat in 1990 in an improbable upset, and was trying to hold onto it in the face of a strenuous challenge from Norm Coleman, the former mayor of St. Paul. Liberal to the end, he cast his vote earlier this month against legislation to authorize the use of force in Iraq -- virtually the only Democrat in a competitive race to go against President Bush on the issue.
Tragic, horrible, horrible news. This really hurts. He looked like such a genuine, nice guy. My heart goes out to all his family and friends.
This is so sad. Paul Wellstone was my favorite politician. Really the only one for whom I had true affection and respect. I still remember his very first speech on the Senate floor. It was during the debate on authorizing force against Iraq in 1991. The mantra was "What kind of victory will it be if..." He'd never spoken on the floor before and he was espousing a minority opinion but when he was done practically the entire Senate gave him a rousing standing ovation. He had heart and he had soul and he will be deeply missed.
That's terrible, his whole family was with him. It won't be long before the talking heads of the media start to mention how the Republicans have won an important seat by default. Hopefully, they'll wait a few days, but I doubt it.
This is a sad day for American politics. Paul Wellstone was an honest politician, which is a rare commodity these days. He would never have gotten my vote, but he had my respect.
The political is already coming to the fore. From several sources: "Wellstone's name will not remain on the ballot; Minnesota law specifies that a party must replace any candidate who dies or is incapacitated, if it happens earlier than four days before the general election." "Control of the Senate is such an overriding political consideration that speculation on what Mr. Wellstone's death might mean on Capitol Hill began almost immediately, even as lawmakers of both parties, liberal and conservative alike, were feeling the shock of personal grief. " "Minnesota state government officials were said to be meeting this afternoon to clarify arrangements for the Nov. 5 election, in view of Mr. Wellstone's death. " "Bloggers are already on the Minnesota succession case, following the horrible news of Senator Paul Wellstone's death in a plane crash. It appears that the Democrats actually have time to nominate a successor before the November 5th election. ... The ability of Minn. Governor Jesse Ventura to tip the balance of power in the U.S. Senate in the meantime seems to be less clear. .. Ventura can't appoint himself, eliminating one obvious scenario. ... Walter Mondale as an obvious Lautenberg for the Democrats. Or Minnesota state Supreme Court Justice Alan Page. "
I was about to make a political comment, but can't. Can someone start a control of the senate thread with a discussion of Minn? I'm not up to it now. How sad.
I was sad to hear of this tragedy. Though I disagreed with Sen. Wellstone's opinions a lot of the time, I respected him because his opinions didn't sway with the wins of public opinion. He believed what he believed. He seemed like a good man, and I do think the world is a little worse off now that he's gone.
