Wellstone's Loss Felt By Many

Thrilled I was not.

I could have cared less about the North Star State or some teeny-little-super-guy, an impassioned progressive who wanted to roll back President Bush's "rich-man" tax cut.

He essentially stood alone in his conviction that couples with an income of more than $300,000 should not receive a tax break.

So I plodded along, calling the headquarters of Minnesota's political parties, a slew of political science professors and anyone who would talk to me.

But there was a large and looming problem -- I couldn't find a single soul who Paul Wellstone hadn't pissed off.

He's my kind of guy, I thought. He was scrappy, and, I say with the highest regard, he must have been a royal pain in the ass. He was real; he was turbulent; he was straight-up cool.

This past weekend, a rented twin-engine Beech King Air A100 crashed. Aboard were Wellstone, his wife, his only daughter, three staff members and two pilots.

An entire nation immediately buckled under the tragedy. Questions of sensitivity arose for the Democratic Party and his Republican challenger, former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman. Both sides have been treading carefully this past week for fear of a voter backlash.

A political spectrum analysis put Wellstone somewhere to the left of God. He was disdainfully labeled "Senator Welfare," by some. He fought for the little guy, voted his conscience and did all those things that make people energized about politics -- whether they wanted to follow him or try their darndest to unseat him.

Save for ruthless political commentators and grimacing Republicans, few across the country have overlooked this opportunity to reflect on the character of a truly unique individual. Homage should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially when posthumous. Yet the outcry from Minnesota to Liberia has been nothing shy of astonishing. People are genuinely cross that this man is dead.

The oddest tribute to Wellstone can be found in a press release from the ULAA. You know, the ULAA -- the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas.

It read, "His name is known in every household of the Liberian community and Liberian refugee camps in Africa. He spoke against and condemned warlords in Liberia that continue to destroy the country and impoverish its people."

People in Liberia know of "Senator Welfare"? Get out of here. How could a U.S. senator ever help people over there?

The most faithful eulogy was in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. It was not from a politician or even a friend but simply a Minneapolis resident speaking his piece.

"I felt for the first time in my life, I really was represented in Washington by someone that had the same values and viewpoints that I do. ... I would have crawled to be (at the 20,000-strong tribute)," the man said.

Thousands more gathered at universities across the state of Minnesota on Tuesday in freezing cold temperatures -- for hours.

On Tuesday, the DTH printed a pure, heartfelt letter if there ever was one. In the letter, the author recounts his chance meeting with Wellstone in a subway car.

"Sen. Wellstone did not need to speak to me, but he chose to because he strongly believed in treating people equally," Hunter Pruette wrote.

It doesn't get any more straightforward than that.

His mother must have been something special to raise a boy like that. Years ago she worked in the cafeteria at his junior high.

To honor her memory, Wellstone made a point of greeting the cafeteria employees at all the schools he visited during his career.

Paul Wellstone died last Friday in a plane crash 175 miles north of Minneapolis.

Tragic.

Nathan Perez can be reached at nperez@email.unc.edu.