Ryan's Journal

I'm not that into politics, and I'm not an expert on the whole political scene, but Senator Paul Wellstone's "memorial service" makes me rather ashamed to be associated with Minnesota.

"The Republicans in the middle of a memorial service decided to call it politics," said Mike Erlandson, chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the Democrats are known in Minnesota. "It wasn't politics; it was Paul Wellstone."

No, it was politics.

Erlandson called the boos "unfortunate and inappropriate," but said the service was "something that was very emotional."

No, it wasn't emotional, it was political.

"While it had a little bit of a rally feel, and they were talking about public policy and public policy issues, that was Senator Wellstone through and through," Erlandson said. "I mean, he did not talk those issues for politics; he talked these issues for passion."

He had a passion for politics. We get it. They don't really care about the man, they just want to advance the Minnesota Democratic party. It's about time, isn't it? The last two Minnesotan would-be presidents, Hubert Humphrey and, of all people, Walter Mondale, both failed to make it to the most powerful political position in our country. And this one, who really, really wanted to be president, died. I guess they just have to turn back to last time and hope societal changes will make it good in the end this time, right? Tell me, how much planning was put into pursuing the sympathy vote? Did Carnahan's death suggest any ideas? Hey, why not make Wellstone's next surviving female kin the Dem candidate instead of the loser from '79? That should buy even more votes.

In the meantime, go on villifying other men at a memorial service, men who had nothing to do with Wellstone's death and nothing but words of respect for their political non-ally. Why does it seem so worth defending changing a memorial service, a service about a man's life, into a petty political gathering. Is his work all he was about? Is he Senator before he's Paul Wellstone? If no one planned to disrespect speakers from other parties, why didn't someone stop the crowd when they got the wrongheaded idea that it was a good thing to do?

Minnesota has stupid politics and stupid politicians. We as a country need more people in politics who aren't purusing power so much as positive social change. People who don't go to a memorial service and talk about something as urbane as elections instead of a man's life.

Quotes and memorial testimony taken from the markedly liberal Star Tribune (original link destroyed after three weeks due to newspaper policy) (with barely a note about disgust over the memorial's less tasteful tone), the more conservative Pioneer Press, and the lame-but-quoteful CNN.

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