Posted on 10/30/2002 8:23:30 AM PST by SES1066
In a bizarre plea to the GOP to forfeit the race for Paul Wellstone's Senate seat, a Wellstone family friend told the memorial service for the late liberal Tuesday night that both local and national Republicans owed it to Wellstone to abandon their support for his GOP opponent, Norm Coleman, as a tribute to the dead senator's memory.
"Can we not set aside for just one week all of the partisan bickering, all of the political strategy and all of the nastiness," Rick Kahn told the crowd gathered at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena. "So that we may come together as a people in deepest mourning to celebrate and truly honor his memory."
Then Kahn made a personal plea to some of the Republicans gathered in the room that he said were Wellstone's friends in the Senate.
"Sen. Domenici, Sen. Brownback, Sen. Lugar, Sen. Hagel and Sen. DeWine who are here tonight are all Republicans for whom Paul had the utmost respect and who he considered to be true friends," Kahn said to rousing applause.
"Can you not hear your friend calling you one last time to step forward on his behalf to keep his legacy alive and help us win this election for Paul Wellstone."
Kahn then turned his attention to the Minnesota GOP.
"Rep. Jim Ramstad, you are the highest-ranking Republican elected official in the state of Minnesota. You know that Paul loved you. He needs you now. I am begging you please let the people of this state hear your voice on his behalf to keep his legacy alive and help us win this election for Paul Wellstone."
Kahn went on to urge both Republican and Democrats to "come together a week from tonight. ... where we can together shout out Paul Wellstone's name in joyful celebration on one last election night."
Brother, I've don't think I've ever seen anything so disrespectful in my life. His own kid.
That was not a funeral yesterday in Minnesota. That was a political rally. Tacky raised to an art form.
That was not a funeral yesterday in Minnesota. That was a political rally. Tacky raised to an art form.
In my experience, I've found that politicians (from either party) have a bizarre approach to how they do things. Actually, that's putting it mildly -- I would often describe them as screwed-up people with disordered personalities. People like Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John McCain, Gary Condit, Bob Torricelli, and even Trent Lott are pretty much the norm in politics these days, not the exception.
It would not surprise me if the younger Wellstone was simply a chip off the old block.
Looks like Ventura got really pissed off also. (BTW, FR is running slower than molasses near absolute zero.)
I hope that the GOP Senators give an earful to their Dem colleagues about the sheer crassness of this - especially the booing routine. It might have been a partisan crowd, but the organizers could have reminded the crowd that this was a (hah) Memorial Service.
I hope the FR servers can last to the election - this response time is dead!
Umm...just ONE WEEK ?? It's SIX YEARS !! Isn't that how long the "winner" of this race will serve ?? And control of the Senate could be at stake too -- this is a heck of a lot more than ONE WEEK !!
Disgusting ! Absolutely Disgusting !!
I did. I completely expected them to turn this into a campaign event, but I expected something more maudlin and maybe sincere. I expected them to try to weasel their way into people's living rooms and then demand the sympathy vote. I never thought they'd put on that over the top circus! Harkin reminded me of an old time Holiness preacher and the remarks by Kahn weren't only bizarre, but asking the GOP Senators present to support the rat's was about the stupidest thing I've ever seen.
When asked about the booing of Trent Lott, his excuse was that people were emotional and thus nothing could be done. I had a deep emotional desire to hit him in the nose, too bad I wasn't in the studio to do it. I could have used his own statement as a defense, you can't stop emotions, right? What a Dem Party Hack!
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