Posted on 10/30/2002 12:02:11 PM PST by William McKinley
Honor & Civility: R.I.P.
A memorial service for Paul Wellstone becomes a DNC pep rally as the Democratic party reaches a new low. by Fred Barnes
10/30/2002 2:10:00 PM
FIRST, Democrats in Minnesota used the death of Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone in an attempt to silence the Republican Senate candidate, former St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman. Then, they turned a widely televised memorial honoring Wellstone into a partisan political rally for electing ex-vice president Walter Mondale to Wellstone's Senate seat. And now, they're planning to make Mondale as inaccessible as possible in the closing days of the campaign, so he can ride the emotion of Wellstone's tragic death in a plane crash to election victory on November 5.
Cynical? It sure is. But it shows how desperate Democrats are to keep control of the Senate, which they currently hold by the slim margin of one vote. Even outside Minnesota, Democrats are citing Wellstone's death as a reason for stepped-up Democratic campaign activity. In New Jersey, Republicans accused Democratic Senate candidate Frank Lautenberg of saying voters should honor Wellstone by electing a Democratic Senate. In Iowa, Senate majority leader Tom Daschle said Democrats are more active and energetic in the week before election as they grieve for Wellstone.
The exploitation of Wellstone's memory began within two days of his death. Several prominent Democrats, including Senate whip Harry Reid of Nevada, called Coleman the most viciously negative Senate candidate in the country. The gist here was that Coleman had attacked Wellstone not only relentlessly but also unfairly and should stop his criticism at once--even criticism of his new foe, Mondale. Other Democrats were more explicit, insisting the campaign stay positive in the final days, if only to avoid dishonoring Wellstone. Of course this would help Mondale by keeping his own record as a senator, vice president, and Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 free of a rigorous critique by Coleman and Republicans. In fact, when former House speaker Newt Gingrich criticized Mondale on TV on Sunday, the Democratic state chairman in Minnesota declared this inappropriate.
The memorial service was shameless in its partisanship. It started with emotional remembrances of Wellstone, a politician loved by liberals and respected by conservatives. But then Rick Kahn, a friend of Wellstone, turned the event into a partisan pep rally. Democratic celebrities, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Teddy Kennedy, and Al Gore, were cheered wildly. When Senate GOP Leader Trent Lott and former Republican senator Rod Grams of Minnesota were shown on the TV screen at the service, there were boos. When Mondale was shown on the screen--he didn't give a speech--he was cheered amid chants of "Fritz, Fritz, Fritz."
Kahn told the crowd of roughly 20,000: "We are begging you to help us win this Senate election for Paul Wellstone." He urged Republicans to give up their opposition and let Mondale win with bipartisan support--a clever invocation of bipartisanship to achieve a partisan end, the election of a Democrat. Kahn even called on a Republican House member, Jim Ramstad, by name, saying he should help Democrats win the Senate race.
Both Gov. Jesse Ventura, an Independent, and Republicans were furious over the transformation of the memorial service into a highly partisan event. Ventura and his wife walked out, shaking their heads, during Kahn's speech. "What a complete, total, absolute sham," Vin Weber, a former House member from Minnesota and now an adviser to Coleman, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The Democratic party "clearly intends to exploit Wellstone's memory totally, completely, and shamelessly for political gain. To them, Wellstone's death, apparently, was just another campaign event."
The Coleman campaign has asked for five debates, one a day until the election. Mondale has agreed to none and, according to media reports, will limit his campaigning to a few speeches. What Republicans fear is that this tactic will allow the race to be about Wellstone and not about Mondale, who hasn't been on the ballot for statewide office in Minnesota since 1972. His views on major issues--Iraq, the war on terrorism, the Wellstone agenda of left-liberal issues--is largely unknown. In this case, that may aid his election.
Fred Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard.
Sorry, but I can't drum up the necessary sympathy over his demise..........and apparently neither could those who attended his "memorail."
The rah-rah Democrats lack of sympathy for Wellstone and seven others who died tragically is understandable since in their jaded eyes they are now non-persons.
No, Joy. Our best weapon is truly prayer. Truth is a natural outpouring from those who live desiring it...who know how to live by a code of ethics and who care deeply about justice.
This memorial was akin, imho, to a satanic orgy. It was vile. There is no doubt.
In my mind, I picture two young men, in the deeps of the twilight zone, numbed in decision making by the over powering loss of the those who loved them unconditionally-their FATHER, MOTHER and SISTER.
THEY WERE USED IN THE MOST HORRENDOUS, EVIL way possible by democrat elites....they were manipulated, encouraged and molested mentally by very very bad people. People who dispise the truth unless is serves their cause, people who would dance on the grave of a deceased human being in order to score points, people who are unfamiliar with or shun if they are, the rule of law and who mock justice.THAT IS WHY..........GOD, our father in Heaven, was as DISINVITED as Dick Cheney to this orgasmic blow out.
Have you ever, in your life, witnessed the Lord being left out of a memorial service?
I think bill and hillary, noting their frequent glances to the camera leading to the jumbo-tron, were the Gods of that memorial orgy event.
I wonder, Murry, why do you suppose this event was formally billed as a memorial service?
God certainly wasn't invited-or were bill and hill there to take His place? Did I miss the prayers? Did I miss, somehow, the grieving?
Who in your party planned this orgy to promote Mondale? No one will claim it except a smallish aide in the Minn campaign office of Wellstone....hmmmmmmm...other articles say it was planned in DC.
Pretty crass using two young men who had just had their Father, Mother and sister taken from them in a plane crash. You remember how you feel when someone you loves dies unexpectedly---don't you? Talk about being in the twilight zone of numbness, of grief, of great loss and hurt. Imagine your mother and father and sister all dying unexpectedly....
Who, in their vilest moment, would EVER promote and product such an orgy of sick political rhetoric during a memorial service? Who would USE the sons of dead senator in such a manner-telling them this is the way to honor their Father?
How many remembrances will those two take away from the memorial service about their father other than political rhetoric?
So few it was heartbreaking to any with an ounce of sensitivity or understanding.
The dems are rattling the gates of hell, Murry. Seems as tho you all have even nudged those gates open an inch or two.
Your desparation is showing. Your lack of tenderness and decency is showing. Your willingness to do anything to win is showing. And your total abandonment of moral and ethical behavior is really showing.
Your great emporers-bill and hitlery-are naked in the light. And they may very well be the ruination of the late great Dem party. How do you stand it?
Once again-folks like you are forced to defend the indefensible. Maybe one of these days you will get tired of this.
Or maybe, you were out of the line-up when 'character' was being passed out. Cause you certainly aren't showing any now.
I guess that's why you're a pinhead....
This should be a proof for naive people like Trent Lot, and the other idiot before him Bob Dole, YOU DON'T EXPECT TO BE A FRIEND WITH THESE PEOPLE! They are on jihad path for a noble cause! The laws do not apply to them! Just get out of their way when they are so determined to FORBID THE EVIL REPUBLICANS FROM MAKING IT ILLEGAL TO KILL UNBORN BABIES, BY APPOINTING RIGHT-WING JUDGES!
Unlike many, I did not expect this 'memorial' to be anything other than what it was... a well crafted and perfectly ORCHESTRATED event, featuring the star players in the party. Note the way they entered the 'stage'. You think they all arrived a few minutes apart by coincidence? Not on your life.
The program was planned to elicit emotion, and it did. It's important to remember that Wellstone was in danger of losing this race; therefore, the Dems had nothing to lose by attempting a risky strategy. When your candidate is behind, you either have to motivate your base, or depress theirs. If you can find a way to do both, that's even better. The MN Dem party chairman had his 'mea culpa' ready for the press; they KNEW this would energize the Pubbies, but the hope was to get some Independents to fall their way.
This program wasn't designed primarily for MN. They had already selected Mondale, and assumed that he would vault into a substantial lead a la Lautenburg. This program was designed to play in 'Peoria', giving the Dems a chance to be on-stage elsewhere. In nearly every state, either Bill or Hillary or Kennedy are featured - even now, a week later - in little news soundbites about Wellstone's death -not his LIFE, but his death. How conveeeeenient, hmmmm?
I think they planned this hoping to tip the scales in MO. The Widow Carnahan is in deep trouble; the only way to resurrect (pun intended) her campaign is to remind people of Mel's death. The idea is for those soccer mom's to cry all the way to the polls.
If Wellstone was the most beloved Senator in the party, did Tim Johnson invite him to SD to campaign for him? How about Max Cleland? Or Erskine Bowles? Hmmmm?
If Wellstone was so brilliant, why wasn't he on Daschle's leadership committee? Mondale's already been awarded that honor....why not Wellstone? Hmmmm?
How many of these Senators attended a memorial service for Paul Coverdale? Hmmmm? With regard to Mondale, when was the last time he was invited to speak at a Dem convention?
When was the last time he was presented as the authority on any issue? Hmmmm? Dems were never taught 'cheaters never prosper', because in their world, cheaters DO prosper. It's time for the good people of MN to say 'enough is enough'.
You know the one I mean. The pest who's always trailing behind the popular guys.
The little twerpy jerk hoping to get a little bump of recognition by walking in the shadows of the big guys.
Why? Because Women and Minorities would support a Woman...especially Feminist-Hillary!
Without the TRUTH of Hillary's EVIL ways out there for the general public to KNOW as truth, we can't combat what is about to happen.
We NEED the Truth of their Wickedness to be OUT THERE..just as Monica's Dress was OUT THERE so no matter the LIES that were spread by the Media, the people couldn't help but SEE and discern the TRUTH!!
And yes, I'm praying for God to help us. Hillary Rodham as President is very scary but these woman were smiling at the thought of her winning.
How about '04 being the 20th Anniversary of the FIRST Woman VP Candidate...Geraldine Ferraro.
How perfect for Hillary. She can promote herself as the WOMAN of the 21st Century, fighting for Women's Civil Rights in Celebration of 20 years since the last women was nominated!
Mondale...so useful, in so many ways...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.