The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Riding the Love Train

10.31.02 @ 12:01AM

WELLSTONE DEMOCRATS
Re: Wlady Pleszczynski's A Memorial Mess:

Wlady, you have it right. After hearing Dems wail about Republicans not waiting until the former senator was buried in the ground before resuming activities (untrue I would add) it was breathtaking to see what they did there. The problem is that after Bill Clinton shock value is awfully hard to come by. It is sad. Perhaps Bill Bennett's book title nailed it down, The Death of Outrage.

Can't we do something to hide Trent Lott?
-- Roger Ross
Tomahawk, WI

Your article about the memorial to the most leftist senator to ever hold office in the United States Senate was wonderful. I have lived in California for forty years but was raised in a small Minnesota farm town and later attended the University of Minnesota. Hence, I pay perhaps more attention than most non-Minnesotans to that state's politics. Your article was right on the mark and cheered me to the extent that their ghoulishness is not going unnoticed. At least not by everyone. The mainstream media will of course make the memorial service appear staid.

As an aside, an acquaintance crowed yesterday as to how Ashcroft could not even beat a dead man. I replied that since the Democrats were noted for voting gravestones, in the case of Carnahan, it was a matter of the dead electing the dead. Afraid that the same is occurring in Minnesota unless the population is brighter than the group at the memorial service.

Thanks for your article. Keep them coming.
-- Donald R. Melquist
San Francisco, CA

I am embarrassed to be a Minnesotan. I lived in Northfield where Paul gained his strength as a prof at Carleton, and marched, based on true, hippie, liberal platforms. His passion notwithstanding, he was a unique "bird." But the summary of last night's extremely partisan and flashy rally was right on. I did not attend, or watch it for we had heard rumors that the party was going to use it to win by association and empathy. Between our former wrestling gov, former mayor Latimer who did a good job -- but had to get his points in there -- and Mr. Kahn's rally speech, it makes me want to disassociate myself from this state's reputation and history. Is Walter Mondale the best that the DNC can come up with?

Unbelievable, and what a travesty to turn what could have been a classy, discreet -- even with a little politicking -- event, into what even the directors of the Shriner's or Cirque d'Soleil couldn't do...
a Nielsen's polling event.

Thanks,
-- Jeannie Finer
St. Louis Park, MN

C-Span -- the bane of my existence. Drifting in and out of sleep, I am unable to ascertain where reality ends and subconscious thought begins. Paul Wellstone's memorial service flickers on the screen. I think a musical tribute is emanating from the screen. Are they playing disco music at a memorial? Is that "Love Train"? Is the mourning crowd cheering Al Gore's arrival? People dancing? The crowd is not booing, are they? Maybe I sat on the remote and changed the channel to championship wrestling. No...wait...there is a casket. Inside is Senator Paul Wellstone. Yes, this is the memorial service. Kneeling beside the casket are two hazy figures engaged in some sort of activity. They are coming into focus. It is Terry McAuliffe and Bill Clinton. Good God, they are casting lots. Please let me wake up.
-- Steve Earley

I had a friend that started to watch this, but said it had no class. I didn't even start to watch and I wouldn't after Cheney was uninvited, but I am glad to read your article.

I have never seen so much attention given to a Senator that I had never even heard of until he died and now a few people are insinuating that it was murder. I just can't imagine the mentality of these people.
-- Betty Wiggins

Once upon a time, I was a Democrat. Then Jimmy Carter came along and I began to re-think my position; I won't go into the gory details as that would steer me away from the subject at hand. Needless to say, I'm a Republican now, and after that appalling display last night, I'll probably die a Republican. I could launch into a rant over the spectacle I witnessed, but I won't (such language should be reserved for the "stray hammer on the thumb" moments). What I witnessed was the final, and complete, transformation of a political party that I (once upon a time) respected and admired into the party of Clinton. Bereft of honor, dignity and class.

Perhaps Mr. Mondale will ride the wave to victory six days hence, but if he does it will not be because of the superiority of his position and ideals. It will be so because he (and the Democrat Party in general) used Sen. Wellstone's coffin as a springboard. Perhaps I'm a dreamer, but I have to wonder about the wisdom of last night's spectacle. I know that the Democrat Party has been moving Heaven and Earth to keep the "hard left" of their party from bolting to the Greens, which may be for naught since the Congress's war resolution vote, but there is one other element in this mix.

As much as I dislike anecdotal evidence, about two weeks ago, on C-Span 1, they had their cute "question of the morning" on Washington Journal. The question was "will you be voting this election?": yes/no. Since I'm a working stiff, I couldn't devote that much time to listen, but what I did hear was interesting. Virtually all the no's were democrats, and their 'average' answer was disapproval/disgust/discouragement with the dems. Until I heard that brief segment of phone calls, I had been wondering why the dems had were in full turbo mode on "turnout, turnout, turnout." It will be interesting to see if Wellstone's send-off energizes the base or adds to the number of disenchanted Dems who will sit out election day since they can't bring themselves to pull the lever for a Republican.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Bill Clinton, Mainstream Media, Law, Iraq, NATO