Practicing politics

I don't want to discuss last night's election results. Instead, I wish to discuss one politican who made a difference to me: Sen. Paul Wellstone. I have a nice narrative that I wish to share...

It was a beautiful summer day at the Minnesota State Fair. I had had my share of Sweet Martha's Cookies and I was ready to go home. As my ex-husband and I began to walk towards the exit of the fair, we saw that a large line had formed in front of us. I asked my ex if he could see what the line was for, and he said it was Sen. Paul Wellstone. I was intrigued and asked my ex to stand in line with me to speak to the Senator. He refused, which is something he usually did when I asked him to do something I wanted to do. I told him that I was going to wait no matter how long it took.

Wellstone made his way through the line; spending time with each person who had stood in line to speak to him. Not once did he glance at his watch or put someone off in order to greet the next person in line. He listened to each and every person who had waited in line to talk to him.

As he got closer, I heard his assistant, Will McLaughlin, tell him that he needed to go because he was late for a radio interview. Wellstone told McLaughlin that he would have to be late because it was more important to talk to the people of Minnesota who had waited in line to speak to him. When he got to me I told him that I was very impressed with the work he had done and that I was planning on voting for him again at the next election. He thanked me and told me that it was important to hear the voices of all those in Minnesota who believed in him and the work he had done.

I know a lot of people were angered by Wellstone's position on same-sex marriages, but that is only one political issue. He was a marvelous individual who died before his work was done. I admit I was angered over the memorial service that turned into a political rally after his passing, but it didn't change the way I felt about him as an individual.