Last Saturday, on the Northern Alliance Radio Network, we discussed the cult of personality surrounding the late Senator Paul Wellstone, which seems to continue to grow stronger as each year passes since his death in a 2002 airplane crash. We questioned whether the reverence, bordering on worship, that is now shown for Wellstone matches his record of accomplishment (or lack of) as a United States Senator.
Last night, while watching a documentary on the man called...
wait for it...
you know it's coming...
what else would it be but...
Wellstone!, on a local PBS station, I discovered something heretofore unknown to me that Senator Wellstone had indeed accomplished during his twelve plus years in the Senate. Way back in 1991, Wellstone helped stop passage of the Bush (41) energy bill:
His first year in office, he led a coalition in 1991 to defeat an energy bill that would have opened Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife refuge to oil drilling.
Not only that, but the bill would also have sought to expand nuclear energy in the United States by encouraging companies to build more plants.
More domestic oil supplies and nuclear energy? That wouldn't come in handy at all now, would it?
The next time you're opening your wallet to shell out two-fitty a gallon for gas or experiencing shell shock after opening your heating bill this winter, you may want to pause for a moment and remember the man who helped make it possible.
"Wellstone!"
(By the way, at the end of the documentary, the kids at Wellstone Elementary School can be heard singing the school song, "I Go To Wellstone." They're not bad, but I prefer the NARN version myself.)
SP adds: James Phillips writes in with his thoughts on the Wellstone hymn:
Thanks for the fine rendition of the Wellstone School song last Saturday on NARN. You will be happy to know that the chorus is still in my head (I go to Wellstone, my school is Wellstone, . . . .) and won't stop.
Question. Who of two dead people had a greater impact on Minnesota? Wellstone! or Herb Brooks? I'm inclined to think that other than the beatification by the DFL'ers, in real terms, Herbie has had a greater impact. But no cult of personality has arisen. What Would Herb Brooks Do? What a great idea for a bumper sticker.
The Elder Adds--Steve e-mails to wonder if Wellstone will become bigger than Jesus:
The Dead Kennedys (don't tell JB a solid-right conservative mentioned them to you) once wondered "Will Elvis take the place of Jesus in 1000 years?" Might we not ask the same about Wellstone!?
Wonder if there's any value to calling Wellstone! the liberal Jesus. Ya think?
There's no doubt in my mind that if the current trends continue, this is where the Wellstone hero worship is heading. We already have camps, schools, civic centers, and memorials for Wellstone. Can the Church of Wellstone be far behind?
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