Paul Wellstone in pictures and in his own words
PHOTOS BY TERRY GYDESSEN
They Criticize My Suits
Some people say my style is not senatorial. Some of that is hype. There's a lot of crap--you're supposed to go certain places, talk a certain way. It's just ridiculous. Stupid stuff. They criticize my suits. I don't know what they're talking about. What is that? I have some suits I bought that are nice enough. [George] Mitchell has done a couple of introductions of me and he always goes back to this story about the coast of Maine: "You walk along the coast, and the rocks are smooth, and that's what happens: The waves beat along the coast and smooth the rocks. And every once in a while you'll find a rock with a jagged edge. He's the jagged edge. And we need that."
My Best Friend In The World
The other thing, we don't always agree. Sheila is very forthcoming about the way she sees things, and she's willing to be very critical. She's supportive, but she'll tell me if she thinks I'm making a mistake. The difference between the two of us is that I tend to be emotional and instinctual. I make decisions very quickly. I don't like to be overly cautious. Sheila is a person who steps back more and says, Before you do this, I want you to consider this and this and this. You should wait, you should think about it. Sometimes I'll turn to her and say, I didn't get in the Senate to walk on eggshells. Now we're here and you can't hold onto the position for dear life; you use it for things you believe in. And that's true. But by the same token, politics and public service is pretty rigorous, and you've gotta be solid in your approach to things. She's very solid.
People Around The State Call Me Paul
I'd like to be back in every community more regularly. But I'm here all the time. I've turned down almost all national speaking engagements. I get a lot of requests. I don't know how to say it to you... I still go into cafés, but so many people come up to me, not just at town meetings. I can't figure it out... Most of the people around the state call me Paul. It bothered me for a long time, because I thought these were all people I'd met before and I ought to know their names. But I realized they don't actually know me. They just call me Paul.
I like to go to movies, and when we're back here we'll try to catch a movie. People are always surprised to see me there. Last weekend we went to the new Edward James Olmos movie, American Me. I thought it was devastating. It makes Boyz N the Hood seem mild.
Two-thirds of the people at this film were Hispanic or black. I was real pleased that they were coming up to greet me and talk to me. After the film, I was leaving and I felt a hand on my shoulder. This 15, 16-year-old kid has tears in his eyes, and he says, My father was murdered last year by the gangs. And I'm just talking to you because you seem like someone who cares about people. I just want you to know that this isn't just some L.A. thing.
What can I say to him? That's the hardest part of the job. When people come up to me and I relate to them and I can't do anything for them. If you go through my floor speeches on the Senate, I'm constantly trying to connect what we do there to people's lives. Every week I go back to Washington with pictures of people and conversations in my mind, and I try to make the connections. But I don't control the agenda. Trying to get more in control and as efficient as I can in every way--that's the biggest pressure I feel.
Round-Tripping It
I spent many, many years driving from Northfield to southwest and west central Minnesota, round-tripping it, 150 to 200 miles each way, sometimes through blizzards and bitterly cold weather, by myself. Now I have people that help me. I have a lot of people to help me with my work. It was difficult then. This is a difficult job, but no more difficult than a lot of jobs.
Hope's Two Lovely Daughters
I hope this doesn't sound like I've joined the club, but this anger toward politicians--the people have certain responsibilities, too. I've been giving a lot of speeches about turning up the heat, suggesting, Why don't you bring your representatives home and hold them accountable? It's not written in the founding documents of this country that you vote every three or four years and that's the extent of your involvement. I really want to start talking more about ways that citizens in this country have let it go. They've let it get out of their hands. It's easy to blame "those people," but it's important that people organize, too.
You can't just have anger. St. Augustine said hope has two lovely daughters, anger and courage. Anger at the way things are and courage to see they can be better. There's got to be that belief we can be better. We made a theme of that, and I think it resonated with people. And finally, I think it was very important that people identified the person as a regular person. That's been so important to me. I'm doing great in Minnesota in my opinion. I KNOW that. You've gotta remember that if I keep taking positions, I'll be involved in a lot of controversies, and there will be people who disagree. I'm never gonna be Mr. All-Time Popular. But I'm doing well with people, and I think it's because they appreciate it if you come back to communities and you're there and you don't seem to be stuck up or fancy.
They're Some of My Best Friends
This sort of friendship I have with the police and the support staff in the Senate is because they're some of my best friends. It has nothing to do with their befriending me because, jeez, he doesn't know what's going on. And it has nothing to do with my befriending them to be condescending toward someone. It has to do with the fact that we hit it off...
The guards will come up and ask, When are you going to speak on the floor? I hear so many people tell me, Don't change. It's really true; it happens all the time. I ride the train every day. It's a lot of fun from my point of view. And so I mix it up a lot: talk a lot, have coffee, go down and see the operators. They help us all the time. Why shouldn't I go down and thank them?
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Also in this Issue
- Paul Wellstone Remembered When the news came, we threw out everything we'd planned for this week's issue and spent an hour or so sitting around a conference table watching the grim details accrue on TV. (Cover Story)
- More Wellstone Memories (News)
- Every Goodbye Ain't Gone Wellstone Remembered (News)
- But Not Forgotten City Pages writers say so long (News)
- More articles from this issue...
More News/City Beat Articles
- Gonorrhea Always Rings Twice What happens when the sex police make a house call? (Oct 23, 2002)
- Corporaal Punishment Tits v. Glass: The harassment suit (Oct 23, 2002)
- Talk Dirty to Me Things overheard at the STD clinic (Oct 23, 2002)
- Don't Worry, Go Hunting Are efforts to allay concerns over mad deer disease driven by good science or vested interests? (Oct 16, 2002)
- Barbarians at the Metrodome Gates (Oct 16, 2002)
- Magical Misery Tour Norm Coleman's "St. Paul miracle" gets a withering report card (Oct 9, 2002)
- Never Forget (Oct 2, 2002)
- Don't Ask, Don't Tell Police misconduct? Tell somebody who cares. (Oct 2, 2002)
