[Senate Document 107-16]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Paul Wellstone
LATE A SENATOR FROM
MINNESOTA
a
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND OTHER TRIBUTES
hon. paul wellstone
1944 -2002
Paul Wellstone
Memorial Addresses and
Other Tributes
HELD IN THE SENATE
AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE UNITED STATES
TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES
IN HONOR OF
PAUL WELLSTONE
Late a Senator from Minnesota
One Hundred Seventh Congress
Second Session
a
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii....................
116
Barkley, Dean, of Minnesota
..........................................
29, 102, 105
Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico..................
46
Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
5
Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
91
Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
62
Chafee, Lincoln D., of Rhode Island............
106
Clinton, Hillary Rodham, of New York...........
67
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
80
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
98
Corzine, Jon, of New Jersey....................
72
Daschle, Thomas A., of South Dakota
.....................................
19, 112
Dayton, Mark, of Minnesota
..........................................
4, 22, 83, 104
DeWine, Mike, of Ohio..........................
58
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
10
Dorgan, Byron L., of North Dakota..............
38
Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
42
Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin.............
50
Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
81
Frist, Bill, of Tennessee......................
80
Grassley, Charles E., of Iowa..................
119
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
113
Hollings, Ernest F., of South Carolina.........
78
Hutchinson, Y. Tim, of Arkansas................
96
Jeffords, James M., of Vermont.................
36
Kennedy, Edward M., of Massachusetts...........
52
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
8
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
74
Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut
....................................
106, 115
Lincoln, Blanche, of Arkansas..................
118
Lott, Trent, of Mississippi....................
21
Murkowski, Frank H., of Alaska.................
49
Murray, Patty, of Washington...................
89
Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
53
Nelson, Ben, of Nebraska.......................
97
Nickles, Don, of Oklahoma......................
66
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
109
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
31, 88
Rockefeller, John D, IV, of West Virginia
.............................
100, 108
Sarbanes, Paul S., of Maryland.................
108
Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
95
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
107
Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania
..............................................
55, 112
Stabenow, Deborah Ann, of Michigan.............
47
Stevens, Ted, of Alaska........................
61
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Cummings, Elijah E., of Maryland...............
147
Davis, Danny K., of Illinois...................
142
Ehlers, Vernon J., of Michigan.................
144
Evans, Lane, of Illinois.......................
145
Holt, Rush D., of New Jersey...................
143
Jackson-Lee, Sheila, of Texas..................
152
Lee, Barbara, of California....................
150
Linder, John, of Georgia.......................
149
McCollum, Betty, of Minnesota
..............................................
139, 153
Miller, George, of California..................
145
Norton, Eleanor Holmes, of District of Columbia
135
Oberstar, James I., of Minnesota
...................................
130, 142, 144
Pelosi, Nancy, of California...................
140
Ramstad, Jim, of Minnesota.....................
128
Reyes, Silvestre, of Texas.....................
146
Roybal-Allard, Lucille, of California..........
148
Sabo, Martin Olav, of Minnesota................
133
Schakowsky, Janice D., of Illinois.............
133
Solis, Hilda I., of California.................
154
Memorial Service......................................
157
BIOGRAPHY
Paul David Wellstone, Minnesota's senior Senator, was
born to Russian immigrants Leon and Minnie Wellstone on
July 21, 1944, in Washington, DC.
Paul was raised in Arlington, VA, and attended Wakefield
and Yorktown High Schools. An accomplished student and
athlete, he went on to the University of North Carolina in
Chapel Hill where he was a champion wrestler. In 1965 he
earned his B.A., and 4 years later was awarded a Ph.D. in
political science. He then accepted a teaching post at
Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he taught for 21
years. From 1983 to 1984 he was the director of the
Minnesota Community Energy Program.
In 1990, underdog Senate candidate Paul Wellstone
rallied a dynamic volunteer force and traveled throughout
Minnesota in his trademark green bus. He was the only
Senate challenger that year to unseat an incumbent. U.S.
Senator Paul Wellstone's experience as a teacher and
community organizer in Minnesota and his work representing
Minnesotans in the Senate provided the framework for his
progressive priorities and accomplishments.
During his first Senate term, Senator Wellstone led
legislative battles to make health care more accessible
and affordable and won workers' protection to take time
from work to care for their families without losing their
jobs. He helped raise the minimum wage, successfully
fought to protect seniors' pension funds from corporate
raiders, and authored historic ethics and lobbying reform
measures that forever changed how the people's business is
done on Capitol Hill. Senator Wellstone expanded health
care coverage for those suffering from mental illness,
worked with a bipartisan coalition to write a new farm
bill, and blocked harsh bankruptcy reforms unfair to
consumers as well as efforts to open the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. He secured Federal
resources for Minnesota schools and worked tirelessly on
behalf of veterans, passing legislation to aid homeless
veterans and securing compensation for ``atomic veterans''
suffering from cancers due to radiation exposure during
their military service.
He was also a leader in efforts to combat violence
against women. In 2000, Wellstone joined with Senator Sam
Brownback (R-KS) to pass historic bipartisan legislation
to prevent international sex trafficking of women and
girls, establishing first-ever penalties for those who
enslave and traffic in persons.
Paul Wellstone was one of a kind. He was a man of
principle and conviction in a world that has too little of
either. He was a passionate visionary who never gave up
hope that we could make the world a better place for
everyone; a committed fighter for social justice who gave
a voice to the voiceless; a man with a huge heart who lit
up a room--and the hearts of others when he walked in. He
was a man who valued others for who they were not where
they came from, or what they wore, or their position or
social status. He was dedicated to helping the little guy
in a business dominated by the big guys.
Senator Wellstone's life was tragically cut short when
the plane he was traveling in crashed southeast of
Eveleth, MN, leaving no survivors. On the plane with him
were his wife, Sheila (Ison) Wellstone; daughter, Marcia
Wellstone; campaign staff Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic, and
Mary McEvoy; and Captains Richard Conry and Michael Guess.
Paul and Sheila are survived by two sons, David and
Mark; and six grandchildren, Cari, Keith, Joshua, Acacia,
Sydney, and Matt.
Sheila Wellstone
Photograph by Tony Nelson
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
FOR
PAUL WELLSTONE
Proceedings in the Senate
Monday, October 28, 2002
The Senate met at 10:30 a.m. and was called to order by
the Honorable Christopher J. Dodd, a Senator from the
State of Connecticut.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Today's prayer will be offered by
our guest Chaplain, Father M. John Farrelly, a Benedictine
monk from St. Anselm's Abbey in Washington, DC.
Father Farrelly.
prayer
Let us pray.
As we gather together at the beginning of this day may
we, by Your grace, Lord, so live that we will stand before
You confident in Your mercy, as we have shown mercy to
those in need. Almighty and merciful God, we commend to
You Senator Paul Wellstone who was taken away, along with
his wife and his daughter, so unexpectedly and suddenly
from us, and who has left many colleagues and others
stunned and deeply saddened by their loss of a highly
valued coworker and friend.
May his legacy of voting according to his conscience and
his concern for the ordinary citizen and the
underprivileged endure in this Chamber. May the manner of
his death remind all of us that the control we have of our
lives is fragile and uncertain, and that our lives can be
called from us at any moment.
May Paul Wellstone dwell in Your house, Lord, forever
and ever, and may You comfort his remaining family and the
many friends, supporters, and the entire Senate family who
are bereaved.
Amen.
DEATH OF PAUL WELLSTONE, A SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 354) relative to the death of Paul
Wellstone, a Senator from the State of Minnesota:
S. Res. 354
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone taught at Carleton
College in Northfield, Minnesota, for more than 20 years
in the service of the youth of our Nation;
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone served Minnesota in
the U.S. Senate with devotion and distinction for more
than a decade;
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone worked tirelessly
on behalf of America's Veterans and the less fortunate,
particularly children and families living in poverty and
those with mental illness;
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone never wavered from
the principles that guided his life and career;
Whereas his efforts on behalf of the people of Minnesota
and all Americans earned him the esteem and high regard of
his colleagues; and
Whereas his tragic and untimely death has deprived his
State and Nation of an outstanding lawmaker: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate expresses profound sorrow and
deep regret on the deaths of the Honorable Paul Wellstone,
late a Senator from the State of Minnesota, his wife
Sheila, their daughter Marcia, aides Mary McEvoy, Tom
Lapic, and Will McLaughlin, and pilots Richard Conry and
Michael Guess.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit
an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased
Senator, and the families of all the deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it
adjourn as a further mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased Senator.
Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I ask that the Senate observe
a moment of silence in tribute to Senator Wellstone and
his family.
(Moment of silence.)
Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, it is with a profoundly heavy
heart that I rise today to present this resolution
honoring my colleague, Paul Wellstone. This is not the
occasion in this brief session for eulogies. There will be
other opportunities on the Senate floor for all of us to
share our memories and our perspectives.
For myself, I cannot begin to do Paul justice in a few
minutes or even a few hours. He was such an extraordinary
and remarkable man. He brought so much life, enthusiasm,
passion and commitment to the public life he lived, and he
touched so many thousands of Minnesotans and others across
this country who mourn his loss as we do here today.
He died fearlessly, as he lived his life. In the
resolution that was just read, the words ``never wavered
from the principles'' will be words that I will always
associate with Paul Wellstone. He never ever blinked in
the face of adversity. Courageous, difficult, perhaps at
times unpopular positions were articles of faith for Paul
because he believed in them.
It was not about polls. It was not about pundits. It was
about the conviction he had about what was right for
people, for his fellow citizens.
He was unpretentious, unassuming, just himself. He was
no different as a Senator than as a man, than as a
political activist all in one, he was extraordinary and he
will never be replaced. In the hearts and minds of
Minnesotans, he will never be forgotten.
Yet, Mr. President, he loved this institution. He
respected enormously the traditions, the men and women who
served here. They came to respect him for the courage of
his convictions. I could see in the course of the 2 years
I have shared with him in the Senate that he was respected
by people who did not agree with him because they knew he
was speaking from his heart, that he was speaking from his
soul, that he was speaking what he truly believed.
One could ask for no more, no less from any of us than
the strength of our convictions and our willingness to
speak out about them regardless of political cost.
Paul and his wife, Sheila, at his side for 39 years,
died last Friday together, as they would have wanted it to
be, though not with their daughter Marcia who also was on
that flight and three of their devoted aides and two
pilots. It is an unspeakable tragedy and horror for all of
us in Minnesota, but it will be the responsibility for all
of us, on behalf of Paul, to take a deep breath and carry
on on behalf of our convictions and our causes--as he
would want us to do.
I thank the Senate for this resolution on behalf of
Paul. And for his two surviving sons, David and Mark, and
their families I know it will be of solace to them in
their hours of terrible grief.
Mrs. BOXER. Senator Dayton, your remarks were beautiful
and Paul would have been so pleased to hear your tone and
your spirit. And I can tell you, Senator Dayton, how much
he loved you, how proud he was to have you here by his
side.
Mr. President, I have flown in from California to be
here on the Senate floor today to make just a few remarks
about our dear friend and colleague, Senator Paul
Wellstone. I want to start by reading two paragraphs
written by his loyal and hard-working staff. After his
plane went down, and they learned the worst, they wrote
the following:
Paul Wellstone was one of a kind. He was a man of
principle and conviction, in a world that has too little
of either. He was dedicated to helping the little guy, in
a business dominated by the big guys. We who had the
privilege of working with him hope that he will be
remembered as he lived every day: as a champion for
people.
His family was the center of his life and it breaks our
hearts that his wife of 39 years and his daughter Marcia
were with him. Our prayers are with Mark and David and the
grandchildren he and Sheila cherished so much.
That was posted on the Wellstone Web site by Senator
Wellstone's staff.
Mr. President, Senator Dayton, for me, the loss of Paul
Wellstone cuts very deep. Kind, compassionate, self-
deprecating, a passionate voice for those without a voice,
enthusiastic, a bundle of energy--this was a unique man of
the people.
When we learned that the tragedy of Paul's death was
magnified by the death of the two women he cherished so
much--his wife Sheila and his daughter Marcia--the wounds
in our hearts cut deeper still, plus the loss of three
staffers--Tom Lapic, Will McLaughlin, and Mary McEvoy--and
the two pilots--Captains Richard Conry and Michael Guess.
Mr. President, no words--no words--can possibly ease the
pain of all the family members who were touched by this
tragedy. No words can ease the pain of David and Mark,
Paul's two sons, and their families. All we can do is let
them know that we pray that they have the strength to
endure this time for the sake of the Wellstone
grandchildren: Cari, Keith, Joshua, Acacia, Sydney, and
Matt. Let the Record show that your grandchildren brought
endless joy to you. And we say to the grandchildren, thank
you for the joy that you gave to Grandma and Grandpa.
I want to say to the people of Minnesota, thank you,
thank you for sending Paul to us, for sharing Paul with us
these past 12 years. He loved the people of his State: the
farmers, the workers, the children, the elderly, the sick,
the disabled, the families. He fought for you all, so long
and so hard, without stopping, in committees and
subcommittees, in the Democratic Caucus meetings, when he
would get up and say: Just give me 30 seconds--just 30
seconds--to make my point about the people of Minnesota.
He stood up at press conferences. He would grab Senators,
one by one, and fight for you, the people of Minnesota,
who were always in his thoughts and on his mind. And I
know he is now in your thoughts and on your minds.
In my own State of California--so many thousands of
miles away from Minnesota--there are memorial services
being set up for Paul. You see, his compassionate voice
reached thousands of miles, and many people in my State
are sending me condolence notes and flowers because they
know how much I will miss working with Paul Wellstone, and
so will all Senators on both sides of the aisle.
As Mark said, Paul was never afraid to speak out when it
might be unpopular, nor was he afraid to be on the losing
side of a Senate vote. He had courage. And when you told
him that, when you said: ``Paul, you have courage,'' he
shrugged it off. He would say something like: ``What else
could I do? It's just not right!'' He would say that--
determined, brave.
You see, Paul Wellstone could not vote against his
conscience or for something he did not believe was in the
best interest of the people he represented. He couldn't;
he wouldn't--no matter what the consequences.
He cared about the underdog always. He cared about the
victim always. He cared about peace always. And Paul,
blessed are the peacemakers.
Paul was a humble man. When his longtime staffer, Mike
Epstein, died--and many of us knew Mike--Paul took to the
Senate floor, and this is what he said, in part:
Mike, I know you will not like me saying this, but I'm
going to say it anyway because it's true. I believe from
the bottom of my heart that everything I've been able to
do as a Senator that has been good for Minnesota and the
country is because, Mike, you have been right by my side,
1 inch away from me.
And he said:
Mike was my tutor. He was my teacher. He was teaching
me.
That was Paul Wellstone. He never bragged about himself.
He loved his family so much. He loved his staff. He took
time for all the Senate employees: the young people who
work with us, the officers who protect us, the food
service people, the elevator operators--all the Senate
family, no matter what their status.
Mr. President, he wanted to give everyone--everyone he
touched--his sense of optimism, his energy, his strength.
When Paul learned he had multiple sclerosis, I worried
and I said to him: ``Are you OK?'' He said: ``I probably
had it for a long time. I'm just not going to think about
it.'' And off he went in his usual rush. There was so much
to do. Off he went to his desk in the Senate, his desk now
incredibly shrouded in black.
Paul loved that aisle desk. It gave him a bird's eye
view of the Senate that he loved. And when he spoke from
his desk, he could come out from behind it. He could leave
his notes behind--arms gesturing, voice determined--and
talk from his heart. He would say something like: I don't
represent big business or big anything. He would say: I
represent the people of Minnesota. And that he did every
minute of his all-too-short life.
As our session wound down, Paul wanted to finish our
business and go home. He told us all: I want to be with my
people. I need to touch them. I need to look them in the
eye. I can't wait to get home.
Paul was a powerful man. His power did not come from his
physical stature. He was strong but he was slight of
build. His power did not come from generations of family
wealth. He was not a man of moneyed wealth. His parents
were immigrants: Leon and Minnie Wellstone. His power did
not come from political connections. His connections were
with regular people.
Let me tell you from where his power came. It came from
a fierce dedication to justice and truth and honesty and
righteousness. He gave comfort and he gave hope to those
he touched. And he gave them some of his power--the power
to see the possibilities of their own lives. Paul died on
his way to give comfort and hope to those facing death. He
was flying to a funeral service.
Today we say to Paul: We will give comfort and hope to
those you have left behind by doing all that we can to
continue your legacy and your dream. Together, we can
build an America of fairness, of justice, of prosperity, a
world of tolerance and a world of peace. And, Paul, may
you and yours rest in peace forever.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from
Minnesota and the Senator from California for their words.
I know and respect both the Senator from Minnesota,
Senator Dayton, and the Senator from California, Senator
Boxer. I know them well enough to know this was a very
painful moment for both of them--just as it is for the
distinguished presiding officer and as it is for the
Senator from Vermont.
Mr. President, you and I have been here a long time in
the Senate. With the Senator from Minnesota, who is now--
not at his choice--the senior Senator from Minnesota, and
the Senator from California, I think we can all say that
there is no sadder sight than coming on the floor and
seeing a black drape on a Senator's desk. The
distinguished presiding officer and I have unfortunately
seen that many times in our careers, for Senators on both
sides of the aisle. In every instance when we have entered
the Chamber and seen the black drape we know that there
has been a death in the family.
We are privileged in this body, 100 men and women--now
99 men and women--to represent the greatest nation on
Earth, a nation of a quarter of a billion people. But
because there are only 100 of us, no matter our political
differences, when one is lost we all feel it. When I heard
the news in Vermont, I was at a restaurant in Burlington
with my son, Kevin. It was a small restaurant. There was a
television going but with no sound. My back was to it. I
saw the look of shock on Kevin's face. He spun me around
and I saw the news. We both left that restaurant in tears.
The news spread quickly and as I walked down the street
people--many of them I never met before--just came up and
hugged me, because they, too, lost somebody.
Paul Wellstone had come to Vermont and was greeted with
great warmth. I vividly remember the evening he came to
speak. Everybody came up to him. They didn't want him to
leave. Paul Wellstone, like one of his predecessors, my
dear friend, Hubert Humphrey, was a happy warrior. If
people wanted to talk with him he did not mind and would
stay, the same way Hubert would have.
There is an affinity, I believe, between our State of
Vermont and Minnesota. That is why there was a bond
Vermonters felt with Paul Wellstone. Paul could sense it.
And, we worked on many important issues as a team. During
the recent farm bill debate he met with Vermont farmers
and together we drafted a dairy provision that was
beneficial to both of our States. I remember when he and
Jim Jeffords and Bernie Sanders and I joined together to
have a milk toast. We were joking around. Paul was not a
tall man. I playfully stood blocking him from the cameras.
And he said: ``Hey, remember, I'm a wrestler,'' at which
point I quickly moved aside. Of course Paul was far more
than a wrestler--but it is easy to make the correlation to
the way he wrestled with issues here on the floor. He
wrestled them down. I thought to myself: What a man to
have on your side. What a man to be a friend.
Paul Wellstone served with powerful people but he was
not intimidated by that. And, he never took on the airs of
one who was powerful. He would introduce himself to
people: ``Hi, I'm Paul Wellstone.'' And someone else would
have to say: That's a U.S. Senator.
I never went on an elevator with Paul without him
calling the elevator operator by name. He would talk with
the pages and give them tutorials. He knew everybody in
the Senate and they knew and loved him.
It is impossible to talk about our colleague Paul
Wellstone without mentioning Sheila Wellstone. They were
inseparable. Whenever the Senate would have a late night
session Sheila would be in the galleries, waiting for Paul
to leave.
Of all my memories of Paul Wellstone, the one I may
remember the most is the last time I saw the two of them.
It was a late night session. You know these gorgeous halls
we have, with the chandeliers and everything else, and
here is this couple walking hand in hand down one of the
halls about midnight--Paul and Sheila Wellstone. I came
around the corner and I said: ``Hey, you teenagers,'' and
they laughed and hugged each other. I saw them go out,
down the steps into the night, hand in hand.
Let us hope that they have gone hand and hand into the
light and that they are now together.
Marcella and I also extend our thoughts and prayers to
Marcia, Paul and Sheila's daughter, and her family. And,
as the Senate noted in the resolution that was just passed
a few moments ago, we all grieve for the Wellstone staff
who were on board the plane: Tom Lapic, Mary McEvoy and
Will McLaughlin. Our thoughts and prayer are with their
families in these trying times. Our condolences also go to
the families of the pilots on the plane, Richard Conry and
Michael Guess.
Mr. DODD. Madam President, first let me express my
thanks to our colleague from Minnesota, Senator Dayton,
and express our sympathies to him and through him to the
people of Minnesota and to the Wellstone family, the
extended family, for all that they are suffering in this
particular time, and to express my gratitude as well to my
colleague from California, Senator Boxer, and my colleague
from Vermont, Senator Leahy, for their very moving and
emotional remarks. I think they captured to a large extent
the sentiments of all of us.
This is a difficult time. I suppose the American people
see we are in session and wonder why only a few of us are
here. Obviously, with a week to go before the
congressional elections, not many are here in Washington.
But suffice it to say, were 96 or 97 other Senators here
today, you would hear much the same sentiments that have
been expressed already by the now-senior Senator from
Minnesota, the Senator from California, and the Senator
from Vermont.
So I join my colleagues, and all Americans, in mourning
the very tragic and sudden loss of our dear friend and
colleague, Senator Paul Wellstone, who will be forever
remembered as a friend and patriot and true public
servant, who fought each and every day of his public
life--in fact, of his life--to improve the lives of
average Americans. We got to know him here over the last
10 or 11 years as a Member of the U.S. Senate, but the
people of Minnesota and the people of Carleton College,
students who had him as a professor, people who knew him
beforehand, they knew that Paul Wellstone didn't just
become a fighter when he arrived in the Senate of the
United States. He dedicated his life to it. It is what his
parents taught him. It is what he believed in passionately
as an American. We became witnesses to that sense of
passion and outrage about wrongs in this country and
around the world as we served with our colleague, Paul
Wellstone, for the last decade.
So, like my colleagues, I was stunned and deeply
saddened by the enormous scope and tragedy of this loss.
Obviously, the entire Wellstone family has suffered an
unfathomable loss, as have the families of the other
victims of this horrendous accident. His wife Sheila--I
join my colleagues in expressing our deep sense of loss.
Sometimes, although we get to know Members, we don't get
to know the spouses of our colleagues very well, but
Sheila Wellstone really became a member of the Senate
family aside from being a spouse. She was an unpaid
volunteer in her husband's office.
If there are women today who are suffering less because
of domestic violence--and there are many who are not, but
many who are--you can thank some colleagues here. But I
suspect one of the reasons they became so motivated about
the issue was because there was a person by the name of
Sheila Wellstone who arrived here a decade ago and wanted
to make this a matter of the business of the U.S. Senate.
So they became partners, not just over the almost 40
years of love and affection for each other, but partners
in their sense of idealism, sense of values, and sense of
purpose.
Marcia I did not know very well, but certainly heard
Paul and Sheila talk abut her with great admiration and
affection. In the loss suffered by her family, with young
children, it is difficult to even come up with the words
to express the sense of grief that I feel. And obviously
the staff: Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic, and Mary McEvoy,
along with the pilots who have been mentioned already:
Richard Conry and Michael Guess, we didn't know, but I
suspect on that flight up there they had gotten to know
the Wellstone family and the staff. And so we want to
express our deep sense of loss to their families.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed at the end of my
remarks a wonderful editorial by David Rosenbaum in the
New York Times on Saturday which I thought captured
perfectly the image of Paul Wellstone, who he was and what
he tried to do, better than any words I could possibly
express here today.
Madam President, William Shakespeare once wrote, ``No
legacy is so rich as honesty.'' I have never met, let
alone worked with, a more honest or noble man than Paul
Wellstone.
His legacy will be that of an honest, passionate and
tireless fighter on behalf of justice and fairness for all
Americans, especially those less fortunate than himself.
Paul suffered a lot. He had this bad back. He would
hobble around. He had this gait that if you didn't know he
was hurting was almost an affectionate gait. He sort of
limped around at various times; he would stand a lot at
times in meetings because sitting would be so painful for
him as a result of injuries he suffered. He had MS which
he sort of shrugged off, as my colleague from California
said. He grew up in a situation where his family were
immigrants who came from Russia. They grew up actually in
Arlington, VA, a short distance from here. A former staff
member of mine was a neighbor of theirs. He knew Paul as a
child growing up. They had their own burdens to bear aside
from being immigrants, problems of those newly arriving,
with the language barriers. Trying to get acclimated to a
new society such as ours is not easy. So Paul understood
the issues of those who suffered more than in just an
intellectual effort. This was something he deeply felt and
had grown up with and appreciated immensely.
When he came to this body and we got to know him as
someone who would fight tirelessly on behalf of those who
did not have lawyers, lobbyists, and others to express
their concerns, to bring their issues to the debate of the
Senate, we found in this individual just a remarkable
voice and a remarkable fight. Like many of my colleagues,
I might be home or completed the evening and turned on the
television and the Senate would still be in session, and
there would be Paul Wellstone, standing at that desk in
the rear of this Chamber, speaking to an empty place
except for the millions of Americans tuned in to C-SPAN
who would hear someone talking about subjects that were
affecting their lives.
Single moms, working families, children without health
care, the homeless, international victims of torture--
these were among Senator Paul Wellstone's core
constituencies, and they could not have had a better
spokesperson.
A lot of times we spend days here talking about issues
that might seem terribly arcane to the average citizen in
this country, matters that don't seem terribly relevant to
their daily lives, and yet Paul Wellstone never let a day
go by that he didn't give voice to the concerns of average
Americans or those who are, as Hubert Humphrey would talk
about, in the shadows of life or the dawn of life or the
dusk of life--Paul Wellstone giving voice, that great
Minnesota voice to those who needed to have their concerns
raised in chambers such as this. And so for all of those
people who are wondering today whether or not their
concerns, their hopes, their fears will find expression,
it is hard to find any silver lining with the passage of
someone you care about so much, but I suspect as we
reconvene here on November 12 and again with a new
Congress coming in in January we will hear the words of
Paul Wellstone repeated quite frequently. We will hear the
passion that he brought to the issues raised maybe more
frequently than they otherwise might be. That's because we
will remember an individual we had the privilege and honor
of serving with who reminded this institution of what its
role ought to be, not just to those who are well heeled,
those who can afford to acquire the access, but those who
need to have their issues raised--that their concerns and
their worries, their hopes, their dreams for this country
and their own families will be once again a part of the
mainstream of debate in the Senate.
Paul Wellstone fought some awfully tough battles. He
fought a tough battle to get here, a man who was told he
could not possibly get elected to the Senate, who was
being outspent by overwhelming odds.
I rode with him in that bus--I am sure my colleague from
Minnesota, maybe my colleagues from California and Vermont
remember--that rattly old green bus, in the freezing cold,
bitter cold, cold months of Minnesota. I remember going
with him to some big fair or festival that he was holding
on behalf of poor farmers and family farmers in Minnesota.
Just a few weeks ago, Madam President, I campaigned with
him in Minnesota, with some of the medical device
companies around Minneapolis and St. Paul. This was
supposed to be about a 20-minute meeting we were going to
have at one of these firms to talk about the medical
devices that Paul played a major role in working to see to
it that they were going to become a reality for people who
would use them. We were supposed to leave in 15 or 20
minutes but the room was packed; the people wanted to talk
about other things. And Paul Wellstone stayed for about
1\1/2\ hours just engaging with the people in this room.
They went far beyond the medical device issues. The people
in that room wanted to talk about health care; they wanted
to talk about education; they wanted to talk about the
environment; they wanted to talk about prescription drugs
and the elderly; they wanted to talk about issues
affecting Native Americans and minority groups; they
wanted to talk about foreign policy. And he engaged,
engaged and engaged for an hour and a half. He would have
stayed longer. Staff had to almost drag him out of the
room. But it was so reflective, standing in the back of
the room watching Paul Wellstone with great passion and
clarity expressing where he stood.
He didn't sit there and try to figure out where the
question was coming from based on the tilt of their
rhetoric. He answered them how he felt as their Senator,
their representative, so they would know where he stood.
Madam President, I apologize for sort of meandering
here, but it is how I feel. I have a great sense of loss
and also a sense of joy. Paul Wellstone had a great sense
of humor. He cared deeply about issues but he also had the
wonderful ability to laugh at himself, to appreciate the
humor that only this institution can provide in some of
the more bizarre moments, a wonderful relationship with
virtually everyone here. It didn't happen automatically or
initially. Paul came here determined to change the world;
if not the world, change the United States; if not that,
maybe his Minnesota. Along the way and in the process he
probably rubbed some people the wrong way, but those very
people became the people who cared most about him in many
ways in the final analysis because they realized that
everything he said and everything he did was not about
himself but about the people he wanted to represent. And
so I know there are Members who are not here today because
of other obligations, but who, when the opportunity comes,
will express their own thoughts and feelings, but don't be
surprised--Madam President, I know you will not be, nor my
colleagues from Minnesota or Vermont--that some of the
heartfelt remarks about Paul will come from people who
disagreed with him vehemently on substantive matters, but
appreciated immensely his sense of conviction, something
we can do a lot more of in politics in America today.
Frederick Douglass once said, ``The life of a nation is
secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and
virtuous.'' For 58 years, Paul Wellstone lived a life that
was honest, truthful, and virtuous. For 12 years, he
personally lent those characteristics to the heart of the
U.S. Government.
America, Minnesota, and this institution have suffered a
terrible loss at the death of Paul Wellstone, but there is
a silver lining in all of this; that as a result of his
service this country is a better place, there are people
who are living better lives; this world with all of its
difficulties has been a better world because Paul
Wellstone was a part of it.
I am confident as I stand before you today, Madam
President, that in the weeks, months, and years ahead, his
memory and legacy will live on in the debates, the
discussions, and actions we take in this body.
For that, Paul Wellstone, you ought to know that your
service continues and your words and your actions will
have a legacy borne out by those who come after you in the
service of your State and the thousands of young people
you motivated.
Madam President, if you could only see, as many have,
the hundreds of young people throughout Minnesota who Paul
Wellstone energized and brought to the public life of this
country, people who otherwise would not have paid any
attention. Paul Wellstone said: You ought to be involved;
there is a reason to be involved.
His ability to attract people to come to a cause and to
fight for the good cause will live on. I suspect one day
this Chamber will have people who will serve in it who cut
their teeth in politics working on a Wellstone campaign.
Paul, the campaign goes on. Your battles will go on, and
we are going to miss you.
[From the New York Times, October 26, 2002]
A Death in the Senate: Paul Wellstone, 58, Icon of
Liberalism in the Senate
(By David E. Rosenbaum)
Washington, Oct. 25.--Paul Wellstone often seemed out of
step. He called himself a liberal when many used that word
as a slur. He voted against the Persian Gulf war in his
first year in the Senate, and this month opposed using
force against Iraq.
Senator Wellstone, 58, who died in a plane crash today
while campaigning for re-election, fought for bills
favored by unions and advocates of family farmers and the
poor, and against those favored by banks, agribusiness and
large corporations. This year he was the principal
opponent of legislation supported by large majorities of
Democrats and Republicans that would make it more
difficult for people to declare bankruptcy. He argued that
the measure would enrich creditors at the expense of
people ``in brutal economic circumstances.'' He advocated
causes like national health insurance that even many of
his fellow liberals abandoned as futile.
Mr. Wellstone was a rumpled, unfailingly modest man who,
unlike many of his colleagues, lived on his Senate salary.
He was married to the former Sheila Ison for 39 years,
having married at 19 when he was in college. His wife and
their 33-year-old daughter, Marcia, also died today in the
crash.
When Mr. Wellstone arrived in the Senate in 1991, he was
a firebrand who thought little of breaking the Senate
tradition of comity and personally attacking his
colleagues. He told an interviewer soon after he was
elected that Senator Jesse Helms, the conservative North
Carolina Republican, ``represents everything to me that is
ugly and wrong and awful about politics.''
But as the years passed, Mr. Wellstone moderated his
personality if not his politics and became well liked by
Republicans as well as Democrats. Bob Dole, the former
Senate Republican leader who often tangled with Mr.
Wellstone on legislation, choked up today when he told a
television interviewer that Mr. Wellstone was ``a decent,
genuine guy who had a different philosophy from almost
everyone else in the Senate.''
Mr. Wellstone was also an accomplished campaigner.
Though he had never held elected office, he pulled off a
major upset in 1990 when, running on a shoestring budget,
he defeated the incumbent Republican Senator, Rudy
Boschwitz. He beat Mr. Boschwitz in a rematch in 1996.
This year, he reneged on a promise to limit himself to two
terms, ran for re-election and seemed in the most recent
public polls to have pulled slightly ahead of his
Republican challenger, former Mayor Norm Coleman of St.
Paul.
His opponents always portrayed him as a left-wing
extremist. Mr. Boschwitz's television commercials in 1996
called Mr. Wellstone ``embarrassingly liberal and out of
touch.'' This year, Mr. Coleman said the Senator was ``so
far out of the mainstream, so extreme, that he can't
deliver for Minnesotans.''
But on the campaign trail, Mr. Wellstone appeared to be
so happy, so comfortable, so unthreatening that he was
able to ward off the attacks.
For years, he had walked with a pronounced limp that he
attributed to an old wrestling injury. In February, he
announced at a news conference that he had learned he had
multiple sclerosis, but he said the illness would not
affect his campaigning or his ability to sit in the
Senate. ``I have a strong mind--although there are some
that might disagree about that--I have a strong body, I
have a strong heart, I have a strong soul,'' he told
reporters.
Paul David Wellstone was born in Washington on July 21,
1944, and grew up in Arlington, Va. His father, Leon, left
Russia as a child to escape the persecution of Jews, and
worked as a writer for the United States Information
Agency. His mother, Minnie, the daughter of immigrants
from Russia, worked in a junior high school cafeteria.
Growing up, he was more interested in wrestling than
politics, and he had some difficulty in school because of
what he later found out was a learning disability. He
scored lower than 800, out of a total of 1,600, on his
College Boards, and this led him as a senator to oppose
measures that emphasized standardized test scores. In an
interview, he once said that even as an adult he had
difficulty interpreting charts and graphs quickly but that
he had learned to overcome his disability by studying
harder and taking more time to absorb information.
Partly because of his wrestling ability--he was a
conference champion at 126 pounds--he was admitted to the
University of North Carolina and, galvanized by the civil
rights movement, he turned from wrestling to politics. He
graduated in 1965 and stayed in Chapel Hill for a
doctorate in political science. He wrote his thesis on the
roots of black militancy.
Married with children, he once said he did not have time
to participate in the student uprisings in the 1960s. He
is survived by two grown sons, David and Mark, of St.
Paul, and six grandchildren.
But while he was not a student rebel, Mr. Wellstone did
not fit in from the day in 1969 when he began teaching
political science at Carleton College, a small liberal
arts campus in rural Northfield, Minn.
He was more interested in leading his students in
protests than he was in publishing in academic journals,
and he was often at odds with his colleagues and Carleton
administrators. He fought the college's investments in
companies doing business in South Africa, battled local
banks that foreclosed on farms, picketed with strikers at
a meat-packing plant and taught classes off campus rather
than cross a picket line when Carleton's custodians were
on strike.
In 1974, the college told him his contract would not be
renewed. But with strong support from students, the
student newspaper and local activists, he appealed the
dismissal, and it was reversed.
In 1982, Mr. Wellstone dipped his toe into the political
waters for the first time and ran for state auditor. He
lost. But he had made contacts in the Minnesota
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and he stayed active in
politics. In 1988, he was the state co-chairman of the
Rev. Jesse Jackson's campaign in the President primary,
and in the general election, he was co-chairman of the
campaign of Michael S. Dukakis, the Democratic
Presidential nominee.
Few thought he had a chance when he announced that he
would run for the Senate against Mr. Boschwitz, Russell D.
Feingold, now a like-minded liberal Democratic senator
from Wisconsin, today had this recollection of dropping by
to meet Mr. Wellstone in 1989:
``He opened the door, and there he was with his socks
off, 15 books open that he was reading, and he was on the
phone arguing with somebody about Cuba. He gave me coffee,
and we laughed uproariously at the idea that either of us
would ever be elected. But he pulled it off in 1990 and
gave me the heart to do it in Wisconsin.''
Mr. Feingold was elected in 1992, also with a tiny
treasury.
Mr. Boschwitz spent $7 million on his campaign, 7 times
Mr. Wellstone's budget. To counteract the Boschwitz
attacks, Mr. Wellstone ran witty, even endearing
television commercials produced without charge by a group
led by a former student. In one ad, the video and audio
were speeded up, and Mr. Wellstone said he had to talk
fast because ``I don't have $6 million to spend.''
Mr. Wellstone toured the state in a battered green
school bus, and in the end, he won 50.4 percent of the
vote and was the only challenger in 1990 to defeat an
incumbent senator.
He arrived in Washington as something of a rube. On one
of his first days in town before he was sworn in, he
called a reporter for the name of a restaurant where he
could get a cheap dinner. When the reporter replied that
he knew a place where a good meal was only $15, Mr.
Wellstone said $15 was many times what he was prepared to
spend.
He also made what he later conceded were ``rookie
mistakes.'' At one point, for instance, he used the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a backdrop for a news
conference to oppose the war against Iraq. Veterans'
groups denounced him, and he later apologized.
But he soon warmed to the ways of the Senate and became
especially adept at the unusual custom of giving long
speeches to an empty chamber. Probably no one in the
Senate over the last dozen years gave more speeches at
night after nearly all the other senators had gone home.
His strength was not in getting legislation enacted. One
successful measure he sponsored in 1996 with Senator Pete
V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, requires insurance
companies in some circumstances to give coverage to people
with mental illness, but he failed this year in an effort
to strengthen the law.
In a book he published last year, ``The Conscience of a
Liberal'' (Random House), Mr. Wellstone wrote, ``I feel as
if 80 percent of my work as a senator has been playing
defense, cutting the extremist enthusiasms of the
conservative agenda (much of which originates in the
House) rather than moving forward on a progressive
agenda.''
In a speech in the Senate this month explaining his
opposition to the resolution authorizing the use of force
in Iraq, Mr. Wellstone stressed that Saddam Hussein was
``a brutal, ruthless dictator who has repressed his own
people.'' But Mr. Wellstone went on to say: ``Despite a
desire to support our President, I believe many Americans
still have profound questions about the wisdom of relying
too heavily on a preemptive go-it-alone military approach.
Acting now on our own might be a sign of our power. Acting
sensibly and in a measured way, in concert with our allies
with bipartisan Congressional support, would be a sign of
our strength.''
Later, Mr. Wellstone told a reporter that he did not
believe his stance would hurt him politically. ``What
would really hurt,'' he said, ``is if I was giving
speeches and I didn't even believe what I was saying.
Probably what would hurt is if people thought I was doing
something just for political reasons.''
Mr. Wellstone briefly considered running for President
in 2000, but he called off the campaign because, he said,
the doctors who had been treating him for a ruptured disk
told him that his back could not stand the travel that
would be required.
Often, Mr. Wellstone was the only senator voting against
a measure, or one of only a few. He was, for instance, one
of three senators in 1999 to support compromise missile
defense legislation. He was the only one that year to vote
against an education bill involving standardized tests,
and the only Democrat who opposed his party's version of
lowering the estate tax.
Mr. Wellstone was one of the few senators who made the
effort to meet and remember the names of elevator
operators, waiters, police officers and other workers in
the Capitol. James W. Ziglar, a Republican who was
sergeant at arms of the Senate from 1998 to 2001 and who
is now commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service, remembered today ``the evening when he came back
to the Capitol well past midnight to visit with the
cleaning staff and tell them how much he appreciated their
efforts.''
``Most of the staff had never seen a senator and
certainly had never had one make such a meaningful effort
to express his or her appreciation,'' Mr. Ziglar said.
``That was the measure of the man.''
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 10:30 A.M., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2002
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, and as
a further mark of respect to Paul Wellstone, the Senate
stands adjourned in his memory until the hour of 10:30
a.m. on Thursday, October 31, 2002.
Thereupon, the Senate, at 11:11 a.m., adjourned until
Thursday, October 31, 2002, at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, let me reiterate our welcome
to Senator Barkley, but no one needs to be reminded how it
is he is here. I begin our remembrance of Paul Wellstone
with the recognition that at times such as this it is more
important to celebrate a life than to mourn a death. I
will do my utmost in the next couple of minutes to
remember my own advice, the importance of celebrating a
life.
We mourn the loss of Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila,
their daughter Marcia, the staff, and the pilots who lost
their lives. It has been a shock from which we have not
yet fully recovered. Sometimes in these difficult moments,
I turn to the Bible, sometimes I turn to expressions
offered to me by others, and sometimes to poetry.
An old Irish text was found in a Carmelite monastery in
Tallow County, Wicklow, Ireland. The text was entitled
``Togetherness.'' I find solace in the words of
``Togetherness.''
Death is nothing at all--
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy
way which we always used.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed
together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be the household word it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it always was:
There is an absolute unbroken continuity.
Why would I be out of your mind because I am out of your
sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very
near, just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is passed, nothing is lost.
One brief moment, and all will be as it was before--
Only better, infinitely happier, and forever--
We will all be one together . . .
Paul was all of 5 foot 5. But I remember what someone
once told me: someone certainly more than 5 foot 5. He
said it is not the size of the man in the fight, it is the
size of the fight in the man. Paul Wellstone by that
measurement was a giant. He fought. He spoke. He
challenged us all. But he did so in a way that made him a
friend, not an enemy, a friend with people on that side of
the aisle and a friend, of course, with those on this
side, too; he had friends.
While he walked in this Chamber small in stature,
everyone recognized that if you measure a man and, in so
doing, measure the true weight of his being, you don't
measure his size, you measure his heart.
Paul Wellstone inspired me. With his physical
challenges--his back, his knees, his legs from wrestling
injuries, and then later with MS--I never once heard him
complain. Never once did he come to me saying, Tom, you
have to give me an opportunity to recover, to rest. He had
an energy, a dynamism, that overcame all of those
ailments. He seemed more well than those who are well. He
inspired all with his joy, with his passion, with his
energy.
For those of us who believe in public service, there was
no greater evidence of his deep sense of commitment to
public service than his advocacy for mental health parity.
Again, working across the aisle with Senator Domenici,
that passion, that energy, that commitment, that
determination, that persistence, all that was Paul
Wellstone, flowed right up there from that desk. We knew
he cared about mental health parity. I can think of no
better monument, no better memorial, no better way to
honor him than by passing mental health parity soon.
We were all the beneficiaries. Perhaps those who will
benefit most by his memory, his example, by his
commitment, are our youth. I spoke to his staff on the
Sunday following his passing. I reminded them that in the
course of 5 years in my early life, I, too, lost heroes.
Their names were John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and
Martin Luther King. While I recognize their physical being
is no longer here, as our poem said, I recognize, too,
that they only slipped into the next room, and their
spirit was very much alive. And that burns within me with
my understanding and my belief in our democracy in this
commitment you must make to public service.
In remembering the Wellstones, we must also pay tribute
to that remarkable woman, Sheila Wellstone, for her
advocacy, her leadership, her commitment to abolishing
domestic abuse. The commitment she made, the lives she
saved, her willingness to be engaged, the extraordinary
effort she made and the example she set, too, is something
we will always remember and for which we will always be
indebted.
On this new day, let us not think of sadness but of
celebration. Let us celebrate the life of Paul Wellstone
as we acknowledge the loss of his physical being. Let us
extend our heartfelt condolences to David, to Mark, and to
Todd, to Cari, Keith, Joshua, Acacia, Sydney and Matt, his
family. The hole in their hearts is large. The hole in
their lives may never be fully filled.
To them I ask they, too, find solace in the words of
``Togetherness.''
Death is nothing at all--
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I will begin by thanking
Senator Daschle for his remarks so well delivered just now
and also for conversations that he and I experienced in
the aftermath of this tragic loss.
I rise today also to pay tribute to the life and the
service of Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. He had a
real impact on this institution. He was a committed
warrior to things he believed in. He did it not only with
compassion but with sincerity and also generousness and
geniality. He never failed to take the time to tell a
story, to explain why he felt so strongly about these
issues. He was unfailingly willing to be considerate of
others, to seek an agreement as to how the process would
work, even when it led to a battle of words and of votes.
He also had an upbeat, optimistic view of that process,
that battle, and the next one.
He would come over and say: ``Good job, I'll get you
next time,'' if he hadn't won. Even when he might be the
single vote, or one of a couple of votes--just a few--he
was undaunted. You cannot help but admire that approach to
life and to the Senate. I not only understand when
Senators take a different view, I appreciate it when they
take that view--the way Paul Wellstone did.
I have learned over the years that the saying that seems
trite is so true in life and in this institution: You can
disagree without being disagreeable. He was the master at
that.
I appreciated the friendship we developed. I loved to
pick at him. I loved to go over and kid him about the
little extra face hair that he had for a while, and I
would tell him he was my man for the nomination for
Presidency. When other potential candidates would come up,
I would say: Oh, no, I am already committed to Paul. He
loved it, actually.
He was very kind to me. When I faced difficult
tragedies--as with Paul Coverdell, when I stood here with
tears rolling down my face, announcing the loss of that
great Senator--he would always be one of the first to come
over and engage me and say how he felt. Sometimes in
difficult straits that the Senate has had to go through,
when Senator Daschle and I had to make difficult
decisions, he would be the only one who would come over
and say: ``It was tough, I know, but you did the right
thing.'' I remember that.
So I think the people of Minnesota have an awful lot to
be proud of in their Senator. When I went there to pay my
respects to the people of Minnesota and to the family and
to his friends and supporters, Senator Kennedy was on the
bus as we were leaving the airport. He said: ``We
appreciate the fact that you are here. I know you are here
not just because you are the leader of the party, but
because you wanted to pay proper respects.''
I said: ``I am here because it is the right thing to do,
but also because, if the tables had been reversed and this
was for me, Paul would have been there. I really believe
that.''
So I take my hat off, I salute the Senator. He will be
missed. The Senate will be different. But to the people
and his family who are so heartbroken, to his friends and
supporters and the people all over his State, our memory
of him and his service will not be forgotten. He will go
down in history as a truly unique Member of the Senate. I
guess we all are in some respects but Paul more so than
others.
Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, for more than 20 years Paul
and Sheila Wellstone were my friends and my political
allies, so it is with a heavy heart that I stand here
today. For the last 2 years Paul was my mentor and partner
in the Senate, and I will miss him especially, as will
Minnesota, as will America.
I thank my many colleagues in the Senate who came to
Minnesota just a short time ago for the memorial service
commemorating Paul and Sheila, their daughter Marcia,
their staff and friends, Mary McEvoy, the Democratic Party
associate chair, Tom Lapic, and Will McLaughlin. Over half
of the Senate attended that evening. Another dozen former
Senators, a dozen or so Members of the House, President
Clinton, Vice President Gore, Secretary Thompson, Reverend
Jackson. Paul and Sheila would have been honored.
I especially want to thank my Republican colleagues,
Senator Lott, Senator Nickles, and the others who attended
that evening. I was not aware until the next day that
Senator Lott was treated discourteously by some in the
Minnesota crowd. To him and anyone else who suffered that
misfortune, I deeply apologize. Paul and Sheila would have
been horrified, as was I when I learned about it, as would
the people of Minnesota. That is not the way we treat
distinguished guests in Minnesota.
As for the rest of the evening, if the eulogists spoke
sometimes a little long, they at times became impassioned,
political, or even partisan--well, it was a service for
Paul Wellstone. The speakers were selected, but they
weren't scripted. They were all family and close friends
who were still in shock and in great emotional distress
and in deep pain.
What was most extraordinary about that service that
evening, what hopefully will be remembered now that the
campaigns have concluded, is that over 20,000 people came
to honor the lives and mourn the tragic deaths of Paul and
Sheila and Marcia Wellstone, Mary McEvoy, Tom Lapic, and
Will McLaughlin--over 20,000 people. That was
unprecedented in Minnesota.
Nothing in my lifetime or in my knowledge of the State
was even in the same realm of that magnitude of love and
gratitude and grief and sorrow. The service was held at
the University of Minnesota Basketball Arena which seats
over 15,000 people. It was filled an hour before the
service was scheduled to begin. The fire marshals closed
the doors. Another 6,000 or so arrivals filled an adjacent
arena to watch the service on closed-circuit television.
It, too, was overfilled by the time the service began.
Police and university officials urged late arrivals to go
home and watch the service on television, but hundreds,
several hundred, remained clustered outside, standing
around, wanting to be part of this unprecedented Minnesota
congregation. That enormous outpouring of people and their
emotions attested to the breadth and depth of Paul
Wellstone's political reach. He had touched so many people
so deeply. He had helped them, comforted them, and
reassured them. He had inspired so many people. He was
their voice, their champion, their hero, their U.S.
Senator. And then suddenly, tragically, cruelly, he was
snatched away and gone forever.
It was a service to remember and in part regret. It was
a service of remembrance and regret for eight exceptional
people who lost their lives flying to a funeral service in
northeastern Minnesota.
I knew Paul, but the first time I saw him in action was
in June 1982 at the DFL State Convention. I was endorsed
at that convention to run for the first time for the U.S.
Senate, and the 1st day that 3-day convention opened, Paul
announced--much to everyone's surprise--he was going to
run for the endorsement for State auditor 2 days hence.
For the previous 8 months, a very earnest young man had
been in every county and every district and political
event in Minnesota in Democratic circles, explaining in
numbing detail the functions of the office of State
auditor and how he was the best qualified to fulfill them.
Sunday came around, and the auditor's endorsement was the
last endorsement at the end of the 3d day. There were
1,300 Democratic delegates who were tired and worn out and
ready to go home. Paul appeared on the stage after his
opponent's one last excruciating explanation of the
auditor's position, and presented himself--most of the
audience seeing him for the first time--and he gave a
typical Paul Wellstone speech: Nuclear freeze, save the
environment, economic justice--nothing of much particular
relevance to the office of State auditor. He was endorsed
by acclamation of the delegates.
Paul and I both lost our elections that November, but we
spent the next 3 years campaigning together, working for
the Governor of Minnesota, Rudy Perpich, in the Office of
Energy and Economic Development. We spent many hours
talking and traveling the State together. In 1990 we
swapped our political aspirations, Paul ran for the Senate
and I for State auditor, and this time we won. Paul's
victory in 1990 was one of the most memorable David-
defeats-Goliath stories in America's political history.
In the first published poll several months before the
election, the incumbent was ahead by over 50 percent. Paul
was in single digits. He was given no chance to win, and
almost no help by the political establishment. He was
outspent in the campaign by over 7 to 1. Yet Paul was the
only Democratic challenger that year who ousted an
incumbent. His campaign symbol, his signature and his
icon, became the rattling, gas-guzzling, usually in-the-
repair-shop green bus. But despite a brilliant campaign
which captured the public attention, this distinctively
different candidate walked fast and talked fast and
actually rode a bus. His innovative ads won national
awards that year, produced by a campaign that couldn't
even afford to air them.
Despite 8 months of Paul Wellstone and his best
hyperdrive, that amazing energy and excitement, and
organizing all over the State, he still entered that final
weekend before the election, with most polls showing him
being 6 to 8 points behind.
That Saturday, as our statewide DFL ticket boarded the
bus--not Paul's bus, which was once again in the repair
shop, but another bus--for its final 2-day swing around
the State, Paul's opponent had just launched a vicious
personal attack against him. The campaign had no money to
produce or air a response. Those 2 days were agonizing for
Paul and Sheila and Marcia, who accompanied him, and for
those of us who were sharing that experience with him.
Then, like a miracle, the hero of the moment came forth,
the former Senator and Vice President, Walter Mondale,
whom fate was to bind to the conclusion of another
Wellstone campaign 12 years later.
The Vice President publicly denounced the attack as a
violation of Minnesota's standard of decency. The
editorial board of the State's largest newspaper agreed
the day before the election. And the majority of Minnesota
voters agreed the following day.
It was the most stunning upset and astounding victory in
Minnesota political history.
Paul Wellstone was on the green bus headed to
Washington, which, of course, was the bus that broke down
on the way.
Despite Paul's 20 years of political experience, he
wasn't prepared for the Senate. The Senate may not have
been prepared for Paul. I know he later regretted some of
his earlier decisions. He told me so after he sat down
with me when I won my election 2 years ago, and he was
counseling me to take a different approach.
But while he would have changed perhaps his early style,
he would not have changed his substance. He would not have
changed because he could not have changed his values or
his ideals or his convictions. He could not alter his
passion for social justice, his caring for people, or his
outrage at their oppression or suffering. His values were
the essence of who he was. They were the core of his
beliefs, the cornerstone of his conscience. They were the
hallowed ground of his political soul.
Paul Wellstone was a hard-working political activist, a
hard-nosed political organizer, and a smart, savvy
politician. He wanted to win. He knew how to win. But he
would not win if it meant losing his soul or forgetting
his conscience or sacrificing his principles.
He was no Don Quixote out tilting at windmills. He was
rather a Richard the Lionheart on a crusade, mindful of
the risks, the pitfalls, and the odds, but undeterred by
them.
Time after time during his 12 years in the Senate, he
took his stand believing that he was right--well, maybe
not right but correct. He voted his conscience. He voted
his convictions, hoping that 50 or more of his colleagues
would vote with him, but willing to stand alone if they
did not.
Some people said that Paul's dissenting votes reflected
badly on him. Others said they reflected badly on the
Senate. Some people believe the Senate would be a better
place without Paul Wellstone. Others of us believe the
Senate would be a better place with 50 more like him.
Those who questioned his accomplishments overlooked the
obvious. Paul could work tirelessly, speak persuasively,
and do everything effectively. But he could only vote
once--1 out of 100, 1 out of 535.
Paul had only 2 years out of his 12 years with a
Democratic President, Senate, and House, as the
Republicans will have again in January. For his other 10
years, Paul served in divided government. He did not
accomplish all he wanted to. He did not accomplish much
that he wanted to. But he accomplished all he could. And
he would have accomplished so much more if death had not
intervened so suddenly and so cruelly.
There was so much life and so much politics left in Paul
Wellstone, and so much courage. His death echoes the words
of Ernest Hemingway:
Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their
fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of
their society. Moral courage is a rarer quality than
bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one
essential, vital quality of those who would seek to change
a world which yields most painfully to change. If people
bring so much courage to this world, the world has to kill
them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world
breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the
broken places. But those that will not break, it kills. It
kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave
impartially. If you are none of those, you can be sure
that it will kill you too but there will be no special
hurry.
Those are the words of Ernest Hemingway.
Paul Wellstone wasn't that fatalistic. At least, he
didn't live or practice the politics of fatalism. Paul was
a social reformer and a crusader for social and economic
reform. He believed in it. He dedicated his life to it. He
gave his life for it. He knew the odds were stacked
heavily against him, especially here in Washington. He
knew how hard it was; how unusual the circumstances had to
be for a Paul Wellstone to make it to the Senate. He knew
how hard it was for a Paul Wellstone to stay here, to
combat the powerful forces aligned against him and their
enormous financial and political resources that would try
to defeat him.
He detested political fundraising. He disliked the
amounts of money he had to ask for, and he distrusted most
of the people who could provide it. His loathing of
fundraising was matched only by his hatred of flying in
small airplanes--the principal reason he vowed his 1996
campaign would be his last. But when the time came, he
could not turn his back on the crusade. He could not
abandon the causes, and he could not leave the people--
because it was the people Paul loved. He loved being with
people.
As long as he wasn't raising money from them, or flying
with them, Paul loved being with people--real people,
farmers, iron rangers, educators, senior citizens,
children, all classes, all races, all religions, all
points of view. Paul practiced the politics of diversity,
and inclusion, and empowerment. He truly cared about
people as individuals. He cared about their lives, their
families, their well-being. He loved visiting veterans
homes, nursing homes, and schools. He loved spending hours
with people who couldn't vote or benefit him politically.
He cared about people because they needed him--not
because he needed them. The poor, the unfortunate, the
mentally ill, the disadvantaged and the distressed--he
loved working for them, working to make their lives
better, and working to give them a chance, a job, a farm,
a home, a life.
I agree with the majority leader. If this Senate, if
this Congress and this administration want to show their
respect for Paul Wellstone, if they want to honor his
memory, we will pass and the President will sign into law
the Wellstone-Domenici mental health parity bill before we
adjourn this year. Nothing less would do him justice.
Nothing else would make him happier.
Paul came to love this institution of the Senate. For an
organizer, it was the ultimate challenge. He genuinely
liked most of his colleagues--even those he disagreed with
most of the time. Yes, he got frustrated, discouraged, and
impatient. But he respected the Senate. He loved being a
Senator, and he was learning how to be a great one.
He was a great man. He was a great husband--with an even
greater wife, Sheila. He was a great father and a great
politician. He was an excellent U.S. Senator, and he was
becoming a great one. But death denied him that
opportunity. And it denied us him, and it denied the
people of Minnesota the leader they elected to represent
them.
He died on his way to a funeral, that of the father of a
friend. He flew because he had to, despite what in
hindsight seems more like a premonition than a fear. He
willed himself to fly because he had to be the best U.S.
Senator he could be.
And he never backed away from adversity. He got on a
reliable plane with a reputable charter firm flown by two
licensed pilots. They flew into what was reportedly
occluded but not threatening weather, with low clouds and
light, freezing precipitation--not ideal but not unusual
for northern Minnesota in late fall.
And then, somehow, inexplicably, the plane landed in a
desolate forest rather than a nearby airport. It burst
into a huge conflagration and destroyed the lives of eight
people, and damaged many more lives who lost their loved
ones, and left many thousands--thousands--of people
without their leaders, their allies, their heroes, and
their friends.
But life goes on, as it must. Minnesota held an
election, as it should. Senator-elect Norm Coleman
conducted himself honorably in the aftermath of that great
tragedy and won honorably and honestly in that election
and has earned the right, through the expressed will of
the people of Minnesota, to serve as a U.S. Senator for 6
years, beginning in January. And I pray that he will be
our Senator for the next 6 years.
But former Vice President Mondale performed a great
service to our DFL Party in Minnesota, to our State, and I
believe to our democracy by stepping forward at the last
moment when, in hindsight, the situation was impossible
but seemed possible only because it was former Vice
President Mondale.
Senator Dean Barkley is an excellent appointment made by
Governor Ventura. He has earned this honor. He is
knowledgeable. He is experienced. And he is committed to
good government. He has proven that as commissioner of
State planning. Through his own political pioneering he
has forged an independent strength and spirit which has
captured the political imagination of the people
throughout our State and offers great promise in the years
ahead, and he will have himself great promise in the years
ahead. I am honored to be working with him during these
next months, as I look forward to working with Senator-
elect Coleman when he begins his term in January.
We have a special spirit in Minnesota. Our political
spirit is testified to here today by Congressman Jim
Ramstad and Congressman Mark Kennedy, who are witnessing
these words of tribute to their colleague. Both worked
closely with Senator Wellstone, especially Congressman
Ramstad during his long years in the House with Paul on
many issues of which they shared concern and commitment.
And Paul's staff, who loved him and gave their lives of
service with him, and who are suffering a loss that is
also immeasurable, are here as well. And I pray that they,
too, will find opportunities in the future. I know they
will, but it just will not be with Paul.
Years ago, then-President John Kennedy paraphrased a
statement made by Theodore Roosevelt which seems like a
fitting bipartisan note on which to end these remarks. He
said in New York City, in a speech paraphrasing President
Roosevelt:
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the
arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and
spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, if he wins,
knows the thrills of high achievement, and, if he fails,
at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall
never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither
victory nor defeat.
Paul, you have won many battles, but now you can wipe
the dust and sweat and blood off your face, and may you
rest in eternal peace.
Mr. BARKLEY. Mr. President, I stand to say a few words
in honor of the late Senator Paul Wellstone.
Over a decade ago, Minnesota sent one of its best to
this Chamber. He followed in the special tradition of
public service that our State knows well. From Ramsey to
Stassen, from Olson to Humphrey, from Mondale to, yes,
Ventura, our State has broken the mold more than once.
The man we sent here was Paul Wellstone, and no one
would dispute that Minnesota broke the mold again. Paul
was short in stature but, as it proved, enormous in energy
and passion. He had a passion for principle, a passion for
politics, and, most of all, a passion for people.
Paul was a fighter, and, much like Hubert Humphrey, a
happy warrior. Paul was the most effective kind of fighter
there is: one that never gives up--never. And if there is
one attribute that his colleagues and his constituents
admired, it was this: his unrelenting energy to fight the
fight.
I knew Paul. I respected Paul. We both have been like
salmon in our own political rivers, swimming into the
currents. Therefore, understanding his tireless energies
in the cause of change, I am highly honored to speak to
his memory today.
True, there is an empty desk here today, a shrouded
reminder of a life cut short. But for the Paul Wellstone I
knew, the empty chair is more telling. Whether he was in
this Chamber or at home in Minnesota, Paul was on his
feet, out of his chair, speaking his mind. Always moving--
in thought, in language, in body--Paul was, indeed, a man
of motion and, more than that, a man of emotion. For if
there is something that we all knew about Paul, he not
only believed in things, he felt them. This was why Paul
Wellstone was so formidable. For thought can be persuaded,
changed, and abated. But a feeling? Never.
Paul, his wife Sheila, and their daughter Marcia
tragically perished in the northlands of our State. Their
untimely fate was sadly shared by three loyal staff
members--Tom Lapic, Will McLaughlin, and Mary McEvoy--as
well as the two pilots--Captains Richard Conry and Michael
Guess.
As an unexpected and new Member of this Chamber--but
more, as a singular citizen of the State of Minnesota--
allow me to take this moment to express my personal and
heartfelt condolences to all of those families who lost
their loved ones. I know I speak for all Minnesotans when
I say to those families and friends: Your loss was our
loss, and we are all crushingly sorry for it.
Paul was unique, one of a kind. And yet, the essence of
the man was no different from anyone in this Chamber. He
wanted to make his State, and his Nation--our world--a
better place. We all may differ about how to do so, and
some may have disagreed with how Paul saw it, but no one
ever doubted his motives. A selfless champion for those
who have no voice--the frail, the weak, the
disenfranchised--Paul's voice was their voice. And what a
voice it was.
Typical of Paul's self-deprecating sense of humor, he
loved to relate his meeting with a distinguished senior
Member of this body, Senator Fritz Hollings of South
Carolina, who remarked to Paul, ``You know, Senator
Wellstone, you remind me of another Minnesota Senator,
Hubert H. Humphrey.'' And as Paul began to swell with
pride at being in the company of this great champion of
civil rights, the senior Senator burst his bubble, ``Yes,
sir, just like him, you talk too much.'' Paul loved this
story, and he loved telling it on himself--so typical of
the man.
Most of all, Paul loved and adored his wife and his
family, especially his grandchildren. He loved his
friends. He loved Carleton College in Northfield, MN. He
loved his students; and they knew it. Indeed, Paul simply
loved people. And he loved them simply, unabashedly.
Paul loved Minnesota and all the people in it. From the
known and recognized, to the unknown and uncared for, he
loved them all--truly and deeply.
Finally, Mr. President, Paul loved this distinguished
institution. He loved and cherished the U.S. Senate, where
today I, too, am honored to stand. Paul loved his entire
staff.
Let me take this opportunity to thank Senator
Wellstone's staff for your generous and gracious welcome
and offer of support in the truly hectic days since
Thursday when I arrived. That you could be so unselfish in
your time of unspeakable loss and heartbreak is something
I will never, ever forget. I sincerely thank you for the
help you have given me.
I plan to continue the fight during my short time here
on one of Paul's signature issues: mental health parity.
And with Senator Dayton and Minnesota's congressional
delegation, we plan to introduce a bill to honor Sheila
and Paul Wellstone through a living legacy project. I hope
that everyone in this Chamber will join us in this
tribute.
There is a brief passage out of ``Sonnets from the
Portuguese,'' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, that I would
like to share. Her words more perfectly express the
thoughts that I am so inadequately attempting to convey
about our dear, departed friend, Paul Wellstone:
``Guess now who holds thee?''
``--Death,'' I said.
But there the silver answer rang:
``Not Death--but Love.''
Mr. REID. Mr. President, on October 25 the Senate and
the people of Minnesota, the people of this country, and I
personally suffered a terrible loss--the death of our
colleague, Paul Wellstone, who, as we know, died in a
plane crash with his wife Sheila and daughter Marcia,
three members of his staff, and the pilots.
I am sure we will all reflect back on how we were
notified, how we learned of this tragedy. I was speaking
to Senator Daschle's chief of staff, Pete Rouse, asking
him how things were going. We talked quite a bit during
the last month of the campaign.
He said, ``I have some bad news.''
``What?''
He said, ``Senator Wellstone's plane went down in
Minnesota, and there is no hope that anyone survived that
crash.''
I will never forget that phone call. The passing of Paul
Wellstone is a loss for all of us, those who knew him and
those who did not. This week, most of us are returning to
Washington for the first time since the tragedy, so this
is our opportunity, this is my opportunity, to speak about
Paul Wellstone with whom I lived here for 12 years, a long
time, a lot of days. I certainly am not qualified to talk
about all of his accomplishments. There are professors who
will write about his accomplishments in years to come. But
I can talk about him as a person, how I saw him.
He represented Minnesota well; there is no question
about that. Although he did not grow up in Minnesota,
moving there as an adult, he embraced the State and its
people. And the people of Minnesota loved him dearly and
deeply. He talked often of how much he enjoyed living in
Minnesota and how proud he was to represent Minnesotans
and be a part of the great political legacy of the State.
My father-in-law was born in Russia. But as a boy, he
immigrated to Minnesota, and he grew up in Duluth, a tough
town, where he and his friends all had nicknames. My
mother-in-law grew up in Minneapolis. So when I got to
meet a Senator from Minnesota, of course I was eager to
share a lot of my personal reflections on my wife's
family, and Paul and I enjoyed talking about Minnesota.
The impact that Paul Wellstone made and the admiration
he received extended well beyond Minnesota. He and I were
allies in many legislative battles, and I know many people
in the State of Nevada--working families, veterans,
retirees, teachers, students, health care professionals
and their patients--also appreciated him. He was an
articulate and compassionate public servant who fought
fiercely for them. Many more Nevadans, like all Americans,
are now better off because of Paul Wellstone's work in the
Senate, and they would be even better off had he been able
to be elected to his third term, as he would have been.
Of course, here among his colleagues in the Senate he
was not only well liked but respected, as has been said
here today on several occasions. People might not have
always or even often agreed with Paul, but they all had
great respect for him. That is why I was so impressed to
see a number of his Republican colleagues from Minnesota
come and stand in silence at his desk today.
I was fortunate to serve with Paul, to benefit from his
advice and his judgment, and to enjoy his friendship. I
smile because I am going to be lonelier here in the Senate
without Paul.
I don't know on how many occasions I said to Paul
Wellstone: ``Paul, do you have to do this?'' And he always
explained why he had to do it.
I am a better Senator and I know I am a better person
for having known Paul.
He used his voice to speak passionately and courageously
on behalf of the voiceless. He gave hope to the hopeless
and helpless. He was a kind and gentle person.
I used to see him often in the House gym. He would run
from his home to the gym every morning. When because of
illness, he couldn't run anymore, without a lot of fanfare
and a lot of talk, he walked. Then he decided to work out
other places. He went to the gymnasium where the police
officers, the Capitol Police, work out. Those of us who
knew and loved Paul saw his physical deterioration, but it
was something about which he never complained.
I remember one occasion when Sheila had gone home and he
was here alone. He couldn't get dressed; he was in such
pain. He came here. We helped him down to the physician's
office. He never complained. He was in such pain, sweat
coming off his head.
He was a tough person physically, a tough person. I can
vouch for that. He was a champion wrestler, high school
and college. I think probably the dedication that it takes
to be a wrestler, losing weight, having to exert total
energy for an extended period of time, the work ethic he
developed, the things he did physically and mentally and
emotionally, and his determination that made him so
successful on the mat also prepared him well for the
successes he had as an organizer and activist, campaigner,
Senator, and a person.
Paul Wellstone was a fighter who always remained true to
his beliefs, stood up for his principles, served the
interests of the people of Minnesota and the United
States.
There are many things about Paul Wellstone that I
remember and hold dear. I can say without any hesitation
that he was my friend. I think he thought I was his
friend.
I remember the first time I ever heard Paul Wellstone
speak. That was in 1990 when there was a public reception
in Statuary Hall for the newly elected Senators. We were
all there. He stood and gave a great speech. I wondered
who is this guy? He said it so well. He said things I
thought about, the importance of politics and government
and being involved. He spoke of his grassroots campaign.
I remember the last speech I heard him give, right
there. In the years I have been in the Senate, that seat
has been the place of great speeches. Paul Wellstone took
over Dale Bumpers' seat. They both had a similar style in
many respects. They both wandered around back there with
that long cord.
The last speech I heard Paul give, he said, among other
things--and this is a quote--``You could call me a softie.
I am a softie.''
And he was. He believed he could help people who were
less fortunate than he was, who didn't have a Ph.D., who
hadn't been a college professor or a U.S. Senator, who
didn't have the fine loving family that he had. He could
reach out to them. He felt he could do that. He was a
softie.
Mr. President, I don't always go to the prayer
breakfasts held every Wednesday, but I do go on occasion.
I don't go every Wednesday. But I wanted to hear Paul
Wellstone at a Senate prayer breakfast, so I went to that
prayer breakfast. It was a memorable experience for me to
hear Paul talk about his spirituality, which is something
he didn't speak out about in public--except on this
occasion. I will never forget that prayer breakfast, where
Paul Wellstone spoke of his faith, his deeply held
principles. He was a man committed to ideas and ideals.
I also remember Paul for the love he had for his wife
Sheila. They were inseparable. In this campaign, there
were a lot of comparisons made between his campaign and
mine in 1986, where the opposing candidate switched
parties; there were a lot of similarities. He said talk to
Sheila about that, show her the ads that you ran. They
were always together, never apart. Even now it is so. They
had the love of their children, the surviving boys, Mark
and David. One is involved in public housing and the other
is a wrestling coach and teacher. Right here, a few feet
in front of me, on one of those Fridays where we were
trying to get everything done and get out of here, Paul
was so anxious to go. Why? Because he thought this was the
time his son's wrestling team was going to be the State
champions of Minnesota. Paul Wellstone, Barbara Boxer and
I were talking. I was trying to stall for time, and I
asked, ``How many wrestling matches have you had, Paul?''
I also remember Paul because of my dad. As I have said
here on occasion, my father committed suicide. One reason
I have been able to publicly talk about that is because of
Paul Wellstone. Paul helped us to understand mental
illness is not something to be ashamed of. Any time Paul
Wellstone publicly had a chance to talk about suicide, he
talked about suicide prevention and talked about my
efforts on this. He never tried to take credit for
anything alone. He worked hard on the issue of mental
health parity. Part of that is suicide. We have 31,000
people a year killing themselves. Because of Paul, we are
doing something about that. We passed a resolution in the
Senate recognizing it as a national health problem. We
have given money to research the problems of suicide,
depression and mental illness. There are medical schools
now studying why people kill themselves. So I will never
forget Paul Wellstone for a lot of reasons, not the least
of which is my father.
I will also remember Paul Wellstone for the things he
did for the so-called little people--those who are often
not noticed or are neglected. How many of us around here
know the people who clean our offices? Not many of us.
They come by late at night when we are gone, and when we
come into the offices in the morning the trash cans are
empty, the desks are cleaned off. It's easy to overlook
the people who do that, who work hard to help us. Paul and
Sheila Wellstone wanted to know who they were, so they
waited and waited until somebody came to their office so
they could thank them for cleaning the office. That also
includes the elevator operators, doorkeepers, police
officers, janitors, as I have already mentioned. He knew
them by name, stopped to talk with them and listened to
them.
To show the kind of guy he was with the Capitol Police,
Mr. President, this man holds the record--he was suffering
from multiple sclerosis and he holds the record--with all
these big, physical, well-trained, young policemen--he
holds the record for pushups and pullups. You can go and
see who holds the record at the Capitol Police gymnasium.
It is Senator Paul Wellstone. He was a hell of a man, Mr.
President.
He stared disease in the face; he had multiple
sclerosis. Did anybody ever hear Paul whine, complain, or
feel sorry for himself? No. He took it right on the jaw,
like he did a lot of punches, and he went about doing his
business. Those of us who worked with him for 12 years saw
how his physical condition deteriorated. How long would it
have been before he had to walk with a cane? I don't know.
But he persevered. That is one reason I remember Paul
Wellstone.
Of course, Mr. President, we all remember Paul Wellstone
because he stood for something. No one could ever question
Paul Wellstone's sense of value. I still smile when I
remember saying to Paul, ``Do you have to do this?'' Well,
I knew the answer before I asked the question. We who hold
public office are judged on the difficult votes we are
called on to make. To his credit, Paul Wellstone relied on
his conscience--not on consultants--in such moments. I
admire him so much for that.
Before entering politics, Paul was a gifted and popular
college professor. To a great extent, he remained a
teacher even after entering the Senate, educating his
constituents about government, and encouraging colleagues
to learn more about issues and to consider other
perspectives, engaging us and challenging us. There are
lots of times I can reflect back on when Paul Wellstone,
in his Socrates-like presentations, was trying to educate
the Senate. He would say to me, ``I am wasting my time;
what good am I doing here?'' I would proceed to tell him
all the good he had done. He was educating me, getting me
to reflect upon what he had done, just like I am sure he
did at Carleton College with his students.
Paul was a person with great compassion, who reminded us
of our moral obligation to care for all human beings--I
repeat, especially the most vulnerable, the hungry, the
poor, the homeless, the ill, victims of abuse, and others
who suffered.
Paul Wellstone is irreplaceable. His life was cut short,
and because of that, it is incumbent upon us in the Senate
and throughout America to remember his message of hope and
compassion and carry forward his efforts to secure
economic and social justice for all in the best way we
can. In that way, we honor the legacy of a great man, Paul
Wellstone.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from
Nevada for his very articulate statement on Paul's life.
We all shared experiences in working with Paul.
Every Sunday, the Washington Post ``Style'' section
prints a column called ``Life Is Short.'' The column
selects one individual and gives a snapshot of that
individual's life. If that column focused on Senator Paul
Wellstone's life, the single snapshot would be a large
photo album.
Senator Daschle has said Paul Wellstone was the ``soul
of the Senate.'' I believe Paul tried to find the soul in
all of us. He challenged us, on a daily basis, to remember
that every man, woman, and child in this Nation should
have access to quality education, a first-rate health care
system that includes mental health and prescription drug
coverage, and jobs that provide a decent minimum wage.
Three weeks ago, Paul made his final appearance in the
Chamber. Paul gave a very passionate speech about the need
to extend unemployment benefits and provide more help for
our veterans. His closing comments were vintage Paul. He
said:
What are people who cannot find jobs, who are out of
work, who are struggling to put food on the table,
supposed to do? What in the world is going on? What has
happened to our humanity?
Later that day, Paul came back to the Senate floor to
give his thoughts about the 2003 defense spending bill. He
thanked Senators Inouye and Stevens for their inclusion of
an amendment that addressed domestic violence and sexual
assault which he had championed. As we all know, the issue
is not only important to Paul, it was especially important
to his wife Sheila.
At the end of those remarks, Paul said, in reference to
his own provision that was not included in the final
conference agreement: ``I know my colleagues did their
best. We will be back.''
That was Paul--always gracious in both victory and
defeat. Even more important, he never focused on defeat
because he was constantly plotting his next move to better
educate his colleagues and their staff on the issues--
always the college professor.
I had the honor and the pleasure of working with Paul on
an array of issues--education, veterans, dairy, health
care, and job training. These are not easy issues, but the
difficulty of the issue never deterred Paul. He always saw
the glass half full rather than a glass half empty.
In 1997 and 1998, Senators Kennedy, DeWine, Wellstone
and I worked together to pass the Workforce Investment
Act, legislation that restructured our job training
system. Throughout those 2 years, we had many long
meetings. In every single meeting, Paul told us about the
impact various provisions would have on Minnesota. There
was never a meeting, public or private, where Paul did not
mention the concerns and ideas that were on the minds of
his constituents.
Paul would also tell stories of his children. During
many HELP Committee hearings on education, we would often
hear about his two children who were teaching in the
Minnesota public school system. He was so proud of all his
children, his grandchildren, and, of course, Sheila.
Paul was also very proud of his staff. He had great
respect for their views and always remarked to his
colleagues that he was very fortunate to have a very
talented and devoted staff.
Three years ago at the funeral of Walter Payton, the
outstanding Chicago Bears running back, who was also an
extraordinary human being, the Rev. Jesse Jackson remarked
that on a tombstone, there is a birthday, a small dash,
and a date of passing. He said:
The dash between those two dates is the part you
control. . . . The dash determines the height and depth of
how you live your life.
Paul Wellstone maximized the height and depth of his
dash. I was so lucky to have known Paul, to have had an
opportunity to not only work with him but to learn from
him and, most important, to have been able to call him a
good friend.
I was en route to Minnesota to campaign for Paul when I
learned of his tragic death. I instead spent time with his
wonderful sons, David and Mark. I brought them the
pictures of their dad celebrating the dairy program
victory with Senator Leahy and another recent victory for
Minnesota as well as New England. It brought proud smiles
to their faces. As I had expected, they were so much like
their dad. I know they will continue on the path that Paul
and Sheila created for them.
Paul, I will miss you, the Senate will miss you, and the
country will miss you. May your commitment, energy,
integrity, and passion always guide us to do our best at
all times. Goodbye, Paul.
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, life gives no joy like that
it takes away. As always, the poet said it best. All of us
in the Senate were suddenly and tragically reminded of
that on a Friday morning 2\1/2\ weeks ago--a cold, gray,
dreary October day. I was in a van driving between Fargo
and Grand Forks, ND, when I received a call saying that an
airplane had crashed in northern Minnesota and that
Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, staff, and others
were on the plane. To say that I and others have been
deeply saddened, in fact devastated, by the loss of one of
our colleagues is perhaps to vastly understate it.
Paul and Sheila Wellstone died as they campaigned
throughout Minnesota for another term in the Senate. It
was a tough campaign, a close campaign, a hard-fought
campaign. And yet Paul Wellstone never complained about
that. He seemed to relish it.
One of the last things he told me on the floor of the
Senate several weeks ago about this campaign was, with a
sparkle in his eye: We are going to win this campaign. He
said: ``Byron, I have 4,000 volunteers--4,000 volunteers--
who are going to be working election day in Minnesota for
me, getting people to the polls, driving people, calling
people.''
That was so typical of Paul Wellstone. It was always
about citizen action, about people rising to the passion
of an idea. That was typical Paul Wellstone.
Paul and Sheila Wellstone were wonderful friends to many
of us in the Senate, and our thoughts and prayers go to
the family, the families of the pilots who lost their
lives, the families of Paul's daughter and the three staff
people who were on the plane as well.
As my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Dayton, said in
what I thought was a wonderful tribute to his friend and
colleague, all of us would be remiss if we did not say to
Paul's staff: Paul would want first and foremost for us to
recognize you today. Paul attracted to his service in the
Senate men and women with the burning in their soul to do
good things, who cared about fairness and justice and who
cared about public service.
All of us who work here know Paul Wellstone had a
wonderful staff, and they have been through some very
difficult times, about as difficult as it can get for a
Senate staff. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them and
for strength as well.
Today let me for a moment remember Paul and Sheila for
their service to our country. This is a rather small
community in the Senate--men and women who love this
country, fellow travelers who want to make democracy work.
What the American people see are some pitched battles
during the day and the early evening hours in the middle
of a debate in which there are different philosophies and
ideas that clash on the Senate floor. What they do not see
is we are colleagues and friends, first and foremost.
I think the entire Senate membership would say: We have,
indeed, lost a couple of good friends, Paul and Sheila
Wellstone. Our country has lost two tireless fighters for
justice. The Senate has lost its strongest voice for those
who do not have it so good in this country. And American
politics has lost the true champion for the little guy.
If ever a man and wife were a team, it was Paul and
Sheila Wellstone. They did everything together. Sheila's
public service, as Paul would be the first to tell you,
was every bit as important as his. That public service was
marked by a green bus, and that green bus meant in
Minnesota and our part of the country citizen action,
people empowerment, and something that was on the move, a
mission, a campaign on the move.
It is true, as my colleague said, Paul was different. He
would not have been caught dead in Ferragamo shoes, even
if he wanted them, and he did not. He was not a man to
wear Brooks Brothers suits. He was short of stature and
tall of ambition with a power and passion of ideas, as my
colleague from Nevada just described, that would at the
end stage of any debate leave him sitting at that chair
with two more amendments to offer--the hour was late and
patience was short. Imploring him made no difference. You
could say: Paul, Paul, we are just out of time; can you
just not offer one of these amendments? The answer was
always the same: Absolutely not. I am here to offer this
amendment. This amendment is important. I came here to do
that work and there are people who depend on me to offer
this amendment--people whose lives were changed because of
this amendment.
With Paul it was always ``no.'' And we always turned
away understanding the passion that burned in his soul to
do the right thing, to do the thing he felt was important
for our country.
Paul was different in a much more significant way as
well. In today's modern politics, it is so often the case
that politicians with a sophisticated network of pollsters
and advisers are able to evaluate exactly which way the
wind is blowing, to be able to set their sail to get
maximum capability from that wind. It is a constant job of
tacking for some into or with that wind to find out
exactly where the maximum wind will be. Paul was not
interested in sailing or winds. Paul was only interested
in the rudder. He set the rudder and he did not care where
the wind was: This is the direction I am going and it does
not matter whether it is a favorable wind or an
unfavorable wind. This is where we are headed and this is
why--very unusual in modern politics but also very
refreshing.
I found it interesting that those newspapers that were
not very good to his ideas in life, in death gave Paul
great credit for raising ideas, for standing by his
principles, for never wavering and never causing for a
moment any constituent anyplace to wonder where he stood.
You knew where Paul Wellstone stood.
There are two things, of a great many, that stand out in
my mind. One day I sent around a memorandum to Senators
saying we were going to visit a youth detention center in
Maryland and I wanted to know if anyone wanted to come
along. Paul Wellstone called me and said he would like to
come.
The two of us, with some staff, went out to a youth
detention center and spent the entire morning sitting in
that youth detention center talking to kids, kids who had
committed murder, kids who were drug addicted, kids who
had been in the worst kind of trouble one could possibly
imagine. Driving back to Capitol Hill after this visit, I
once again got another glimpse of Paul Wellstone's soul.
He said: ``If someone had cared about those kids early in
their lives they would not be there today. Someone needed
to help those kids at the right moment, and we can do that
in the Senate.''
To Paul, that visit was how can we reach out to help
people who need help at a time when they desperately need
that help?
In the last couple of months, Paul came up to me while
we were in the well of the Senate, and he said: I was
campaigning in Minnesota and I went to an independent auto
repair shop, and the major automobile manufacturers would
not give the computer codes to these independent auto
repair shops. These small independents are telling me they
cannot work on the new cars. They do not have the computer
cards for the carburetors and all those things they have
to have to work on those cars.
He said: That is unfair, and it is going to drive those
folks out of business. This is going to kill the little
guy.
He asked if I would hold a hearing on this in my
Consumer Subcommittee. I said of course I will. We put
together some information on it. The day of the hearing
came and Senator Wellstone was to be the leadoff witness.
That was not enough for Senator Wellstone. As was his
want, in the way he did politics, the hearing room was
packed. It was full of mechanics and independent repair
shop owners from all across this country. I guess that
hearing room holds probably 100 people, and there were 150
people there. Paul had brought his people, the independent
repair shop folks, to that hearing room as a demonstration
of this problem, to say this problem ought to be fixed.
Paul was the leadoff witness and as was typical with
him, with great passion he made the case about the
unfairness to the little guy, about the independent repair
shops trying to make a living, and how what is happening
is unfair to them.
About 3 weeks ago, right before we completed our work
and left for the election, Paul came up to me on the floor
of the Senate during a vote. He was holding a sheet of
paper. He was flashing this paper and saying: We won. His
point was that the automobile manufacturers had reached an
agreement with the independent repair shops, and that
problem had gotten solved. For Paul, it was about the
little guy versus the big guy, about those who did not
have the power and those who did.
It was always that he wanted to stand on the side of
those who did not have the power, those who needed help.
That was so much of Paul Wellstone's life.
There is much to say, and my colleagues, I am sure, will
say it when we talk about his service to our country. It
is sufficient now to say that one of our Senate desks is
empty. The Senate has lost a wonderful friend.
I conclude by quoting Thomas Moore, if I might, and
relate it to Paul's service:
Let fate do her worst; there are relics of joy,
Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy;
Which come in the nighttime of sorrow and care,
And bring back the features that joy used to wear.
Long; long be my heart with such memories fill'd!
Like the vase, in which roses have once been distill'd
You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang 'round it still.
Paul Wellstone is no longer in the Senate, his desk is
empty, but the passion of his ideas most surely will
remain for years and years to come.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today I reflect on the life
of a friend and reflect on a political life. Politics is a
fateful calling. The voters can end a political life in a
few hours on any Tuesday. Promising public careers can be
terminated abruptly. But like life itself, political life
should be measured by its quality rather than its
quantity. By that measure, Paul Wellstone, a man small in
stature, became a giant in this Senate.
This is not my desk in the Senate. My desk is the one
directly in front of the desk where we honor the memory of
Paul Wellstone. So many times I had to leave my desk
because when Senator Paul Wellstone got wound up on an
issue of great importance to him, you had better clear
out. He had this famous desk with the long microphone
cord, and he would roam all over this area, speaking with
passion and commitment. I wanted to stand back a few steps
to witness it because it was truly historic when he took
to the Senate floor.
I do not think there were any routine Wellstone
speeches. With all credit to his staff, I am sure he
embellished them in the certain qualities that even the
best staff person could not add. There was no routine
nature about Paul Wellstone in politics.
I remember when he first ran. People kind of laughed
about the idea. This professor from a small college in
Minnesota is going to run against an incumbent Senator?
We all know what that was about. This had to be a class
project. He was going to go out and make his stand, make
his speeches, and probably lose by an embarrassing margin.
But then they started getting reports back from that early
campaigning. This now famous green schoolbus, which I had
a chance to see when I was in Minneapolis for the tribute
to Paul Wellstone, had a platform on the back where he
would stand like Harry Truman and make his speeches.
I remember his television commercial which they replayed
during tributes after he died in the plane crash. He said:
``You will have to listen very closely because I don't
have much time. I don't have much money and I have to tell
you everything. This is my home; this is where I work.''
It was a classic presentation of what he was all about
in just a few seconds.
At the end of the campaign after he won and surprised
everyone, there is a photo of Paul, Sheila, and Marcia
when Paul agreed to finally retire the pair of shoes he
wore throughout the campaign. What a sorry pair of shoes.
He was no slave to fashion, to say the least.
In his campaign in the Senate, I can recall he was
admonished by a colleague to go home and change his shirt
because it did not look like a Senator's shirt. He did not
think of those things. Those things were so
inconsequential to his view.
He thought about the important things, the really
important things. He reminded us time and again of how
those things are overlooked. You draw together 100
Senators across the United States, you put the national
political agenda in front of us, and Paul Wellstone found
it hard to believe that we could miss so many important
things.
Sheila was the same way. His wife Sheila, the unpaid
Senator to Minnesota at his side, worked on issues such as
domestic abuse, inviting all of us to come to an art
center she regularly had highlighting what victims were
expressing through their art in terms of domestic abuse.
We used to talk about Paul Wellstone's amendments on the
floor. They were great amendments. Some of them did not
get a great number of votes. We used to speak in the
caucus about the so-called Wellstone amendments. We used
to have competition to make sure that he got enough votes
so it was not called a Wellstone amendment. And he said, I
win some of these amendments. And he did. Without fail,
every one of the amendments challenged every one of us to
look at the national agenda and look at America from a
different perspective.
We get caught up in the life of public service and
forget the people that Paul Wellstone never forgot. I
think back to some of them. Paul Wellstone did not make
any bones about the fact that he opposed the Vietnam war.
During the 1960s, when many of us were in college and that
was a dominant issue of the time, he was opposed to that
war. But you would find, as I did in his tribute in
Minneapolis, the veterans groups coming out in large
numbers to pay tribute to Paul Wellstone. There was no
separation between them. Paul Wellstone opposed the war,
but he did not oppose the warriors who came home. He
became their champion in the Senate.
When people would bring up his own military record, or
lack of it, or his own position on Vietnam, he would
always be able to rally the veterans of Minnesota who
would say, we are for Paul Wellstone because he fought for
us to make sure we were not forgotten when we came home.
That is the kind of person he was.
I think of the debate on education in the Senate, the no
child left behind bandwagon. I was on it. What a big
bandwagon it was. It was the President, the leaders, the
Democrats and the Republicans in the House and Senate,
liberal and conservative alike. We would all be for no
child left behind. But not Paul Wellstone. Paul Wellstone
was the one voice saying, wait a minute, we may be going
too far here. High-stakes testing for kids can destroy
their lives in the future. Are we moving too fast without
thinking about the children and what it could be doing to
their lives? Again and again, Paul Wellstone forced us all
to slow down even as we were involved in some political
movement that seemed to have great force behind us, to
stop and think about the actual people affected, the
children, the teachers, the families.
He was first and foremost a teacher himself, at Carleton
College and in the Senate. Time and again, he taught us.
He never taught us better than the lesson on mental health
parity. Paul Wellstone realized that our treatment of
mental health in the United States of America in the 21st
century is shameful. It is disgraceful. He told us over
and over that we treat people with mental illness as if
they are suffering from some curse rather than some
illness. He begged us time and again to treat fairly
people who suffer from mental illness.
I join with everyone here today, all the Members of the
Senate who have given speeches and nice comments about
Paul Wellstone, all the members of our government, from
the President on down, who said what a great man he was
and great values he brought to public life. Members can
prove it by passing this Wellstone-Domenici bill for
mental health parity and do it on an expedited schedule.
Paul Wellstone, if he were here today, would say: Forget
the speeches, forget the flowers; pass the bill, help some
people. That is what government is supposed to be about.
That is a challenge to us.
We ought to mark our calendar today. Here we are,
November 12, thinking about the challenges this country is
going to face. Instead, step back and say: Where will we
be 2 or 3 months from now dealing with mental health
parity? Will we have done enough? Paul Wellstone led that
fight in a way that was classic Wellstone.
In the debate he would know, many times, that the forces
were against him, that he did not stand a chance. He would
stand here with such passion and commitment and make these
speeches, hour after hour, if necessary, always respectful
of his opposition, always on the Senate floor, even for
those who saw the world in completely different terms, but
always committed to what he was fighting for.
They tell us the politics of Paul Wellstone are now out
of fashion. I don't believe that for a second. You ought
to know that since Paul Wellstone passed away, many in the
Senate have been trading phone calls late at night in
their homes talking not only about Paul and the great loss
of Sheila and Marcia and the three campaign workers and
the two pilots, but reflecting on ourselves and why we are
here. Paul would like that. Paul would like that his
passing would cause us all to think a little bit harder
about who will carry on his fight.
I have heard a lot of us in these conversations, my
colleagues and myself, talking about what we need to do to
make sure that voice is not silenced in the Senate, to
make certain that Paul Wellstone's passion and commitment
live on. That is the greatest tribute of all.
For 6 years, I served in the Senate with Paul Wellstone.
For 2 years, he was over my shoulder at this Senate desk.
For every Member of the Senate, Paul Wellstone will
always be over our shoulder keeping an eye on what we do,
listening to our speeches, asking us in real human terms
whether we are forgetting someone in the process.
The victims who cannot afford lobbyists in Washington,
DC, the poor and dispossessed who may not even have the
will to vote, let alone to participate in this process,
the people without the resources to be heard, who is going
to speak for them? Paul Wellstone did. Those who stand in
tribute to his memory should make certain that voice is
never silenced.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I will also say a few words
about Paul and Sheila Wellstone. Paul and Sheila were good
friends of my wife Anne, my son John, and myself. We met
shortly after they arrived in Washington for Paul to take
up his duties in the Senate. Our friendship grew over
time. Friendship came easily to Paul and to Sheila because
they had a genuine interest in and a compassion for other
people. So on a personal level, Paul and Sheila will be
greatly missed.
On a policy level, they will also be greatly missed in
this Senate. Paul believed strongly that government should
and could help improve the lives of average people. He
championed better education for our children, better
access to health care, particularly mental health care, as
my colleague from Illinois has described. He championed a
decent wage for workers. Any issue that presented a choice
between the public interest and a special interest, there
was no question where Paul stood.
Sheila was also a fierce advocate for policies in which
she believed. Her focus for many years was on the problems
of domestic violence, and she and Paul helped spotlight
that problem. They did much to put it on our national
agenda. Paul said what he believed. He voted his
convictions, even when those convictions placed him in a
small minority in the Senate. He was proud to proclaim
himself a liberal in an age where most Americans have been
persuaded that liberal is a pejorative term.
The truth is that his views, when not distorted by his
opponents, were very much endorsed by the majority of the
Americans. His core belief was that those who are less
fortunate should be helped to obtain the tools with which
to succeed. That belief is shared by most in this great
country. His service in the Senate was an effort to
implement that belief.
When serving here in the Senate, one is always aware
that the imperative to do what is right sometimes
conflicts with the desire to be reelected. Paul always
chose to do what he considered right and damn the
consequences. He came to the Senate with a clear intent to
make a difference in the history of his Nation, and he
succeeded. The death of Paul and Sheila and their
daughter, their staff and pilots, was a great tragedy for
our country. It was also a great tragedy for this Senate.
The Senate will be a lesser place without Paul Wellstone.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today, along with my
colleagues, to pay tribute to the memory of our tragically
departed friend and colleague, Senator Paul Wellstone, and
to remember his life partner Sheila, their daughter, and
the others who lost their lives in the plane crash.
We send our condolences and our prayers to the families
of all those who were involved.
Whenever Senator Wellstone came to the floor of the
Senate to fight on behalf of our Nation's most vulnerable,
to fight for economic fairness, for working men and women,
to fight for quality public education and health care for
all our children, can't you just hear his voice now--
standing up over and over again to fight and to speak out
on behalf of the people he represented--to protect our
environment.
In thinking about Senator Wellstone, I thought of the
words of Frederick Douglass in 1857 when he said:
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who
profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation want
crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain
without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without
the awful roar of its many waters.
Paul Wellstone was ready to fight for progress. And he
was unafraid of the war that followed. In fact, he
embraced it.
Paul Wellstone believed the status quo can never be a
cause but, rather, must be the constant casualty of time
in any nation dedicated to equality and justice and
freedom.
Did he win every battle? No. But the very fight of
Senator Paul Wellstone ennobled the Senate and enlightened
this Nation by giving voice to the challenges that
confront us.
I would like to read from a speech that Senator
Wellstone gave to graduating students at Swarthmore
College. The passion of Paul's words reminds us of the
shame of passivity, the passivity of standing back and
watching millions of families slide into poverty, and our
Nation's future slip away from them.
Senator Wellstone asked:
How can it be that in the United States of America--
today--at the peak of our economic performance--we are
still being told that we cannot provide a good education
for every child? We are still being told that we cannot
provide good health care for every citizen.
We are still being told that people can't look forward
to jobs that they can support themselves and their
children on. We're still being told that we cannot achieve
the goal of having every 5-year-old come to kindergarten
ready to learn.
How can it be that we are being told that we cannot do
this at the peak of our economic performance? I say to you
today that it is not right. It is not acceptable. We can
do much better, and if not now, when? If we don't do this
now, when will we do it as a nation? That is a betrayal of
our heritage. The impoverishment of so many children is
our national disgrace.
Senator Wellstone did not pull any punches. Yet he was
not a cynic either. He believed that by giving wings to
the nobler angels of our Nation, we could place progress
in the wind.
In the same speech I was quoting from, Senator Wellstone
closed, urging people to get involved with politics and
public service and become those nobler angels whose wings
would give flight to change and to justice. He said:
I do not believe the future will belong to those who are
content with the present.
I do not believe the future will belong to the cynics,
or to those who stand on the sideline.
The future will belong to those who have passion, and to
those who are willing to make the personal commitment to
make our country better.
The future will belong to those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams.
We will miss Paul Wellstone's leadership, his voice on
this Senate floor. We will miss the beauty of his dreams
of an America where the most vulnerable among us are
valued, where all of our children are cherished, and where
no one who gets up and goes to work in the morning goes to
sleep at night in poverty.
But, Paul, while we will miss you coming to the floor of
the Senate to share those dreams, I promise you those
dreams will not die.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I, too, would like to lend
a few comments to one we fondly regarded as the ``little
giant,'' Senator Paul Wellstone.
I, obviously, had an opportunity over the years to
converse, discuss, debate, agree--occasionally disagree--
with our friend who truly believed in his cause, a cause
that was perhaps more liberal than my own, but a cause
that was reflected on what makes the Senate so unique;
that is, the cause of the balance that we have, more or
less a mainstream of thought that prevails in the Senate.
But in many cases it is brought about by those who have
very active views, whether they be liberals or
conservatives.
But Paul Wellstone did represent, if you will, the
pendulum in the Senate. His contribution was one of
activism, of standing for the underdog, of reflecting on
the needs of some we can never properly repay;
specifically, the veterans of this Nation who have given
so much so that we can live in the freedom of our
democracy.
As I have reflected, along with Senator Stevens and
Representative Young, because of the vast distances
between our State of Alaska and Washington, DC, and the
tribulations of long flights back and forth, and the ever-
increasing pressures to make dates, particularly during
campaigns, having just run a campaign myself, why, I can
recall the unpleasant evening flights in bad weather, with
a recognition that people expect you to be present at a
given time. And it is the demands that are constant
pressures to try to fulfill obligations that cause each
Member of both the House and the Senate to live, perhaps,
on the edge. Unfortunately, that edge results in
additional exposure that is associated with accidents. And
we have seen that in the passing of our good friend Paul
Wellstone, who, again, to me, is referred to as the
``little giant'': small in stature but significant in what
he believed. And his contribution, again, I think is
measurable in one sense by those who knew him but in
another sense by the legacy he leaves in this body.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to
our colleague, Paul Wellstone.
As with the loss of anyone so vital, so full of energy,
and so dear to us, it is hard to believe that Paul is
really gone. But as with a brother, or a father, or a
great teacher, even if they have died, they leave a part
of themselves with those who carry on. They are never
really gone.
I first met Paul before either of us had been elected to
the Senate. I was meeting with different people as I
considered a run for the Senate, and I heard about this
professor in Minnesota who was planning to run in 1990. I
had a chance to visit him at his home. When we met, we
laughed at the idea that the two of us or either of us,
would ever have been elected to the Senate.
But then Paul went on to run a terrific campaign,
without a lot of money, but with a whole lot of energy.
When he won, he helped me and others to believe that we
could do the same. I will always be grateful to him for
that example, as I am sure are many others across the
country who were inspired by Paul and the exceptional life
that he led.
So now we know that whenever a candidate runs a scrappy
populist campaign, Paul Wellstone will be there.
Paul Wellstone believed in clean elections. Paul was a
strong, stalwart ally over the years that we served
together in the Senate, working for campaign finance
reform. He was an original cosponsor of the first McCain-
Feingold bill--one of a handful of us, along with Senators
Claiborne Pell and Fred Thompson, and he was there all the
way. Some have said that the law that we enacted this year
went too far. Characteristically, Paul thought that it did
not go far enough.
Paul Wellstone wrote:
The way in which money has come to dominate politics is
the foremost ethical issue of politics of our time. We
need to invite ordinary citizens back into American
politics to work for what is right for our Nation.
Whenever Americans reform our election campaigns, Paul
Wellstone will be there.
Paul Wellstone said:
I don't represent the big oil companies. I don't
represent the big pharmaceutical companies. I don't
represent the Enrons of this world. But you know what,
they already have great representation in Washington. It's
the rest of the people that need it.
That's what Paul Wellstone said.
So, whenever there are voices standing up for the little
guy, Paul Wellstone's voice will be there.
There is a role that some Senators play of leading where
not many follow because they know that it is right. Paul
Wellstone had the courage of his convictions. He was not
afraid to stand alone. Now that he is gone, there may come
more times when some of us will be counted as the only
vote against something.
But whenever a Senator stands alone in the well of the
Senate and casts a solitary vote because that's what he or
she believes, that Senator won't really be alone because
Paul Wellstone will be there.
There is a role that some Senators play of reminding the
rest of us of what is right, even when we don't
necessarily like to hear it. It has been said many times,
and it is nonetheless true, that like Paul Douglas, Phil
Hart, and Paul Simon before him, Paul Wellstone was the
conscience of the Senate.
Whenever political expediency pulls us to vote one way,
but our consciences pull us back the other, Paul Wellstone
will be there.
Paul Wellstone was a dear, sweet man, and a good friend
to those of us who knew him. Yes, he had a puckish grin
and a ready sense of humor. His passing brings a tear to
our eyes.
But whenever we think of that smile of his, Paul
Wellstone will be there.
The Bible says: ``Justice, justice shall you pursue.''
Paul didn't need to be told. That was who he was. Paul
Wellstone believed in justice with every fiber of his
being.
Paul fought for justice for children who didn't have
enough to eat. He fought for environmental justice, even
for the poor side of town. He fought for social justice
when it came to access to health care. He fought for
economic justice when it came to a fair minimum wage and
the ability of working families to protect themselves
under the bankruptcy law. And he fought for justice among
nations, and for peace. Paul Wellstone was the very
embodiment of justice.
And so, Paul Wellstone, here on the Senate floor, there
is a hole in our hearts. We will miss you, dear friend.
But we will still look for you. For wherever it is on
this Senate floor, at a political rally, or at a town hall
meeting somewhere on a cold, windy day in the heartland of
America whenever someone speaks for justice, Paul
Wellstone will be there.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, Paul Wellstone was an
extraordinary leader with a common touch. His dedication
to the well-being of average Americans was unparalleled in
Congress.
He believed all of our citizens, no matter how humble
their beginnings, or difficult their plight, had an equal
right to happy, healthy, and full lives. He always made
the time to hear the real needs of the people, and he
always took the time to speak up for them in the U.S.
Senate.
For Paul, core beliefs were not something to be
compromised. He understood as well as anyone in this body
the give-and-take of legislation. But we always knew his
values were at the forefront of every battle, and the
people of Minnesota could count on him to fight for them
with every ounce of his considerable energy and ability.
Paul and I were seatmates. His desk is right beside mine
on the Senate floor. But we were more than neighbors. Paul
was our conscience, our guiding light. He turned
overlooked needs and forgotten causes into real hopes for
millions of Americans. For them, Paul Wellstone was their
champion, their Senator.
Earlier this year, Senator Wellstone chaired a hearing
in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on
an issue of great concern to American workers. A group of
low-wage men and women were so excited by the prospect of
the hearing that they took a day off from work, boarded
buses, and headed for the hearing. When they arrived, they
found the room full and the door barred. But Senator
Wellstone heard about the workers who were waiting in the
hallway, unable to get in. He invited them in and seated
them on the dais among the Senators attending the hearing.
For Paul, this was the way it was intended to be. For him,
there was no distance, no barrier between the people and
their elected representatives.
Senator Wellstone did his homework. He knew the facts
and he also knew the reality of everyday life for the
people he cared for so deeply and served so well. When the
Senate debated education policy, we knew Paul understood
the issues thoroughly. We also knew Paul had spent more
time visiting the public schools than any other Senator.
He knew the challenges first-hand because he had taken the
time to listen to parents, teachers, and schoolchildren so
he could be a true voice for them in Washington.
He taught us all by his example that Americans face
challenges together. He was the embodiment of e pluribus
unum, that out of many peoples in America, we are one
Nation. He lived every moment of every day fighting to
make our Nation even stronger, ever the beacon of
opportunity for all of our citizens.
Paul, we will miss you. You and Sheila and Marcia leave
an extraordinary legacy for millions of Americans to
honor, to cherish, and to carry on. Your outstanding
contributions to the Senate, to Minnesota, and to the
Nation will always be remembered.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, it is with a very
heavy heart that all of us gather in the Chamber that will
miss one of our own. It was with a very heavy heart we
received the news on that snowy, icy day that we had lost,
while flying in northern Minnesota, a wonderful companion
and colleague and, along with him, his life's companion,
and part of that family--his daughter.
This freshman Senator had observed this Senator from
Minnesota who had such energy and, along with it, such
happiness. I can still see Paul Wellstone thrusting in the
air those short, little jabs, while at the same time
having that wry smile on his face, as he would teach us
the way we should be as Senators--advocating for those who
could not advocate for themselves, for those who could not
hire with unlimited resources. He was there to stand and
represent those folks.
I went to Minnesota in August to do what I could for
Paul Wellstone in a race that, interestingly, as November
5 approached--and Paul was so concerned about what was
going to be the effect of his vote on the Iraq resolution,
the fact he voted his conscience, the fact he stood up as
the little giant against what was otherwise considered the
tide. The fact he did that resonated among his
constituents in Minnesota. We saw the result of that in
the polls, for Paul had jumped up from an even race. He
was up five, six, seven points before that fateful day his
life was taken from us.
I think back to that time in August I had gone out there
to campaign for Paul. It was a time of mourning in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul area because a lady police officer
had just had her life snuffed out in an unusual kind of
murder, where it was unsuspected. I went with Paul and
Sheila that night to several events, including back to the
source of that crime, at a project where so many of the
community leaders had turned out. I watched Paul as he
interacted with those grieving constituents, as they all
came together in a resolve to heal the wounds in that
community and bring the races together, instead of
dividing them, as so often might have been the case in a
very unfortunate circumstance where a police officer had
lost her life.
I went to what was called the ``national night out''--a
remembrance of what communities can do in coming together.
I went to two or three such events on that evening I
visited with Paul and Sheila. I watched his interaction
with Minnesotans. I saw that it was the same Paul
Wellstone that I saw interacting with Senators in this
Chamber, in our caucuses, in our luncheon meetings, in the
Cloakroom, and in the committee meetings. It was the same
friendly, highly intelligent man, always offering that
smile, getting from place to place with that limp in his
gait as a result of an old wrestling injury. And he was so
attractive. He was attractive to us as a friend and a
colleague. He was attractive to the folks of Minnesota as
their Senator.
I went to their home, a modest, very comfortable, very
appropriately appointed duplex townhouse, close in so he
could be where his constituents were. It was easy access
for him, even though with that limp; it had a set of
stairs, at least two, if not three stories. It was so
comfortable as a retreat for him, made so by his lifelong
companion Sheila, who was at his side throughout that
campaign and who was at his side throughout his
professional career, including his career in the Senate.
Then when I was in Minnesota, I talked to his kids. This
is not his immediate family kids. This was the extension
of Paul Wellstone, the professor, the extension of Paul
Wellstone, the Senator, who had legions of young people,
some in their middle years, who went door to door telling
why those Minnesotans should vote and continue his time in
the Senate.
I saw their conviction as I talked to them basically to
share a number of stories I had as a Congressman going
door to door. A lot of those experiences we shared were
quite humorous, some of the unexpected experiences when
one goes knocking on doors. I explained to them, with a
bit of overstatement, that western civilization depended
on what they were doing, going door to door. We all had a
good laugh about that.
They were committed. They were committed to Paul
Wellstone. They were committed for the kind of person he
represented, and they were doing the job and they were
very effective. Their number had multiplied many times
over so that as it came to that fateful day, there were
legions of some 4,000 of those young people who were
canvassing Minnesota.
That says a lot about the kind of person Paul Wellstone
was and how his memory will live; that young people
believed enough in him that they would spend all day in a
thankless job of going door to door.
I remember so well the Paul Wellstone we loved around
here. He was not afraid to take on any foe. He was not
afraid to take on any subject where he felt he could offer
something of substance to the discussion, and as far as
this Senator is concerned, it often made the difference
because it was done with dignity, it was done with
passion, it was done with energy, and his orations were
done with great conviction.
That is a great example. That is a great role model for
all of us. We will miss him deeply.
I remember when I came to the Minnesota airport for that
memorial service. Someone met me at the gate and escorted
me to the place where we were all to huddle up and then
board the buses. As I walked in to that waiting room, what
stared me in the face was a simple poster that said:
Wellstone for Senate. I remember almost having my breath
taken away as I realized that he was not going to be with
us in body anymore. But he certainly will continue with us
in spirit.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the Senate is greatly
diminished with the passing of Senator Paul Wellstone. As
we see the bouquet of flowers on his desk, we can see Paul
in action, speaking out, speaking up indefatigable on the
issues of concern to him.
He undertook a very difficult campaign back in 1990
against the odds, against a popular incumbent Senator. He
was able to mobilize students, activists, people who
believed in what he believed in because he was always a
man with a cause. All the time he had a point. He did not
mind being a dissenter.
People who may be listening to this session of the
Senate do not know, but there is a little card at the desk
on each side, Republicans and Democrats. When the Senators
come in and vote, there is a check. It is not easy, when,
say, there are 50 members of the party and 49 checks are
on one side, to vote against the 49, to have your name
stand out in marked contrast as a dissenter, but Paul
Wellstone did not mind that a bit.
I believe in the history of our country the dissenters
are vitally important, sometimes more important than the
majority. Oliver Wendell Holmes, a Supreme Court Justice,
was a prime example. He did not mind speaking out in
dissent. And then he got another Supreme Court Justice,
Louis Brandeis, to join him. So then instead of 1 to 8, it
was 2 to 7. The brainpower of the two was
characteristically better than the seven. For that matter,
the brainpower of that one, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes,
was greater than the eight on many occasions.
Plessy v. Ferguson was a decision establishing the
principle of separate but equal, having segregation in
America, in a decision shortly before the turn of the 20th
century, I believe in 1896. John Marshall Harlan was the
one dissenter. That dissent became a clarion call for
Brown v. Board of Education. Similarly, I think the
dissents that Senator Wellstone registered have the
potential to become a majority point of view.
It was said earlier today, and I think with real
meaning, that the legislation to establish parity for
mental illness with physical illness would be an
appropriate tribute for Senator Paul Wellstone. That
legislation came within a hair's breadth of being passed
in spring 2001 on an appropriations bill.
Technically, we are not supposed to legislate on an
appropriations bill, but that rule is honored and then
breached very often, maybe not more often than it is
observed but it is breached very frequently.
We had passed it through the Labor, Health, Human
Services, and Education Subcommittee which I had chaired.
It was a health bill. Senator Domenici was the principal
champion on the Republican side, and Senator Wellstone was
the principal champion on the Democratic side. I was long
a cosponsor of the matter. In chairing the conference, we
pushed very hard. It came within one vote on the House
side--we had the Senate--of getting that legislation
passed.
It ought to be passed as a tribute to Senator Wellstone.
It also ought to be passed for the benefit of the people
who suffer from mental illness, which is every bit as
debilitating as physical illness.
On October 25, I was campaigning, as I think most people
were. I had just come from a political rally in Reading,
PA, where Vice President Cheney had spoken for Congressman
Gekas who was running in a hotly contested election
against Congressman Tim Holden, two incumbents pitted
against one another. I turned on the radio at about 1:30
eastern time and was shocked to hear the news that Senator
Wellstone's plane had gone down. It brought memories of
the plane that went down on April 3, 1991, with Senator
John Heinz, a vibrant, young Senator who had great
potential, as did Senator Paul Wellstone.
Flying small planes is an occupational hazard and
everybody in this Chamber, all 100 of us, as well as the
435 Members in the other Chamber, and many other
legislators and governmental officials, climb into small
airplanes every other day. We all hold our breath as to
whether we will be successful on the flight. Regrettably,
we fly in bad weather, which sometimes we should not do
but there is always a big crowd waiting and always some
reason to finish.
It was a great tragedy. Paul's wife Sheila was with him
in the plane. One seldom saw Paul in the Halls of Congress
without Sheila. She was not on the floor of the Senate,
but she was with him constantly, holding hands, a very
devoted couple. Their daughter Marcia was with them, also
devoted in the campaign, a brilliant young woman at the
age of 33.
Senator Wellstone will be sorely missed in the Senate.
There are many Paul Wellstone stories. I will mention one.
I was managing the appropriations bill for Labor, Health,
Human Services, and Education. Senator Wellstone was in
the Chamber bright and early. We started at 9:30. He had
an amendment. Sometimes it is hard to get amendments up
onto the floor. His amendment provided that no Member of
Congress should have a health insurance policy at
government expense that was superior to what every other
American had available to him or her.
When that amendment was brought up, it was through the
distinguished senior Senator from Minnesota, who was
smiling broadly. It was a very extraordinary amendment to
make. It is pretty hard to make an amendment like that
stick because it would have made President Clinton's
national health insurance policy look entrepreneurial to
the nth degree. It did not pass, even though the Democrats
controlled the House and the Senate. Senator Mitchell, the
majority leader in 1993, was a major proponent of health
care, but the Clinton plan with its bureaucracy went down
to defeat. To have a requirement that no Member of
Congress could have a health plan that was superior in any
way to what the government provided for every citizen was
really an extraordinary idea, to characterize it very
mildly.
I did not have to debate Senator Wellstone for very long
before there was an avalanche of Senators who came to the
Chamber. He really struck a nerve, and he struck a nerve
because many people think that Senators and Members of the
House have health insurance which is paid for by the
government, which is not true. We pay for the health
service which we have, but we also have additional health
service policies, Blue Cross and Blue Shield. To have
legislation limiting what a Member could have to that
which every other citizen would have at government expense
would be a great inducement to pass a widespread health
insurance benefit, and perhaps we ought to do that. That
was Senator Wellstone's idea. He debated it with fervor
and intensity. It was an extraordinary debate. I do not
think he got too many votes for his plan, but that did not
diminish it in any way. That is the great quality of a
dissenter. This Chamber will not be the same without
Senator Wellstone.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, let me begin by thanking all
of our colleagues who have already spoken here on the
Senate floor this afternoon in tribute to our dear friend,
Paul Wellstone. I join in the sentiments and would like to
extend my sympathy and my prayers to the entire Wellstone
family and the families and friends of the crew and staff
members who also lost their loved ones just a few short
weeks ago.
Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, and their daughter
Marcia, left quite a legacy. These are family who were
working so closely together to help Paul in his reelection
bid. So as we pay tribute to Paul today we must also, I
believe, remember the dedication and the love of his wife
and his daughter--his entire family. Each one of us
understands our elections are many times a family effort.
We see our spouses, we see our daughters and sons go out
and campaign and spend time with us and spend time in
other parts of our States. So I think we all can relate to
this. In a sense, it makes this tragedy even harder for
all of us to bear, to think this was not just a loss of
Paul, but also of his wife and his daughter.
The great English poet Alfred Tennyson wrote of a dear
friend who died suddenly: ``God's finger touched him, and
he slept.''
Recently God's hand touched our friend Paul Wellstone.
Now he sleeps and now we mourn. The Senate will really
never be the same without Paul Wellstone. Not only did we
lose a colleague, but we also lost a friend, a good man,
an ethical man, a leader, a true champion--a champion of
the causes and the issues he believed in so passionately.
As many of my colleagues have expressed already, Paul
had a kind of drive and passion and spirit that was really
unequaled in this body. But we will also miss his
kindness, his resolve, and his unbelievable energy--energy
he brought to every single task he undertook. Whatever it
was, Paul did it with sincerity and he did it with great
passion. Paul got things done. He was effective. That
effectiveness came because of his energy, because of his
drive, because of his determination, and it came because
he understood what he believed in. He understood what he
cared about. He understood what was important.
It also came about because he could get along with
people from both sides of the aisle. He really transcended
politics in that respect. He knew people. He understood
them. It was evident he cared about them. You never had
any doubt when Paul Wellstone asked you how you were
doing, how you were feeling, how your wife was, that he
actually meant it. He actually cared.
Arthur Ashe, the famous athlete, who also died too
young, once said:
True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is
not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but
the urge to serve others at whatever cost.
That was Paul Wellstone. That was his mission. No cost
was too great in his eyes when it came to protecting the
lives of those in this society who could not protect
themselves--as he said, ``the little people,'' the poor
people, the people who needed someone to help them. He
worked so hard and so tirelessly and with such commitment
to protect children, the elderly, the mentally ill. I had
the privilege of working closely with Paul on a number of
the legislative initiatives he cared so much about--the
kind of initiatives that were intended to protect and
improve peoples' lives, like job training--the bill he and
I spent an awful lot of time working on--and mental health
courts bills.
Paul also cared deeply about the future of America's
children. He wanted to ensure that every single child in
this country received a quality education.
He was instrumental in making sure that our transition
to teaching initiative was included in last year's
education reform law. And, in fact, at the time of Paul's
death, he and I were getting ready to introduce a bill to
expand the child care loan forgiveness program to include
preschool teachers. I intend to go forward and introduce
that bill tomorrow. I know that is what Paul would have
wanted. And, in his memory, I would like to rename that
bill ``The Paul Wellstone Early Educator Loan Forgiveness
Program.'' This legislation is just one of so many
examples of what Paul stood for and cared so passionately
about.
It wasn't too long ago that this Senate lost another
friend and colleague. That man was a dear friend of mine.
That man was Senator Paul Coverdell. I was recently
looking back at the Congressional Record at some of those
fiery and impassioned speeches that Paul Wellstone used to
give on this Senate floor, and I came across a speech he
gave in tribute to Senator Coverdell following his death.
I was really struck by his remarks, because what he said
in those few words about Senator Coverdell really capture
today what we in this Senate think about Paul Wellstone.
I would like to take just a moment to read to my
colleagues what Paul Wellstone said on this floor on July
19, 2000:
Mr. President, I want to speak about my colleague,
Senator Coverdell. I know other Senators have. I
absolutely have nothing rehearsed. There are many Senators
who will speak about Senator Coverdell probably in a more
profound and moving way than I can.
There is one moment I want to remember about Senator
Coverdell because this small story tells a large story. We
had had a major debate about the Colombia aid package.
Senator Coverdell and I were in a debate. We did not
agree. It was a pretty good debate back and forth. I know
from time to time during the debate I would reach over and
touch his hand and say something to the effect: I just
cannot believe you said this; this is wrong--something
like that.
At the end of the debate, I said, because I believed it
and believe it: Senator Coverdell is a really good
Senator.
He smiled and touched my hand and said: Senator
Wellstone is a really good Senator.
I do not know if the latter part is true, but the point
is that is the way he was. That is the kind of Senator he
was.
That is also the kind of Senator Paul Wellstone was.
Paul Wellstone in that tribute went on to say this about
our friend, Senator Coverdell:
We talk about civility. He was just a beautiful person.
I really enjoyed him. We need a lot of Senators like
Senator Coverdell: Paul, you are wrong on the issues, but
you are a really good person.
The Senate has lost a wonderful person and a wonderful
Senator, and the United States of America has lost a
wonderful person and a wonderful Senator.
To Paul Wellstone today, I say that you, too, were a
wonderful person. You were a wonderful Senator.
Today on this floor, we honor what Paul Wellstone stood
for, what he believed in, and what he accomplished here in
this Senate. As a public servant, Paul touched the lives
of his family, his friends and colleagues in the Senate,
his constituents in his home State of Minnesota, and the
lives of millions of people throughout the United States.
I will not forget Paul Wellstone--none of us will. He is
deeply missed and will always be remembered.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, as we have reconvened today,
there is a void in this Chamber. The untimely passing of
our friend and colleague, Paul Wellstone, brings a sadness
to the entire Senate family.
We are also touched by the loss of Paul's wife Sheila,
his daughter Marcia, members of his campaign staff: Will
McLaughlin, Tom Lapic, and Mary McEvoy, and the two
pilots: Captains Richard Conry and Michael Guess.
When I heard Senator Wellstone's plane had gone down in
Minnesota, it was difficult for me to convey my thoughts.
I thought of the countless hours I have spent, as a
Senator now for 34 years, in small planes, flying around
my State on campaigns and on official business.
I recalled the day in December 1978 when the plane
carrying my wife Ann and myself and five friends, coming
from Juneau to Anchorage, crashed at the Anchorage
airport. The time that followed was a difficult one for my
family. The death of a spouse, a colleague, a loved one,
or a friend is never easy, but to lose that person in an
accident, particularly one you survive, is worse because
you will always know you never said goodbye.
It was an ironic twist when I discovered Paul
Wellstone's plane crashed in the same city, Eveleth, MN,
where Alaska Congressman Nick Begich was born. As the
Senate knows, Representative Begich and the House majority
leader, Hale Boggs, were killed when the airplane in which
they were flying was lost over Alaska in 1972.
It is safe to say--and I think this is no surprise to
anyone--that Paul Wellstone and I did not see eye to eye
on much, but I respected Paul for fighting for what he
believed and for his personal toughness that never let
physical problems slow him down.
We spent much time together on the subway going back and
forth and became great friends. As a matter of fact, Paul
and his wife came over to our home. Catherine and I were
pleased to have dinner with him and Sheila on a personal
basis.
I admired Paul's commitment to his causes, particularly
to his dedication to mental and physical health parity. As
a young boy, I helped raise a cousin who was challenged by
mental retardation, and I know the difficulties faced by
those in that community. Senator Wellstone's compassion
and determination has made a difference in many families
across our Nation, many lives of people such as my cousin.
Likewise, Senator Wellstone's wife Sheila was a great
advocate. Her work on behalf of domestic abuse victims
helped many women and children begin life anew, with the
hope and encouragement that came from Sheila's work.
Catherine and I cannot put into words the sympathy and
sorrow we feel for Paul's family for the loss of their
parents, their siblings, and their grandparents.
Mr. President, grief is a process that helps heal the
heart. We will always miss Paul, but we honor his memory
by keeping after our business, as he did--testing our
ideas on the campaign trail and here on the Senate floor.
My friend, Paul Wellstone, would want it that way.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President,
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
Mr. President, one of our number has gone from our
midst.
I know that by now he has seen his Pilot face to face
because Paul Wellstone has crossed the bar. He was not
tall; yet mere feet and inches are no measure of a human
heart. He could not be cool or aloof, for he knew that it
is passion and commitment that drive human progress. He
was not without infirmity, but the limitations of the
flesh never hold down a robust and tenacious spirit.
Paul Wellstone fairly burned with exuberance for life
and for the causes that he cared about. We all heard Paul
Wellstone as he spoke about those causes that he cared so
much about. He always spoke with passion. A visit to his
office is illustrative. Over the entrance to his private
office is a huge enlargement of a snapshot of his former,
now deceased, chief of staff, Mike Epstein. Most of us
remember Mike Epstein, who used to be seen back here on
the bench to my left as he sat listening to Paul and
waiting with Paul. Paul Wellstone did not forget. He did
not forget Mike Epstein.
Once inside Paul's office, over the doorway three large
photos can be seen of the faces of battered women. Paul
Wellstone often spoke of those battered women in our
population. He did not forget.
On the walls of his private chamber are photos of Hubert
Humphrey, John Kennedy, and on his desk is a bust of
Martin Luther King. Paul Wellstone did not forget.
Paul was a man of causes. He was a teacher. He was a man
who stayed true to the things in which he believed. I can
almost see him back there now beside the flowers that have
so thoughtfully been placed on his desk as a token of our
remembrance of him. I often heard him use a metaphor. He
called it an old Jewish proverb. He would use it again and
again, in speech after speech. He would say, ``You can't
dance at two weddings at the same time.'' Senator Don
Nickles is on the floor, and he remembers this and has
indicated so by a smile. I never quite knew what Paul
Wellstone meant when he said that you can't dance at two
weddings at the same time. I never tried it, but I never
was at two weddings at the same time.
When he said, ``You can't dance at two weddings at the
same time,'' he meant that one must not be false. That is
the key. One must not be false. He meant that one cannot
be all things to all people. He was thinking of the words
of Shakespeare, who said: To thine own self be true. Thy
can't now then be false to any man.
He meant that one cannot say one thing and then do
another. And he meant that one cannot say the same thing
to two different people and mean two different things. It
is a fundamental lesson and has special application to
those of us who toil in the ruined fields of what passes
for politics today. You cannot dance at two weddings at
the same time.
Paul Wellstone died tragically, but he lived heroically.
He ran uphill against the odds and enjoyed and gloried in
the experience. He was unique, he was priceless, and he
was quite irreplaceable.
I shall miss him, and we all shall miss his courage.
I was most endeared to Paul Wellstone in the last days
of his life. One day as we stood in the room together--we
Democrats--and discussed the resolution concerning the
Iraq war--which may come and which in my present thinking
is likely to come--we stood over in the corner room there
and the majority leader was there. My Democratic
colleagues--most of them--were there; Paul Wellstone was
there. We discussed the Iraq resolution. I remember Paul
Wellstone as he stood and said to us, his Democratic
colleagues:
You all do what you must, but I am going to vote against
the resolution. But don't worry about me. I will explain
it to my people. I think I am doing the right thing, and I
believe my people will feel also that it is right. But if
they don't, they will vote. However that vote comes,
whatever that decision is, I will live with it.
I thought that took a great deal of courage. Here was a
Senator who was running for reelection and he had already
reached a decision in his mind that he was going to take a
stand, and that was going to be a principled stand. His
future in politics could go one way or another; but
regardless Paul Wellstone was going to take that position.
He was going to go to the people with it. He was willing
to debate it with the people, and he felt that in the
final analysis the people would uphold him in the position
he had taken.
There were not any ifs, ands, or buts. That was a
position he took right over in that room, in the corner,
near the elevator on this floor. That, more than anything
I saw in Paul Wellstone's life when he was here in our
midst for 12 years, that, more than anything else,
impressed me. I thought: Oh, if all Senators were like
that. If all public officials were like that, who would
take a principled stand, state the reasons for that stand
to the electorate, and let them make their choice. Of
course, he wanted to come back to the Senate, but he knew
very well that particular stand, in the climate in which
we find ourselves, might mean he would not be reelected.
And in the minds of a lot of people, the likelihood would
be perhaps he would not be reelected. He took that stand.
That told me something about that man I had never seen
before in him.
That is the kind of courage that is found in men and
women who are not only willing but are proud to stand up
for their convictions and win or lose. They are determined
to do it that way because they feel that is for the best
interest of their country. That is the way Paul Wellstone
felt. But that, more than anything else, watching him and
listening to him on that occasion and knowing he was
heading out of here in a very close election, which at
that point he probably was a little behind--and I think he
was. But he went. He made that decision. He voted that
way. He went to the people and, from what I can
understand, he was winning. His points were going up. He
was going up. So the people, even though some of them--
many of them--may not have agreed with Paul, admired a man
of conviction. That is the kind of man they wanted in this
body.
I will always remember Paul Wellstone for that
demonstration of conviction, that demonstration of
integrity, that demonstration of courage, that
demonstration of character. So his spirit, as long as I am
here, will always permeate this Chamber.
I never was close to Paul Wellstone. I cannot say I am
close to a great many Senators here. That is not their
fault. We are all busy people. But that drew me close to
Paul Wellstone.
We owe a great debt to the people of his beloved
Minnesota and his wonderful family for sending him to
serve with us for a time. I fully believe if Paul
Wellstone had lived, he would have won that race. That
Senator we would have had back.
I went to that memorial service. I went to Minnesota. I
went there when Hubert Humphrey died, and I went to the
memorial service for Paul Wellstone. I was at that dread
gathering. I was struck by the size of that tremendous
gathering of people singing songs, speaking. I wondered
about this man, what kind of hold he must have had on the
hearts of the people of Minnesota to draw a huge audience
like that in a memorial service.
I also believe in my heart that the memorial service
veered off on a path that probably was not intended, and I
felt badly about some of the things that happened there--
about the treatment, not only impolite, but the
discourteous treatment that was accorded to the minority
leader, Mr. Lott. I did not know about the treatment by
which he had been embarrassed. I did not know about that
until after it was over. But I felt as time went on that I
was in a strange meeting, and I believe that but for the
veering off course by that meeting Walter Mondale would
have been elected. In any event, that is in the past and
cannot be revisited.
We will all miss Paul Wellstone. I do not think that he
would have wanted things to happen as they did in that
particular meeting, but that being said, I think Paul
Wellstone's spirit will live on.
I regret the strange twist of fate that took his wife
and his daughter and the members of his staff to their
untimely ends. But as to Paul, we owe him a great debt. I
think I can best say his spirit will live on by repeating
the words of Thomas Moore:
Let fate do her worst, there are relics of joy,
Bright dreams of the past that she cannot destroy,
That come in the night-time of sorrow and care,
And bring back the features that joy used to wear.
Long be my heart with such memories filled,
Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled,
You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.
Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, it is a sad occasion that we
see flowers on the desk of Paul Wellstone memorializing
his service to this country and to the Senate.
Paul Wellstone served very ably in the Senate for 12
years. I had the pleasure of working with him, and I had
the pleasure of opposing him on many occasions. Many
times, I would always say in the heat of the battle that
Paul Wellstone had intensity, he had passion, and he had
conviction. As Senator Byrd mentioned, those are qualities
and traits that are very much needed in the Senate.
October 25, when Paul Wellstone was killed along with
his wife Sheila and his daughter Marcia, in addition to
three staff members and a couple of pilots, was a real
tragedy to the Senate family. Unfortunately, we have lost
a lot of Senators through airplane crashes. Many of us
have been in planes under questionable circumstances. It
is a tragedy we hate to see. I remember receiving the
phone call and the words were ``oh, no,'' when it was
confirmed.
As many of our colleagues, I went to Minnesota for the
memorial service on October 29 to express our condolences
and sympathy on the loss of a colleague. We wanted to show
support to his family, friends and constituents and say
that, yes, he was a valuable Member of the Senate and we
hated to lose him. To lose him in such a tragic and
unexpected way is really a loss for the entire country.
I remember very well when Senator Wellstone made one of
his last speeches. It was a tribute to Senator Helms.
Philosophically, they were probably as opposed as they
could be, but they were always gentlemen and they always
conducted themselves as Senators. Like Senator Helms,
every time we had a debate with Senator Wellstone that we
disagreed on we always would shake hands, win or lose, and
we did both. We won some battles, we lost some battles,
but we were always friends and we were all colleagues.
I remember Paul Wellstone being inducted to the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK--an outstanding
American and a great tribute. This happened in the year
2000, but he was in the class of 2001, a class that is
very unique.
Our colleague, Senator John Chafee, also deceased, was
inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, as well
as the current Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. They
were a very special class of competitors who competed not
only on the wrestling mat but also on the floor of the
Senate and in the House of Representatives.
Paul Wellstone earned our respect and our gratitude. We
miss him, and we wish to communicate to his family, his
friends, his associates, and his staff members, that we
respected Paul Wellstone. We appreciate his service to
this country, to his State, and to the Senate. Paul
Wellstone will be missed by all of us who had the pleasure
of calling him our colleague.
Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I join with my colleagues
in taking these few moments to pay tribute to an
extraordinary man and a great Senator. It is hard to come
back to the Senate floor this afternoon and not be
overcome by a sense of loss because this desk behind me,
with the flowers, will never again serve as the launching
pad for one of Paul Wellstone's memorable and impassioned
speeches.
Every American who shared Paul's determination to make
our country all that it should be, all that it can be, all
that Paul thought it must be, felt that same sense of
loss. The Americans who only knew Paul Wellstone through
tuning into C-SPAN or seeing the evening news, watching
that energy flow, those arms flail about, that pacing up
and down, may not have known the man but they too saw, as
we his colleagues saw, that deep abiding love of our
country. That is what motivated Paul Wellstone. He would
come on to this floor, sometimes bursting through those
doors, having to speak out, making it clear that there was
some injustice that had to be righted, some problem that
had to be solved, in order for us all to be the best we
could be.
That wrestling spirit that never let go really was with
him in every encounter. He was a bear hugger. He was a
caring, loving man, as well as a great advocate.
His determination to improve our Nation, our education
system, our health care system, our employment system, to
strengthen civil and human rights and provide
opportunities to those who live on the outskirts of
American life, was unparalleled. Every one of us who knew
him, and the millions who did not, were heartbroken by his
untimely death.
I had someone say to me that the voice for the voiceless
has been silenced. That is not only a tribute to Paul but
it can also be heard as a rebuke to us. Was there only one
among us who spoke for the voiceless, who hurt for those
who were hurting, who carried the pain of injustice and
exclusion under which so many suffered? One hopes that is
not the case, but the only way to prove it is not is to
ensure that our voices are heard loudly and clearly.
This floor will seem empty without his words of
conviction unless we fill it with our own. The ideals he
represented and his steadfast belief that we, the people,
through our government, acting together, can be a positive
force, literally to change the future for those who might
otherwise be left in despair, that commitment motivated
every aspect of his daily life.
Our Senate family and the people of Minnesota not only
lost Senator Paul Wellstone, but we lost a great advocate
in Sheila Wellstone and we lost a great teacher in Marcia
Wellstone. His family shared his passion and his drive for
justice. His staff were with him every step of the way and
some tragically even gave their lives in service. Our
thoughts and prayers are certainly with all those, along
with the Wellstone family, who lost family members,
friends, and colleagues.
Before coming to the Senate, I had the great pleasure of
working with both Paul and Sheila Wellstone. I admired
Sheila greatly. Just as her husband, she was made of
steel. That little package of energy that propelled her
down these corridors and throughout the State of Minnesota
looking for ways to help and to shed the spotlight she
could bring into the darkest corners of human misery set
her apart. She especially became a champion of those women
and children who were victims of domestic violence. The
stories she heard from women all over Minnesota and
America did not stay her property; she told them to
anyone. She would come to the White House and buttonhole
me or the President. She would go anywhere to see anyone
to make sure that someone whose small cry for help that
she heard in St. Paul or Margie would be heard in
Washington as well. She believed that the idea of
violence-free families should be a reality in every home
in our Nation.
She and Paul, together, believed the diseases, the
illnesses of the mind, should no longer be relegated to
some back room where they would be brushed aside, ignored
because of the stigma, the embarrassment attached to them
historically. She encouraged Paul to join forces with
Senator Domenici to transform each of their families'
experiences into a national campaign to improve the lives
of the mentally ill.
Sheila and Paul were also instrumental in bringing to
international awareness the horrific problem of
trafficking in human beings, the modern form of slavery by
which young women, young girls, are literally sold into
bondage, into the sex trade, into domestic servitude.
Sheila and Paul Wellstone were absolutely committed that
this practice of degradation would end.
When each of us heard the news that the plane carrying
Paul and Sheila and Marcia went down, time seemed to stop.
Many did not want to believe it. We kept asking our staff
and others how it could be true. How could this have
happened? Horrible events, tragedies of this magnitude,
have a way of stopping time. But then we have to return.
The clocks have to start moving again. We have to continue
our journey into the future. But if we remember what that
moment in time felt like when we realized our friend, our
colleague, a great Senator, would no longer join us for
our debates, then perhaps that tragedy can change the tone
and landscape of our politics and our debates. Perhaps
Paul's example in life, his legacy in death, will compel
all to look inward, to ask ourselves what are we doing
today with the same energy, the same good humor, the same
fighting spirit that Paul Wellstone embodied to make life
a little better for the people we represent, to give voice
to the voiceless.
Over the past weeks I have thought a lot about Paul
Wellstone. I remember so many incidents and so many of his
triumphs. He was there day in and day out. No issue was
too small that it did not have his commitment behind it if
he thought it would make a difference in someone's life.
The Senate passed expanding insurance coverage for the
mentally ill. I hope Senator Domenici's heartfelt plea and
his long-time commitment will help finally to pass his and
Paul's dream into law.
We increased access to child care for the working poor
because Paul Wellstone knew what it meant to worry about
your children while at work because you did not know the
conditions they would be in, whether they would receive
the quality of care they should.
One of my favorite Paul Wellstone moments was when Paul
and I were at a hearing he was chairing of the
Subcommittee on Employment, Safety and Training. We had
been receiving reports about a sharp increase in the
numbers of unreported deaths and injuries among immigrant
workers--many of them illegal, who found their way to our
country and were put to work, despite the laws against it,
for the cheap labor they provided--who were not given the
protection or the support or the respect they should have
for the dangerous jobs they were performing.
One of my State's newspapers, NewsDay, ran a powerful
investigative report about the conditions in which
immigrant workers labored in New York. Paul read it and
contacted me right away. He wanted us to work together to
find out what we could do to stop people from dying,
literally dying, in New York and around America.
Many who go to hearings around here know that not many
people, except the paid lobbyists for the various
industries affected, show up for the committee hearings.
The lobbyists fill the chairs. They take the notes. They
rush out to make the cell phone calls to report to their
superiors and employers what is going on. But
unfortunately, except on rare occasions, other people do
not come.
On that day, to our surprise, hundreds of workers
flooded the halls of the Dirksen Building trying to get
into our hearing, trying to tell their stories.
Unfortunately, we had no idea this would draw such a
crowd. The room the hearing was being held in was not big
enough to accommodate everyone waiting.
Paul and I conferred, and Paul said: I can't believe it.
There are all these people outside. Some of them came from
miles away. You can see his arms, as you hear those words,
going back and forth. What are we going to do?
Before I could answer, he got up, and in that bowlegged
wrestler's stance and walk he had, he walked down from the
platform, through the crowd, threw open the doors, told
the Capitol Police that everyone was coming in and that
there would be room. They could sit on the floor, they
could sit in the Senators' chairs because he and I were
the only Senators there. He would not keep the very people
we were having the hearing about out of the hearing room.
That was Paul. He was a people's Senator. Everyone was
welcome. Every door was open. It was an unusual hearing,
but it was a memorable one. Afterward, he greeted each and
every person who was there.
It was this passion that got him up and fighting every
day, even when he was in such pain, as some of us can
remember, seeing him in pain on this floor, remembering
how last year the pain was so intense he literally dropped
to the floor of the Senate. He later learned that he was
not just contending with the aches and pains of a Hall of
Fame wrestling career but that he had multiple sclerosis.
That did not stop him either.
For any of us who inquired how he was doing, he brushed
it off. He was not interested in any way or concerned
about his own health. He wanted to talk to you about what
we were going to do about unemployment insurance, what we
were going to do about education, how we could turn our
backs on all these children who would not get the
resources they needed.
During the debate on the education bill, Paul was the
only member of our Education Committee to vote against it.
We knew why. He warned that focusing our education system
solely on improvements in standardized tests without a
major increase in Federal funding was wrong. I agreed with
that. I said so at the time in our committee. I will vote
for this bill, but only if we have the funding.
Here we are, a year later. We got the funding for 1 year
and then the administration came in and no more funding.
Paul was right, as the distinguished Senator from West
Virginia knows. Trust, but verify, when it comes to such
promises.
Senator Wellstone always stood by his beliefs. His last
big fight, as Senator Byrd has so eloquently reminded us,
was over two big issues: Certainly Iraq, what should be
done, what will be done, what our obligations as Senators
are to hold this administration accountable; and, here at
home, the fight for unemployment benefits to be extended.
For the life of me and for Paul Wellstone, with whom I
spoke about this at length time and time again, it made no
sense. How could we turn our backs on people who were out
of work through no fault of their own, who needed a little
bit of a helping hand? He would come to the floor, he
would make that case, and we wouldn't go anywhere with it.
We couldn't get our colleagues to support extending
unemployment insurance one more time.
Along with what I hope will be a lasting legacy of
mental health parity, I truly request our colleagues and
the administration to extend unemployment insurance, Paul
Wellstone's last domestic battle, for people who will
otherwise have nowhere to turn when those benefits are
gone.
I want to say also a word about Senator Wellstone's
staff, because he certainly loved and respected his staff.
As Senator Byrd has mentioned, his staff was a loyal,
hard-working group who often accompanied Senator Wellstone
to the floor and sat there watching him, getting energy
from his excitement and passion. I want to name some of
the names of those men and women who helped him do the
work we honor today. Colin McGinnis, his chief of staff,
and Brian Ahlberg, his legislative director, are two
extraordinary public servants. My staff has enjoyed the
privilege of working with them.
My staff and I have also had the opportunity to work
with Marge Baker, who led Senator Wellstone's efforts on
the Subcommittee on Employment, Safety and Training, with
Jill Morningstar, who was his legislative assistant on
education and women's issues, with Rachel Gregg, who led
his efforts to assist the working poor, as well as Patti
Unruh, Ellen Gerrity, and Richard McKeon, who made up his
team of health care advisers.
I offer my condolences to each of his extraordinary
staff members and I want them to know how much we
appreciate the work they did for Paul.
On October 15, at the close of his last debate, here is
what Senator Wellstone said:
I don't represent the pharmaceutical companies, I don't
represent the big oil companies, I don't represent the big
health insurance industry, I don't represent the big
financial institutions. But you know what, I represent the
people of Minnesota.
That may be his most fitting tribute--the honor, the
ability, the results he brought to the way he represented
the people of Minnesota. He did it with passion and
principle. We join in saluting his life and his service
and we challenge ourselves to remember the reasons why so
many are mourning him today. Each of us, try to live up to
the standard Paul Wellstone set.
Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I compliment the Senator
from New York for her gracious and most appropriate words
with regard to the service of the Senator from Minnesota,
who was such a special person.
I rise to add my words of respect and praise and
thanksgiving for the life and leadership of my friend and
colleague and, in fact, political hero. Paul Wellstone was
a good man who did his very best to do good things--very
simply, good things for others. With his wife Sheila,
their lives were about service, service and advocacy for
others. In fact--I think the presiding officer probably
knows this--they may well have been the most unselfish
people I ever observed. The drive was not to power. It was
not to popularity. It certainly was not to wealth. It was
to service--service to those without a voice. Paul
Wellstone really did believe all men and women are created
equal and therefore should be treated accordingly.
As a friend, Paul was always supportive and full of
counsel for a fellow progressive--or should I say liberal.
While our paths to the Senate could not have been more
different, our paths in the Senate were much alike. He was
a pathfinder for me and for many others because of his
personal passion and principle with which he was so
secure--it was deep in his soul. It gave him vision. His
words and deeds were an example for all who seek to lead.
As he so often implored, our actions cannot be separate
from our words. All men and women are created equal, and
he believed our Nation must act, also, accordingly. He
fought for that every day on this floor.
We have heard about his principled fight for mental
health parity. We have heard about his fight to make sure
education was something other than high stakes testing,
and to make sure welfare reform was about something other
than reducing the numbers on rolls, but was really about
reducing poverty levels; on labor rights and defending the
right to organize, defending the right of working men and
women to have access to the American promise on an equal
basis with those who are granted more; and on women's
rights, which we have heard so much about, and domestic
abuse, in which he carried the words and deeds of his wife
so ably; on veterans' care and the homelessness problems
of our Vietnam vets. On these and many other issues he
really was a man who spoke for those without a voice.
Paul's passion and vision will be deeply missed. For
those honored to have shared his life, it is now our
responsibility to pursue his vision. His commitment to
equality and justice must not be lost and, with God's
will, it will not.
To this challenge, earlier today I heard Senator
Stabenow cite great words from Frederick Douglass that
bear repeating. When you think about Paul Wellstone you
think about how he handled himself in this world. Those
words are:
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who
profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation want
crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain
without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without
the awful roar of its many waters.
Paul Wellstone led his struggle for freedom with thunder
and lightning--his struggle for progress. We will miss
him. We will miss his struggle. We must take it up.
All of us pray for his family and the families of the
others lost on that tragic day of the crash. Our hearts
are saddened. And we, as Senator Clinton has so ably
articulated, commend his loyal and dedicated staff, and
those thousands of volunteers who made his voice multiples
of what it otherwise would be, through their activism and
organization. We say thank you for all of them. Our love
goes out. We respect them for what they have done, and
their service. We hope they will not turn away from the
effort and the fight. We thank them all. They mourn. We
mourn. But we must not quit. We will not quit. Our deeds
must match his deeds in the days and years ahead.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute today to
two dear friends, Paul and Sheila Wellstone. The October
25 plane crash in northern Minnesota which took their
lives was an incalculable tragedy. It deprived Minnesota
of a brilliant Senator. It deprived my wife Barbara and me
of two very dear friends. It deprived the poor and
disadvantaged everywhere in this country of a most
committed, eloquent, and passionate champion.
If there is one word that I heard perhaps more than any
other in the tributes that have been paid to Paul
Wellstone, it would be the word ``passionate.''
Compounding the tragedy, the crash claimed the lives of
Paul and Sheila's daughter, Marcia; three members of his
staff: Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic, and Mary McEvoy; and
the plane's two pilots, Captains Richard Conry and Michael
Guess.
Our hearts go out to Paul's sons and grandchildren, and
to all of the families of those whose lives were lost. We
think about what might have been. We are reminded of just
how ephemeral and precious life is.
It is said that an obituary tells you what a person did
and a eulogy tells you who a person was. I would like to
talk about who Paul was.
Paul Wellstone was the patron Senator of lost causes. By
``lost,'' I don't mean wrong. In fact, most of his causes
were right. But many of them were at the moment unpopular.
Paul Wellstone devoted his energies to fighting for the
disenfranchised and demoralized, the lonely, and the
isolated. He saw his mission in the Senate and in life as
comforting the afflicted and, when necessary, afflicting
the comfortable. In social justice circles, it is called
``speaking truth to power.''
Paul knew what it is like to be the underdog. He
literally wrestled his way into the University of North
Carolina on an athletic scholarship. He overcame learning
disabilities to earn a Ph.D. from that distinguished
university. The civil rights movement inspired him to
become active in politics. In 1990, he ran a seemingly
quixotic campaign against an incumbent Senator who
outspent him by more than 7 to 1. And Paul won. And he won
again in 1996.
I think Paul beat the odds because he gave hope to so
many people who have been left behind. Paul was a friendly
and warm person who learned and remembered everybody's
name because he genuinely cared about them.
More recently, Paul battled hip and back injuries and
publicly announced that he had multiple sclerosis. When he
made that announcement, he said--with characteristic wit
and pluck--``I have a strong mind--although there are some
who might disagree with that--I have a strong body, I have
a strong heart, I have a strong soul.'' And that he did.
Paul knew what it was like to be an underdog. So he
devoted his life to fighting for the underdog. At
Minnesota's Carleton College, where he was a professor, he
protested the college's investments in companies doing
business with pro-apartheid South Africa. He intervened on
behalf of many farmers facing foreclosure. He joined the
picket lines at a meat-packing plant. And when Carleton
College's custodians went on strike, he taught his classes
off-campus because he wasn't going to cross that picket
line.
Paul brought his unabashed idealism to the Senate. He
voted against the gulf war in 1991. He voted against the
welfare bill in 1996. He led a lonely fight against the
bankruptcy bill, saying that it would enrich big credit
card companies at the expense of ordinary people suffering
``brutal economic circumstances.'' And the list goes on.
One of his last votes that he cast was for the more
multilateral approach relative to our situation in Iraq.
During that debate, he argued as follows:
Acting now on our own might be a sign of our power.
Acting sensibly and in a measured way, in concert with our
allies with bipartisan congressional support, would be a
sign of our strength.
Paul often found himself in small minorities. He was,
however, able to move the Senate on occasion through sheer
conviction. For instance, he teamed with Senator Domenici
to require health insurance companies to provide more
equitable coverage and benefits to people suffering from
mental illness. It was the right thing to do. It was the
fair thing to do. And he prevailed.
Life deals everyone setbacks and defeats. And Paul had
more than his share, especially in the Senate. But he
never became the least bit cynical as many people do when
they suffer life's disappointments. He kept coming back
cheerful and committed as ever. He was absolutely
guileless. And I think that was the source of his
popularity, which extended to people who vehemently
disagreed with the policies that he advocated. Everyone
admired the fact that he spoke from the heart, and he
voted based on his sincere beliefs--not from political
expediency. He believed in the power of ideas and causes,
and in the power of government to help people. He was a
formidable adversary. And he had that unique gift of being
able to disagree without being disagreeable.
T.S. Eliot wrote to a friend:
We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat
and dismay may be the preface to our successors' victory,
though that victory itself will be temporary; we fight
rather to keep something alive than in the expectation
that anything will triumph.
That wistful statement, to me, captures some of Paul
Wellstone's approach to his duty. With indefatigable
goodwill and cheer and sincerity, Paul always bounced
back, always carried on, and always stood on principle--
never on expediency. He wasn't afraid to be in the
minority, even a minority of one.
A friend of Paul's, Bill Holm, wrote a touching tribute
that appeared in the New York Times the day after Paul
died. I am going to put that column in the Record
following my remarks, but I wish to quote from it briefly
to underscore some of what the column says.
Bill Holm wrote,
Whatever Paul's height, he was one of the largest men I
ever met. He filled rooms when he entered them. Size in a
public man is an interior, not an exterior, quality. . . .
He thought himself an athlete . . . and I suspect he saw
his whole political life in that metaphor. He wrestled
with the power of big money, military adventurism and
penny-pinching against the poor. He meant to fight fair,
but he meant to win.
The great suffragette Anna Howard Shaw remarked,
It does not make so much difference perhaps as to the
number of days we live as it does to the manner in which
we live the days we do live.
She could have been saying that about Paul Wellstone.
Paul fought the good fight--usually against long odds. I
think, because he was a wrestler, he knew it was always
possible to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Sometimes you can be behind on points but suddenly pin
your opponent seconds before the match is over. So he
never gave up. He had an infectious optimism. That is why
he was such an inspiration.
He certainly lived his life with gusto. He showed that
gusto in the way he consumed my wife's stuffed cabbage. We
still have some in the freezer which we had preserved for
the next dinner we were going to have with the Wellstones.
Paul Wellstone may have stood 5 feet 5 inches tall, but
he had the heart of a giant. As we mourn his passing, we
celebrate his life. What a gift he gave to us all.
I ask unanimous consent that Bill Holm's column,
appearing in the October 26, 2002, edition of the New York
Times, be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
[From the New York Times, October 26, 2002]
A Liberal With a Wrestler's Stance
(By Bill Holm)
Minnesota, Minn.--Paul Wellstone was an unlikely
politician in a place like Minnesota--land of walleyes,
cornfields and phlegmatic Scandinavians. He was an urban
Jew, son of immigrants, a college professor at the
fanciest of Minnesota's private colleges. And, probably
worst of all for his non-talkative constituents, he was a
passionate orator, a skilled rouser of rabble over issues
he loved and an unapologetic populist liberal.
How did this man, who was killed yesterday in a plane
crash in northern Minnesota, ever manage a triumphantly
successful political career in which even many Republicans
and conservative Christians quietly scribbled the
Wellstone X on their ballots, hoping their neighbors
wouldn't catch them behaving like lefties?
When I gave readings of poetry and essays, I often
shared a podium with Senator Wellstone at various rural
conventions and political gatherings. It was a remarkable
experience, and I learned very well to proceed rather than
follow him. He worked a house as well as Hubert Humphrey
ever did.
I remember a Farmers Union convention in St. Paul: Paul
Wellstone, a pugnacious 5-foot-5, stood at the dais
between the Farmers Union chairman and me, both 6-foot-5
Scandinavians.
``It's nice to join my Norwegian cousins here in St.
Paul,'' he said. He then proceeded in 20 minutes to bring
the audience cheering to its feet. If this had been a
monarchy, the farmers would have crowned him.
I was next, with a few small and sensitive rural poems.
I had a sinking feeling that a master had bested me.
Whatever Paul's height, he was one of the largest men I
ever met. He filled rooms when he entered them. Size in a
public man is an interior, not an exterior quality. Paul
charmed--and sometimes persuaded--even those hostile to
his unashamed liberal ideas by listening with great
courtesy and attention to unfriendly questions. He
answered without dissembling, without backing down from
his own principles, but with a civil regard for the
dignity of the questioner. And he had the politician's
great gift: an amazing memory for names. I saw him once
pluck a vote with this gift. He answered questions for 45
minutes in a room full of ordinary citizens whom he'd
never seen before. He began his last answer this way:
``Your question reminds me of Mary's concern.'' Mary, in
the back row, was 45 minutes ago. Mary, likely a rock-
ribbed Republican, blushed a little and smiled. One more
vote.
Even those who continued to disagree with Paul did not
question the sincerity of his idealism. He was sometimes
attacked for naivete (as in his brave vote against
authorizing the President to go to war with Iraq), but
never for dishonesty. He voted, as he spoke, from the
heart.
It's often forgotten that Paul, nearing 60 with a bad
back and a respectable batch of grandchildren whom he
treasured, began his rise in the world with a college
wrestling scholarship. His working-class parents had no
money for school, so wrestling earned him a doctorate.
He preserved a wrestler's sensibility in both his
academic and political life. In 1998 I met Paul at a
reception at the Governor's Mansion just before Jesse
Ventura, a professional wrestler by trade, first occupied
that house. How curious, I told Paul, that the two most
interesting politicians in Minnesota at the moment should
both be wrestlers. He replied with a wry smile: ``But I'm
a real one.''
He thought himself an athlete, not an entertainer, and I
suspect he saw his whole political life in that metaphor.
He wrestled with the power of big money, military
adventurism and penny-pinching against the poor. He meant
to fight fair, but he meant to win.
Not only Minnesota, but the whole country will feel the
absence of his voice and his bravely combative spirit. We
say with Walt Whitman: Salud, Camerado. We look for you
again under our boot-soles.
Mr. HOLLINGS. Madam President, liberal? Worse, the
London Economist called Senator Wellstone the most ``left
wing'' Senator in the U.S. Senate. Yet, as the most
conservative Senator, I found myself time and again
fighting at his side.
The year started with the Bush seduction of Senator Ted
Kennedy on education. Senator Kennedy looked at the
amount--$7 billion. President Bush looked at the thrust--
prove that public education was a failure so that private
education could be financed by the government. Testing.
Somehow the billions being spent by the States on testing
was not enough. A Federal test was necessary.
Failing schools would be closed. Failing students would
be tutored. But most likely, the student failing for the
lack of a competent teacher could find no competent tutor.
For all this testing, the education bill provided no help
for the student to pass the test. And for this, Senator
Wellstone ranted and raved. But nobody listened. Senator
Wellstone was liberal, but as a conservative I knew he was
right. We both voted no.
Next was the Bush tax cut. No doubt Senator Wellstone,
the liberal, was the target for this initiative. For the
purpose of Voodoo II, or Bush's Reaganomics, was to
eliminate the resources of government so that without the
money there would be no programs. But in reality, programs
persevered, with a horrific debt, and the devastating
waste of interest costs. Senator Wellstone, the liberal,
was for programs. I, the conservative, was for putting
government on a pay-as-you-go path. We both voted no.
Then there was the jobs debate. Fast track--this was a
device that Presidents use to control trade agreements.
With it, the agreement submitted by the President could
not be amended. Congress was required to vote it up or
down, and, of course, no agreement was ever submitted
until the White House had the vote fixed.
To get NAFTA approved, President Clinton bought the vote
with numerous favors not related to the agreement, such as
defense contracts, cultural centers, and golf rounds in
California and Arkansas. One could readily see that the
intent was to create jobs south of the border. Sure
enough, we lost 700,000 textile jobs alone. So, when fast
track expired, we refused to renew it for President
Clinton. Again, Senator Wellstone and I both opposed
giving fast track authority to President Bush.
``Liberal.'' ``Conservative.'' Wrong references. Adlai
Stevenson used to say it's not whether one is liberal or
one is conservative, but whether one is headed in the
right direction.
Adam Nagourney of the New York Times writes of the
``homogenization'' of American politics. Politics has
changed. Triangulation has taken over so that every party
compromises, or triangulates, the other party's issues.
Both are for tax cuts. Both are for saving Social
Security. Both are for defense. Both are for the war with
Iraq. Both are for homeland security. Both are against
corporate corruption. Worse, money locks in this
triangulation so that we are back to George Wallace's,
``There's not a dime's bit of difference between the
parties.''
But there is a fundamental difference. The Republicans
know to campaign. The Democrats know to govern. Paul
Wellstone came to Washington to govern. He could see the
crying needs of the country: schools, health care, jobs,
infrastructure, and so forth. And he was determined to do
something to provide for these needs. But with the
Democrats in control by only one vote, we abandoned
governing. The needs of the country were abandoned and
both parties went into high gear to campaign, with money
controlling the issues. Y2K, free trade, corporate
reform--money controlled with a refusal to even cancel the
principal corruption: stock options. The Congress danced
around the fire of intelligence failures, terrorism
insurance, seaport security, rail security, energy policy,
pension reform, prescription drugs--but no governing.
Paul Wellstone was a fighter. The shortest fellow in the
Congress, most of us couldn't touch his shoes. Today,
there are no fighters in Washington, just campaigners.
Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, the tragic death of our
colleague, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, was such a sudden
shock to all of us. It was hard to believe he had died.
Paul was so full of life, and full of energy and
enthusiasm. It was so incongruous, so unbelievable, that
his life could be ended so abruptly.
But it was, and we continue to grieve and to miss him.
Paul and I were friends. We also collaborated on
legislation to help farmers and to find a cure for
Parkinson's disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
We often talked about our strategy for accelerating the
research that is so important to the effort to conquer
these threats to human life.
He traveled to my State to see for himself the plight of
the poor in the Mississippi Delta. He was sincerely
interested in helping alleviate the burdens and problems
faced by the poor people who lived in the Delta. I told
him about the initiatives we had started and let him know
I shared his concerns and that we were trying some new
approaches such as the Delta Regional Initiative.
Senator Wellstone will always be appreciated for the
efforts he made to help those who needed help the most.
Mr. FRIST. Madam President, the Senate has been a unique
institution since its inception. We take great pride in
our deliberative nature. Debate may take time, but it is
time well spent. It is always better to pursue the right--
rather than the rushed--course of action. This style of
governance has served the American people well for more
than two centuries.
This does not mean the Senate is not a dynamic body. It
is full of the same vibrancy that marks this great
experiment called American democracy. For within this
Chamber have echoed some of the most lively and spirited
debates in our Nation's history. And outside this Chamber
as well--in committee rooms and caucus meetings and other
public forums.
On Friday the Senate lost one of its most animated
Members in Paul Wellstone. He was a proverbial ``true
believer.'' Conviction was not something about which he
simply spoke at opportune moments; he showed it time and
again with his unabated enthusiasm for being a U.S.
Senator. Paul Wellstone's beliefs rose from a deep and
impenetrable well of principle.
Indeed, Paul was a proud and unabashed voice for
liberalism. His votes often landed him not only on the
other side of Republicans, but on the other side of his
fellow Democrats, as well. He was a man who simply did not
blink in the face of political pressure. He stared it down
without regard to price. Even if you did not agree with
him, you admired him and the courage he so frequently
displayed.
I saw this first-hand on the Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee. There Paul and I served together
on the Subcommittee on Public Health and the Subcommittee
on Children and Families. We shared a common concern for
the health of women and children and the mentally ill. He
spoke out often on their behalf. He fought hard for them.
And his passion for their well-being will be missed.
Paul Wellstone was one of a kind. We were blessed to
have him, his wife, Sheila, and his daughter, Marcia, as
members of the Senate family. And the people of Minnesota
and the United States were blessed to have him in their
service. May we keep Paul and Sheila's sons and
grandchildren and the families of all those who lost loved
ones in our thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, several days after this
terrible tragedy, the loss of our beloved colleague, Paul
Wellstone, his wife Sheila, his daughter Marcia, three
loyal members of his staff and two pilots, we still remain
in a state of shocked disbelief.
We have lost a unique and gifted man, who embodied not
only the independent spirit of his home State, but one
that resides at the very heart of the American soul.
A few years ago, when speaking on this floor about the
loss of his legislative director, Paul claimed that
``sometimes the only realists are the dreamers.''
In many ways he could have been referring to himself,
the cerebral political science professor willing to stand
alone, when necessary, for what he believed.
He had the common touch, and was an impassioned speaker,
noted as much for his big heart as for his sharp mind.
Elected as the only new Senator in 1990, Paul's
crusading voice would not have had the same impact in the
House of Representatives as it did in this Chamber.
Only in the Senate could he have helped to lead the
successful opposition, in 1991, to an energy bill that
would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to
oil exploration, or 5 years later force a vote on a
minimum wage increase.
For two terms he fought tirelessly for increased funding
for education at every level, health care that was
accessible and affordable for all Americans, sweeping
campaign finance reform, and farm legislation that sought
to protect the small farmers.
While he was, on the one hand, an ideological liberal,
willing to speak with his conscience, Paul was also able
to work with Republican colleagues on many occasions, and
he was responsible for passing important bipartisan
legislation, most notably the expanded insurance coverage
for mental illnesses, with Senator Domenici.
But Paul Wellstone's commitment to social justice did
not stop at our borders. He was an outspoken champion of
the poor and the powerless around the world, in Latin
America, Asia and Africa.
I remember when, back in 1996, I voiced concern over the
plight of women and girls under the reactionary rule of
the Taliban, Paul was one of the few who was receptive to
the need for the United States to respond to such
violations.
In 1999, Paul and I introduced the ``International
Trafficking of Women and Children Victim Protection Act,''
which established an interagency task force to monitor and
combat trafficking, provided assistance to other countries
that met minimum international standards, and withheld
U.S. non-humanitarian assistance to countries that failed
to meet these standards.
To his eternal credit, it is worth noting that Paul had
originally introduced his own bill, which contained much
tougher criminal provisions and stronger protections for
victims.
He was a leading advocate for Tibetan autonomy, able to
work closely with his ideological nemesis, Jesse Helms. In
fact, the last time I worked with Paul was in cosponsoring
an act to safeguard the cultural, religious, and ethnic
identity of the Tibetan people and to encourage further
dialog between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government.
We must not forget that the world has also lost Sheila,
Paul's wonderful wife of almost 40 years, and a passionate
campaigner against domestic violence, and for the need to
create violence-free families. Hers was a noble cause, a
critical fight, that must be continued.
Minnesota has produced some of America's most eloquent,
committed, and honorable leaders. Hubert Humphrey, Harold
Stassen, Eugene McCarthy, and Walter Mondale come quickly
to mind.
Even if he had not met such a tragic and untimely end,
Paul Wellstone would have surely earned his place among
this distinguished group. The fact that he has left us so
abruptly, and left all of us so sad, will not diminish his
achievements, nor weaken his message.
To quote Paul: ``I still believe that government can be
a force of good in people's lives.''
We in the Senate should take these words to heart, just
as we were truly honored to have had him among us. We are
all the better to have known him and worked with him. He
will be sorely missed.
Mr. DAYTON. Madam President, it has been a very moving
afternoon in the Chamber listening to my colleagues speak
so eloquently about my good friend, the senior Senator
from Minnesota. It was touching to hear of their respect
and their affection and their admiration for Paul
Wellstone.
I spoke earlier this afternoon about the Senator, my
dear friend, and because others were waiting to speak I
abbreviated my remarks. I wanted to close by noting, as
others have so well, that Paul's remarkable achievements
were not his alone.
He was one of those people who, in his greatness, was
able to attract great people to his side. He had
extraordinarily dedicated men and women who worked with
him, gave of their time and their energy, their hearts and
their souls to his work: Colin McGinnis and his staff here
in Washington; Connie Lewis, Minnesota State director, and
her staff in Minnesota were always with Paul and Sheila
and extraordinarily dedicated.
Of course, if you wanted to make a difference in
Washington, if you wanted to try to move mountains and you
were young and idealistic, who better to work for than
Paul Wellstone?
Many of his former students at Carleton College in
Northfield, MN, went on to be his key staff aides. I used
to tease Paul and say that is what he was doing during his
time there; he was recruiting the best and the brightest
to work on his campaigns and organize the State and to
work in Washington and in Minnesota on behalf of the many
causes he championed--Jeff Blodgett, who was managing his
campaign for the third time and doing so with great skill,
and according to the last published polls, with very
successful results, and others in Minnesota who gave up
their careers, family life, and set it aside one more time
to bring the man they loved and in whom they believed to
victory.
Kari Moe, who was involved with Senator Wellstone's
Washington office, was his chief of staff for years
before. They are incredibly dedicated people each in their
own right.
Tom Lapic tragically was on the plane with Paul and lost
his life in service to his friend and his country. Tom was
the deputy Minnesota director. Several hundred friends and
family came to his memorial service a week after his
death. He was a man who touched people deeply, as did
Paul. His wife Trudy and others shared their
recollections, the wonderful qualities Tom had that
complemented Paul, his calmness, virtually unflappable
under any circumstances. Like Paul, he was astute and
eloquent, and he and Paul collaborated on many of the
words that Paul used in speeches. Tom was always by Paul's
side offering his guidance and perspective.
Will McLaughlin was on Paul's campaign staff. He was
just starting his political career at the age of 23 in
Minnesota. But everybody could see he was destined to be a
star, a Governor or a Senator, something special someday.
He already had been elected president of his fraternity at
the University of Minnesota. Politics was in Will's blood
or maybe even in his genetic code. His father, Mike
McLaughlin, was a long-time Fourth District chair of the
Minnesota Democratic Party, and he collaborated with the
greats of the previous generation--Hubert Humphrey, Fritz
Mondale, Eugene McCarthy, Joe Karth, Bruce Vento. Will's
mother, Judy McLaughlin, was a close associate of the
former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
He will be missed by his mother Judy and his siblings and
his friends and those in Minnesota who never had a chance
to get to know him.
Thousands of Minnesotans knew Mary McEvoy who was on the
plane as staff in name but really as a friend of Paul and
Sheila's. She was one of Sheila Wellstone's very closest
friends. Sheila flew with Paul because he loathed it, and
Mary flew with Sheila because she loathed it. It was
beyond tragedy, beyond words that Mary had taken a leave
of absence from the University of Minnesota where she was
a full professor, where she chaired the department, where
she had her own very distinguished career in her field, so
she could help her friend Sheila and her friend Paul
during their time of need. She had a service where over
1,500 Minnesotans, friends, and family came to pay their
respects. She was associate chair of the DFL Party. She
was a leader. She was a colleague. She was a mother of
three beautiful children, and she had her husband Jamie.
She will be terribly missed by all of us in the life of
Minnesota.
Of course, the linchpin of Paul's staff, his unpaid and
most important staff person was his wife Sheila who,
unlike some campaign and political spouses, was beloved by
Paul's staff and gratefully welcomed to the office for her
ability to run interference when necessary with her
husband and his life and his schemes.
I remember once it was said it took a lot of money to
keep Mahatma Gandhi in poverty because of the people
around him necessary to help him carry out his mission. It
took a lot of really remarkable and talented people to
keep Paul Wellstone on the brink of disorganization. He
had so much energy and was doing so many things, often
simultaneously. Sheila was the linchpin and a formidable
political activist in her own right. She was born and
raised in the coal country of West Virginia, a hard-
scrabble upbringing. She and Paul were married when they
were 19 years old. For 39 years they were each other's
best friend, colleagues, mates, spouses.
Many talk about and preach family values. That was a
wonderful marriage and a wonderful family. They had three
children of whom they were enormously proud. Marcia
Wellstone, tragically on the plane, was a future political
star in her own right. She loved campaigning, loved being
out with the people of Minnesota. She was a wonderful
teacher in the White Bear School District, beloved by her
students, liked by her colleagues. She also leaves a gap
with her family and friends that can never be filled.
They had two sons who fortunately were not on the plane
that day, David and Mark, of whom Paul and Sheila were
also enormously proud. I hope and I trust they will, in
this time of terrible loss and grief, be consoled a little
by the words that were expressed today, by the words that
have been expressed by people all over the country. They
had extraordinary parents, very hard parents to lose, but
ones who will be with them in spirit always and gave them
the best upbringing that any two fine men could wish for.
Paul was a family man from the beginning. That was
always foremost in his priorities. I remember not more
than 6 weeks ago I happened to come to the Senate Chamber
one afternoon, just around the lunch hour. Much to my
surprise, the Senate was in recess. There was Paul with
his 7-year-old grandson named Joshua, Marcia's child, who
was evidently on an outing that afternoon with his
grandfather.
Paul was showing him around the empty Chamber and
pointing out where his desk was, as well as others. I
think Paul was convinced that he had Josh quite impressed
with this great Chamber and all it represents to all of us
until Josh looked up at him kind of wistfully and said,
``Grandpa, are we going to go someplace soon? You promised
that we were going to go someplace this afternoon.''
For once, Paul seemed almost at a loss for words. He
looked up at the ceiling and then looked forlornly at me,
looked over to Josh and said, ``This is someplace.''
I close by saying, yes, Paul, this is some place that
you reached, without any of the advantages some of us have
enjoyed, and Sheila Wellstone with none at all. They met
at age 19. He came to Northfield, MN, built a career as a
college professor, she as a housewife raising their
children. To come to some place like this is a phenomenal
American success story.
I recounted earlier today about how Paul was elected in
1990. He ran an extraordinary campaign, a David versus
Goliath, come from nowhere, miraculous victory that is a
tribute to the kind of indefatigable courage and
willingness to follow his dream and bring people along
with him. He stood for what he believed in and won by
doing so. That should be in every political textbook in
this country for decades to come.
He served in the Senate for 12 years and made those
stands again and again. Whether they were popular, whether
he had the votes or not, he knew usually with great
insight whether he was going to be successful. He knew
when he lost he had no alternative but to stand behind
what he believed in, to stand with his conscience and his
convictions. He trusted in the people of Minnesota to give
him the opportunity to serve, which they did twice, and he
was going back to seek their support for a third term.
As others have pointed out, he was facing one of the
most difficult votes of his career, as some would say, at
an inopportune time, which was the resolution to authorize
the use of force in Iraq by the President, at his
discretion. Paul began his Senate career with that kind of
vote with the Persian Gulf resolution and some believe
because of his stands over the years that if he were to
oppose a popular President, if he were to express a
different perspective and, as Senator Levin, the chairman
of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pointed out, vote
for an alternative resolution, one that committed the
United States to multilateral action with other countries
of the world, that he would pay a political price for that
in Minnesota.
Paul never really agonized about his decision in this
matter because compromising his convictions was not
something Paul ever considered doing. In fact, in my 2
years in the Senate, the one time I saw Paul angry was
when a staff person--not his own staff, he did not know
who made the comment--was reported in the Washington Post
as saying the Senate Democratic Caucus was trying to find
some alternative resolution to provide cover for Paul
Wellstone who was facing a difficult reelection. Paul was
furious that anyone would accuse him of looking for cover
from a tough vote. He said in one of our meetings that is
what he had to take back to the people of Minnesota, that
they knew he would never seek cover to avoid a tough
decision or a tough vote; he would do what he believed was
right and he was willing to go back to the Minnesota
electorate and take their judgment.
I believe if he had been able to bring that to the
Tuesday election that judgment would again have been in
the affirmative. That is Paul Wellstone's legacy to all of
us. That is his legacy to the country. Whether one would
agree with everything Paul believed is not the point.
There are those who can have sincere convictions on the
other side of the issue. That is the greatness of our
country and our democracy, that we can have those
disagreements, honest, different points of view, and we
are a better institution and we are a better country for
our ability, through our political process, to embrace and
incorporate those differences.
He stood for what he believed in, would risk everything,
his political career, his opportunity to serve, everything
he believed and everything he wanted, on a matter of
principle. He would do so willingly, courageously, and
emphatically. That is something I will take with me
throughout the rest of my life, and I would commend it to
everyone else in this body and across this country.
PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENT
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that tributes to Paul
Wellstone, the late Senator from Minnesota, be printed as
a Senate document.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
The Senate met at 11 a.m. and was called to order by the
Honorable Debbie Stabenow, a Senator from the State of
Michigan.
prayer
The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the
following prayer:
Gracious God, You have made gratitude the powerful
antidote to grief. As a Senate family we thank You for our
dear friends Paul and Sheila Wellstone. We are grateful
for Senator Wellstone's courageous leadership and his
indefatigable commitment to help the poor and
disadvantaged of our society. We praise You for his
prophetic zeal for righteousness and justice for all
people. Thank You for the way Senator Wellstone befriended
all the Senate staff and employees, particularly police
officers, maintenance personnel, pages, and those who
serve to make the Senate run smoothly. He knew people's
names, always had time to stop and visit, and made people
feel valued. Dear God, You have enriched all our lives
with the affirmation and encouragement communicated so
generously through Paul and Sheila Wellstone. They have
done justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with You. Heal
our grief over their untimely deaths and fill us with Your
Shalom. Amen.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF PAUL WELLSTONE
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, on October 25, I lost a
good friend, the Senate lost a leader, and the American
people lost an advocate who was never afraid to stand up
and speak for those who had no voice.
I rise today to honor my friend and colleague, Senator
Paul Wellstone, who inspired so many people to speak up
and to serve. Even as I stand here today, I cannot imagine
that when I turn around I won't see Paul standing at his
desk, his arms flailing in the air, making some point with
great passion.
Paul, with his energy and optimism, has left a mark on
all of us. In 1990, when Paul Wellstone ran for the
Senate, a lot of people were watching him and following
his race. Political pundits said he could not win. But as
I watched him, I became motivated. At the time, I was
serving in the Washington State Senate, and I, too, was
frustrated by what I saw happening in Washington, DC.
In Paul I saw someone who cared about the little guy and
who spoke passionately. Paul was never afraid to voice his
ideas or take on big fights. Not only did he win that
Senate race, but in the process he inspired a generation
of young people to serve their communities.
On a more personal level, Paul inspired me to run for
the U.S. Senate. His brilliant example reminded me that
you don't need to be powerful or rich--or even tall--to
make a difference. You just need to have an honest concern
for others, an optimistic spirit, and the courage to act.
Over the last 10 years, I have agreed--and disagreed--
with Paul on any number of issues. But never once did I
doubt his conviction, and never once did Paul let his
policy disagreements soften the love and friendship he
felt for all of us. Paul and I worked on everything from
domestic violence and education to providing health care
for veterans and protecting families from asbestos.
I could always count on Paul to remind me that so many
Americans have been dealt a tough hand in life. So many
families, through no fault of their own, find themselves
struggling, and they need an advocate to speak out for
them in this Congress.
No matter what pressures he faced in the Senate or even
with his own health, Paul always reminded me how lucky we
are to be able to serve in the U.S. Senate.
One thing I will not forget about Paul is that every one
of us was important to him and he proved that time and
again. A few months ago, I held a meeting in my office to
develop a legislative strategy on a bill. I wanted to keep
the discussion small and focused and frank, so I invited
two other Senators and told them not to bring any staff
members. When it was time to start the meeting, Paul
bounced through the door with three people in tow. Even
though staff were not invited, Paul didn't mind. But these
weren't his staff--they were his interns. He proudly
introduced each one of them to us, and they all stayed for
the entire meeting. We were still able to get everything
done that we needed to do in the short time we had. Those
young students got to see democracy up close. They got to
sit in on a closed-door meeting, and they got a sense--
just for a moment--that they, too, belonged there and
they, too, could do it.
Paul never stopped showing people what they could
accomplish, and that is because he knew that people--plain
old people--were important. He didn't care about pollsters
and consultants; he cared about people. His love did not
depend on whether they could write him a check.
My favorite all-time campaign event with Paul was not a
fundraiser, but--in true Paul style--it was a ``time-
raiser.'' On a cold Saturday morning, Paul jammed a hall
with folks who could not write a check but who could
donate 2 hours of time to call or leaflet or answer
phones. Judging from the enthusiasm of that crowd, yelling
to the rooftops in the packed room, Paul was their Senator
and their guy. He valued them and they valued him.
I remember another event when Paul wasn't even scheduled
to speak, but he ended up stealing the show. Earlier this
year, I was at a press conference on education in the
Dirksen Building. Senators Kennedy, Harkin, Reed, and
others were scheduled to talk about making classrooms less
crowded. Out of nowhere, Paul Wellstone rushed into the
room looking a bit confused. My colleagues and I looked
surprised because Senator Wellstone was not scheduled to
speak and was not on the agenda. When Paul got to the
podium, the first thing he said was:
I am not sure if I am in the right room. When I ran into
Ted Kennedy on the floor a while ago, he asked me if I was
going to the education press conference, and I said I
hadn't heard about it, but I would be there.
He continued:
Frankly, I don't even know if I am talking to the right
group, but I am going to tell you why we need to fight for
our kids.
Everyone laughed. Paul went on to give a passionate,
off-the-cuff speech that wowed and inspired every person
in that room.
To me, that really captures Paul's spirit. Wherever some
cause needed a voice, he would rush in--regardless of the
schedule--and give his impassioned best. If there were a
need, he would be there to speak out.
Paul had said he didn't know if he was in the right
room, but today I can say with confidence that Paul was in
the right place all along.
We are all poorer for the loss of Paul Wellstone, his
wife Sheila, his daughter Marcia, the members of his
staff, and the pilots who were taken from us on that dark
day. It is sad to say that the Senate will no doubt change
without Paul. No one will pace down this aisle and speak
as passionately as Paul did for so many causes. But I hope
that each one of us who are here will take on part of
Paul's legacy--for example, the spirit to speak out for
the underprivileged, for students in classrooms with leaky
roofs, for the woman on welfare not because she wants to
be, but because of domestic violence and she is trying to
get back on her feet.
I hope we will pick up his legacy and speak out for the
workers who are out of a job because this economy has left
them behind, or for those who are trying to overcome
mental illness and just need some help from their
insurance company.
I hope, too, that we will carry on Paul's legacy of
respect. Paul spoke from the heart and he spoke
passionately. But he never held any disrespect for those
with different views. I saw him so many times debate long
and hard against another Senator and then step away from
the microphone and share a laugh or a hug with the very
person he had just debated a few moments before.
If we can remember to fight for all Americans, no matter
what challenges they have been dealt, and if we do it with
respect and dignity, then Paul's legacy will live on in
the Senate, as it lives on in our hearts and in our minds.
I, for one, am going to miss him very much. He was all
heart and soul. He is impossible to replace.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to speak in morning
business to pay tribute to Paul and Sheila Wellstone. It
is a difficult thing to do. It is a difficult thing for
all of us to do. It is easier for me, right now, to
imagine Paul standing over there and articulating a great
point, a great point that would be for the consideration
of some group of people or an individual about whom he
would be deeply concerned--he was clear, passionate, and
very forceful in his advocacy for them--rather than to
think of him as being gone but he is.
You cannot really measure the height of a tree until it
is down. That is, unfortunately, again, the case for Paul
and Sheila Wellstone. He was a really tall man. They were
really tall trees in what they did.
I had the great fortune to be able to work with both
Paul and Sheila on an issue we cared a lot about--the
trafficking of individuals across country borders,
generally for reasons of prostitution but also for other
purposes. We found this was going on.
Actually, Sheila discovered this was happening by
visiting with a number of Ukrainian women, some of whom
had been trafficked themselves when the Soviet Union fell,
when the superstructure that was the Soviet Union came
down.
It turned out that gangs, groups came in, the Mafia-type
organizations, to operate in the former Soviet Union, and
they would run a number of different things. They would
run drugs, they would run weaponry, and they would run
people. It turned out the trafficking of people was
actually their third most profitable operation. It was a
real despicable thing they were doing. They would actually
go into communities, trick young ladies, generally--
sometimes young boys, but generally young girls--saying:
We have this great bit of excitement for you. We are going
to be able to have you travel to Europe or to the Middle
East.
With the fall of the Soviet Union, they didn't see hope
or opportunity in their own country, and they would sign
on, only to have their papers taken away once they crossed
the border. They would be put into a brothel, in some
cases chained and tortured until they would submit to
prostitution. And then they would even be moved from
brothel to brothel. It was a real seamy, dirty, ugly thing
that was taking place. It was a dark side of the
globalizing economy. It was a dark side of the fall of the
Soviet Union. And Sheila found out about it by meeting
with Ukrainian women.
Now, I am sure there were not many votes at all in
Minnesota that were going to hinge on whether or not Paul
or Sheila were going to work on the issue of the
trafficking of young girls from the former Soviet Union,
Nepal, and India, or from other places. Generally, there
was trafficking from poorer countries into richer
countries. But Paul was such a champion of the value and
the beauty of each person and the needs and the dignity of
that individual, and Sheila was as well, that they were
willing to put this issue forward and fight for it over a
period of a couple of years, until we could get the bill
passed.
Sheila found out about it. She brought it to Paul's
attention. He learned about it and talked with some of
these women who had been trafficked. I started to hear
about it. I met with women who had been trafficked and
found out about the despicable nature of this new form of
human slavery, a human slavery of which one person even
wrote a book entitled, ``Disposable People,'' because it
happened in a situation where they would be moved from one
brothel to another, and then, as they would get sick or
diseased--in some cases they would get tuberculosis,
AIDS--the owners would even throw them out on the street
and say: Well, we are done with that one. It was just the
most ugly act.
I remember being in a home for girls who had been
trafficked and returned to Nepal. There were 50 girls, 16
to 18 years of age. Many of them had been trafficked when
they were 12 to 14 years of age. And a lady was helping
run this home. This was a recovery house for girls after
they would come back from the brothels. This woman was
trying to teach them a trade, trying to get them back into
the community in Nepal. She would point around the room
and say: That girl has tuberculosis and AIDS and she is
dying. This girl is dying. That girl has this disease; I
don't know if she is going to make it. These were girls
who were 16 years of age who should have been in the very
flower of their lives, and they were all dying.
They saw it. They were willing to fight for these other
people. And we were able to get through legislation on sex
trafficking.
Paul joked with me afterward. He is a more liberal
Member and I am a more conservative Member. After that
legislative session, he commented that he moved from being
the most liberal Member to the second most liberal Member
of the Senate, and he blamed it on working with me. I
said, ``Well, just hang around with me, Paul, and we will
get you reelected.''
He had that kind of humor. He was a friend. He was a
friend who was not scared of ideology splitting people
apart. He had his beliefs; I had mine. We all do. But he
did not let that separate him. He did not judge a person's
soul by their ideology. He judged people by their
character and their heart, where they would be willing to
stand.
I would often see him come over to greet and talk with
Jesse Helms. He and Jesse disagreed on a number of issues,
but they both had passion, soul, and heart. That is what
they respected and loved about each other, and that is
what I continue to see and love about Paul and Sheila
Wellstone, that passion, heart, and soul that would carry
them forward.
I do not know that there is a better quote one could put
forward than from Dr. Martin Luther King. He once noted
that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands
in moments of comfort but where he stands at times of
challenge and controversy.
If we measure Paul and Sheila by that measurement, they
stand as very tall trees. Paul knew controversy. He knew
difficulty. He knew challenge. It rallied him. It made him
taller. It made him stronger. It was not comfort that he
sought. It was not comfort that he wanted to have. I have
often thought that in this life it is challenges that
build us, it is not comfort that builds us; that God has
created us to meet challenges, not to sit back and to eat
bon-bons or to let things go by in a measurable way, but
He puts challenges in front of us. The more we are willing
to accept, the more He is willing to give, and the more He
is willing to test us.
Paul and Sheila accepted challenge after challenge,
controversy after controversy, always with a pure heart,
wanting to do the right thing to help people, regardless
of what it might mean to themselves. They were there to do
it and they wanted to do it. They relished doing it and
they grew in doing it. He was a spirited fighter.
I remember reading about--certainly I was not in this
body then--when Hubert Humphrey served in this body and
was dying of cancer and they had a tribute to him in Time
magazine. I remember so vividly reading about it. The
title of it was ``Happy Warrior,'' because he was a
warrior and he was happy about it, that his course, his
challenge, in life was to be a warrior. He relished in the
opportunity to be a warrior.
I did not know him personally, but he could not imagine,
as I understand his personality, that there would be any
calling any better than to be a warrior.
Paul followed in those footsteps in a great and
magnificent way. He was a happy warrior, happily fighting
for his cause, happily pressing forward, knowing that
people disagreed with him. I disagreed with him often, but
I could never disagree with that passion. Nor could I ever
disagree with that heart. We developed a really good
friendship.
He is a man I was very fond of and I am fond of even
now. As I say, it is hard to think of him being gone. I
suppose that is because he and Sheila really probably
still are here.
My prayers have been with them, with the other people
who went down in that plane. So tragically their lives
were ended early. None of us will know why on this side of
eternity, but we can always learn and grow from him. We
are caused to grow in our life by each person with whom we
come in contact. I was caused to grow in a very profound
and very personal way by my contact with Paul and Sheila.
I am indebted to them. I pay tribute to them and what they
have done. God bless them.
Mr. SESSIONS. I would like to join my colleague, Senator
Brownback, in paying tribute to the life of Paul and
Sheila Wellstone. It is also so important for us to
remember the staff and others who were on that airplane.
We have people in this country who serve every one of us,
and their lives were given in service of their country
also.
Paul was a unique individual, no doubt about it, a man
who made us smile even when we were in debate against him.
He was a happy warrior. I think that is a good description
of him.
All of this points out, as the Scripture says, that life
is but a vapor. We are only here a short time. We might as
well pour ourselves into it and fight for what we believe.
Else, what is life all about?
He did that. He poured himself into his job, poured
himself into his view of the world and life in general and
fought for that. His political agenda was an expanded
government. He wanted to help people in need. He was
passionate about that. He wanted to help people. To a
large degree, I suppose the disagreement I had with him
was that he believed that government was the way to make
that happen, but the goal was good. I know Paul liked me,
and I loved him. He was an individual who was very
special.
I feel real sad about this entire event, as do all of us
in this Senate. I remember his vote against the Iraq
resolution, which was something I felt very strongly in
favor of. He was the only Member of this body who was up
for reelection who had to answer to the voters on that
issue. He did not see it the way I saw it, and he did not
tack to the wind. He voted against that resolution and
went back home and answered to the people of Minnesota. He
told them why he did it, and either they agreed with him
or they forgave him. He was able to cast what many thought
was an unpopular vote and not suffer the apparent
political consequences.
I believe Paul was a special person. He set a good
example for all of us to realize that life is short. We
are only given this opportunity to serve in the greatest
deliberative body of the greatest country in the history
of the world for what we have to assume is a very short
time. We might think constantly that therefore we should
use this office for the people's good, and if we do that,
we will have honored his name, honored the commitment he
made to public service, and honored the people of the
United States.
I will miss Paul. He was a man of great strength and
character. This body will be poorer for his absence. Our
thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. President, I take a moment to pay my
personal tribute to Paul Wellstone. Paul was a dear friend
and someone for whom I had a great deal of respect,
someone with whom I enjoyed working. We served on the
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee together.
We served on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee
together. We had many opportunities to deal on differing
positions, obviously, on that committee, but always with
great congeniality and with a great deal of affection for
one another.
He and I were both in very heated reelection campaigns,
very tight reelection campaigns, and oftentimes discussed
before the adjournment our mutual desire to be able to
campaign in our States.
I share the grief of my colleagues in the loss we have
all experienced, the State of Minnesota has experienced,
along with his family and what they are enduring. We also
look back with a great deal of joy at the life he lived
and the contribution he made not only to his State, to his
country, but to each one of our lives.
I recall so often Paul standing at his desk. He took the
desk of one of my predecessors in the Senate, Dale Bumpers
from Arkansas. He was a good successor for that position.
Where Senator Bumpers would often walk up and down that
aisle with great passion, so, too, Paul Wellstone would
use the entire length as he wandered that aisle and as he
spoke with such passion and such conviction.
I remember often his referring to himself, as he would
speak, ``as a Senator from the State of Minnesota.'' He
would use that expression. I don't know if that is as
commonly used as he used it--``as the Senator from the
State of Minnesota''--and he stated his position and
conviction. I thought that phrase, ``a Senator from the
State of Minnesota,'' summed up an awful lot of Paul
Wellstone. He was proud of the State of Minnesota,
representing the State of Minnesota and the people of
Minnesota. He was proud also of this institution, being a
Senator. He never lost the love and the awe for serving in
this great institution. In my mind, I will always be able
to hear echoing Paul Wellstone as he spoke on issue after
issue as a Senator from the State of Minnesota.
The area in which we found mutual interest and, though
from very opposite ends of the political spectrum, similar
feelings was the area of human rights, especially on the
cause of China and the people of China, telling the world
about the human rights abuses that continue even to this
day in China. Paul and I held many press conferences with
Members, colleagues from the House, who shared concerns
about China. He and I made many floor speeches about the
remembrance of the Tiananmen Square massacre and some of
the tragedies in the past.
I speak today with great affection, great admiration,
and a great sense of loss about Paul Wellstone. He was a
person who had great convictions. He was a man of great
conscience. He was a man who did not mind if he upset the
political order. He did not care that it might disrupt
someone's schedule if he needed to make a speech on a
position about which he felt very deeply. As one who
admired him for his conscience and his passion, I simply
pause today to express my appreciation and admiration for
the contribution he has made to all of us.
Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I would like to
add my voice to the many already heard today in
remembrance of a passionate, intelligent, spirited man,
Paul Wellstone.
Senator Wellstone was an original in a crowd abounding
with characters. Paul first gained notoriety for earning
this office logging miles on a green schoolbus, traveling
across the State of Minnesota touching the lives of
everyone he came across. Once in Washington, Paul made his
mark quickly on each Senator, aide, reporter, and officer
who has been lucky enough to serve in this institution
with him.
Paul Wellstone was a man of principle who provided
thoughtful analysis of every issue, but unlike some
passionate statesmen, for Paul it was never personal. He
respected differences in opinion though he was unwavering
in his own beliefs. And although I only served with him
for 2 years, I saw many times his warmth toward those
around him regardless of political ideology.
A few weeks ago we were on the floor giving tribute to
another of our Members, Senator Jesse Helms, who will be
retiring this year. Senator Wellstone eloquently praised
Senator Helms, who has been so often on the other side of
the ideological divide. At the conclusion of his remarks,
he embraced Senator Helms.
Paul was a man of ideas, but also a man of the people.
He will be sorely missed and our thoughts and prayers are
with his sons, the Wellstone staff, and the people of
Minnesota during this difficult time.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to remember a
man who is deeply missed. He was a colleague, a leader and
a friend: Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. Since
joining the Senate in 1990, Paul earned his reputation as
a great leader and a man of the people. He had strong
convictions and an unparalleled passion for supporting the
underrepresented.
As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions Committee, Senator Wellstone was a tireless
advocate for the concerns of working Americans. He pushed
for expanded school funding and for improved teacher
quality. He championed expanded financial aid to make sure
that money was not an insurmountable hurdle for those who
wanted to go to college. He fought for a higher minimum
wage and better working conditions. He wanted to help the
average American by working to provide better, more
affordable, more available health care. It was visible to
all who watched him that Paul truly loved his work, and
the people for whom he did that work.
Paul was a strong voice in the Senate and across the
country in the battle for human rights. For example, Paul
and his wife Sheila crossed the country fighting against
domestic abuse. But his concern for the dignity of human
beings did not stop at our country's borders. He
championed a trade policy that would protect foreign
workers from being exploited by multinational
corporations. He was a vigorous supporter for peace in the
Middle East and an advocate of foreign aid to help
vulnerable children and the persecuted of all races and
religions around the world. There wasn't an issue that
affected human beings or our quality of life that Paul did
not actively pursue; he fought for the people, stood up
for his beliefs and let the political chips fall where
they might.
Senator Wellstone was also a leading proponent for
American veterans and their families. Year after year, in
ways small and large, Paul Wellstone fought to improve
health care and other benefits for those who had served
their country. Many veterans disagreed with his views on
defense and foreign policy, but that did not matter to
Senator Wellstone. He understood that those who had put
their lives on the line for their country deserved special
treatment and special respect whether they supported him
or opposed him.
People didn't always agree with his position, but he was
always forthright. There was never a question of motives
with Paul. Senator Wellstone never let policy
disagreements get personal; he always had a ready wink or
smile or joke to share when the debate had ended. And he
had a sense of humor that was downright infectious.
I worked most closely with Senator Wellstone on
agriculture issues. Paul was a fighter. He worked
tirelessly to improve policy for the farmers in Minnesota
and other rural States. Minnesota's dairy farmers couldn't
have asked for a more vigorous ambassador in the fight for
a fairer dairy program; his efforts paid off in the 2002
farm bill, which made great strides in leveling the
playing field for Midwestern dairy farmers. Paul worked on
conservation issues, supported farm payment programs to
family farmers and worked to improve nutrition programs in
the farm bill. Senator Wellstone also understood the value
of strong communities in rural areas and tirelessly pushed
for rural economic development. As with everything else he
worked on, Paul brought a unique passion and unceasing
efforts to these battles.
Paul also worked side by side with me after the Red
River flooded Grand Forks and East Grand Forks in one of
the worst flood disasters in our history. His advocacy was
invaluable as we secured disaster aid to rebuild the
communities that had been devastated by flooding and
fires. When a battle was truly important and people's
livelihoods were on the line, there was no one who would
fight harder than Paul Wellstone.
We also worked together on the issue of mental health
parity. I can well remember when Senator Wellstone took
this issue to the Senate floor during the debate on health
insurance portability. The managers of the bill had
crafted a delicately balanced bill and agreed to oppose
all amendments in order to preserve their compromise. But
that would not stop Paul Wellstone. He offered his
amendment, and gave a typically passionate, personal plea
to put an end to the injustice that condemns those with
mental illnesses to inferior health care coverage. I was
privileged to join Senator Domenici and former Senator
Alan Simpson in making the case for this amendment. And,
despite the bipartisan opposition of the leadership on the
bill, Paul's passion and the personal stories shared by
his allies carried the day overwhelmingly.
Paul's enthusiasm was infectious and deeply respected by
his colleagues. No loss on an amendment or other setback
could keep Paul down; he was always ready to rejoin the
fight and perpetually optimistic that he would expand his
coalition and find a way to win the battle the next time.
It is his character and good humor that we remember, and
it is his unquenchable desire to help human beings of all
kinds that will prove to be the greatest loss.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, Paul Wellstone was a
committed and effective Senator who will be deeply missed
by millions of often ignored Americans, people who relied
on him not only to fight their battles, but to win
important victories on their behalf.
I worked closely with Senator Wellstone for many years
in a number of areas important to both of us.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, I know that he was a tireless fighter for the men
and women who had served in America's Armed Forces,
especially for ill and aging veterans, those least able to
fight for themselves, yet most in need of our help.
He fought for children, for their education and health
care. And he worked to fashion a welfare system that
encouraged work and protected children, without becoming
punitive or unreasonable.
He also worked on behalf of the unskilled and
unemployed, for a living minimum wage, for job training,
and for education benefits to promote workers' 21st
century skills. And I knew I could always count on his
support for West Virginia's steelworkers and all workers
threatened by unfair practices in an increasingly complex
economy.
Senator Wellstone's many battles earned him a reputation
as an ideologue and a firebrand. But I saw him reach
across the aisle many times in his career. His first
loyalty was to people, not to party, and his work with
Senator Domenici on the groundbreaking Mental Health
Parity Act stands as testimony to the strength of his
priorities and the effectiveness of his approach. I am
proud to be able to continue his work to bring equitable
treatment to those who suffer from mental illness.
Paul Wellstone never believed that having principles and
sticking to them somehow meant you couldn't get things
done in the U.S. Senate. Instead, he believed that you had
to stick to your principles, or you couldn't get anything
worthwhile done. It was an approach that made him unique
and won him unusual respect and admiration from every
Member of this body.
Senator Wellstone's tragic death, along with the deaths
of Sheila and Marcia Wellstone, staffers Tom Lapic, Mary
McEvoy, and Will McLaughlin, and pilots Richard Conry and
Michael Guess, have left a void in the Senate and in our
hearts.
But all of us who worked with him, or knew of the work
he did, will find some cheer in the memory of Minnesota's
great voice for justice and opportunity.
Many will remember him for his fiery speeches and
outspoken opinions.
But atomic veterans finally receiving treatment for
their service-related disabilities, and homeless veterans
with a new chance to find their way off the streets;
parents whose children are learning from better teachers
and enjoying better access to health care; activists who
found an ally in their struggle to end violence against
women; workers receiving job training; and entrepreneurs,
especially women, minorities, and the urban poor,
profiting from a changed and expanded Federal small
business loan regime--all these people will remember Paul
Wellstone, as I will, not just for what he said, but what
he did.
MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE
At 2:33 p.m., a message from the House of
Representatives, delivered by Ms. Niland, one of its
reading clerks, announced that the House has agreed to the
following resolution:
H. Res. 598. Resolution stating that the House has heard
with profound sorrow of the death of the Honorable Paul D.
Wellstone, a Senator from the State of Minnesota.
Thursday, November 14, 2002
PAUL AND SHEILA WELLSTONE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING
ACT
Mr. BARKLEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent
that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 3156,
introduced earlier today by myself and Senator Dayton.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by
title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 3156) to provide a grant for the construction
of a new community center in St. Paul, Minnesota, in honor
of the late Senator Paul Wellstone and his beloved wife,
Sheila.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the bill.
Mr. BARKLEY. Madam President, today, Senator Dayton and
I are introducing legislation to pay tribute to Senator
Paul Wellstone and his beloved wife Sheila.
Our legislation would provide a $10 million
authorization of Federal funds for construction of the
``Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community
Building'' at Neighborhood House in St. Paul, MN, where
Paul and Sheila lived.
First, let me thank the leadership on both sides of the
aisle for facilitating consideration of this legislation.
Senator Dayton and his staff, Senator Wellstone's family
and staff, and especially my colleague from West Virginia,
Senator Byrd, have literally moved Heaven and Earth to
bring this bill to the floor.
I may be the newest Member of this Chamber, but I fully
appreciate the extraordinary efforts of so many to allow
Senator Dayton and I to create a living legacy in honor of
Paul and Sheila Wellstone in such short order.
Neighborhood House was founded by the women of Mount
Zion Temple in the 1880s as a settlement house, helping
newly arrived Eastern European Jewish immigrants to
establish a new life and thrive in their new community.
Senator Wellstone always had a genuine affinity for
Neighborhood House, as his parents, Leon and Minnie, were
Russian Jewish immigrants themselves. But his affinity
reached far beyond this personal link. Neighborhood House
truly embodies everything that Paul Wellstone fought for
over the course of his entire life: that all people, no
matter their background or economic status or country of
origin or race or creed, would have a fair shake at life,
and an opportunity to belong to and enrich their
communities.
Neighborhood House has been building doorways of
opportunity for diverse communities for nearly 120 years.
The Neighborhood House is a multicultural-multilingual
agency that provides and houses an array of programs,
including legal services, child care, recreation programs,
senior programs and education. ``Senator Paul,'' as he was
referred to by many at Neighborhood House, came every year
to the Freedom Festival at Neighborhood House to honor the
new American citizens from the Hmong, Latino, and other
communities.
Indeed, the entire Wellstone family was very committed
to Neighborhood House. Just 2 weeks before their deaths,
Senator Wellstone sent his daughter Marcia to tour
Neighborhood House and talk with staff about important
issues for our community.
In addition, Sheila Wellstone's championing of women's
issues is embodied in Neighborhood House programs such as
Hispanic Women in Action, a cultural empowerment group
that enables women to retain their culture while learning
a new one, address challenging family issues, and develop
into leaders not only for their families but also their
community.
When Neighborhood House began to research the
construction of a new facility to meet growing needs, it
was Senator Wellstone himself who suggested that the
organization seek a Federal statute to help fund the
construction.
The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community
Building will be a 93,000 square foot state-of-the-art
community gathering place on St. Paul's west side. It will
house social services, community engagement, recreation,
and arts programs for residents of St. Paul, as well as
new Americans in the greater Twin Cities area.
The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community
Building will also serve as an education and learning
center for communities throughout the entire State of
Minnesota. Last evening, the memorial program for the
service to celebrate the lives of Paul and Sheila
Wellstone contained these words: Complete those dear,
unfinished tasks of mine. And I, perchance, may therein
comfort you.
Paul, this is our first step toward finishing your work.
I also commit to working during my short tenure in this
distinguished body to try to help pass your signature
legislation, the Mental Health Parity Act.
Again, I thank the Senate leadership for the
extraordinary accommodation to allow us to bring this bill
to the floor today. It, too, is a tribute to the respect
and love of Paul Wellstone by his Senate colleagues.
Mr. DAYTON. Madam President, I am proud to join with my
colleague, Senator Barkley, in cosponsoring the Paul and
Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building Act. I pay
tribute to my colleague, Senator Barkley, for taking the
initiative on this matter, for your leadership. I believe
it has been one week to the day since the Senator arrived
in Washington, and even before he had undertaken the oath
of office and assumed the official title of Senator from
Minnesota, he was acting on behalf of our State.
He deserves the credit for this measure. Others are
moving Heaven and Earth, as the Senator said. I believe he
is too modest. He is the prime mover in this matter. I
salute my colleague for his doing so under such
extraordinary circumstances. I could not think of a better
way for anyone to begin service in this Chamber than to
honor our colleague, Paul Wellstone, and his wife Sheila,
who cared about these matters from their own heart.
As Senator Barkley said, with the experience that Paul
had being the son of immigrants and his undying compassion
for those who came to this country under any
circumstances, Paul's concern extended beyond those who
could do him some good in this society. Paul's concern was
for those he could do good in this society. He devoted
countless hours, thousands and thousands of hours to
people and causes where there was no benefit for him,
there was no political advantage.
Most of the people coming to this center were not
citizens and would not be for a number of years. Paul did
it out of his heart; Sheila did it out of her heart, out
of their common compassion for their fellow citizens, with
no thought of gain or benefit to themselves.
This is a fitting first tribute. I hope it will be only
the first tribute. I join with Senator Barkley in asking
my colleagues here and in the House to ultimately pay
tribute to Paul and Sheila, especially Paul, since this
was his matter of concern, the Mental Health Parity Act.
He worked tirelessly with Senator Domenici to pass this in
the Senate, and unfortunately it was not adopted in
conference committee.
I join Senator Barkley in hoping that measure could be
passed in this session. If it is not possible, I will do
everything I can, working with Senator Domenici and others
next year to see it does pass. This is an important
statement of the Senate and the House. We need to pass it,
honoring Paul and Sheila Wellstone. It is appropriate
because it symbolizes that compassion, that spirit of
humanity which marked their lives.
Mr. BARKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the
bill be read three times and passed and the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table, without intervening
action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The bill (S. 3156) was read the third time and passed,
as follows:
S. 3156
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Paul and Sheila Wellstone
Center for Community Building Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Senator Paul Wellstone was a tireless advocate for
the people of Minnesota, particularly for new immigrants
and the economically disadvantaged.
(2) Paul and Sheila Wellstone loved St. Paul, Minnesota,
and often walked the neighborhoods of St. Paul to better
understand the needs of the people.
(3) Neighborhood House was founded in the late 1800s in
St. Paul, Minnesota, by the women of Mount Zion Temple as
a settlement house to help newly arrived Eastern European
Jewish immigrants establish a new life and thrive in their
new community.
(4) Paul and Sheila Wellstone were very committed to
Neighborhood House and its mission to improve the lives of
its residents.
(5) When Senator Wellstone became aware that the
Neighborhood House Community Center was no longer adequate
to meet the needs of the St. Paul community, he suggested
that Neighborhood House request Federal funding to
construct a new facility.
(6) As an honor to Paul and Sheila Wellstone, a Federal
grant shall be awarded to Neighborhood House to be used
for the design and construction of a new community center
in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be known as ``The Paul and
Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building''.
SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION GRANT.
(a) Grant Authorized.--The Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development shall award a grant to Neighborhood
House of St. Paul, Minnesota, to finance the construction
of a new community center in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be
known as ``The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for
Community Building''.
(b) Maximum Amount.--The grant awarded under this
section shall be $10,000,000.
(c) Use of Funds.--Funds awarded under this section
shall only be used for the design and construction of the
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is
authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year
2003, which shall remain available until expended, to
carry out this Act.
Mr. LIEBERMAN. I congratulate our new colleague from
Minnesota, not only for the nobility of the purpose for
which this legislation is dedicated, to honor the memory
of our dear friends Paul and Sheila Wellstone, but for the
fact he achieved the passage of a measure so early in his
time here as a Member of the Senate. I congratulate him
for his purpose and for his success.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF PAUL WELLSTONE
Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, today I offer my
condolences to all the friends, family members and
admirers of Paul Wellstone. As has been said many times,
Paul Wellstone was fiercely proud of the causes with which
he associated himself. Certainly, to have Paul Wellstone
articulately and strongly arguing on one's behalf was a
great asset. His many friends are forever grateful for his
wrestler's tenacity as he advocated for those issues which
he so emotionally believed.
Several years ago a candidate for Congress in Rhode
Island retired from the campaign because of a shortage of
funds, declaring that no longer could ``Mr. Smith go to
Washington.'' Paul Wellstone proved that yes, indeed, Mr.
Smith could go to Washington. In 1990 he challenged an
incumbent who possessed a huge financial advantage in what
many assumed to be a quixotic and hopeless campaign. In
November of that year Paul Wellstone was the only
challenger to beat an incumbent, providing inspiration
forever to long shots.
Three cheers for the people of Minnesota who have shown
a propensity for embracing people of divergent
philosophies. In the last few years Minnesota has elected
Rod Grams, Jesse Ventura and Paul Wellstone; public
servants with very different approaches to the issues of
the day. I join Minnesotans and Americans in mourning the
death of the passionate and good-natured Paul Wellstone.
Monday, November 18, 2002
IN REMEMBRANCE OF PAUL WELLSTONE
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, like all of my colleagues, I
was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic accident
that claimed the life of Senator Wellstone, his wife
Sheila, their daughter Marcia, two pilots, and three
members of Paul's staff. My heart goes out to the families
and they will remain in my thoughts and prayers.
It was always a privilege working with Senator
Wellstone. In fact, one of the last images I have of him
was in the final days of the session, when I encountered
him coming up the aisle in the Senate Chamber after a vote
with his typical boundless energy, warm smile, and
friendly greeting. He was a compassionate, honorable man--
and it was obvious to all of us that, together, Paul and
Sheila made an extraordinary and loving team.
As a public servant, Senator Wellstone's most enduring
legacy will surely be his career of conscience in elective
office. With his unwavering passion and integrity, he was
highly respected and will be long remembered.
With both of us hailing from northern border States, we
shared the same perspective on a number of issues such as
the reimportation of prescription drugs, and we worked
together over the years to ensure the critical low-income
energy program, LIHEAP, would be there for the people of
Maine and Minnesota.
I was proud to serve with him on the Small Business
Committee where I saw his diligence and tenaciousness
first-hand, and to work with him on issues of importance
to our veterans such as a bill establishing July 16 as a
national day of remembrance for atomic veterans, as well
as a measure providing for increases in veterans spending.
I was also pleased to help champion his and Senator
Domenici's legislation to create mental health parity--a
perfect illustration of his compassion and the causes for
which he felt duty-bound to fight.
Indeed, all of us and, most important, the people of
Minnesota, could count on Paul to stand up for his deeply
held beliefs, speaking always from the courage of his
convictions. He personified the notion of being able to
disagree--even vehemently--without being disagreeable.
In fact, I cannot help but recall that when Senators
were offering their appreciation to Senator Helms upon the
occasion of his retirement, Senator Wellstone offered very
heartfelt and touching words. He acknowledged that he and
Senator Helms often differed on the issues. But Paul
respected the purity of the convictions of his colleague
across the aisle--and he wished him well.
Now, it is Paul Wellstone who has left our midst, and
the entire Senate family shares in the sense of loss. We
have a desk that was once filled with Paul's irrepressible
spirit, and it strikes me that Paul Wellstone perished in
pursuit of the very ideal he held to be so noble and
worthy--public service.
This institution is always at its strongest when it is
populated with men and women of Paul Wellstone's
authenticity. We are diminished by his passing, and he
will be missed.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I would like to take this moment to
note the loss of a dear colleague, a dedicated advocate
for veterans. Many have eulogized Senator Paul Wellstone
in the past few weeks, and I do not need to tell my
colleagues of his passion, his energy, and his unwavering
commitment to shout on behalf of those who cannot speak
for themselves. However, few have noted his work on behalf
of America's veterans, particularly those most neglected
by a Nation that has not always kept its promises. Senator
Wellstone worked on behalf of homeless veterans, veterans
suffering from the mental illnesses that can be the silent
legacy of the battlefield, and for those who returned from
war to fight their own government's denials about the
invisible wounds caused by chemicals and radiation. Paul
Wellstone may have launched his political career in
protest of the Vietnam war, but as a Senator, he chose to
fight for those who served. It is up to all of us now to
carry on his work.
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL WELLSTONE
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I was unable to be on the
floor the day that we paid tribute to our colleague,
Senator Paul Wellstone. I would like to take just a few
moments this evening.
Like my colleagues, I was deeply saddened over the
tragic death in a plane crash of our colleague, Paul
Wellstone, his wife Sheila, his daughter, several members
of his staff, and the plane's pilots. His death is a
grievous loss to those members of his family who survived,
to the people of Minnesota, whom he served so faithfully
and honorably, to his colleagues in the Senate, and to the
Nation.
Paul Wellstone lived the American dream. His parents
came to this country as immigrants. He excelled in school.
He earned both his B.A. and his doctorate at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He went
straight from the University of North Carolina to Carleton
College in Northfield, MN, as a young professor, where he
taught for more than two decades. Minnesota became home to
him and his family.
In 1990, the people of his State sent him to the Senate;
and in 1996, they voted to send him back for another term.
Paul Wellstone was a person of deeply held convictions,
a dedicated fighter for working families. He fought with
passion for his principles but was also deeply respectful
of those who disagreed with him. He was profoundly
committed to the democratic political institutions that he
had studied in his youth, that he taught to so many
students over the years, and that, by his own direct
engagement in our Nation's politics, he brought to life.
We feel a great loss in the death of this courageous
fighter for a just and decent America, and we will seek to
honor his memory by carrying forward in the spirit in
which he lived and gave his life.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I too rise to pay tribute to
Paul Wellstone and send condolences and prayers to the
Wellstone family, to all of his hard-working and dedicated
staff, and to the other families involved.
Paul Wellstone was a passionate, courageous, never
wavering fighter for his ideals. He fought vigorously for
what he believed in. He fought vigorously for Minnesotans,
Americans, and people around the world. And he did so side
by side with his wife Sheila, an eloquent and forceful
advocate for domestic abuse victims and so many others.
He was committed to economic and social justice.
He was indignant about the lives faced by the poor, the
downtrodden, the battered, and all the ``little guys.''
He envisioned a better world for everyone, and strove
every day to help secure that better world. He was
tireless, but never humorless, in this struggle.
He challenged Members of the Senate, the President, and
all Americans to envision this better world and to join
him in the struggle for that better world.
He fought for all of us, but most especially for our
children, for battered women, for working families, for
individuals with disabilities, for seniors, for family
farmers, for veterans, for Native Americans, and for new
immigrants.
He fought to improve education, health care, and the
environment. He was a leading voice, a champion, a fighter
for these and other important needs of our Nation.
As he said:
If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand
for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't
really stand for them.
His view of politics was insightful and straightforward,
just like the way he lived his life. He said:
Politics is what we create by what we do, what we hope
for, and what we dare to imagine.
He believed with all of his heart and soul in the
American promise of equal opportunity, that
Every child in America should have the same opportunity
to reach his or her full potential regardless of the color
of skin, gender or the income level of the child's
parents.
To make that happen, we need to provide every child with
the same tools for success. I can still hear him say: ``We
cannot realize the goal of leaving no child behind on a
tin cup budget.'' He would make this pitch during hearing
held by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, on which I was honored to serve with him, on
the floor, education funding rallies, and anywhere and
everywhere.
He believed that education funding should come before
tax cuts for the wealthy. In the education reform law that
he voted against because he believed that it didn't
provide enough resources and that the tests it demanded
would be ``educationally deadening,'' he worked to ensure
the highest quality tests possible and to recruit and
retain highly qualified teachers, among other important
provisions.
He was also a leader in the fight for full funding of
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He also
long worked to give welfare recipients the chance to get
off the rolls and into good paying jobs by allowing them
access to postsecondary education.
His legislative efforts to provide mental health parity
were born in large part out of his brother Stephen's
struggle with mental illness and his family's struggle
with the problems of lack of insurance coverage of mental
illness treatment.
In an editorial in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, he
said:
Think of what fairness in treatment for mental illness
would mean. Think of the lives saved, the suffering eased.
Suicide is linked to untreated mental illness in 90
percent of cases. Americans with mental illness, who are
homeless or warehoused in jails, would instead get the
humane care they need. Workplace productivity would
improve, with less absenteeism and a higher quality of
work. Other medical costs would go down. There would be
fewer broken families, broken lives and broken dreams.
Paul Wellstone could not have been more right. We must
pass mental health parity in his name, and we must pass it
as a first order of business in the next Congress of the
United States.
He also championed improved health care for children and
adolescents, particularly substance abuse and mental
health treatment and suicide prevention, included in the
Children's Health Act of 2000. He coauthored the law that
provides funding for Parkinson's disease research. He also
worked for a real patients' bill of rights and a
prescription drug benefit for our seniors.
With his wife Sheila, he led the fight to end domestic
violence. He worked for passage of the Violence Against
Women Act in both 1994 and 2000, a landmark law that
provides help, protection, and improved services to
victims of domestic violence.
He long worked to address the needs of children who
witness domestic violence. Children who live in homes
where domestic violence occurs are at a higher risk of
anxiety and depression, and exhibit more aggressive,
antisocial, inhibited, and fearful behaviors than other
children. They also are at risk for recreating the abusive
relationships they have observed, and many, as a
consequence, are juvenile offenders.
His legislation on this issue is pending in the Senate
version of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
Reauthorization Bill.
He fought for passage of the Family and Medical Leave
Act, and was working to expand it.
He was a leader in the fight to raise the minimum wage
and to extend unemployment insurance.
He believed in equal pay, worker protections, and secure
pensions.
He fought to ensure veterans get the benefits and
support they deserve.
He worked for cleaner air and water, reduced greenhouse
gas emissions, and renewable energy. He led the fight to
stop the oil companies from drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
He once again spoke for people with no voice, by
championing naturalization for Hmong citizens who aided
the U.S. war efforts in Vietnam, as well as by joining me
as a cosponsor of the Liberian Immigration Fairness Act.
Paul's efforts were not limited to improving the lives
of Americans. As a member of the Foreign Relations
Committee, he championed human rights around the globe. He
worked with Senator Brownback to enact legislation to
address international trafficking in women and children
for prostitution and forced labor.
He also coauthored the Torture Victim Protection Act to
help rehabilitate tortured survivors in the United States
and abroad.
And he was a leading advocate and voice for sensible
multinational-international approach to foreign policy.
Paul Wellstone demanded bold action to right the wrongs
of this world. He fought for many valiant causes, and in
doing so, he improved millions of lives. However, his
fight is not finished. There is still much to be done. It
is a fight we all must continue.
As Paul Wellstone once said after the 1994 election:
We don't have time for despair. The fight doesn't
change. It just gets harder. But it's the same fight.
In his spirit and the spirit that is the most noble part
of this Nation, let us carry on this noble fight.
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Mr. DASCHLE. Let me mention a colleague who left us too
soon--Paul Wellstone. It was a joy and an honor to have
him in the Senate.
Paul said that he came here to rattle some cages--and
sometimes he rattled mine. But he always told the truth.
And he always remembered who he was speaking for. As I
have said before, he was the soul of the Senate. He had
that rarest and most difficult kind of bravery: moral
courage. He always stood for what he believed in, even if
it meant standing alone. And he fought in a way that
ennobled his causes and inspired us all. And I will miss
him dearly.
Mr. SPECTER. Paul Wellstone has been the subject of
tribute and a man who will be truly missed. His work on
mental health parity with physical ailments will be Paul
Wellstone's real legacy. I had an opportunity to travel to
Minneapolis to pay tribute to the Wellstones' two sons.
The tragedy with Paul and Sheila and their daughter is
truly the saddest occasion of the past Congress.
Mr. HARKIN. I want to pay my respects to our departed
friend, Senator Paul Wellstone. I did not want this
session to end without saying something for the Record
about the large gap left in the Senate by the untimely
death of Paul Wellstone.
Paul was my closest friend in the Senate. But in truth,
Paul Wellstone was one of those rare souls who so many saw
as their best friend. He had a powerful authenticity that
made a miner on the Iron Range know that he was as
important to Paul as the President of the United States.
Paul never had to proclaim his decency; it shone forth
every day in great acts of political courage and small
acts of human kindness. He never had to ever say he cared.
It just showed in how he greeted the elevator operators
and the policemen outside. Sometimes we walked over to the
Hart Building and talked to workers on the grounds.
Everyone was a friend of Paul's and he always had a smile
and a handshake for everyone.
We saw this in him every day, in dozens of ways, from
that hand over there at his desk relentlessly chopping the
air as he stood on the floor speaking for those who
otherwise had no voice, to the countless people he reached
out to help across his State and across the Nation.
The hard-working folks he cared about most didn't have
lobbyists or influence, but they had Paul Wellstone, and
he truly was their best friend. Everyone called him Paul--
not just his colleagues but staff and citizens alike. He
would not have it any other way. No one ever wore the
title of ``Senator'' better--or used it less.
In the days since that terrible tragedy, we have seen an
outpouring of grief and admiration every bit as authentic
as Paul himself. It is a tribute to him and to the
yearning I believe in this country for a politics that can
truly be the noble profession of putting principle above
the latest polls. Paul truly was the soul of the Senate.
Sometimes he cast votes that even some of his friends
disagreed with--on war or on welfare. But when he did, he
was the mirror in which we, his colleagues, looked at
ourselves and searched our own hearts to ask whether or
not we were doing the right thing.
So we say thank you to the political science professor
whose measure of truth was never in political theory, but
the impact that his decisions and ours had on real people.
Since he left us, Paul's friends and admirers have
focused on Paul Wellstone as the lone man in the arena
fighting a battle against injustice. Paul Wellstone was
that. But he was also a doer who left behind a real record
of accomplishment in the Senate.
Paul was one of the Senate's leading voices for
education, pushing for investments in early education, for
class size reduction, and for student financial aid so
working and middle-class families could afford to send
their kids through college. And we worked together
tirelessly to increase the Federal Government's investment
in special education, so students with disabilities could
get the education that is their right.
Paul Wellstone worked alongside Senator DeWine to pass
sweeping reforms of our Nation's job training, adult
education, and vocational rehabilitation programs. By
streamlining often confusing and overlapping programs and
paperwork, Paul Wellstone's efforts are helping ensure
that America's workers get the training and help they need
to stay on the job or to find new employment.
As a warrior for peace, Paul understood this Nation's
duty to the men and women who bear the scars of war. Paul
authored, fought for, and helped enact legislation to
improve the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of
American veterans. This law ensures that homeless veterans
who suffer with alcoholism and drug addiction have ready
access to the treatment and care they need and deserve.
Paul also made a courageous push for a policy whose time
had passed and should be done now, and that is mental
health parity. Along with Senator Domenici, Paul authored
the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, a groundbreaking
proposal ensuring health care coverage of mental illnesses
be provided on par with coverage of other medical
illnesses. In the final year of his life, he continued to
push for the expansion of mental health coverage, again
teaming with Senator Domenici to introduce the bipartisan
Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, which could expand
parity for mental health insurance.
I hope that in the next Congress, the Senate and the
House will enact what I hope will be deemed the Paul
Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act, to finally put mental
health on the same plane, the same level as all other
medical illnesses.
Paul once said, ``Politics is what we create by what we
do, what we hope for, and what we dare to imagine.''
Paul didn't just dare to imagine a better America--he
helped to build it. Sure, he was willing to fight the
lonely fight when he thought it was right and proper, but
he also knew how to turn idealism and ideas, ideas into
action to improve people's lives--investing in education,
expanding health care, fighting killer diseases such as
Parkinson's, helping homeless veterans, and veterans
exposed to radiation.
Because of what he did, family farmers will have a
better future. Because of what he demanded, mental illness
will soon be treated equally in our health care system.
Because of who he married--his wife Sheila--and because of
her passionate charge, more women and children will find
safe harbor from the scourge of domestic violence.
Paul Wellstone left us at a time when America needs him
the most. He believed, as his champion and mentor Hubert
Humphrey once said, that
The moral test of government is how that government
treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children,
those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly, and
those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the
disabled, and the needy.
Those words, as much as anything else, form the focus of
my public life and, I hope, the true path of my political
party. It is a course in conscience that Paul Wellstone
tried to set for his party and his country.
But it now falls to each of us, those in the land of the
living, to continue Paul Wellstone's journey for justice,
to continue to speak out, to stand up and fight the good
fight, and to lead our Nation with courage and conviction.
The times demand it. In the coming days, may we all have
the courage of our friend, Paul Wellstone.
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I'd like to say a special
word for our dear departed colleague Senator Paul
Wellstone--who I want to describe in the best way I know
how, as a mensch--a man, a very good man. He radiated
decency and kindness and commitment to make the world a
better place. That was so not just in what he said and did
on camera, but in what he said and did in quiet moments,
small moments, private moments.
Much has been made of the fact that Paul was a teacher.
And it is fitting. I think about all the lessons that Paul
Wellstone the political scientist taught to his students,
and how every one must have come alive when he ran for
office--and won--in 1990. That inspiration will last for
generations.
Paul Wellstone taught his students, by example, that
Americans who want change can do much more than carp or
complain. They can and should enter and shape the system.
They can and should be a part of the government of the
people, by the people, and for the people.
Senator Wellstone uplifted the Senate and uplifted our
democracy, and he did it with the clarity of his
conscience and the power of his principles and passions.
It's no wonder Paul titled his book The Conscience of a
Liberal, after Barry Goldwater's book The Conscience of a
Conservative. Paul had read Senator Goldwater's book as a
boy, and though he found himself at the opposite end of
the political spectrum, Paul admired Goldwater's decency,
his honesty, and his conviction.
The name ``Paul'' comes from the Roman family name
``Paulus,'' which meant ``small'' or ``humble'' in Latin.
And Paul was physically small. He was spiritually humble.
But the scope of his ideals and of his service was
monumental.
In The Ethics of the Fathers, a tome of Jewish law, it
is written: ``It is not your obligation to complete the
task [of perfecting the world], but neither are you free
to desist [from doing all you can].''
Paul Wellstone, as a Senator, a father, a husband, and a
man, lived these words and lived them well. May he rest
alongside his wife and daughter in peace.
TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL WELLSTONE
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, as the 107th Congress nears
its conclusion, I rise to join my colleagues in
remembering our beloved colleague, Senator Paul Wellstone.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wellstone family,
Paul's staff, and the people of Minnesota. We are all
saddened by the tragic deaths of Paul and Sheila
Wellstone, their daughter, Marcia Wellstone Markuson, and
the Wellstone staffers and pilots.
America will sorely miss Paul Wellstone and his
passionate advocacy on behalf of those in our communities
and our country who too often feel that no one in
Washington hears their voice. Paul Wellstone was their
voice, he was their champion, driven by his unwavering
conviction that government can and should be a force for
good in people's lives. Paul was a caring, persistent, and
passionate advocate for veterans, children, the mentally
ill, and working families. He was committed to ensuring
that all Americans had the opportunity to make a better
life for themselves and their families, and that wherever
possible, government act as a positive instrument to
advance opportunity and equality for all Americans in
education, job training, access to health care, and the
availability of quality health care. He was driven by his
commitment to civil rights and equal justice. Whether
speaking on the Senate floor or to a workers' rally,
retracing Robert F. Kennedy's tour of America's poorest
communities, or visiting veterans hospitalized in
Minnesota, Paul lived his convictions and values. Whether
you agreed or disagreed with Paul Wellstone on an issue,
there was never any doubt about his integrity, the passion
and commitment he brought to his work, and the deep pride
he felt in serving the people of Minnesota in the Senate.
Paul and I were both first elected to the Senate in
November 1990. I had been appointed to the Senate a few
months earlier, but we were both the new kids on the
block. From the outset, with his incandescent personality,
exacting integrity, commitment to the values he espoused
and the ability to speak passionately and eloquently about
the issues he cared so deeply about, Paul distinguished
himself as an exceptional Senator and an extraordinary
human being.
Over the course of his tenure in the Senate, Paul became
a dear friend. Because of the chronic discomfort he
experienced as a consequence of his lifetime love of the
sport of wrestling, he was interested in my experiences
with hip replacement surgery. At the start of the 107th
Congress, our offices were next to one another. His
boundless energy, enthusiasm, and good spirits were always
welcome and brightened the day for everyone he greeted on
his way to and from his office. I remember one
conversation on a long bus ride back from a Democratic
retreat in Pennsylvania. My eldest son, Danny, had joined
Millie and me for the weekend, and he struck up a quick
friendship with Paul and Sheila. Over the course of the
ride back to Washington, we discussed philosophy and
politics, the upcoming midterm elections, destiny, and the
power of living in consonance with your values and
beliefs. I listened as Paul and my son agreed on the
importance of living life to the fullest and living every
day as if it is your last. That day stays with me because
that is precisely the way Paul Wellstone lived his life.
He celebrated life. He loved his job and his constituents.
He adored Sheila and his children and grandchildren. He
always made the time to greet, talk to, or offer words of
encouragement to everyone he encountered as he went about
his day. To me, this is Paul's greatest legacy, the lives
he touched, the people he inspired, the spirits he lifted
with his message of hope and justice.
Paul had hoped to visit Hawaii after the November
election and had spoken to my son Danny about bringing his
entire family for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.
Paul and Sheila never had the opportunity to visit Hawaii
with their children and grandchildren as we talked about,
but they truly lived aloha. For aloha is love. And love is
the spirit that brings people together in harmony. In its
true sense, aloha has to be transmitted to others,
especially to each other, and aloha really is in the
giving, not the taking. When you give, you are sharing
aloha. This is how Paul and Sheila Wellstone lived their
lives and it is why we in the Senate family miss Paul and
Sheila terribly. I want to bid Paul and Sheila Wellstone a
fond aloha. May God bless them and the Wellstone family.
Na Iehowa 'oe e ho'omaika'i mai, a e malama mai--The Lord
bless you and keep you.
Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I appreciate this
opportunity to add my voice to those who have spoken in
honor of our late colleague Senator Paul Wellstone.
In the 4 years we served together, Paul and I didn't
always vote the same way. But we shared the most important
value of all: We wanted to do best for the people who sent
us to the Senate to represent them. On a full range of
issues, from education to health care to veterans affairs,
Paul fought tirelessly for what he believed was best for
the people of Minnesota and the United States.
I admired Paul's conviction and passion in presenting
his viewpoints and arguing his case. I admired his honesty
and conscientiousness in standing up for what he believed.
Most of all, I admired the goodwill and sense of fairness
that he brought to this body. I hope that even though we
won't always agree in our debates here, we can always keep
alive that same spirit of goodwill, fairness, and
openness.
Paul Wellstone wasn't from the South, but he possessed
all the qualities of a Southern gentleman. He was never
rude or mean-spirited toward those who disagreed with him,
and he was unfailingly civil to both his allies and his
adversaries. I feel fortunate to have had him as a
colleague and blessed to have had him as a friend. He will
be sorely missed.
I would like to pay tribute also to the two members of
Paul's family--his wife Sheila and his daughter Marcia--
who perished with him on October 25. Furthermore, three
members of Paul's campaign staff--Will McLaughlin, Tom
Lapic, and Mary McEvoy--and two pilots--Richard Conry and
Michael Guess--lost their lives in that accident. My
deepest sympathies and my prayers go out to their families
and friends in this time of loss.
ACCURACY IN STATISTICS AND THE DEBATE OVER BIPARTISAN TAX
RELIEF
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the
importance of accuracy in the debate over bipartisan tax
relief.
I was very pleased to work with over one-fourth of the
Senate Democratic Caucus in passing the largest tax cut in
a generation. That legislation has been the subject of a
coordinated attack by the Democratic leadership and some
of its allies in the media. For almost a year and a half,
I have responded to these attacks in committee, on the
Senate floor, and in the media.
The basic premise of my responses has been that
participants ought to be intellectually honest in the data
used in the debate. Reasonable folks can differ on whether
bipartisan tax relief is a good idea or not. We ought to
conduct that debate in a fair and open manner.
Apparently, my responses caught the eye of a key opinion
maker, Mr. Paul Krugman of the New York Times. Mr. Krugman
is a regular columnist and focuses mainly on economic
policy. Mr. Krugman took aim at me and my statements in a
column, dated October 18, 2002. I ask unanimous consent
that a copy of that op-ed be included in the Record.
Mr. Krugman defended the often-mentioned but seldom-
sourced statistic on distribution of the benefits of the
tax relief package. It's the statistic we hear over and
over again. The statistic claims that 40 percent of the
benefits of the tax relief package go to the top 1 percent
of taxpayers.
Mr. Krugman claims that I did not have an alternative
answer to the 40 percent statistics.
I responded in a letter to the editor, dated October 24,
2002.
My letter sources data from the unbiased, official
scorekeeper of tax policy for Congress, the Joint
Committee on Taxation. This data had been placed in the
Record in the statements Mr. Krugman criticized. That
data, updated for the last year the tax cut is
distributed, 2006, shows that the top 1 percent of
taxpayers will receive a lower share of the benefits of
the tax cut, 27 percent, than their burden, 33 percent.
The remaining difference of 6 percent is distributed to
taxpayers with incomes below $100,000. That's why Joint
Tax concludes that the bipartisan tax relief makes the Tax
Code more progressive.
By the way, this fact is not incidental. It reveals a
key ingredient to our bipartisan success in 2001.
My Democratic partners in the bipartisan bill insisted
that we make the Tax Code more progressive as a condition
for their support. That was a condition that I shared with
them. We would not have produced the bill in the Senate
without their support.
Mr. Krugman struck back at me again in a column dated
October 29, 2002. He claimed my letter was ``misleading''
because I did not include the benefits of death tax relief
in the analysis. I ask unanimous consent that a copy of
that op-ed be included in the Record.
I prepared a response to Mr. Krugman and submitted it to
the New York Times editor. Unfortunately, the Times policy
only permits two responses per person per year. So Mr.
Krugman can attack me every week if he wants to and my
responses are limited. So Mr. Krugman and the Times policy
left me with the recourse of responding on the Senate
floor. Otherwise his charge would stand unanswered. That
would be wrong.
Joint Tax does not distribute the death tax benefit
because the analysis requires a conceptual leap.
Economists have attempted to distribute the death tax
benefit.
For instance, the Clinton Treasury performed an analysis
at about the same time the former President was readying a
veto on a tax bill that contained death tax relief. Joint
Tax attempted to distribute the same kind of analysis in
the early 1990s, but abandoned it after finding problems
with it.
If you only read Mr. Krugman's columns, you would think
that this analysis is straightforward. It is not.
Basically, to get to where Mr. Krugman and his allies want
to go, you have to make a conceptual leap. You have to
assume that heirs of an estate have the same income tax
profile as the dead person. So you need to ignore the
reality that, for instance, tax-exempt organizations can
be heirs of an estate. You need to ignore the reality
that, as a general matter, no two sets of heirs look the
same for income tax purposes. For these reasons, an
unbiased official source, like Joint Tax, does not
distribute the death tax. That was the point I was not
permitted to make in a response.
For the sake of argument, however, let's give Mr.
Krugman the benefit of the doubt. Let's stack the deck
further in his favor by assuming that all of the death tax
relief provided in 2006 inures to the benefit of the top 1
percent. Let's perform this calculation even though it is
analytically unsound. If you add that revenue loss, about
$4.6 billion for 2006, into Joint Tax's distribution
table, you will find that the top 1 percent receive 29
percent of the benefits of the tax relief package. This
compares with the 27 percent official Joint Tax figure.
Recall that the top 1 percent bear 33 percent of the
income tax burden. In this case, the 4 percent difference,
once again, though to a smaller degree, increases the
progressivity of the Federal tax system.
Mr. Krugman also cites an alternative tax burden, total
Federal taxes, as the appropriate measure. Joint Tax's
distribution analysis includes the Federal tax burden and
as the projection for the last year shows the total
Federal tax system was made more progressive.
Mr. President, I agree with Mr. Krugman on some things.
We need to change the tone in Washington. If the tone is
to change, all participants, including public servants,
like myself, and opinionmakers, like Mr. Krugman, must
participate in the change.
Several things must happen if the tone in Washington is
to change. The first thing that needs to happen is
everyone must debate in an intellectually honest manner.
This means when a statistic is used, the source should be
referenced. Mr. Krugman's op-ed is the rare exception when
the source of the 40 percent figure has been revealed.
Over the last 18 months, in countless congressional
debates, in press reports and other venues, the 40 percent
figure has been used without attribution. At every point
when I have debated the other side of this issue, I have
provided the source of my statistics.
The source of the data is important because, in an
honest debate, any biases should be revealed. The source
of Mr. Krugman's statistic is Bob McIntyre of the Citizens
for Tax Justice. I respect Mr. McIntyre as a spirited
liberal advocate of his version of tax reform. Mr.
McIntyre's organization has an agenda. It is a tax policy
agenda that tends to be on the left side of the political
spectrum. There are competing organizations on the right
side of the political spectrum such as the Heritage
Foundation. These organizations also produce data on tax
legislation. I doubt Mr. Krugman would ever use
alternative analyses. If he did use these analyses, I
would expect him to cite the source.
There are also unbiased sources of data. An honest
debate ought to bring out that data and distinguish it
from data produced from biased sources. The Joint
Committee on Taxation, established in 1926, is an unbiased
source of data on tax policy. By definition, Congress'
official tax policy scorekeeper, Joint Tax works for the
House and Senate. Joint Tax works for both sides of the
aisle. Senator Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana, is the
current chairman of Joint Tax. Last year, Congressman Bill
Thomas, a Republican from California, was chairman.
Opponents of the bipartisan tax relief package, like Mr.
Krugman, do not use this objective source of data.
If we are to change the tone in Washington, not only do
we need to be honest about statistics, but we should put
statistics in the proper context. Mr. Krugman uses the tax
benefit figure in isolation. Mr. Krugman ignores the
context of tax burden. Joint Tax's distribution analysis
for 2006 shows that taxpayers who received the greatest
reduction in their tax burden were those with incomes
between $10,000 and $40,000. For instance, taxpayers with
incomes between $10,000 and $20,000 will enjoy a reduction
in their tax burden of 13.6 percent. Taxpayers with
incomes over $200,000 will see their tax burden reduced by
6.1 percent. This example, drawn from Joint Tax, not a
conservative think tank, puts the benefits of the tax cut
in context.
I agree with Mr. Krugman's objective. I also agree with
many of his sentiments about my late friend, Senator Paul
Wellstone. Senator Wellstone liked a good and vigorous
debate. He did so in an intellectually honest manner.
Let's change the tone in Washington. Mr. Krugman has a
role as an opinionmaker who opposes last year's bipartisan
tax relief package. I welcome a lively exchange with him
and others of his view. All I ask is that we have that
exchange in intellectually honest terms.
So I describe a real difference in the approach of
Midwestern transparent Iowans and that of an ivory tower
Easterner.
I ask unanimous consent to print the aforementioned
materials in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
Washington, DC, October 30, 2002.
Re ``For the People,'' by Paul Krugman (column, Oct. 29):
I continue to call for unbiased tax data in policy
debates.
To the Editor, The New York Times.
New York, NY.
Maybe You Can Take It With You
I share many of Mr. Krugman's sentiments about my late
neighbor and friend, Senator Paul Wellstone. As the
Senate's only working farmer, I was a ready partner of
Senator Wellstone in efforts to help family farmers.
Mr. Krugman described the data in my letter as
``misleading.'' His dispute lies not with me, but with
Congress' official, unbiased, tax policy scorekeeper, the
Joint Committee on Taxation. Joint Tax says ``estate and
gift taxes are not included due to uncertainty concerning
the incidence of those taxes.''
The uncertainty arises, in part, because estate tax
relief goes to the estate's heirs, not the dead person.
For income tax purposes, generally the person earning
income is alive to enjoy it. Attempts to distribute the
estate tax benefit are, at best, a very rough calculation.
In effect, those who take Mr. Krugman's view, believe the
dead person benefits from estate tax relief. Only those in
the ivory towers of academia believe you can take tax
relief to the grave.
Sincerely,
Senator Chuck Grassley,
Ranking Member, Finance Committee.
a
[From the New York Times, October 29, 2002]
For the People
(By Paul Krugman)
Ghoulish but true: as Minnesota mourns the death of
Senator Paul Wellstone, many of the state's residents have
been receiving fliers bearing a picture of a tombstone.
The flier, sent out by a conservative business group,
denounces the late senator's support for maintaining the
estate tax. Under the tombstone, the text reads in part:
``Paul Wellstone not only wants to tax you and your
business to death . . . he wants to tax you in the
hereafter.''
To be fair, the people who mailed out those fliers--
which are carefully worded so that the cost of the mailing
doesn't officially count as a campaign contribution--
didn't know how tasteless they would now appear. Yet in a
sense the mass mailing is a fitting epitaph; it reminds us
what Paul Wellstone stood for, and how brave he was to
take that stand.
Sometimes it seems as if Americans have forgotten what
courage means. Here's a hint: talking tough doesn't make
you a hero; you have to take personal risks. And I'm not
just taking about physical risks--though it's striking how
few of our biggest flag wavers have ever put themselves in
harm's way. What we should demand of our representatives
in Washington is the willingness to take political risks--
to make a stand on principle, even if it means taking on
powerful interest groups.
Paul Wellstone took risks. He was, everyone
acknowledges, a political who truly voted his convictions,
who supported what he thought was right, not what he
thought would help him get re-elected. He took risky
stands on many issues: agree or disagree, you have to
admit that his vote against authorization for an Iraq war
was a singularly brave act. Yet the most consistent theme
in his record was economic--his courageous support for the
interests of ordinary Americans against the growing power
of our emerging plutocracy.
In our money-dominated politics, that's a dangerous
position to take. When Mr. Wellstone first ran for the
Senate, his opponent outspent him 7 to 1. According to one
of his advisers, the success of that ramshackle campaign,
run from a rickety green schoolbus, ``made politics safe
for populists again.''
If only. Almost every politician in modern American
pretends to be a populist; indeed, it's a general rule
that the more slavishly a politician supports the
interests of wealthy individuals and big corporations, the
folksier his manner. But being a genuine populist, someone
who really tries to stand up against what Mr. Wellstone
called ``Robin Hood in reverse'' policies, isn't easy: you
must face the power not just of money, but of sustained
and shameless hypocrisy.
And that's why those fliers are a perfect illustration
of what Paul Wellstone was fighting. On one side, the
inclusion of estate tax repeal in last year's Federal tax
cut is the most striking example to date of how our
political system serves the interests of the wealthy.
After all, the estate tax affects only a small minority of
families; the bulk of the tax is paid by a tiny elite. In
fact, estate tax repeal favors the wealthy to such an
extent that defenders of last year's tax cut--like Senator
Charles Grassley, who published a misleading letter in
Friday's Times--always carefully omit it from calculations
of who benefits. (The letter talked only about the income
tax; had he included the effects of estate tax repeal, he
would have been forced to admit that more than 40 percent
of the benefits of that tax cut go to the wealthiest 1
percent of the population.) To eliminate the estate tax in
the face of budget deficits means making the rich richer
even as we slash essential services for the middle class
and the poor.
On the other side, the estate tax debate illustrates the
pervasive hypocrisy of our politics. For repeal of the
``death tax'' has been cast, incredibly, as a populist
issue. Thanks to sustained, lavishly financed propaganda--
of which that anti-Wellstone flier was a classic example--
millions of Americans imagine, wrongly, that the estate
tax mainly affects small businesses and farms, and that
its repeal will help ordinary people. And who pays for the
propaganda? Guess.
It's amazing what money can buy.
In an age of fake populists, Paul Wellstone was the real
thing. Now he's gone. Will others have the courage to
carry on?
a
[From the New York Times, October 25, 2002]
A Tax Cut for Whom?
To the Editor: Re ``Springtime for Hitler,'' by Paul
Krugman (column, Oct. 18): I stand by my call for unbiased
tax data in policy debates. Some observers claim that 40
percent of last year's tax cuts went to the top 1 percent
of taxpayers. The Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress's
official, unbiased source, says the top 1 percent will
receive 27 percent of the income tax cuts in 2006, the
latest projection available. Taxpayers with incomes of
$200,000 and less will receive the majority of the tax-cut
benefits, with 67 percent.
The real story is that despite those cuts, the top 1
percent of taxpayers will still pay 33 percent of Federal
income taxes. They will receive a lower share of the
income tax cut, 27 percent, than their burden, 33 percent.
The joint committee says the taxpayers who will receive
the greatest reduction in their tax burden have incomes
between $10,000 and $40,000. Those with incomes between
$10,000 and $20,000 will enjoy a reduction of 13.6
percent. Those with incomes of more than $200,000 will see
their burden reduced by 6.1 percent. Intellectual honesty
demands putting tax data in context.
Chuck Grassley.
a
[From the New York Times, October 18, 2002]
Springtime for Hitler
(By Paul Krugman)
You may recall that George W. Bush promised, among other
things, to change the tone in Washington. He made good on
that promise: the tone has certainly changed. As far as I
know, in the past it wasn't considered appropriate for the
occupant of the White House to declare that members of the
opposition party weren't interested in the nation's
security. And it certainly wasn't usual to compare anyone
who wants to tax the rich--or even anyone who estimates
the share of last year's tax cut that went to the
wealthy--to Adolf Hitler.
O.K., maybe we should discount remarks by Senator Phil
Gramm. When Mr. Gramm declared that a proposal to impose a
one-time capital gains levy on people who renounce U.S.
citizenship in order to avoid paying taxes was ``right out
of Nazi Germany,'' even the ranking Republican on the
Senate Finance committee, Charles Grassley, objected to
the comparison.
But Mr. Grassley must have thought better of his
objection, since just a few weeks later he decided to use
the Hitler analogy himself: ``I am sure voters will get
their fill of statistics claiming that the Bush tax cut
hands out 40 percent of its benefits to the top 1 percent
of taxpayers. This is not merely misleading, it is
outright false. Some folks must be under the impression
that as long as something is repeated often enough, it
will become true. That was how Adolf Hitler got to the
top.''
For the record, Robert McIntyre of Citizens for Tax
Justice--the original source of that 40 percent estimate--
is no Adolf Hitler. The amazing thing is that Mr. Grassley
is sometimes described as a moderate. his remarks as just
one more indicator that we have entered an era of extreme
partisanship--one that leaves no room for the
acknowledgment of politically inconvenient facts. For the
claim that Mr. Grassley describes as ``outright false''
is, in fact, almost certainly true; in a rational world it
wouldn't even be a matter for argument.
You might imagine that Mr. Grassley has in hand an
alternative answer to the question ``How much of the tax
cut will go to the top 1 percent?''--that the
administration has, at some point, produced a number
showing that the wealthy aren't getting a big share of the
benefits. In fact, however, administration officials have
never answered that question. When pressed, they have
always insisted on answering some other question.
But last year the Treasury Department did release a
table showing, somewhat inadvertently, that more than 25
percent of the income tax cut will go to people making
more than $200,000 per year. This number doesn't include
the effects of estate tax repeal; in 1999 only 2 percent
of estates paid any tax, and half of that tax was paid by
only 0.16 percent of estates. The number also probably
doesn't take account of the alternative minimum tax, which
will snatch away most of the income tax cut for upper-
middle-class families, but won't affect the rich.
Put all this together and it becomes clear that, such
enough, something like 40 percent of the tax cut--it could
be a bit less, but probably it's considerably more--will
go to 1 percent of the population. And the
administration's systematic evasiveness on the question of
who benefits from the tax cut amounts to a plea of nolo
contendere. Which brings us back to the new tone in
Washington.
When Ronald Reagan cut taxes on rich people, he didn't
deny that that was what he was doing. You could agree or
disagree with the supply-side economic theory he used to
justify his actions, but he didn't pretend that he was
increasing the progressivity of the tax system.
The strategy used to sell the Bush tax cut was simply to
deny the facts--and to lash out at anyone who tried to
point them out. And it's a strategy that, having worked
there, is now being applied across the board.
Michael Kinsley recently wrote that ``The Bush campaign
for was against Iraq has been insulting to American
citizens, not just because it has been dishonest, but
because it has been unserious. A lie is insulting; an
obvious lie is doubly insulting.'' All I can say is, now
he notices? It's been like that all along on economic
policy.
You see, some folks must be under the impression that as
long as something is repeated often enough, it will become
true. That was how George W. Bush got to the top.
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Monday, October 28, 2002
ADJOURNMENT
The SPEAKER. Without objection, the House stands
adjourned until 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 31, 2002, in
respect of the memory of the late Honorable Paul D.
Wellstone of Minnesota.
There was no objection.
Accordingly (at 11 o'clock and 3 minutes a.m.), under
its previous order, the House adjourned until Thursday,
October 31, 2002, at 11 a.m. in memory of the late
Honorable Paul D. Wellstone of Minnesota.
Thursday, October 31, 2002
MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
A message from the Senate by Mr. Monahan, one of its
clerks, announced that the Senate agreed to the following
resolution:
S. Res. 354
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone taught at Carleton
College in Northfield, Minnesota, for more than 20 years
in the service of the youth of our Nation;
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone served Minnesota in
the U.S. Senate with devotion and distinction for more
than a decade;
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone worked tirelessly
on behalf of America's veterans and the less fortunate,
particularly children and families living in poverty and
those with mental illness;
Whereas the Honorable Paul Wellstone never wavered from
the principles that guided his life and career;
Whereas his efforts on behalf of the people of Minnesota
and all Americans earned him the esteem and high regard of
his colleagues; and
Whereas his tragic and untimely death has deprived his
State and Nation of an outstanding lawmaker: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate expresses profound sorrow and
deep regret on the deaths of the Honorable Paul Wellstone,
late Senator from the State of Minnesota, his wife Sheila,
their daughter Marcia, aides Mary McEvoy, Tom Lapic, and
Will McLaughlin, and pilots Richard Conry and Michael
Guess.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit
an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased
Senator, and the families of all the deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it
adjourn as a further mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased.
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL AND SHEILA WELLSTONE
Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to
Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila Wellstone. As
we all know, the Wellstones perished in a tragic plane
crash, along with their daughter Marcia, three staff
members and two pilots on October 25, 2002.
It has been 18 days since that terrible day, and I am
still overwhelmed by sadness at the tragic death of our
dear friends whose plane went down in a northern Minnesota
wetland near Eveleth.
I continue to join all Minnesotans in mourning our great
loss. Minnesota has lost two compassionate and caring
public servants. Both Paul and Sheila will be sorely
missed by all of us who knew and loved them.
As the Wellstones' son, David, said, ``The words that
come to mind about my dad are integrity, passion, fairness
and intensity. When the going got rough, there was no one
else you wanted in your corner.'' And about his mother,
Sheila, David Wellstone said, ``The words that come to
mind are selfless, caring, loving, tenacious, proud and
strong. She gave of herself like you would not believe.''
Mr. Speaker, we all know that nobody fought harder or
with greater passion for the underdog than Paul and Sheila
Wellstone. Senator Wellstone dedicated his life to serving
others, and he was a tireless advocate for people in need.
Paul Wellstone was a person of absolute integrity and was
often willing to ``go it alone'' to stand up for what he
believed was right.
Sheila Wellstone was a true champion for battered women
and their families, and I was privileged to work with her
on many important causes like the Violence Against Women
Act and securing funding for Cornerstone, an emergency
shelter for women and their children who are victims of
domestic violence in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
Senator Wellstone's best friend, Rick Kahn of
Minnetonka, tells how Paul used to say to him, ``It is not
enough to cling to principles, no matter how noble they
may be, unless we are truly willing to risk everything.''
While Senator Wellstone and I had our disagreements on
many policy issues, there is no disagreeing that I lost my
partner in the fight for people with chemical addiction. I
will always be grateful to Senator Wellstone for his
tireless and principled efforts to provide chemical
dependency treatment for more Americans, and Paul
Wellstone was the Senate sponsor of our legislation to
provide parity for chemical dependency treatment.
Even though we encountered strenuous resistance from
special interests, Senator Wellstone was always truly
willing to risk everything for our cause to help people
with addiction. He was absolutely relentless in his
efforts to push for parity, both for people with chemical
addiction, and those suffering from mental illness. Paul
would call me frequently, and usually late at night, to
breathlessly relay his progress in securing another
cosponsor for our bill or to ask for advice; or usually to
give advice. I came to absolutely cherish those late night
phone calls from my friend.
As William Cope Moyers, vice president of the Hazelden
Foundation in Minnesota, the world-renowned treatment
center for chemically dependent people, put it, ``Senator
Wellstone was a passionate champion of what we do at
Hazelden, and his loss is immeasurable.''
Not only did we lose two deeply committed champions for
battered women and people with addiction, and so many
other Americans, I lost two of my dearest friends in that
plane crash. I have been asked many times since the crash
to share personal stories about the Wellstones. It has
been absolutely heartwarming to share personal memories
about Paul and Sheila with people throughout Minnesota.
And as we all know, in this body as well as the other
body, Paul Wellstone took his job very seriously, but he
never, ever took himself too seriously. He had a great
ability to poke fun at himself and bring people together.
Even when he had policy disagreements with people, he
always disagreed in an agreeable way, flashing that
contagious Wellstone smile and slapping the person on the
back in a warm, loving way.
Mr. Speaker, one of my favorite recollections of Paul
was the time he was considering a campaign for President.
Before he got on the airplane for our weekly commute back
to Minnesota, I instructed all of the regular commuters to
start humming ``Hail to the Chief'' as soon as Paul got on
the plane.
On cue, the passengers struck up a cord of ``Hail to the
Chief,'' and Paul saw me sitting in the back and came
right over to me and said ``Ramstad, do not forget. I
might be only 5 feet 5 and you are 6 feet 3, but don't
ever forget I was a wrestler and you were only a
basketball player.''
That was Paul Wellstone, always in good humor, always
flashing that contagious smile that reflected his love for
all people.
Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, Paul Wellstone was a person
of great courage. Who can forget Senator Wellstone
painfully walking around the Capitol bent nearly double
from the back injuries he had sustained as a wrestler and
from his struggles with multiple sclerosis, but always the
first to run back into the kitchen of the Senate Dining
Room to thank the cooks and dishwashers for his meals.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all in this body to pause for a
silent moment to pay our respects to Paul and Sheila
Wellstone, their daughter Marcia, and to the others who
perished in that plane crash, Tom Lapic, Mary McEvoy, Will
McLaughlin, Richard Conry and Michael Guess. My heart goes
out to the family members left behind and to Paul's
dedicated staff. May you rest in peace, dear friends.
Amen.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged
resolution (H. Res. 598) and ask for its immediate
consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 598
Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow
of the death of the Honorable Paul D. Wellstone, a Senator
from the State of Minnesota.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions
to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of
the deceased.
Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn
as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased
Senator.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago I had returned
to Minnesota from a human rights inquiry trip with the
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in El Salvador,
where we inquired into abuses of human rights visited upon
Salvadorans and the four American women, three church
women and one lay woman.
We visited the blood-spattered streets of San Antonio
Abad, the site of La Matanza, the massacre outside of San
Salvador. We met with numerous victims of violence by the
government and resolved to take action in the Congress on
our return to the United States.
On my return, I was asked by the president of the
student body of Carleton College in Northfield, MN, to
come and address the students on the experience that I had
just encountered.
It was an overwhelming response. The place for the
meeting was filled to overflowing, and students wanted to
gather afterward. They asked me if I would come and join
them at the home of one of the professors, which I did.
Of course, at that meeting, it was very animated and
intense questioning that came from the host, a young
professor, who impressed me with his deep sense of caring,
his feeling about this issue, his desire to do justice. I
was not quite sure of his name, and I asked again: Paul
Wellstone.
I said, Professor, you ought to think about running for
public office. He said, indeed, I am. I am considering
running for State auditor. Well, that was hardly a place
from which to make statewide policy, but it was something
that he wanted to do to get into the public arena, and he
felt there was a message that he could convey. As was
later revealed, however, his dyslexia prevented him from
really grasping numbers in the way that other folks do.
Nonetheless, he conducted a spirited campaign, and lost
to a gentleman named Arnie Carlson, who served as auditor
for several years, and then later ran for Governor and won
in the same year that Paul Wellstone ran for Senator and
won: 1990.
In between those two dates was a very high level of
spirited activism by Paul Wellstone, most notable of which
was leading the resistance to construction of a power line
across the State of Minnesota to be built by a generation
power company of the rural electrification system which
had really lost touch with its member cooperatives and the
people that the co-op was to serve.
Paul Wellstone called them to accountability, called
them and mounted a movement across the State to hold
hearings, to have public sessions to explain the necessity
for this power line running through the backyard of homes
and through farms, and what possible adverse side effects
there might be from the construction of this power line.
It was characteristic of Paul Wellstone's role in public
service that when people got too big, when organizations
got too big for their own good, he called them to account.
In Scripture, I find the roots of Paul Wellstone's drive
for public service. In Isaiah 11:4, under the rubric ``the
Rule of Immanuel,'' it is written ``But he shall judge the
poor with justice''; and again, in 12:1, ``Woe to those
who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees
depriving the needy of judgment and robbing my people's
poor of their rights.''
Nothing disturbed, distressed, angered Paul Wellstone
more or motivated him more to action than unjust statutes,
oppressive decrees depriving the needy of their day in
court, so to speak, or robbing the poor of their rights.
Whether we read into those verses of Scripture the Legal
Services Act, redlining in urban housing, the need for
surveying the homeless, providing adequate housing for
poor and middle-income Americans, or food stamps or Meals
on Wheels, we read the keystone of Paul Wellstone's career
of public service: A burning mission, anchored in
Scripture, expressed in public acts to improve the lives
of the least among us; to be a stirring voice for those
who either have none, or who have lost their voice.
At the memorial service honoring Senator Wellstone in
Virginia, MN, in my district a young campaign worker, Ida
Rukavine, spoke of the inspiration that young people felt
about Paul Wellstone, saying that her classmates, her
contemporaries, were looking for someone to be a role
model.
At a time when, as Ida implied, young people are indeed
looking for role models, I would pin this image on our
hearts: Paul and his wife, Sheila, walking wherever they
went hand in hand in all that they did, wherever they
traveled. We should take their hands symbolically and take
each other's hands and feel the strength of the spirit of
Paul Wellstone that still moves among us.
There were two votes that I would characterize as
bookends for Paul Wellstone's career of public service,
both of which I discussed with him at some length. The
first was early in 1991, when we were voting in the
Congress on whether to approve military action against
Iraq, and the last was the most recent vote in the
Congress, again to approve of a resolution giving
authority to the President to use force at a time of his
choosing of his determination against Iraq.
Paul's no vote was recognized as a vote of courage, a
vote of principle, a vote that marked his character in
public service and all that he stood for. It was my vote,
but it was his vote of deep conviction unashamedly
expressed, unabashedly carried out; a role model for young
people. Whether one agreed with the vote or not, one had
to agree that this was indeed a man of great strength,
personal character, and of deep conviction.
Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the
resolution and in memory of our colleague, Paul Wellstone.
The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and I had the
unique opportunity of serving with Paul for 12 years. But
when I think of Paul, I think of him primarily not in his
role as a member of the U.S. Senate but as a person, a
person who, when we saw Paul, we expected to see Sheila.
They were exceptionally close, and they were exceptionally
close to their family; to Marcia, who unfortunately was on
the plane with them; and to their sons, David and Mark,
and to their grandchildren. They were an incredibly close
family. Paul was so proud of his kids and his grandkids,
and wanted to spend as much time as he could with them.
I also think of Paul as someone who really connected
with people for really two reasons. One, he liked people.
He met them with a flourish and enthusiasm. Two, he really
had empathy for problems that impacted people.
All he said and did in politics was not about theory,
but about how what we do here impacts people in their
daily lives. Paul, the elected official, was a person who
always saw himself as primarily representing the underdog,
the underrepresented in society, and he did that with
compassion and intelligence and enthusiasm and incredibly
hard work. So Americans, those that struggle day to day in
life, lost a true friend, a true advocate.
We remember his boys and his grandchildren today, they
carry on a remarkable family, and we offer them our
sympathy and our thoughts in the days and weeks and months
ahead, but our State and our country suffered a real loss
in that plane accident.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the
resolution and in gratitude to my colleague for offering
it.
I have a big hole in my heart, and I think it is
reflective of the hole that is left now in the political
landscape, a space that was occupied uniquely by Paul
Wellstone. I feel great sorrow and great gratitude; sorrow
for the loss of a close friend and colleague, and
gratitude for having had the opportunity to know and work
with Paul Wellstone and his wife, his lifelong partner,
Sheila Wellstone.
Paul and Sheila Wellstone touched many, many lives;
literally tens of thousands of Americans considered
themselves to be their close friends and partners in the
effort to make America better. My husband and I enjoyed
spending time with Paul, listening to his stories and
jokes and planning strategy and organizing. Paul and
Sheila were always open and friendly, and always eager to
act on their beliefs.
In Chicago this weekend, we will hold a memorial service
to honor their lives. Similar memorial services are being
held in towns and cities across this country. Paul
Wellstone was the people's Senator, not just Minnesota's
Senator, the one you could always count on to push for
economic and social justice.
Paul used to talk frequently about the concerns raised
by people eating in the cafes and diners in Minnesota. He
brought those concerns to the floor of the Senate,
speaking for his constituents and for families everywhere.
He knew what it was like to deal with mental illness and
discrimination in the health care system. He made it his
job to end inequality in care and pass comprehensive
mental health parity. He knew what it was like to lack
health care coverage and to be unable to afford medical
treatment for a child or grandparent, and so he made it
his job to win universal access to affordable and quality
health care.
He listened to family farmers struggling to survive in
the shadow of agribusiness, and he made it his job to
speak for those farmers. He heard about discrimination and
lack of opportunity, and he made it a priority to break
down barriers to give every person the right to be
productive and secure and to protect the rights of working
men and women.
He listened to Sheila about the horrors of domestic
violence, and together they worked to reauthorize the
Violence Against Women Act and to stop the abuse that
threatens women and children.
As a teacher, Paul focused on the power of education to
improve our lives. He fought for better teachers and
better schools from early childhood development through
the university level. He embraced these weighty issues
with joy and exuberance. He was called the happy warrior.
He was never apologetic or defensive, always bold and
clear and, to many of us, thrilling.
Above all, Paul was proud to be an organizer. He
believed with every fiber of his being in the power of
people to make change and to win social and economic
justice. He taught us to strive for the very best in
ourselves and in our communities. He inspired us to do
more than we thought was possible because his vision of
what was achievable was so powerful. He showed us that we
can listen to our consciences, do what is right and take
courageous stands on issues from welfare to Iraq and still
win elections.
The people of Minnesota respected him and loved him and
mourn him because he lived and voted his values. Paul
Wellstone changed lives. He changed thousands of lives,
young people and old people alike. He empowered people. He
was a friend, and I want to end with Paul Wellstone as a
friend.
I have two friends in my district who loved Paul with
all their hearts; Harvey and Norma Mader were good friends
of Paul and Sheila Wellstone. For a long time before Paul
was elected to Congress, Harvey and Norma Mader were their
friends. They live in my district, but they were prepared
to go to Minnesota for the election as senior citizen
advocates. Their lives very much revolve around
progressive politics, and Paul Wellstone was their hero
and friend.
And Paul would call them up on the telephone and say,
How is Norma, how is she feeling? How are things going,
Harvey? It was common for Paul on a regular basis just to
check in with his friends. And when I was at that memorial
service in Minnesota, I talked to a number of people who
said Paul called me last week. He heard that my son was
sick or he heard that I was having a test at the hospital,
and he just called to see how I was.
I realize that so many of us who get so busy with our
work here and the weightiness of our work here sometimes
sacrifice ordinary friendships, but Paul Wellstone managed
to do it all. He managed to maintain those friendships all
over the country. That is what I heard. It meant so much
to Harvey and Norma Mader. It meant so much to all of the
people that he cared so much about. I think that says
something special about the kind of person he was.
Although Paul and Sheila are no longer here physically,
the partnership that we have with them will continue.
Through our commitment to their vision of America, Paul
and Sheila will always have an enormous impact on our
Nation and on our future.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time, and for coming forward to offer
this resolution. I recognize that a number of Members are
not here today because we do not have votes, but I am very
pleased that the gentleman was able to get the time so
some of us who felt so deeply about losing Paul Wellstone
would have an opportunity to express those views publicly.
On the floor from time to time we are admonished not to
refer to the other body. Well, this afternoon we are
referring to an unforgettable Member of the other body. He
was not a Member of this body, but Paul Wellstone's
presence was felt even in this body. In fact, this is the
kind of man whose presence could not help but be felt.
The loss of Paul, Sheila, his wife, and his daughter
Marcia is deeply felt here. In no small part, these three
were doing public business. They were all trying to get
Paul back to the Senate so he could engage in the business
of the public.
Why is Paul Wellstone so admired by Republicans and
Democrats alike in the Senate? We have heard about
Republicans who cried when they heard that Paul had been
killed. In no small part I think it is because Paul
believed in something, and he believed in being more than
a Senator. Beyond that, if I try to focus on what made him
so beloved to so many, particularly to those who worked
with him, I come time and again to the fact that he took
risks for what he believed in.
Members of the House and the Senate always admire that.
Regardless of where we stand on the issues, the notion
that somebody is willing to step forward and take
political risks is something to be admired; and, of
course, Paul Wellstone was willing even to risk his
political life.
That is another way of saying that Paul Wellstone came
to the Senate in order to stand for principle. The
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) spoke of
character. That is what character is all about. When the
rubber meets the road and a Member needs to decide whether
to take a risk on an issue, I think first of the principle
that I stood for. That is not what the political business
is all about. Sure, those of us from safe districts get to
do that all the time. I hope we are not patting ourselves
on the back. We are doing it for principle, but many are
doing it also because the people who live in our district
want us to do it. Paul Wellstone had to think about
whether what he was doing was what his constituents wanted
him to do, and whether it was the right thing to do
according to his own sense of principle.
So standing for principle in a real sense was a kind of
trademark of Paul Wellstone and indicative of his
character. I do not mean to say if a Member does not
always stand for principle they do not have any character.
But politicians particularly admire Members who are
willing to take risks, ignoring the political
consequences.
Now, let us not forget that Paul Wellstone was a most
unlikely candidate. It was unlikely that he would get to
the Senate at all. Let us be clear; he was a Ph.D. college
professor; and, indeed, a tenured college professor. I can
tell Members this is not a place where one expects
academics to come. I am myself an academic who never
expected and never intended to come to the House. I am a
tenured academic who still teaches at Georgetown Law
Center. And I can tell Members, those of us who spend our
lives trying to get tenure do not think of another career.
It is harder to get tenure than it is to get elected.
Tenured professors do not go around trying to get another
job.
One needs to think what in the world got into Paul
Wellstone, tenure at a very good liberal arts college.
Again, I go back to principle. At the bottom he was an
organizer, and he had done all he could do organizing, and
so he thought I guess I will go to the Senate and see if I
can organize there. I am sure that is the way he thought.
If he was an unlikely candidate when he got here, he
took on unlikely issues. He stuck with health care when
everybody else backed off because the Democrats tried very
hard in the early 1990s and got pressed back.
And again I can go down a lexicon of issues. Here is
another unlikely one, mental health coverage as a part of
ordinary health coverage, and he got that very far along.
Those issues speak to two abilities: One is the ability
as an organizer. He never lost that passion, never lost
that understanding that is the way to operate. Senator
Lieberman tells a funny story that one day Paul was
discussing an amendment on the floor. Paul walks into the
Senate, Paul is pressing his amendment. He does not even
think he has Members on his side, much less Republicans,
so he held up a piece a paper for Senator Lieberman to see
that said ``DLC votes yes,'' meaning Democratic Leadership
Conference votes yes because Senator Lieberman was in a
conference that was in another spectrum of the Democratic
Party. Senator Lieberman just laughed. Paul was so funny
and laughed all the time.
Paul was so collegial. Even those who could not possibly
vote the way Paul voted had to love him. I think of our
former colleague Sam Brownback, who made common cause with
Paul on a bill to prevent international sex trafficking of
women and girls. Together, this conservative Republican
and this liberal Democrat pressed that bill through the
floor. If you look at Paul's record, this one-man
progressive force was always looking for allies,
especially people who were more conservative than he. He
was not content to stand on principle alone. He wanted to
stand on principle and then get it enacted into law and so
he reached out to see how he could do that.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I will tell the quintessential
Paul story about a principle. At the height of the
wonderful economy of the late 1990s, when everybody was
doing well, I mean, I was going around bragging that more
African-Americans own homes, highest median income in
history, more rising out of poverty, at the height of this
economy, Paul called me up and said he wanted me to
cosponsor a bill, then he wanted to go to a church here in
the District to have a press conference about it. The bill
was called the Strategic Transitional Employment Program.
We should understand that unemployment was down to
something like 3 percent, way down from where I regret to
say it is now. This bill was about the millions who had
been left behind. Paul was tired of hearing how all of us
were doing so well, even the poor. Paul knew that there
was a horrific gap between the larger number of people who
were doing better and the millions who were not benefiting
from that wonderful economy.
I do not think Paul particularly believed this bill had
a ghost of a chance, but he did believe that if you were
one of those millions still unemployed, still living in a
community that did not have investment, still living in
rural or urban America where jobs were not being made out
of the dot-coms and all of the wonderful work that the
economy was doing, if you were in a manufacturing job
still waiting to be called back, Paul knew that nobody was
talking to you and had acted as if you had floated off the
planet. Paul did not believe you should stand up for those
who did not have only when the economy was the way it is
now, down and not doing well at all. Paul believed you
should stand up when you had not brought the great
American dream to all, especially when there were millions
upon millions upon millions who thought nobody even spoke
to their issues or spoke to them any longer because so
many people were doing so well. That to me is the
quintessential Paul.
Mr. Speaker, Senators, not to mention House Members,
come and go, but some rise to a special level. That is the
level of being simply irreplaceable. That is the level to
which Paul Wellstone has risen to Members across the line
in both parties. I again thank the gentleman for not only
yielding to me but for bringing Paul Wellstone to this
body.
Mr. OBERSTAR. I thank the gentlewoman for those
wonderful remarks.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was Veterans Day,
November 11. As I woke up in the morning, I thought, well,
I am getting on a plane today and I am going to be heading
off to Washington, a different type of Veterans Day than I
was used to spending. See, I used to spend Veterans Day at
veterans hospitals and cemeteries remembering those who
had given their lives, remembering those who came home
injured, whether it be physically or emotionally. I
remembered those days because I spent them with Senator
Paul Wellstone. Paul and I would often be at veterans
hospitals, cameras long gone, with veterans from all over
the United States, and we would sit and we would talk and
we would have very personal conversations with some
veterans who had not heard from family members in a long
time and who were alone. Paul would be on a plane as he
was the last time I flew out to Washington and he would be
with Sheila. His back would bother him or his legs would
be bothering him and he could not sit still for very long,
so especially after they changed the flight time where we
have to spend the last 30 minutes sitting on the plane,
not moving as we approached Washington National since
September 11, Paul would be on the plane walking up and
down the aisles, talking to elderly people, talking to
children, it did not make any difference whether or not
they lived in Minnesota, asking them what was going on in
their lives, what they were studying, how they were doing
in school. Sheila would be sitting there reading, working
on something to help Minnesota, to help our country, to
help our Nation, women of domestic violence, children of
domestic violence.
We have heard testimony from Members here of what a
great legislator Paul was, and he was truly a magnificent
Senator. But he was all those things because he was a good
teacher. He was a good father. He was a good friend.
Sheila and Paul never forgot family and their family went
beyond their children. Their family campaigned together.
Marcia, who was a teacher, was on the plane. Over the last
couple of weeks, I have met students of Marcia's. Paul was
a good father, he was a good teacher, and he passed that
on to his children.
Mary McEvoy was also on the plane. Mary was a dear
friend. Mary believed in the issues that Paul worked on,
helping children succeed, helping children to be literate.
Mary and Paul and Sheila together would work on those
issues and make them a reality in the everyday lives of
everyday children. But we all know and I know better than
ever having served in this body of Congress that our staff
is important. Just as we are judged by the friends we
keep, I think legislatively we can be judged by the staff
we work with. To the chief of staff, Colin McGinnis and
the Washington staff, to State director Connie Lewis, to
all the staff in Senator Wellstone's office, he was so
very proud of you and you in the work that you did made us
proud of Paul. To Mark and David, our loss is different
from yours. Yours is beyond my imagination right now
having lost so many family members. You shared your grief
with our State and with our Nation.
November 11 will never be the same. I will never drive
by a veterans cemetery or go by a veterans hospital
without thinking of all the work that Paul did for the
veterans in this country. I will never go in another grade
school and not think of all the work that he did for
children and education with those around him. I will carry
on a women's domestic abuse roundtable that we are having
with people in the Fourth District and Fifth District, St.
Paul and Minneapolis, without Sheila's presence. There
will be students in White Bear Lake who will always
remember Marcia. And Mary is so deep in the hearts of many
of us. But, Tom and Will, you also made an impact by
allowing Paul to do the work that he did and we are
blessed for having you all in our lives.
Minnesota will never be the same. Minnesota will always
remember what happened on the tragic Friday of October 25,
where they were, what they were doing, when we all stopped
and paused and remembered our blessings in having had such
a special Senator.
Paul, I will miss you in Washington and I will miss you
at home.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time and extend to him and the entire
Minnesota delegation the deepest sympathy of my family and
my constituents.
I have known Paul and Sheila for a very long time, long
before either of us were in Congress, he in the Senate,
going back to our days in the Democratic Party in the
early 1980s. I have known of his passion for the issues
and for working families in our country and his interest
in making a difference for them in our country.
I rise today to honor Senator Paul Wellstone, Sheila
Wellstone, the sadness of their losing their daughter at
the same time and to offer my sympathy to the families of
those who were lost in that terrible tragedy. To the
families of staffers Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic and Mary
McEvoy, Mary was a person of so many credentials and all
of them much heralded in these sad days, and of the
Captains Richard Conry and Michael Guess, I pray that you
can take some comfort in the fact that your loved ones
lost their lives in service to our country. To take part
in the political process, the process of educating voters
about their choices, is indeed a great service to
democracy.
To David and Mark Wellstone, thank you for sharing your
wonderful family with all of us and with the American
people. In this era of polls and pundits, Paul Wellstone
was that increasingly rare breed, a politician with the
courage of his convictions. We see a lot of that here in
Congress, but the public is not aware of that. He fought
for what he believed in. He voted for what he thought was
right regardless of whether it was popular. He stood for
something, and he stood his ground. In doing so, he gave
voice to the many millions of Americans who cannot afford
to make campaign donations and who are struggling just to
pay their rent and feed their families.
When Paul Wellstone took the floor of the U.S. Senate,
you knew you were going to hear something quite different
from what had come before and what was likely to follow.
You would hear passion and compassion and sometimes anger.
You would hear talk about issues that do not get a great
deal of attention these days, social justice, poverty and
the responsibility of government to improve the lives of
citizens. This was a responsibility that Paul Wellstone
lived and breathed, to the good of millions of America's
children and families.
Paul and Sheila left us not only a memory but a legacy.
His legacy of good works will live throughout the country.
Sheila's work in terms of domestic violence and so many
other issues are being made known to the American people
now more generally, but anyone who knew them knew of her
commitment and the difference she made in that area.
Losing Marcia is another tragedy, leaving her family
behind seems to be the saddest of all, but I hope again it
is a comfort to those families that so many people mourn
their loss and are praying for them at this time.
To us in Congress, Paul Wellstone left a special legacy.
We can keep his spirit alive and that legacy glowing by
standing strong for what we believe in and by bringing
both passion and compassion to everything we do. He did
that but he brought a great intellect, a great knowledge,
a plan of action. He was a great person. Sheila and Paul
were a great team.
Mr. Speaker, we have already had a service in San
Francisco honoring the memory of Sheila and Paul
Wellstone, Marcia and the others who perished. I bring
from that service, attended by hundreds of people, the
sympathy and condolences of my community to the people of
Minnesota. I am so sorry.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
those remarks. I again want to express my appreciation to
our Democratic whip for her call immediately following the
tragedy expressing her deep sympathy and condolences
through me to the family and to the close friends of Paul
Wellstone. It is characteristic of the gentlewoman from
California that she would call and express that profound
feeling. I am grateful that she mentioned the memorial
service. I know that the family will be most appreciative.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to first of
all thank the gentleman from Minnesota for yielding me
this time and for taking out this special order. I recall
a poet once saying, ``Some people see things that are and
ask why.'' But then he said, ``I dream of things that have
never been and ask why not.'' It seems to me that such was
the life, such was the career, such was the being of
Senator Paul Wellstone, a man who had an uncanny way of
penetrating.
Notice that many people say ``Paul Wellstone,'' and that
is because they felt a level of intimacy with him even
though they were not personal friends, even though they
had not traveled with him on an airplane, even though they
did not live in his neighborhood or come from his
district. He had a way of connecting, and so we would
think of him as Paul Wellstone, Senator Wellstone, full of
power, dynamite.
I knew that Paul could not sit still, but I did not know
it had anything to do with his legs. I thought it just had
to do with the level of energy and excitement that he
brought to everything that he did. I was pleased to spend
time with him in many small groups of people where there
were no television cameras or headlines--small groups of
labor organizers, college students, low-income people--and
he was asking the question then why not a livable wage so
that low-income people can enjoy a level of the goodness
and the greatness of this Nation? Why not health care for
everybody no matter where they come from or where they are
going? But he also believed in giving a lot, understanding
that if we put something in, we get something out. Always
organizing, knowing that life can be greater and better
than what it is.
It seems to me that another poet summed up his life when
he said that whatever one puts into it, that is what he
will get out of it. He said
I bargained with life for a penny and life would pay no
more; however, I begged at evening time when I counted my
scanty store, but I found that life is a just employer, he
gives you what you ask, but once you have set the wages,
then you must bear the task. I worked for a menial's hire
only to learn dismay, whatever price I had asked of life,
life would have willingly paid.
Paul Wellstone put a great deal into it, and he got a
great deal out of it. It has been a pleasure to know you,
sir. Condolences to your family and all of those who
shared your dream and your vision and went with you as you
left.
Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Minnesota
(Mr. Oberstar), and I do not want to go on at great length
about Paul Wellstone because so much has been said
already, but I believe I knew Paul Wellstone longer than
anyone in this Chamber, going back to, I believe, 1969,
when I was in my last year at Carleton College and Paul
Wellstone was in his first year on the faculty there. He
was even then a dynamic, passionate person who cut a
bigger swath than his stature might have led one to
believe.
So much has been said about how dynamic, how passionate
he has been in speaking out for farmers, for workers, for
people of all sorts, and what joy he brought to his
campaigning, to his political activity. He has been
described as a man of convictions, someone who spoke
clearly and directly, someone who is never criticized for
hiding his opinions, for shifting his opinions, for
pulling his punches. So it might sound to some people that
we are describing a cocksure, arrogant ideologue. It could
not be further from the truth. In my many interactions
with Paul Wellstone when he was a junior faculty member,
when he was an activist going from town to town around
Minnesota, when he was a friend with discussions in the
evening, when he was a mentor to me when I arrived on
Capitol Hill a couple of terms ago, in every instance what
characterized Paul Wellstone was not cocksure opinions but
questions. He was one of the best questioners I have ever
known, and one left each discussion with him with a sense
of having some doors opened through his questioning, some
understanding gained through his questioning, and a sense
of purpose gained from his questioning. What a loss.
Mr. EHLERS. I do not claim to know the late Senator
Wellstone very well. We had very little interaction, but I
had a deep interest in him because my home State was
Minnesota. That was the State of my birth, and I have
watched Minnesota politics with great interest over the
years and I also watched Mr. Wellstone with great
interest. And although his politics and his political
views were quite different from mine, I admire several
things about him.
In the go-along-to-get-along atmosphere we often
encounter in politics, he stood out as someone who stood
for his beliefs. He fought passionately for his beliefs,
and he sought to extend those beliefs into action, and I
admire that in any individual, whether in the House or the
Senate or the political arena in general, to have a stance
that they take, to have a passion for what they believe is
right, and to fight passionately for what they believe is
right I think is an admiral trait in any individual, and
Mr. Wellstone certainly exhibited that during his brief
career in the political arena.
So I just wanted to add those comments to the Record,
and I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar)
for having this session so we can each express our
opinions about what Mr. Wellstone has added to the Senate
and to our Nation.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) for those thoughtful comments. They
were much appreciated, and I know that the Wellstone
children will be most grateful and again for his ever
academic and thoughtful presentation.
General Leave
Mr. OBERSTAR. I would conclude by observing that Paul
Wellstone was more than a Senator, more than an advocate
for ideas, for issues, for causes. Paul Wellstone was
himself a movement, a movement for justice. I pray that
his movement will continue in the spirit in which he lived
his life of public service.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I was
deeply saddened by the tragic death of Senator Paul
Wellstone, his family members and staff, and I have prayed
for the families of all the victims of this accident.
I rise today to support this resolution honoring the
short but powerful life of Paul Wellstone, the people's
Senator. I will miss Paul, a good friend, a good person,
and an invaluable and courageous colleague.
Paul and I joined together on many occasions to fight
for legislation to help those who have so little power in
our society. Most recently, we coauthored a bill to
provide mental health and substance abuse treatment to
juvenile offenders. Paul understood that many young
offenders suffer from problems that are treatable and that
contribute to their troubles, but for which they rarely
receive effective treatment. It was not a bill written for
the powerful or wealthy interests. It was not a bill
written because it would be popular in the press.
It was just one of the many examples of Paul's genuine
desire to help people and demonstrated his understanding
of his role as a representative in government.
Paul Wellstone fought for working families, for better
schools, and for a cleaner environment. He was a dedicated
public servant who was passionate about his work and who
was proud to fight for progressive causes. His loss is a
loss for all of America and for all those Americans who so
desperately need champions on their side. Paul was a man
of principle, courage, and great intellect. Sadly, he will
not be easily replaced in our society and we will miss him
deeply.
Mr. EVANS. I rise to recognize the accomplishments of my
good friend, the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota.
Many have come before me to praise the character and
actions of this faithful public servant who left us all
too early last month. Many have lauded his commitment to
the underdog, to those who lacked a voice, to the ``little
guy.'' I speak of his commitment and passion for veterans.
During his 12 years on the Senate Veterans' Affairs
Committee, Paul was an active and committed member whose
heartfelt concern about veterans issues was often
unmatched. Paul has been remembered for his courageous
stands in both Bush administrations against sanctioning
military action in Iraq. At one time, Paul was criticized
for making his views on this known at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington. Even though the gesture may have
been misinterpreted, to me, it was symbolic of his
constant realization that war has consequences. We must be
ever-cognizant of the often painful realities of putting
our sons and daughters in harm's way and resort to force
only as the last recourse.
But Paul also consistently demonstrated that he believed
part of the cost of war was being ready to assist those
that were willing to put themselves on the line for their
country. For his advocacy he was honored by numerous
veterans service organizations, including Vietnam Veterans
of America, the Minnesota chapter of the Paralyzed
Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple
Heart and the Minnesota Veterans of Foreign Wars.
One of the things that drew people to Paul was his
willingness to listen. I was impressed that the Senator
rarely missed an opportunity to hear directly from
veterans at their annual joint legislative hearings held
here in the House. He would often bring the veterans to
their feet exhorting them to fight for their rights.
Last year, Paul introduced the Senate companion to my
bill, Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance
Act, S. 739. This bill addressed so many of the
constituencies Paul held dear--and men and women without
homes, individuals with mental illness, and veterans. I am
proud to say, with Paul's help in the Senate, we enacted
Public Law 107-95.
Paul also got things done for ``atomic'' veterans.
During his tenure, Congress identified many new diseases
which were presumed connected to veterans who were exposed
to ionizing radiation.
Veterans could count on Paul as an ally in the budget
process--he consistently put forth initiatives to increase
funding for veterans health care. I believe my friend Paul
would agree that we owe our veterans a great debt and he
was already prepared to pay the bill.
Paul and I also shared a chronic disability as a common
foe. He dealt with his MS without complaint pushing
himself to act when lesser men might have faltered. That
is part of the personal courage he demonstrated on behalf
of himself, his ideals, and the constituents who entrusted
him with an office he used to its best advantage every
day.
Paul, you were a cherished friend to me, to veterans of
this great Nation, and to every American who needed a
voice, I will miss you.
Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, the Congress, the State of
Minnesota, and the Nation tragically lost a great public
servant. The sudden death of Senator Paul Wellstone, his
wife Sheila, daughter Marcia, three staffers, and two
pilots in an airplane crash last month, saddens us all. I
extend my heartfelt sympathy and support to their family
and friends as they deal with this tremendous loss.
This is also a devastating loss for our Nation. As
chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I was
fortunate to work with Senator Wellstone on many issues,
such as the reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. Personally, I worked closely with
him on many veterans benefits issues.
Paul had a true passion for people, civil service, and
veterans that is matched by very few. Paul's commitment to
helping people, his warm sense of humor, and positive
attitude made him both a great Senator and an excellent
friend. His leadership and friendship will be dearly
missed by me, members of the CHC and all members of the
U.S. Congress. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Paul's
family and loved ones, and the family and friends of his
staff and the pilots.
EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE
HONORABLE PAUL D. WELLSTONE, SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great
American and a great man--Senator Paul Wellstone. The
passing of Senator Paul Wellstone creates a void that is
impossible to fill--it is a tragedy for this Nation and a
personal tragedy for me.
Paul Wellstone was a tireless fighter for what he
believed in. He was a man whose honor is unquestioned,
whose energy was infectious, and whose dedication to his
country--and those ideals upon which it was built--was
obvious in everything he did. Paul Wellstone's passing
robs voiceless Americans--the poor and disenfranchised--of
one of their greatest advocates. And it leaves those of us
bent on furthering a progressive agenda without one of our
greatest leaders.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to mourn the loss of one
of the hardest-working people I have ever known. Paul
Wellstone earned himself a scholarship to the University
of North Carolina as a student and an athlete. Four years
after graduation he was awarded a Ph.D. in political
science and began a 21-year teaching career in which he
became increasingly involved in community organizing. In
1990, Paul Wellstone--an underfunded underdog--ran a long-
shot campaign for the U.S. Senate, which he won by
energizing ordinary Minnesotans. Twelve years later, his
political legacy stands as testament to him keeping his
promises.
Unlike many politicians, there was no disconnecting
between Paul Wellstone's political ideology and the way he
lived his life. Paul was the Senator who knew the names of
the elevator operators and waiters in the Senate Dining
Room. He was the Senator who, according to James W.
Ziglar, a Republican who was Sergeant at Arms of the
Senate from 1998 to 2001, returned late one evening to his
office to tell the cleaning staff how much he appreciated
their work. Paul Wellstone's unique authenticity, and his
ability to remain true to his roots distinguished him here
in Washington and, as many Minnesotans will tell you, back
in his home State.
Paul Wellstone was an unabashed liberal. He believed
that every American should have access to affordable
health care and good public schools, that our foreign
policy should be based first and foremost on the sanctity
of all human life--American or otherwise. And he knew that
coming down on the right side of an issue--keeping in line
with his morals and ethics--was always more important than
voting with the majority or in a politically motivated
way. Paul Wellstone voted against the Persian gulf war as
one of his first acts as a Senator, and just recently was
the only Senator facing reelection who voted against
giving President Bush authority to conduct preemptive and
unauthorized military strikes on Iraq. Paul was a man who
did not compromise his ideals.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Senator Paul
Wellstone. In an era where the difference between talk and
action is often enormous, Paul Wellstone was a man who
lived as he spoke. I believe that America is better for
it.
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the
resolution honoring Senator Paul Wellstone and to express
my deep sadness at his unexpected death, and that of his
wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, members of his
campaign staff, and the two pilots of the plane.
Senator Paul Wellstone was a man of conviction and
passion who worked tirelessly on behalf of America's
families. He was dedicated to making the American dream a
reality for all--including the most marginalized among us.
Senator Wellstone always stood firmly by his principles,
consistently representing the people of Minnesota with
honor and courage.
I had the privilege of knowing Senator Wellstone and
working with him and his wife Sheila on the issue of
domestic abuse. Senator Wellstone was a vigorous champion
for reform. He was a driving force behind enactment of the
Violence Against Women Act--the most important domestic
violence law in our Nation's history. He also authored and
helped pass legislation that provides services and support
to children who grow up in violent homes and fought for
legislation that helps health care providers do more to
stop domestic violence.
During the past three Congresses, I was honored to
partner with Senator Wellstone in introducing legislation
that helps provide employment stability and security to
victims of domestic violence. And most recently, to have
partnered with him to secure $5 million for the Department
of Defense to fund confidential victim advocates to
address the problem of domestic violence among our
military personnel.
Senator Wellstone will be remembered as one of this
Nation's most dedicated and nationally recognized
advocates on domestic abuse. All of us who partnered with
him to put an end to this horrific crime know that this
movement has lost an irreplaceable leader. His lifelong
efforts to make our communities safer and more just will
serve as a model for all of us who will continue to fight
against the cycle of violence that plagues so many
American families.
Mr. Speaker, Senator Wellstone will be sorely missed by
all of us here in Congress, and fondly remembered as the
Senator from Minnesota who brought a message of social
justice and equality to the people of this great Nation.
My sincere condolences go out to the Wellstone family,
families of all those aboard the plane and to all the
residents of Minnesota.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution
598, I move that the House do now adjourn in memory of the
late Hon. Paul D. Wellstone.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and
58 minutes a.m.), pursuant to House Resolution 598, the
House adjourned until today, Wednesday, November 13, 2002,
at 10 a.m., in memory of the late Hon. Paul D. Wellstone.
PUBLIC BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
Under clause 2 of rule XII, public bills and resolutions
were introduced and severally referred, as follows:
By Mr. OBERSTAR:
H. Res. 598. A resolution expressing the condolences of
the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable
Paul D. Wellstone, a Senator from the State of Minnesota;
considered and agreed to.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE
HONORABLE PAUL D. WELLSTONE, SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the
resolution honoring my colleague and friend, Senator Paul
Wellstone of Minnesota.
Senator Wellstone was not only a friend of mine, but he
was also a special friend of my district, the Ninth
Congressional District of California. In fact, he had
visited my district not long before the tragic accident.
People in my community embraced Paul for the same reasons
so many across country did.
Paul Wellstone was a progressive champion who truly
personified the personal, populist approach to politics.
He was an organizer who never lost touch with his
grassroots. In fact, he proved that the support of
everyday Americans, not huge sums of corporate cash, could
still win elections. He proved that you don't have to
compromise your beliefs to be successful. He proved that
passion for beliefs earns the respect of even one's
biggest opponent.
Paul Wellstone showed no fear and incredible energy in
his approach to fighting for our shared progressive
agenda. He stood alone as the sole member of the
Progressive Caucus in the Senate. He worked tirelessly for
the least among us; often against incredible odds. Paul
was never afraid to speak up and to fight for his beliefs.
Despite the long odds he often faced, Senator Wellstone
was an extremely effective and accomplished Senator. His
work on mental health parity legislation is widely
recognized, and I sincerely hope to have the opportunity
to vote yes on the Wellstone mental health parity
legislation in the very near future. He, along with the
help of his wife Sheila, passed several pieces of
legislation to prevent domestic violence and to help its
victims.
He worked tirelessly to end the scourge of homelessness
among our Nations' veterans and to ensure those who served
this country received the health care they were promised
and deserve. As a former educator, he fought for increases
in Head Start, higher education funding, and better
schools for all children in America, regardless of income.
He fought for seniors and to alleviate the absurd cost of
prescription medication. In short: he fought for us all.
The people of Minnesota, the U.S. Congress, the
progressive movement, and all Americans were fortunate to
have such a strong, effective, tireless, and accomplished
leader serving us in the U.S. Senate. We will miss him
dearly.
And though he is no longer with us, we will always
remember and thank him for his incredible service. Now we
must honor his memory by continuing our collective fight
to make his vision of America a reality.
Mr. Speaker, I have attached for the Record a copy of
remarks I made in introducing Paul Wellstone at an event
last year.
Representative Lee's Introduction of Senator Wellstone (D-
MN) at 21st Century Democrats Dinner Wednesday, March 28,
2001
As we come together tonight to honor some amazing
populists with Democrats 2000, now known as 21st Century
Democrats, I am extremely proud to introduce one of the
greatest progressives in Congress--the phenomenal Paul
Wellstone.
As many of you know, after more than 20 years of
teaching, Paul Wellstone jumped into the 1990 Minnesota
Senate race. He rallied a huge grassroots network of
supporters, got a green bus to tour the State, and won his
election. When you are trying to rally the troops in your
State for an election, it's easy when you have an amazing,
inspirational, progressive leader like Paul Wellstone. He
personifies the personal, populist approach to winning
elections. He proves you need the support of everyday
Americans, not huge sums of corporate cash, to get
elected.
During his tenure in Congress, Senator Wellstone has
been a real leader in progressive causes and has held true
to his beliefs. He is our one and only Congressional
Progressive Caucus member in the Senate. He proves that
you don't have to compromise your beliefs to be
successful. He proves that your passion for your issues
make even your opponents respect you.
Senator Wellstone is one of the most effective members
of the U.S. Congress, which is no easy feat these days and
he champions issues few Members will dare to discuss.
Senator Wellstone has been active and successful in
dealing with many issues, but let me take a moment just to
commend him on a few.
He is a tireless supporter of legislation to ensure
mental health parity. He has passed several pieces of
legislation with the help of his wife Sheila to prevent
domestic violence and to help its victims. His work
helping homeless veterans and on veterans' health care has
earned him the recognition of numerous veterans'
organizations. As a former educator, his devotion to
education and children's issues has led him to fight for
increases in Head Start, higher education funding, and
better schools for all children in America, regardless of
income. He has partnered with Minnesota seniors to talk
about the international disparities in prescription drug
pricing and to pass legislation to correct this problem.
And these are just a tiny fraction of his successes. In
short, the people of Minnesota, the U.S. Congress, the
progressive movement, and all Americans are fortunate to
have a strong, effective, tireless, accomplished leader
serving them in Paul Wellstone.
Senator Wellstone, welcome, and congratulations on this
award you are receiving tonight.
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, just a couple of
weeks ago, an unspeakable tragedy hit not only this
Congress, but it hit this Nation. That was the loss of
Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife and daughter, staff and
others who traveled with him on that fateful day. We lost
a warrior who was not afraid to speak for the voiceless
and those that could not be heard.
So I stand here today unabashedly opposed to this
conference report and this rule on the bankruptcy bill;
and I believe Senator Wellstone would not mind me standing
in respect and admiration for his fight, for it was his
unrelenting work in the other body that caused this issue
to remain in the forefront, that although the
representation of this legislation is what many of us
would have wanted it to be, a respect for consumer
interests as well as fiscal responsibility, it is a
stomping out of the rights of the poor who cannot speak.
FURTHER MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
A further message from the Senate by Mr. Monahan, one of
its clerks, announced that the Senate has passed a bill of
the following title in which the concurrence of the House
is requested:
S. 3156. An Act to provide a grant for the construction
of a new community center in St. Paul, Minnesota, in honor
of the late Senator Paul Wellstone and his beloved wife,
Sheila.
DISPOSING OF VARIOUS LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The Chair will
entertain this combined request under the Speaker's
guidelines as recorded on page 712 of the House Rules and
Manual with assurances that it has been cleared by the
bipartisan floor and all committee leadership.
S. 3156, to provide a grant for the construction of a
new community center in St. Paul, Minnesota, in honor of
the late Senator Paul Wellstone and his beloved wife,
Sheila.
S. 3156
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Paul and Sheila Wellstone
Center for Community Building Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Senator Paul Wellstone was a tireless advocate for
the people of Minnesota, particularly for new immigrants
and the economically disadvantaged.
(2) Paul and Sheila Wellstone loved St. Paul, Minnesota,
and often walked the neighborhoods of St. Paul to better
understand the needs of the people.
(3) Neighborhood House was founded in the late 1800s in
St. Paul, Minnesota, by the women of Mount Zion Temple as
a settlement house to help newly arrived Eastern European
Jewish immigrants establish a new life and thrive in their
new community.
(4) Paul and Sheila Wellstone were very committed to
Neighborhood House and its mission to improve the lives of
its residents.
(5) When Senator Wellstone became aware that the
Neighborhood House Community Center was no longer adequate
to meet the needs of the St. Paul community, he suggested
that Neighborhood House request Federal funding to
construct a new facility.
(6) As an honor to Paul and Sheila Wellstone, a Federal
grant shall be awarded to Neighborhood House to be used
for the design and construction of a new community center
in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be known as ``The Paul and
Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building''.
SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION GRANT.
(a) Grant Authorized.--The Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development shall award a grant to Neighborhood
House of St. Paul, Minnesota, to finance the construction
of a new community center in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be
known as ``The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for
Community Building''.
(b) Maximum Amount.--The grant awarded under this
section shall be $10,000,000.
(c) Use of Funds.--Funds awarded under this section
shall only be used for the design and construction of the
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is
authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year
2003, which shall remain available until expended, to
carry out this Act.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
legislation (S. 3156) to create a living memorial for Paul
and Sheila Wellstone in my home district of St. Paul. I am
pleased that both the House and Senate were able to agree
on such a fitting tribute.
Senator Wellstone was my colleague, but Paul and Sheila
were also my constituents and my friends. Over the years,
Paul and I have walked the streets door to door knocking
and listening to the concerns of Minnesotans, working
together to address the challenges of our communities and
neighborhoods. Paul and Sheila's enthusiasm for public
service and their commitment to Minnesota were unmatched.
Today I stand with the Minnesota congressional
delegation to pay tribute to Paul and Sheila with a true
living memorial to their lives of serving the people of
Minnesota.
This legislation will authorize the design and
construction of a new community center in St. Paul at the
Neighborhood House. The Neighborhood House has played a
long-standing role in building community values among
diverse peoples. Since the 19th century, the Neighborhood
House has supported ethnic and cultural groups through
times of transition or need so that they go beyond mere
self-sufficiency, develop critical workforce skills, and
become active members of our democratic process. From
Hmong immigrants to Hispanic women facing domestic
violence, the Neighborhood House provides all those who
come an opportunity to improve the quality of their lives.
The new center to be named after Paul and Sheila
Wellstone will host youth and family programs, immigrant
education programs such as English classes, employment
services and workforce development. It will provide a
forum for new citizens to learn and integrate themselves
into their new society and will strengthen Minnesota's
richly diverse community.
Paul and Sheila Wellstone were advocates for people from
all walks of life. They were open to all Minnesotans. In
the Senate, Paul spoke for those who had no voice and he
worked hard to empower those who needed help the most.
This new center embodies the ideals and principles that
Paul and Sheila lived every day.
I thank all my colleagues in Congress for honoring Paul
and Sheila Wellstone in a way that will continue their
work and improve the lives of Minnesotans for years to
come.
Friday, November 22, 2002
H. RES. 598
Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and
great sadness that I rise to honor my friend Senator Paul
Wellstone, who died October 25 in a plane crash in
Minnesota along with his wife and daughter, three of his
staff members and two pilots. The mark that Paul Wellstone
left on the world was far, far greater than his small
stature and down-to-earth nature would suggest. And so,
the emptiness we feel at his passing is vast and deep. It
stretches far beyond the personal pain of losing a friend,
or the tragedy of his shattered family.
Senator Wellstone was a public servant in the most ideal
sense of the term. Politics never became more important to
him than the people he represented and the people he
loved. Victory never became more important to him than
voicing his true convictions. Power never became more
important to him than his desire to serve the powerless.
On the campaign trail, Paul Wellstone drove an old green
schoolbus across the State of Minnesota. From that bus
Senator Wellstone tirelessly assured people that he would
struggle for peace and fight for veterans, that he would
work to stop the tide of domestic violence and mental
illness, and that he would defend our fragile environment.
Most of all, that old bus brought hope and excitement to
people whom for too long, and for too many reasons, felt
that their government had forgotten about them. Now that
he is gone, that bus must not sit and rust away. We must
have the courage, the commitment, and the strength to keep
that bus rolling.
I will miss Paul Wellstone greatly. I know that we all
will.
Memorial
Will McLaughlin
Tom Lapic
Mary McEvoy
Marcia Wellstone Markuson
Sheila Wellstone
Senator Paul Wellstone
Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Williams Arena
University of Minnesota
Program
Processional
The Armed Forces Color Guard
Welcome
George Latimer
Opening Prayer
Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and Minnesota clergy
``America the Beautiful''
White Bear Lake High School Choir
Tribute Film--``Ladder to the Stars''
Will McLaughlin (1979-2002)
David McLaughlin
Tom Lapic (1952-2002)
Brian Ahlberg
Mary McEvoy (1953-2002)
Bob Bruininks
``Heroes''
Ann Reed
Marcia Wellstone Markuson (1969-2002)
Theresa Saxe
Larry DeNucci
Sheila Wellstone (1944-2002)
Connie Lewis
Paul Wellstone (1944-2002)
Rick Kahn
David and Mark Wellstone
Senator Tom Harkin
``Stand Up, Keep Fighting''
JD Steele
``Stand Up, Keep Fighting''
For the future of our country
Stand up, keep fighting
For the freedom of the people
Stand up, keep fighting
For the workers and the farmers
Stand up, keep fighting
For the elders and the teachers
Stand up, keep fighting
We do better
When we all do better
Working together
You and me
For the future
Of our children
Remember Paul Wellstone
For the ordinary people
Stand up, keep fighting
For the things that we believe in
Stand up, keep fighting
For the love we have between us
Stand up, keep fighting
For the land that just keeps giving
Stand up, keep fighting
Everybody
Is somebody
In this race
We count as one
The fire of justice
A common journey
Remember Paul Wellstone
Stand up, keep fighting
Remember Paul Wellstone
Stand up, keep fighting
Remember Paul Wellstone
Stand up, keep fighting
Everybody
Is somebody
In this race
We count as one
The fire of justice
A common journey
Remember Paul Wellstone
Stand up, keep fighting
by JD Steele & Larry Long. Copyright JD Steele & Larry
Long.
2002/BMI. All rights reserved
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The remarkable lives of these six individuals touched and
inspired countless others. To share your personal
memories, stories or condolences, go to www.wellstone.org
and click the ``remembrance'' link.
``Politics is about the improvement of people's lives.''
--Senator Paul Wellstone
A Service of Memorial
Celebrating the Lives of
Marcia Wellstone Markuson
Sheila Wellstone
Senator Paul David Wellstone
In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
We remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
We remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share,
We remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live,
for they are now a part of us, as
We remember them.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Washington Hebrew Congregation
3935 Macomb St., NW, Washington, DC
The Order of Service
The Israel Baptist Church Choir
Welcome and Opening Prayers
Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig
Rabbi David Saperstein
The Reverend Elenora Giddings Ivory
Musical Selection
Marcia Wellstone Markuson (1969-2002)
Mark Wellstone
Sheila Wellstone (1944-2002)
Marian Wright Edelman
Paul Wellstone (1944-2002)
David Wellstone
Colin McGinnis
Senator Tom Daschle
In Their Own Words--A Memorial Tribute
Senator Pete Domenici
Marianne Murphy
Joel Schwartz
Arthur Froe
Kiersten Stewart
Gene Nichol
Tribute Film
Musical Selection
``Sweet Survivor'' sung by Doug Mishkin
El Maleh Rachamim
Cantor Mikhail Manevich
Mourner's Kaddish
Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig
Closing Musical Selection
``Light One Candle'' sung by Doug Mishkin
Reception to follow in Ring Hall
Mourner's Kaddish
Yit-ga-dal v'yit-ka-dash sh'mei ra-ba b'al-ma di-v'ra chi-
r'u'tei, v'yam-lich mal-chu-tei b'cha-yei-chon
u-v'yo-mei-chon u-v'cha-yei d'chol beit Yis-ra-el,
ba-a-ga-la u-vi-z'man ka-riv, v'i-m'ru: A-mein.
Y'hei sh'mei ra-ba m'va-rach l'a-lam u-l'al-mei al-ma-ya.
Yit-ba-rach v'yish-ta-bach v'yit-pa-ar, v'yit-ro-mam,
v'yit-na-sei, v'yit-ha-dar, v-yit-a-leh, v-yit-ha-lal
sh'mei d'kud-sha,
b'rich hu, l'ei-la min kol bir-cha-ta v'shi-ra-ta, tush-
b'cha-ta v'neh-cheh-ma-ta da-a-mi-ran b'al-ma, v'i-m'ru:
A-mein.
Y'hei sh'la-ma ra-ba min sh'ma-ya v'cha-yim, a-lei-nu v'al
kol Yis-ra-el, v'i-m'ru: A-mein.
O-seh sha-lom bi-m'ro-mav, hu ya-a-seh sha-lom a-lei-nu
v'al kol Yis-ra-el, v'i-m'ru: A-mein.
Let the glory of God be extolled, and God's great name be
hallowed in the world whose creation God willed.
May God rule in our own day, in our own lives, and
in the life of all Israel, and let us say: Amen.
Let God's great name be blessed for ever and ever.
Beyond all the praises, songs, and adorations that we can
utter is the Holy One,
the Blessed One, whom yet we glorify,
honor, and exalt. And let us say: Amen.
For us and for all Israel, may the blessing of peace and
the promise of life come true, and let us say: Amen.
May the Source of peace send peace to all who mourn, and
comfort to all who are bereaved. Amen.
If I should die and leave you here awhile
Be not like others soon undone,
Who keep long vigil by the silent dusk and weep.
For my sake, turn again to life and smile.
Nerving thy heart and trembling hand.
To do something to comfort weaker
hearts than thine.
Complete those dear, unfinished tasks of mine.
And I perchance, may therein comfort you.
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``Never separate the lives you live from the words you
speak.''
--Senator Paul D. Wellstone
Acknowledgments:
The Officers and Staff of the U.S. Senate
Senior Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig and the staff of Washington
Hebrew Congregation
Tracy McDonnell, Pianist
The family and staff of Senator Wellstone thank you for
the many expressions of sympathy and support, and are
grateful
to the many friends who have volunteered their help to
make this memorial possible.