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Afterword
- University of Michigan Press
- Chapter
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Afterword Bill Bradley It would be easy, recalling Paul Wellstone , to think only of endings. The plane crash that killed Paul, his wife Sheila, his daughter Marcia, and his staff members Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic, and Mary McEvoy, ended six remarkable lives and Paul’s booming political career. The end seemed especially unfair not just because they were all too young, but because Paul looked to be on the cusp of winning another term in the Senate, where he was becoming steadily more effective even as he remained the institution’s conscience. Paul had achieved much; greater things awaited him. Paul and Sheila were close friends to me and my wife Ernestine. Like so many of their friends, and so many citizens who felt as if they knew the Wellstones personally, I miss them. Paul was an incredibly courageous man. He was a tremendous ‹ghter for what he believed in, and he displayed the courage of his convictions every day. He was extremely 135 bright, and his heart was as big as his mind. Sheila was smart, compassionate, very funny, and saturated with common sense. It can be tempting to remember only their loss. Paul was indeed one of a kind, and he can’t be replaced. But it would be wrong to think his work—or his effectiveness —ended with his life. On the contrary, now that he is gone, we can see more clearly how effective he really was. Paul was best known, I think, for taking principled but sometimes unpopular decisions, such as his votes against welfare reform and the Iraq war. But he was not quixotic. He didn’t want to be a noble loser; he wanted to make a real, practical difference. In the end, he did. And the reason he did was because of two particularly crucial talents: he inspired, and he organized. Let me speak ‹rst about his ability to inspire. Anyone who heard Paul deliver a speech recognized it instantly. He was more than a terri‹c speaker; he was a real orator. This is an age when many people disrespect old-fashioned oratory, but those who heard Paul understood that great speeches still matter. I learned that lesson well when I ran for president in 2000. Paul often introduced me at campaign stops, and I’d stand off-stage watching as he gave incredibly powerful speeches. He stormed the stage, waving his arms, stirring the crowd with crescendo after crescendo after crescendo, talking passionately about me, about the campaign , and about Americans’ highest ideals. Now, I am not an orator but I could do a fair impersonation of Paul. When I came on stage I would wave my arms and jump up and down in imitation. Beneath the joking, however, I felt deep admiration for his ability. He had a natural gift for public speaking, which he’d developed through relentless practice, and it was through this astounding oratory that he was most inspiring. PAUL WELLSTONE 136 [34.229.239.82] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 15:58 GMT) Yet his ‹ery stage presence would have been no more than just a performance if it weren’t absolutely authentic. History is cluttered with charismatic leaders who, when viewed up close, disillusion and disappoint. Not Paul. What you saw of him was what he was. If his speeches were inspiring his integrity was even more so. Paul was driven by and faithful to his principles. He believed deeply in the democratic process, and he was con‹dent that he could make the world a better place. When Paul roared about justice, opportunity, and his hopes for ordinary people, he was voicing his deepest convictions. He learned that in the Senate you never get 100 percent of what you want. He learned how to compromise when he had to, and his ability to compromise made him more effective. But if he sometimes compromised, he never capitulated. He never lost his ability to make a stand. He would vote alone or with just a handful of colleagues—his courageous, prescient opposition to the Iraq war is the best example—because there were certain principles he simply would not compromise . His devotion to his ideals was a challenge and inspiration to the rest of us. In his determination to make the world a better place, he made the Senate a better place. Paul moved people both through what he said and who he was. He challenged people to work for a better world, and to...