Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This book would not have been written without the support, advice, and encouragement of Professor Fred Greenstein of Princeton University. Fred served as my advisor for an independent study project that I originally planned to turn into an article about Paul Wellstone’s impact on politics. He encouraged me to think more ambitiously and to write a book about Wellstone’s life instead. Over the course of nearly two years—long after I had completed graduate school and left Princeton—Fred guided me through the long, frustrating, and exhilarating process of writing a manuscript. He responded to my questions at all hours and provided valuable lessons in writing and research. In the hundreds of e-mails Fred sent (I saved every one), he reassured me when I had doubts, provided wise advice (“hone, sharpen, cut out all unnecessary words”), and, above all, reignited my passion for learning. At a time of personal loss, Fred became my mentor and friend, and I am immeasurably grateful. There are many others who helped me turn this idea into a reality. The faculty and staff at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University provided a community of support, and I am grateful for their friendship. Special thanks to Ambassador Robert Hutchings, Ann Corwin, Dale Sattin, John Templeton, Erica Cosgrove, Amy Craft, and Deborah Yashar. Thanks also to Professors Donald Moon, Harry Hirsch, Larry Bartels, Richard Fenno, Sy Schuster, and David Gutterman for reading manuscript drafts and providing valuable comments and suggestions. I always wanted this to be a short, focused book rather than an exhaustive biography. Thankfully, I found Jim Reische at the University of Michigan Press, who indulged my wishes and was willing to consider the book despite its short length. Jim gave me smart advice and frequent encouragement , and I was grateful to have him in my corner. I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and colleagues who encouraged me to see this project through. I am enormously grateful to Mark and Dave Wellstone for allowing me to write about their mom and dad and for giving me access to Paul’s papers. Particular thanks to Mark, whose friendship I cherish. Thanks also to my colleagues at Wellstone Action, especially my friends and role models Jeff Blodgett and Connie Lewis. Special thanks to Dan Luke, Laurie Stern, and Lu Lippold , the producers of “Wellstone!” a terri‹c documentary about Wellstone’s life. They generously shared interview transcripts and other materials from their work and made my job much easier. My parents and my sister, Annmarie Rubin, read many early versions of the book and were vocal cheerleaders. My brother, John Lofy, who on a bad day is a better writer than I will ever be, spent many hours reading manuscript drafts, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xii giving me excellent advice, and keeping the faith. Thanks also to the entire Gutterman family for their support. While writing this book, I spent many late nights and early mornings in front of my computer and was often distracted and frustrated by the enormity of the task at hand. Through it all, my wife, Jamie, patiently kept me on task, took me snowshoeing and ‹shing when I needed a break, and reminded me of why I set out to write this book in the ‹rst place. To all I offer heartfelt thanks. Acknowledgments xiii ...