[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 145 (Tuesday, November 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H8087-H8092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1545
EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE PAUL D.
WELLSTONE, SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MINNESOTA
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kolbe). The gentleman from Minnesota
(Mr. Oberstar) is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
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, Minnesota, 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
[[Page H8088]]
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. The prophet Isaiah, Chapter 11, Verse 4, under the rubric
``the Rule of Immanuel'' writes ``But he shall judge the poor with
justice;'' and again, in Chapter 12, Verse 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,
Minnesota, 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. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my dear friend
and colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo).
Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me.
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 Marsha, 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. Secondly, he really had empathy for problems that
impacted people.
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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.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
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 life-long 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.
[[Page H8089]]
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, and I think that says something
so special about what kind of person that 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.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).
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.
We always on the floor from time to time 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 indicia of 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.
{time} 1615
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 when all
boats were being lifted, 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
[[Page H8090]]
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 benefitting 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.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).
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
McGuiness 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 than 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.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those truly
heartfelt, heart rending remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority whip.
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 Conroy 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 United States 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
[[Page H8091]]
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. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
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.
{time} 1630
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 the
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, there were no headlines,
small groups of labor organizers, small groups of college students,
small groups of 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 no matter 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. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those stirring
heartfelt, powerful remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).
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 idealogue.
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. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Holt) for those heartfelt remarks and thoughtful comments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
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 those of
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.
[[Page H8092]]
General Leave
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on this resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
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 co-authored 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 heart-felt concern about
veteran's 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.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kolbe). Without objection, the previous
question is ordered on the resolution.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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