During our first visits to Northfield this summer I noticed an interesting sight in the windows of local houses: green Paul Wellstone campaign signs dating not from this fall’s election, but from elections two years ago and earlier. Like Wellstone himself, the signs are straightforward, enduring, and often emphatic. On a green background with white borders and lettering they read simply “Wellstone” or, more characteristically, “Wellstone!”

The signs are poignant, of course, because Paul Wellstone, the former Democratic United States senator from Minnesota, died in a plane crash on October 25, 2002. During his twelve years as a senator, Wellstone was a fiery and charismatic champion of progressive causes. At the time of the crash–which also claimed his wife, Sheila; his daughter, Marcia; and several staff members–he was running for a third term against former Democrat and mayor of St. Paul, Norm Coleman. His untimely death came just 10 days before the election, and Democrats hastily arranged for former Senator Walter Mondale to run in his place. Mondale lost to Coleman, and Republicans gained a valuable Senate seat.

This September St. Paul-based filmmakers Lu Lippold, Dan Luke, and Laurie Stern released Wellstone!, a feature-length documentary on the politician’s life and political career. The film has already been shown in a number of venues here in Minnesota and across the country. Local viewers can see it again at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, December 11 and 12, at 3 p.m.

I was fortunate enough to see the documentary here at Carleton College in Northfield, Wellstone’s hometown, on the second anniversary of Wellstone’s death. Several dozen people gathered in a Carleton lecture hall to see the movie and hear director Lu Lippold respond to questions. Many people shared their memories of the senator as well.

Wellstone first arrived at Carleton in 1969 at age 25. The film recounts how he and his wife Sheila, both from Virginia, came to Minnesota reluctantly, apprehensive about the winters. However, Wellstone quickly gained a following among his Carleton students. Just as quickly, he became controversial, leading students and community members in political movements and protests locally and across the state on issues such as labor conditions and rural power lines. It was in this context–leftist professor as rabble-rouser and inspiring leader of students–that I first heard of Wellstone in the mid-1980s from friends attending Carleton.

Only a few years later, in 1990, Wellstone gained the political limelight when he defeated the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator, Rudy Boschwitz. Wellstone had seemingly come out of nowhere to defeat an experienced and respected opponent. Both men had Jewish immigrant parents, but the similarities ended there. One was a short, idealistic professor and the other a tall, pragmatic businessman. The footage of Wellstone’s campaign–the commercials, the famous green campaign bus, and the two candidates debating on local public television–provides some of the most memorable images of Wellstone’s career.

The film goes on to closely follow Wellstone’s crucial votes and positions while in the Senate. He opposed the first Gulf War in 1991, and his speech on the subject seems eerily prescient when considered in the context of today’s problems in Iraq. He was the only senator up for reelection to oppose the welfare reform act and the 2002 vote authorizing the threat of war in Iraq. Wellstone had a progressive vision on energy policy that was ahead of its time–emphasizing conservation and renewables–and he was instrumental in preventing drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Clips of his speeches illustrate his significant power as an orator and give the film its most electrifying moments. The man’s conviction, charisma, and humor come through, and we are reminded of the enormity of our loss.

While deftly tracing Wellstone’s life, the film gives a clear sense of his fundamental kindness and his commitment to family through interviews with those who knew him. His devotion to Sheila stands out especially, including his support for her work on domestic violence issues. Wellstone! avoids hagiography, however, noting the politician’s failings and missteps. His senatorial career started out poorly, for example, as he attempted to make every cause a priority. Wellstone could admit mistakes as well, as when he later regretted his 1996 vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

The film also treats the famous Wellstone memorial service, held just days before the 2002 election at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena and attended by politicians from both sides of the aisle. I watched it on C-SPAN while living in California and still remember it vividly. All went well until Wellstone staffer Rick Kahn took things over the top, forgetting the diverse composition of the audience. In a message and tone better suited for a partisan rally, and compromising his own dignity, Kahn began a series of shouted requests with the phrase, “I am begging you?!” He finally called on all present “to win this election for Paul Wellstone!” As Al Franken notes in the film, those who want to criticize Kahn should remember that he had just lost a close friend and colleague of many years, and composure is difficult to maintain at such a time.

Wellstone! is a fine treatment of a man who became a progressive icon in American politics. Wellstone fought for the poor, for minorities, for the disadvantaged, for people who do not have lobbyists in Washington. He saw himself as their candidate, and he never overlooked their causes. The documentary offers to those who remember him a chance to revisit those memories; to others it provides a chance to learn who he was. To me, Wellstone’s legacy is best summed up in this Wellstone quote from the film: “Politics is not about money and power games but the improvement of people’s lives.”

See the film’s web site for more information on its making, dates of future screenings, and options for purchasing a DVD version.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 3rd, 2004 at 9:54 pm and is filed under Minnesota, Movies, Politics.