Re: Wellstone melted education ice dams

[kber <kber@EARTHLINK.NET>]

drdanj@earthlink.net wrote:

>
>
> I have also heard counter arguments that the whole funeral as political
> rally putdown was a made up version, it was not that bad, some folks
> said whatever they would say, but that the event was actually pretty
> mild. The political rally was made up by the Republicans as a way to
> slam Mondale's campaign. I was not there of course, but it is worth
> noting that this may have some degree of urban mythology attached to it.
> Of course Fox and CNN could pull soundbites to support the myth of their
> party of choice.
>
> Peace
>
> Dan
>

Sorry, Dan, but on this one Goerge C may actually be partially correct.  I
watched the entire thing on CSpan, and it was boradcast on Minnesota Public
TV, which emans it was also visible in parts of SD and Iowa.

People in MN have a sense of proper behvaqior which this violated.  First, it
began when Wellstone's sons disinivited VP Cheney:  that probably had
somepopel sitting up and wondering.

Rioc Kahn's speech was far more than a memorial or a testament -  it was
overtly partisan, very aggressively so.

Sen. Harkins was a bit less so.  Still, it was partisan, urging a partisan
action.


I greatly admire Wellstone.  He (and his wife) went to hs here in Arlington
VA where I teach (Yorkown HS).  My immeditae reaction to several of the
speeches is that were unfortunately over the top.

I have no doubt that that rally cost the Dems the seat in MN (which by istelf
wsa not contorl of the Seante, so in that Geroge C is wrong, which is why I
said "partially correct.").  The Repubs had decided to give up on the seat,
wooing Mondale was going to be the candidate - there were going to be no
further national resources devoted.  But there was such a negative reaction
to the even that they changed their moinds.  That rally energzied the
Republican base and gretly irritated some independents.  Without the negative
apsects, particularly Ric Kahn's words, Mondale wins the seat easily.


The Dems lost the Senate when they lost the Georgia seat.   Ultimately that
seta was lost because Barnes was defeated for relection as gvoernor (a
somehwat surprising upset).  That happened over issues that had nothing to do
with the Senate race.  Barnes had removed the confederate flag image from the
gerogia flag. His opponent, from rural Georgia, promised to resubmit theissue
to the voters.  That maximized rurla, conservative votersl.  They also voted
against Sen Cleland.  Since most observers had expecte Cleleand to hold his
seat and Carnahan to lose hers 9alhtough she cam close at 1%), the Dems
needed to pick up more than the 1 Republican seat to avoid a 50-50 situation
where Cheney could ahve broken the tie.  And even had one or the other
(Cleland or Carnahan) held on, then all would have rested on Louisian runoff,
into which the Repubs were prepraed to pour through various roganziations
over 100 million to win the seat.

Ken B

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