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 Wellstone Would Be SmilingPosted on Feb 22, 2008By E.J. Dionne WASHINGTON—If you want to talk about candidates borrowing from each other, consider how much Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are taking on loan from the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, the affable populist killed in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 election. “I don’t represent the big oil companies. I don’t represent the big pharmaceutical companies,” Wellstone said in the final television ad of his last campaign. “I don’t represent the Enrons of this world. But you know what? They already have great representation in Washington. It’s the rest of the people that need it. I represent the people of Minnesota.” And here’s Hillary Clinton in a television ad run during the Wisconsin primary campaign: “The oil companies, the drug companies have had seven years of a president who stands up for them. It’s time we had a president who stands up for all of you.” As for Obama, he noted in Ohio this week that “year after year, politicians in Washington sign trade agreements that are riddled with perks for big corporations but have absolutely no protections for American workers. It’s bad for our economy; it’s bad for our country.” Wellstone called for a trade policy that “doesn’t just work for the multinationals, but also works for the environment, for safe food, for living wages; a trade policy that promotes democracy and the right to organize and bargain collectively.” Advertisement This is salutary for Democrats. Middle- and lower-middle-income white voters will be among the most important target groups for both parties this fall, crucial in such swing states as Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa. The economic interests of blue-collar whites largely coincide with those of African-Americans and Latinos, yet these groups often move in different directions. When they vote together, they can make their candidates invincible. By competing fiercely for blue-collar ballots now, Obama and Clinton are beginning a coalition-building process that Democrats typically embark on too late. Until recently, Clinton had a decided advantage among whites of moderate income. Restoring a firm lead in this group is vital to her political survival in the March 4 primaries. Obama, long aware of his weakness among these voters, put more focus on wooing them in recent weeks. The success of this effort—particularly among white male voters who were once inclined to support John Edwards, the uber-populist—has been important to Obama’s 10-state sweep after the Feb. 5 contests. Obama’s strong support among affluent, well-educated voters put him in danger of being branded the candidate of “limousine liberals.” The term was coined in 1969 by Mario Procaccino, a conservative Democrat from New York City who cast himself as a champion of the white middle class and mocked Mayor John V. Lindsay’s alliance of well-off progressives and African-Americans. In fact, the early Obama alignment resembled the successful coalitions of reform-minded African-American mayors elected in the 1980s and ‘90s. That may be no accident, since David Axelrod, one of Obama’s closest advisers, ran a number of those victorious campaigns, notably in Obama’s Chicago. In an interview, Axelrod argued that Obama had long ago transcended the contours of the urban politics of two decades ago, reaching into predominantly white, blue-collar precincts in his 2004 U.S. Senate primary. But it’s clearly become an Obama campaign imperative to match that performance this year. Clinton will not just let this happen, and one of her most affecting recent campaign ads, called “Night Shift,” is an ode to working people similar to Jesse Jackson’s best speeches highlighting the contribution of those who “work every day,” from his 1988 campaign. “You pour coffee, fix hair, you work the night shift at the local hospital,” says a warm-voiced male announcer on the Clinton ad. “You’re often overworked, underpaid and sometimes overlooked.” Not this year, not at this moment. Supporters of the free market often forget that we don’t just have a capitalist system; we have a democratic capitalist system. Democracy is what gives those on the short end of market outcomes a chance to talk back and, sometimes, to alter unjust market decisions. Paul Wellstone understood that. A big-hearted communitarian, Wellstone, I suspect, would be perfectly happy to lend Clinton and Obama all the good lines they want to use. E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is postchat(at)aol.com. © 2008, Washington Post Writers Group Elsewhere: . CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig. Add Your Comment
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Obama Risks Losing His Judicial Prize
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By Thomas Billis, February 27, 2008 at 6:31 pm #
EJ I guess you took your moron pills this morning.To compare Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton to Wellstone is almost laughable.Wellstone did more than lip service to make what he said a reality.Have you checked the votes of the people you are grouping with Wellstone?EJ please do not tarnish the memory of one of the great fighters for middle class America by comparing him to two pretenders.They can steal the rhetoric but they lack the action.You are better than this.
Report thisBy TheAudacityofDope, February 25, 2008 at 8:46 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
“There would be no tax breaks for those companies which chose to move their manufacturing offshore and thereby take jobs away from Americans.”
Can anyone cite to a section of the tax code that supports this “tax breaks” argument. I haven’t found one, and listening to those who know more about this than I, I don’t think there is one. I’m surprised Obama hasn’t been called on this. If Hillary were smart, she’d raise the issue.
Report thisBy Conservative Yankee, February 24, 2008 at 11:32 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Typical, the “true believers” get together, and come up with the “perfect candidate” only one trouble, he’s dead.
Haven’t any of you libs learned the basics from George Soros? Move on!
Report thisBy cyrena, February 23, 2008 at 9:46 pm #
I honestly don’t know the answer here, but I’m highly skeptical (and suspicious) anytime information on ANY air disaster is missing or somehow never makes the news. Prior to September 11, 2001, all air disasters have been routinely and thoroughly investigated by experts who do exactly that. In some cases it takes longer than others, but the information is painstakingly and professionally gathered, analyzed, and a transparent report is published and made available to whomever wants to view it.
That was until September 11, 2001. At that point, everything started mysteriously disappearing, or otherwise blown up. Entire airplanes disappear, leaving not so much as a trace.
So, who knows? It wouldn’t surprise me either.
This always somehow happens to the good guys. And, it’s clearly been deliberate before. MLK was quite deliberate I’d say. So was Malcolm X. So was Robert Kennedy. So were all of those people on Sept. 11, 2001.
Report thisBy ed_tru_lib, February 23, 2008 at 7:23 pm #
Its wonderful to see Paul remembered, and a little sad that apparently even some people who would have been completely in agreement with him, and admiring of his work, don’t have as much familiarity with him/it as they should. But Paul was also very much a patriot and a political realist. Yes E.J., he’d be smiling, and maybe he would have endorsed Obama, but if Hilary is the nominee, he also would have maniacally campaigned for her. I hope that’s true of all other Obama supporters, or at least those who DON’T want a newly-reconciled-with Rush President McCain.
Report thisBy LibertyTreeBud, February 23, 2008 at 6:38 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Do you think that was an accident? Really?
Report thisBy getaclue, February 23, 2008 at 3:13 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
they took out the strongest democrat senate leader (emphasis on DEMOCRAT. Apart from Feingold, the rest of the senate are complete corporate whores.
Wellstone had a lot of influence tho….he was killed as a warning to other real patriots.
Report thisBy troublesum, February 23, 2008 at 11:43 am #
The republicans were going to lose control of the senate but motive alone doesn’t establish guilt. If they wanted to resort to murder to keep control they could have taken out anyone of 49 democrats in the senate at the time.
Report thisBy nrobi, February 23, 2008 at 10:00 am #
Just think of it. A man of the stature of Paul Wellstone as President of the United States? How would the multi-nationals and corporate America get along? There would be no tax breaks for those companies which chose to move their manufacturing offshore and thereby take jobs away from Americans, many other things would happen. Yet, a man in this election cycle is now fighting for his political life because he dared stand against the corporate greed of Amerikkan companies: Yes that man is Dennis J. Kucininch. No one today can represent the middle and lower income Americans, because we do not have the “big bucks” that it takes to get face time with a candidate for any or most elected offices. This includes local elections as well.
Report thisLobbyists and corporate Amerikka have taken over the electoral system in our country, and we do not have the power to remove them unless as a nation we stand together and say with one voice, enough. No more corporate welfare, if you choose to manufacture off-shore you will not get tax breaks, if you choose to take our resources, oil and natural gas and sell to India and China, you will be charged for the privilege of taking our resources and selling them abroad. We must, take back control of the government of this country, we can no longer abide the selling of our country to the highest bidder and let the corporate interests control our government.
From what I understand of Paul Wellstone, this was his message and his fight for the little people of America should be carried on by those who have heard the message and can still influence those in power.
By judith Nappe, February 23, 2008 at 2:14 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I googled Paul Wellstone and the first page was filled with articles about the sudden death of Paul Wellstone in 2002. The plane crash was shoved into the black abyss of no information on big media. Maybe OpEd has something on it. It just seemed so sad and heartbreaking that 2 of his chidren were orphaned in this horrible accident and he was doing such important work. He was almost sure to be re-elected to the Senate in 2002 and would have given the Democrats a majority in the Senate.
Report thisBy Fadel Abdallah, February 22, 2008 at 8:31 pm #
I do not understand all this fuss about the so-called Plagiarism! We all know that all American presidents have a group of servants who are called “speech writers.” In fact, they write every single word of a president’s speech, and yet the speech will go down in history as the president’s speech on such and such occasion,while the actual writer of these speeches will remain anonymous for ever. This is in fact the greatest institutionalized plagiarism that should be fought and frowned upon, not just borrowing few words from here and there to make a point in a verbal situation. Furthermore, it is difficult to copyright common language and human speech used universally to make statements about a common issue. Therefore, plagiarism needs to be redefined as being that of “copying large amounts of texts verbatim in a written work without acknowledging the original author.”
Report thisBy greenchiledem, February 22, 2008 at 2:04 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. (During his 2000 presidential exploratory campaign.)
Report thisBy Conservative Yankee, February 22, 2008 at 1:46 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
You pour coffee, fix hair, you work the night shift at the local hospital, says a warm-voiced male announcer on the Clinton ad. Youre often overworked, underpaid and sometimes overlooked.
As the eight years of Clinton and four years of Obama in the Senate… As when Hill-the-business-shill was on the board at Walmart, or when Bill signed Nafta. As when Obama wants to allow illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, further eroding the stagnant wage for US citizens who preform the above listed jobs.
ONCE every four years the corporate whores step down from their tax-payer purchased thrones, and grovel for our support. ONCE every four yeaars we have the chance to say; “What have you really done,,, once every four years the candidates are able to con the voters….
Report thisBy Judith Nappe, February 22, 2008 at 1:34 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Perhaps someday the cause and criminals involved in the plane crash that killed Paul Wellstone, his wife, and 2 of their children will be established. The last time I read about this, the evidence at the crash was hidden or lost. Anyone out there who cares to post the rest of the information on such a tragedy would be appreciated. All of us need to remember it for what it is.
Report thisBy JimM72, February 22, 2008 at 1:13 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Is there any truth to him being deliberately killed?
Report thisUnforunately, it would come as no surprise.