Franken: Reflections on the Wellstone Memorial and the King Funeral

[lindisfarne]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-franken/reflections-on-the-wellst_b_15459.html

I think a little more perspective is needed when addressing the comparison that right-wing bloggers and now some mainstream journalists (Howard Kurtz) have been making between the Wellstone Memorial and the Coretta Scott King Funeral.

To this day, there are still a lot of people, including Democrats, who've bought the right wing line on the Wellstone Memorial.

Specifically, that it was a cynical, premeditated political event that included endless booing of Republican politicians who came to pay their respects to their fallen colleague. I wrote a pretty detailed account of the Wellstone Memorial in my book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, and nothing could be further from the truth. I did write that "reasonable people of good will were genuinely offended." The memorial was raucous and a couple of speakers said some things that were inappropriate - basically, let's win this (upcoming Senate) election for Paul.

There were also honest Republicans of good will, including Jim Ramstad - the Congressman from the Minneapolis suburban district I grew up in - who acted like human beings and cut the speakers who offended (Rick Kahn and, to a lesser degree, Mark Wellstone) a little slack because they understood that Rick had lost six very close friends and Mark had lost his father, mother, and sister.

more at link above.

[MrBenchley]

1. I've always thought the weirdest part of the right wing outrage

was that they thought it was beyond the pale that Trent Lott got booed. The racist son of a bitch deserves to get booed anytime he sticks his head out from under the sheet.

[sasha031]

2. this has to trigger allot of memories for Al

he loved Wellstone, how I hate the right...