First Paul Wellstone’s family were reportedly upset at comments being made by Republicans about Walter Mondale over the weekend, but then they go and turn his memorial service into a three hour political rally. Could they make up their minds in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and his wife, along with Trent Lott, walked out during one of the more heated “if you loved Paul, vote for his replacement speeches.”
The oddest report, however, has to be that Lott and another Republican were jeered when their faces were shown on large television monitors at the memorial service. I’ve seen a lot of things at funerals and memorial services, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of jeering.
I thought former Minnesota Republican representative captured the flair of the event best when he said, “The DFL clearly intends to exploit Wellstone’s memory totally, completely and shamelessly for political gain. To them, Wellstone’s death, apparently, was just another campaign event.”
Source:
Republicans decry service as partisan. Kavita Kumar, Dane Smith and Patricia Lopez, Minnesota Star Tribune, October 30, 2002.