Republican glee at Wellstone's death

To start off, I must commend many of the Republican posters on my comment board who were properly (with one exception) respectful of Wellstone's passing. I don't mean this post to be a blanket indictment of all Republicans, since many are capable of using reason and showing compassion. That said, I received this from a reader:

A tribute to the republicans who show such class during this global tragedy. I work on a trading floor and am surrounded by republicans. I could see the glee on their faces when they heard that Wellstone was dead. This glee was surpassed only when they heard that Ted Kennedy was campaigning with Wellstone (they thought he might be on the plane as well). Of course one of them made a trifecta type remark. I wanted to slug them. Now of course they are all joking around and speculating how they are going to destroy the world with a republican majority. [...] So I pay my respects to Wellstone and his family. I condemn the republicans on my floor for being who they are and proving to me that they are despicable, meaningless, heartless pigs.

Another reader wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks the President's reaction to Sen. Wellstone's death was slightly ungracious?

Let's parse his words, shall we? "A man of deep conviction, a plain-spoken fellow who did his best for his state and country."

That's about the faintest praise he could come up with, especially in light of the Presiden't well-known penchant for bestowing benedictions like "he's a good man" on sundry conservative allies.

"A man of deep conviction"? Sounds complimentary, but is really a neutral comment when you think about it. "Plainspoken"? Might be a compliment in G.W.'s vocabulary, but is hardly effusive praise.

"Did his best for his...country"? This line reminds me of a code phrase that employers in Germany use when writing references for really incompetent employees: "Mr. So-And-So consistently gave his best effort to the limits of his abilities."

As if I didn't have enough reasons to dislike the man.

Bush has been surprisingly silent on the matter, especially considering how he loves to tug on heart strings (looking into people's souls, and all). I'm convinced that any sorrow Bush may have exhibited was related not to Wellstone's death, per se, but to the fact that there's no chance they can retake his Senate seat. Bush certainly disliked Wellstone, unlike most Congressional GOPers who seemed genuine in their sorrow for the well-respected, well-liked Wellstone.

Back in Minnesota, GOP leaders are already back to politicking before Wellstone is even laid to rest. In all fairness to the GOP, it faces a no-win situations -- sit back and suspend your campaign, and you suffer Ashcroft's fate. However, as much as I hate Ashcroft, at least he lost with dignity and class. I can't imagine how the GOP's way-too-early return to politics can help its efforts in Minnesota or even in places like South Dakota or Missouri. At the very least, they could've waited until Wednesday to start attacking Mondale's record to avoid seeming so crass.

Posted October 28, 2002 07:44 AM | Comments (48)