Will it backfire? Hard to say. The Republicans are angered at being blindsided, especially after being admonished to leave politics out of the mourning process. But they’ll be at the polls pulling the lever for Coleman anyway. Donations at this late date can hardly make a difference except perhaps for last minute tv ads, if there’s room in the schedule. This is a turnout election, so maybe disgust at the conduct of the mourners will cause some unenrolled voters to go to the polls when they might have otherwise stayed at home. I’m curious to know if there have been any post-memorial polls that explore the opinions of swing voters. Does anyone know?
I am a Minnesota voter. I was at the memorial last night. I think that the political nature of the event has been exaggerated by the Limbaughs of the world. There was really only one overtly political speech and that was Rick Kahn. I know that many of the dems in the crowd felt uncomfortable during his speech, but the rest of the evening was not that political. it was a five hour memorial. About 20 minutes of it was Kahn’s partisan exhortations. Of course, this is the part that the conservative media chooses to focus on.
Some people did boo when Trent Lott was shown on the big screen, tacky maybe but the DFL didn’t tell anybody to do it. People also booed Jesse Ventura.
Mondale has an eight point lead on Coleman as of this morning. I don’t think that Kahn’s speech is going to cause an exodus of DFL voters over to Coleman. The suggestion that it will is just wishful thinking on the part of conservatives.
I only watched bits and pieces of the memorial…
Rick Kahn is an idiot. IMO, he’s the moron who moved it from being a memorial service into a political kumbayah.
Was it enough for me to turn Republican? Good gravy, no!
Am I thrilled that my Dem “choice” is Yawn-dale? NO.
And as far as the “The Dems STARTED it!” whiney crap, let’s not forget that the Republicans have been whining about taking stumping time off out of respect for the Wellstones. When they proposed a 5 night debate run up and it was pretty well shot down, there was a clamor of “but HOW can we get our message out?”. Every other freakin’ commercial is for Coleman!
Last night on the news there was also a blurb about the Coleman campaign “accidently” phone stumping with an anti-Wellstone ad… DURING THE MEMORIAL SERVICE.
I’d just like to say how disgusted and disappointed I am at anyone who makes voting decisions based on something like this. How short-sighted and pathetic is that?
Rush’s ignorance is showing once again. The private family funeral was at a synagogue on Monday, October 28. Presumably the “Jewish ceremonial aspects” would have been exhibited there.
But except for those Minnesotans who had nothing better to do than call up Channel 5 and complain (and why Channel 5, one wonders? Why the ABC affiliate? Or do you suppose they called all the TV stations?), the newspapers in general seem fine with the “rally” atmosphere.
And the Coon Rapids Herald positively gives the whole Wellstone story the cold shoulder, preferring to tuck it away under its catch-all “Capitol Roundup” link, while giving its valuable front-page space to more important stories like “Deer Jumps Through Window at School” and “Animal Shelter Reopens Doors”. http://www.coonrapidsherald.com/
This was supposed to be a memorial service - not a funeral.
Only the idiot Kahn was too partisan, he crossed the line. Seems everyone knows it.
Speakers were chosen by the Wellstone family - this wasn’t a DFL event - so blame the Wellstone sons for Kahn’s idiotcy.
Yes, it was tacky at times - tacky enough to change your vote? Nope. It was also at time very touching and very motivational.
The Minnesotans I’m talking to aren’t mentioning it. They haven’t changed their vote since last week (except one person I talked to who thought Wellstone was too left, but will vote for Mondale, even after last night). Most people I’ve talked to didn’t see it. They were doing something else. And while some radio stations are up in arms about it - one of the culprits is a guy who a month ago wished Wellstone dead - so I don’t think the listeners of that station are big DFL supporters anyway.
Well, I’m not a Minnesotan, I was born/raised in Texas. I’ve only lived here for about 30 years, and its not nearly long enough to understand these people. You have to know them for a while before you catch on. These people are truly strange, in a bland sort of way. They really are…well, theres just no other way to put this…they’re nice. Think Garison Keillor, only more reserved.
But oddly, when you hit a nerve, well, its Katie bar the door! They have vast reserves of emotion that you tap at your peril. And stubborn aint the word, adamant is the word. You argue with a Minnesotan, and he listens so politely, and with such clear sympathy, that you walk away deluded into thinking you have changed his mind. No such thing. He just doesn’t want you to feel badly.
But they are utterly unused to mob emotion, and they are not equipped to deal with it. After things got rolling they were swept away on a tide of emotion that would leave a New Yorker in a state of ironic bemusement, quite unaffected. And they aren’t even embarrassed about it!
Sure, they’re crazy. But they’re so calm about it, you begin to think that you’re the one thats crazy. When they say “Get down!”, they mean to imply that you’re not dressed warmly enough. Here, have some more hot dish (kind of like casserole, only at nuetron density).
Thank you both for injecting perspective into this thread. I think this is a fairly clear case of exaggeration on the part of the media/OP. Again we seem to have been engaging in pointless mental masturbation due to the premise of the OP being a false generalization drawn by invalid means from a single fact. Thank you.
Unfortunately, the parking lot I use at the University of Minnesota is right across the street from Williams Arena, where the campaign rall…, um, memorial service was held. I rode the shuttle bus to the lot and saw the line of people waiting to get in. I mentioned to my seat mate that, in order to befit the situation, they should be charging at least a $1.00 entrance tax.
My mother, a lifelong democrat, watched the whole thing, and she said it made her so mad that she was going to vote for Coleman.
As I speak, Tom Brokaw is talking about the “outrage” following the rally.
Several local channels have stated that they will now have to offer Norm Coleman equal time.
ya know, traditionally, people are buried in ‘their nicest clothes’. When my mom died, I wanted her buried in ‘her dress’, which she’d had made for my sister’s wedding, was in her favorite style and favorite color, and she engineered excuses to wear it. It had a big stain on the front, and that, too, was characteristic of my mom. OThers may have thought it was tacky to bury her in a stained dress, I don’t care.
Re: the Wellston Memorial, one of the clips I saw was the son passionately speaking about how much the election etc. meant to his dad. This would be the specific person, who lost his mother, father and sister all on the same day.
This man, most personally affected by their loss, thought it was a fitting way to memorialize them. I think he gets to decide that, even if december disapproves.
I agree with the OP. It is disgraceful to turn the funeral of anyone into a campaign rally. More specifically, to blatently attempt to cash in on the symphathy for the dead guy and turn it into votes. You want to speak in general terms about his values, go ahead. But to be to overt about it is in poor taste. And especially, to boo the Republican (& Independent) politicians who showed up to honor the guy is disgustingly ingracious.
Everyone expects that when a person dies, his political opponents put aside their political opposition and find something nice to say about the guy. As happened in this case. And indeed for this reason members of the opposition show up at these funerals. By the same token, it is incumbent on the “mourners” to reciprocate in kind.
As to whether it will impact the race, I think it is possible. Certainly, no one is going to consciously decide to vote for Coleman over this episode - no need to point this out. And those who are strongly liberal will be unaffected as well. But it is the crucial middle that decides these close elections. And remember that Wellstone was running neck-and-neck. To the extent that his death gave his replacement a symphathy vote advantage, this would be likely to dissipate somewhat by the display of raw partisanship at the funeral. When a guy is alive and thought of as some politician, and then dies and becomes a secular saint, it is just this kind of display that reminds you that politics is politics after all.
Well, I’ll be dipped! This is making the national news! Minnesota! Half the people in this country couldn’t tell you where Minnesota is to save thier butt!
There are “certain people” who would dearly love to take the edge off this thing. To heck with them.
The funeral was the day before, it was private, quiet, familial, and not one news story, not one photo op. Just a dignifed service, as it should be. Myself, I have attended several rather racous celebrations of a friends life, and there aint a damn thing wrong with that. Paul Wellstone was a political animal, body and soul. Leaving politics out of it would be like a memorial for Mozart that specificly excluded music! Don’t be ridiculous!
These people weren’t fooled into a political rally against thier will, they weren’t conned or cozened. What happened was exactly what they came for! What do you think, thousands of somber Minnesotans are roused into emotion by the cunning machinations of the Democrats? Get real! It was the people themselves who made this a political barn-burner, and I, being one down home partisan s.o.b. say “Right on!” Keep on rockin’ in the Free World!