# Wellstone Has A Better Excuse than Toricelli **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 25, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872 "2002-10-25T18:52:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/21 "2002-10-25T21:52:24Z")
Perhaps Shodan could enlighten us as to exactly how it is that he thinks Wellstone used his own death as an excuse to get out of a difficult senate race ? Unless he’s got some proof of conspiracy, the OP was **not** a legitimate political question. Shodan’s implication that there is something dishonorable in the way the senator and his family died requires backup or retraction, not benefit of the doubt. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/22 "2002-10-25T21:58:15Z")
This is a tragedy. It seems clear that the Dems have time to replace Wellstone as a candidate and they will do so. I already heard some names mentioned as possibilities. Ventura has the right to appoint someone to replace Wellstone in the Senate. Wellstone’s replacement could serve until year end. This might be important if the Senate holds a lame duck session. If I were Ventura, I’d wait for the election and then appoint the winner to serve immediately. That seems like the democratic thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/23 "2002-10-25T21:59:01Z")
Good Ghod. I glanced at the OP and thought, “So what? It’s not like any candidates have died or anything”. I only just now heard the news. Stunned. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/24 "2002-10-25T22:20:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Unless he’s got some proof of conspiracy, the OP was not a legitimate political question. Really? You’ve _seen_ the OP? All I saw was a snide little OP title in incredibly poor taste. However, **Shodan** came into the thread, expressed dismay concerning the tragedy, and asked what are the implications of Wellstone’s death on control of the Senate. While not a hard question to answer, this **was** a legitimate political question, and was **Shodan** ’s explicit submission for the missing OP. Barring proof of psychic ability on your part, **Squink** , I’ll go with **Shodan** ’s story. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/25 "2002-10-25T22:32:52Z")
Wherein **Elucidator** beseeches the Moderator to expunge this thread. It is, at best, an embarassment. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/26 "2002-10-26T00:27:15Z")
[Here’s a clue](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=106060) as to the OP **xenophon41**. Even radical right-wing hawks like **december** (god bless him) tend to follow the advice found in the link. The thread title nearly always has something material to do with the content of the thread. Would you have us hold **Shodan** to a lesser standard than everyone else ? What’s he done to deserve that, besides trying to score cheap points off a dead liberal ? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/27 "2002-10-26T00:44:49Z")
Whatever gave you the idea that I’m defending **Shodan** , or holding him to a lesser standard? I have rarely, if ever, found what he has to say either insightful or intelligent. This includes the stunningly inappropriate thread title. However, I believe not only in holding other posters to their words, but also in taking what they have to say at face value. Frankly, I think **Shodan** probably lucked out when his OP became hamster food. I think, upon seeing the first dozen replies, he reconsidered his initial “thought” and posted something more considerate. _But that post is what we have instead of an OP._ In it, **Shodan** expressed the thought that Wellstone’s death was tragic, and made his simple inquiry (which I took as a prompt toward discussion of the political ramifications of the huge hole Paul’s death has left us). Nowhere in his brief posts has **Shodan** followed up on the “excuse” angle of his thread title. You and I and **minty g** might have a more than a suspicion of where **Shodan** thought he was going, but the fact remains that on his second try _he didn’t go there_. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/28 "2002-10-26T01:37:02Z")
> [@](#): > > But that post is what we have instead of an OP. I disagree, we have the thread title, which forms a legitimate part of the OP. His failure to elaborate in the subsequent post is no reason to let him off the hook for what he _did_ say. -But that’s open to different interpretations depending on how offensive one finds the original remarks, isn’t it ? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872/29 "2002-10-26T01:44:13Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** OK, if anyone wants to try again, feel free. Simple questions about Minnesota’s election laws can probably be handled in GQ. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellstone-has-a-better-excuse-than-toricelli/133872.md?page=1)