The occasion was an alleged memorial service to honor Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone, who was tragically killed in a plane crash. The event was carried live by both the Fox and CNN cable TV networks.
Instead of a memorial service, however, the public was treated to a crass display of partisanship and egregious behavior on an otherwise sacred occasion. Trent Lott, Republican minority leader of the Senate, who came from Washington to pay his respects to a Senate colleague, was booed by the Democratic crowd of "mourners," while Wellstone campaign manager Tony Ruhl had the temerity to call for all Republican candidates in Minnesota to "stand aside" in the election Nov. 5 in honor of the memory of Paul Wellstone.
The event was severely criticized the next day by many of the national media, including the liberal New York Times, for allowing a memorial service to be degraded into a Democratic pep rally. Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota said, "The Democrats should be ashamed of themselves."
Such behavior by the liberal wing of the Democratic Party only serves to confirm how far that party has deteriorated since being hijacked by the likes of Bill Clinton, James Carville and Terry McAuliff. Ethics, morals and honor have taken a backseat to the more contemporary mindset of pure partisanship, win at any cost and the end always justifies the means.
Sir Winston Churchill once said, "We eventually become what our heart has purposed." By their actions at Sen. Wellstone's memorial service, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party has revealed not only its heart but what it has become.
David Edmunds
Pinehurst
