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CounterPunch
October
28, 2002
Mourn, But Don't Mythologize
Thoughts on the Death of Wellstone
by SUNIL SHARMA
Since the tragic and untimely death of Senator
Paul Wellstone of Minnesota in a plane crash last Friday, tearful
remembrances have poured forth in articles and commentaries across
the nation, especially in left liberal media publications.
Senator Wellstone was widely regarded
as an outspoken progressive in the Senate, a tireless voice for
the "little
fellers, not the Rockefellers" of America. (Minnesota
Star Tribune, October 26, 2002) His death "silenced one
of the strongest voices for minority members and progressives"
in the halls of power, giving them "pause about who will
champion their interests in the inner circles of party leadership."
(Minnesota
Star Tribune, October 28, 2002)
Wellstone was also perceived by many
to be a voice against George Bush II's mad push for war against
Iraq. This was evident at the massive anti-war protest I attended
in San Francisco on October 26, the day after he died. Laments
for the fallen anti-war hero could be seen in many banners and
placards, and movingly heard in the oratories of the rally's
speakers.
In some quarters of the Left, speculations
that foul play was behind Wellstone's death are fast proliferating.
The following comment may sound rudely
insensitive or even malicious, especially on the heels of Wellstone's
death, but this certainly is not my intent.
Immediately after the death of Richard
Nixon, the mainstream press bent over backwards to overlook his
many sins, and Tricky Dick was literally canonized over night.
The whitewash was not the exclusive work of the Right, but included
mainstream liberals.
The Left is not immune from this sort
of thing either. John F. Kennedy, who launched the invasion of
South Vietnam in 1961-1962, approved chemical warfare against
South Vietnam --with a terrible human legacy that continues today,
initiated the murderous Alliance for Progress in Latin America,
backed military coups throughout the "third world"
(or initiated what successors later finished), and signed off
on fiscally regressive policies that favored the rich, is still
romanticized by many leftists as a shining knight stolen from
us by the dark forces of reaction.
The fact about Paul Wellstone is that
he was not the great "progressive" many liberals and
leftists made him out to be, and as post-death commentaries are
amplifying. He may have been pretty liberal in the context of
the American ruling class, but given the extreme rightward drift
in the US over the last 30 years (where a scumbag like Nixon
is lamented by many as the last liberal president we've had on
domestic affairs), that's not saying much.
Wellstone could have but didn't stand
behind Senator Russ Feingold in opposing the USA Patriot Act.
Wellstone supported the war against Afghanistan.
His opposition to the looming war on
Iraq was qualified and essentially unprincipled. He thought the
US shouldn't act unilaterally; the implication being that if
the UN supports American aggression -- which is very likely --
then the aggression would be justified:
"We should act forcefully, resolutely,
sensibly -- with our allies, and not alone -- to disarm Saddam."
"Authorizing the pre-emptive, go-it-alone use of force now,
right in the midst of continuing efforts to enlist the world
community to back a tough new disarmament resolution on Iraq,
could be a costly mistake for our country." (Jewish
Telegraph Agency, October 17, 2002)
He was a strong supporter of Israel,
and had "signed or co-sponsored various congressional letters
in support of Israel." (ibid)
"The American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, the leading pro-Israel lobbying group, has told its
members that Wellstone voted the pro-Israel position on 20 of
the last 21 votes they rated. The lone exception was a 51-49
vote that broke down along party lines." (Minnesota
Star Tribune, October 20, 2002)
Wellstone betrayed his early 1990s pledge
to fight for a single payer health plan after being cowed by
Hillary Clinton.
Wellstone was certainly an important
voice of opposition to Clinton/Bush's Plan Colombia, the $1.3
billion US aid package to the Colombian death squad government,
and he has been decent on other issues, but in the aggregate
Wellstone could not be described as a "progressive"
unless the term now merely refers to liberal. (see Steve Perry's
"The
Seduction of Paul Wellstone," Mother Jones, Jan-Feb.
2001, for more details)
The point is that it serves no useful
purpose to inflate or misrepresent a person's legacy. Effective
popular action requires a sober analysis of actual reality. Lionizing
or mythologizing a political leader (or any individual) is potentially
disempowering. It lends itself to the mistaken notion that positive
change can come from "good" leaders, rather than what
historically has been the source of positive change: ALL OF US,
working together, creating and snowballing a popular movement.
One writer's comments on IndyMedia sums
it up best: "If you want to mourn Wellstone, do so because
another human being died a needless death--NOT because he was
some kind of champion of Progressive politics, which is increasingly
becoming a non-existent entity within the US political establishment
itself. The only champion of Progressive politics you will find
is within yourself--or not at all."
"Moreover, if you want to mourn
Wellstone because you believe that he died under shady circumstances
which deserve to be fully investigated, then do so. Indeed, this
aspect of the story is one which deserves to be examined more
fully as it obviously has great political ramifications in terms
of political control of the US federal government--rather than
a whitewashed eulogy of Wellstone's political career and politics."
And so as we organize and struggle in
these dark days to fight for peace and social justice, let's
do it with our eyes open and without illusions!
Sunil Sharma
is a musician, writer and activist who lives in Santa Rosa, CA.
He is the editor of Dissident
Voice, an on-line newsletter "dedicated to challenging
the lies of the corporate press and the privileged classes it
serves." He can be reached at: editor@dissidentvoice.org
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