Senator Paul Wellstone essays

Senator Paul Wellstone essays Late Senator Paul Wellstones extraordinary courage in the fight for issues such as peace and human rights along with his opposition to the Gulf War and the war in Iraq made him a political hero in the eyes of many. As U.S. senator of Minnesota, Wellstone dealt with serious issues of peace, health care, environmentalism, education and human rights (www.randomhose.com). This passionate Democrat was known as one of the strongest spokesmen for his party in the Senate. Defending what he believed in was said to be his greatest talent, and people loved him for that (Friedman). He had a rocky start after being elected in 1990, beating the very respected Republican Senator Rudy Boschwitz. Gradually he gained respect from all sides and was viewed as someone who could separate the political from the personal (www.pbs.org). Even before beginning his political career, Wellstone had the courage and determination that many did not. He was a professor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and had a Ph.D. in political science. Wellstone was an advocate of justice who expressed his beliefs, not only through words, but also through his actions (news.mpr.org). He was a huge activist for human rights, especially when it came to protecting those living in poverty. During the 1970s he was arrested when he joined with family farmers across the nation to fight against companies that were threatening to foreclose their farms. He once gathered rural civilians of Minnesota to protest against the installment of a high voltage power line, and even led a protest with strikers against the Hormel meatpacking company in Austin, Texas (www.pbs.org). In his first term Wellstone successfully led opposition of an energy bill that would have allowed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. At the Capitol in 1992 he stood with black farmers demanding that Congress supp ...