Political Quotes

“I stand to say a few words in honor of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Over a decade ago, Minnesota sent one of its best to this Chamber. He followed in the special tradition of public service that our State knows well. From Ramsey to Stassen, from Olson to Humphrey, from Mondale to, yes, Ventura, our State has broken the mold more than once. The man we sent here was Paul Wellstone, and no one would dispute that Minnesota broke the mold again. Paul was short in stature but, as it proved, enormous in energy and passion. He had a passion for principle, he had a passion for politics, and, most of all, he had a passion for people. Paul was a fighter, and, much like Hubert Humphrey, a Happy Warrior. Paul was the most effective kind of fighter there is: one that never gives up--never. And if there is one attribute that his colleagues and his constituents admired, it was this: his unrelenting energy to fight the fight. I knew Paul. I respected Paul. We both have been like salmon in our own political rivers, swimming into the currents. Therefore, understanding his tireless energies in the cause of change, I am highly honored to speak to his memory today. True, there is an empty desk here today, a shrouded reminder of a life cut short. But for the Paul Wellstone I knew, the empty chair is more telling. Whether he was in this Chamber or at home in Minnesota, Paul was on his feet, out of his chair, speaking his mind.”