Out of Cheese

Paul Wellstone died today, under circumstances eerily reminiscent of the death of Mel Carnahan just before the 2000 elections. Though my views are probably closer to Carnahan’s than to Wellstone’s, Wellstone’s passing is harder to accept. I had a lot of respect for him — his staunch liberalism in the face of an America political spectrum in which anything left of the center is grounds for attack ads felt refreshing and honest. To quote Dan Gillmor of the San Jose Mercury News: “You didn’t have to agree with [Wellstone's] stands all the time — no one could — to honor his commitment to justice in a society that has all but abandoned the very notion.”

Of course, it’s hardly possible to start mourning Wellstone’s death without recognizing what it could mean for the American political landscape. Wellstone’s opponent this fall is Norm Coleman, a former Democrat whom I also respect. As moderate as Coleman may be, however, if he defeats Wellstone’s replacement in ten days, chances are that both houses of Congress and the White House will be Republican. The consequences of that result are frightening — two or more spots on the Supreme Court are likely to open up in the next two years, and they’d both be filled with conservatives. At the same time, it’d be much easier for conservative legislation to be pushed through Congress. I can only hope that moderate Republicans — Rhode Island’s Lincoln Chafee and others — will have enough strength to block the conservative agenda that mainstream America doesn’t want.