October 29, 2002
From the desk of Jane Galt:InstaPundit has an unflattering picture
InstaPundit has an unflattering picture of Clinton at Wellstone's funeral, sharing a laugh with Mondale. Angry readers say it's a cheap shot.
I don't think so. Hell, I've laughed at funerals without being any less sincere for it. But state funerals, which this approaches, are not quite the same protocol as the family getting together to share some reminiscences after Aunt Dahlia finally passes. What really got me, though, were the live clips I saw from the event, with various Democratic icons, most prominently the Clintons, getting applauded as they walked in.
I thought, "What the #@%!?"
It wasn't a fundraiser, or a public speaking event, or indeed any sort of occasion in which it would be marginally appropriate for the Democratic elite to be taking curtain calls. It was a funeral. The purpose of the funeral is to honor the dead, not the important people with whom they were acquainted.
Paul Wellstone died four days ago. He was an honorable, courageous man, and I don't think it's somehow wacky or unrealistic to expect that at the hour set aside to honor his memory, that's what the people attending the service would be doing. Particularly after they'd spent the day
a) Furiously complaining that the Republicans had already begun campaigning by proposing that there be some debates so that Minnesota voters could find out something about the man they might want to vote for, rather than just ratifying him in the Sacred Memory of Wellstone
b) Filing a lawsuit because the supplemental ballot didn't suit them
c) Expressing their displeasure at the way Republican premature campaigning had profaned Wellstone's memory, by disinviting President Cheney from the birthday party. . . excuse me, funeral.
Well, hey, it's their guy, right? It just struck me as extremely wierd, even more so because the Clintons, rather than bowing their heads in respect, stood their waving while everyone applauded them. So no, I do not think that the picture was particularly unfair; it seems to me rather to have captured a very unpleasant undertone that just seemed -- off. And I don't think it's going to go over well publicly; it makes the party seem petty and grasping. Any momentum they might have gained by castigating the Republicans was lost when they put their own machine into action, and shattered when the party's national figures stole the limelight.
A minute ago I thought Democrats were going to keep the Senate. Now I don't know again. It does seem that every time they gain some advantage, Bill and Hillary and Terry grab the party by the neck and start shaking until all the voters fall out.
Posted by Jane Galt at October 29, 2002 11:22 PM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links