Hightower Lowdown

Senator Paul Wellstone was more than a progressive Democrat, more than Congress’s most outspoken liberal. He was the embodiment of what the Founding Fathers envisioned for political leaders: a scholar of public policy, a champion of workers and living wages, a staunch protector of the environment, a defender of civil liberties, an outspoken advocate for a single-payer health-care system, a fighter for fair trade, and a tireless voice for peace.
Paul and his wife Sheila were among the earliest supporters of the Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour, and we were fortunate to have spent many days together going down the road.
We were blessed with their friendship. We will carry on their battles with conviction and determination. And we will fight to fulfill America’s promise, inspired by the example of their lives, which they ultimately gave while campaigning for the issues they believed in.
Regardless of political party, race, gender, or creed, Paul Wellstone represented each and every one of us—and, no doubt, the world will be a little bit worse off in his absence.