Hightower Lowdown

Paul Wellstone’s progressivespirit refuses to die. Thelate senator and his wifeSheila, who were killed tragicallyin a plane crash lastyear, are now the rallyingpoint of an exciting organizingeffort to bring back powerto America’s grassroots.Among modern politicalfigures, Wellstone wasunique. Instead of throwingall of his campaign funds atpolls, consultants, and TVads, he put a big percentageinto grassroots organizing.He and his staff ran a seriesof weekend political bootcamps called “CampWellstone,” where theytrained thousands of volunteers,campaign managers,and future candidates.Now, the good peoplewho worked with Paul andSheila are continuing thisdemocracy-building effort bytaking the Camp Wellstoneconcept national.They’re holding nine or so intensivetraining camps this year inMichigan, Pennsylvania, andOhio, with about 20 CampWellstones planned acrossthe country next year.Folks are thirsting forcommunity and a politicsthat matters, and this is onepolitical effort that genuinelyputs people first. As theWellstones preached tirelessly,democracy is notsomething to be awaited, itis something to be achieved.Call 651-645-3939 toconnect to Camp Wellstone.