The Seattle Times: What it means to be a Wellstone Democrat

Wellstone — though passionately liberal — was noted for his civility. The Minnesota senator, who died in a plane crash Oct. 25, did not attack or disparage opponents or their ideas; he advanced his beliefs, and would put forth compelling reasons why you should agree with him. That is what politics, in my mind, was always supposed to represent: You vote with your conscience, you stake out territory, and you give what you can while protecting what you must.

Because Wellstone had that kind of conviction, everyone in D.C. got exactly what they saw with him. People respond to "conviction politicians," who prove their words with their very lives. Prove often enough that you care about people, and they'll go to the wall for you at the polls.

Amen.

Wellstone believed "kitchen-table issues" of balancing a family budget, getting a decent job with a living wage, and receiving a fair shake from government in tough times, should dictate the way government functions: to aid the struggling, those who can't attain the American ideal of self-sufficiency.

It's not whether you win elections — no, the point of politics is that, after winning elections, the subsequent advancement of your ideas improves the lives of hard-hit people.

Great article, rather you call it centrist, liberal, populist, or progressive - campaign to improve people's lives. Give them simple concrete reasons to vote for you.