My good friend David Broder sent me an email today in which he lamented the partisan tone of Paul Wellstone's memorial. He feels that it was inappropriate that equal time was not given to the opposition party to air their views. When, for example, Paul's commitment to combatting domestic violence was praised, Trent Lott should have been given time to praise domestic violence. When his supporters and friends asked that Paul's death not be the end of his vision and his legacy, Tommy Thompson should have had time to air his thoughts on why Paul's vision deserved to die with him.
Broder's modest proposal, a good one as always, was for all future political funerals to be bi-partisan. If a politician from one side of the aisle dies, all formal ceremony should be put off until a politician from the other side does too. Then, there could be a joint memorial, with supporters and speakers apportioned according to the current representation in Congress. We would expect Ralph Nader to file a lawsuit objecting to third party exclusion from the memorial proceedings, but this shouldn't be a hindrance.
In death, as in life, bipartisanship is the highest ideal. We must have balance.
