The memorial service for Melissa Hortman and her husband in Minneapolis was supposed to be a moment of unity and reflection, a time for Minnesotans to come together and honor lives lost to senseless violence. Instead, it echoed a now-infamous episode in Minnesota’s political history: the Paul Wellstone funeral of 2002.
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Anyone who remembers the Wellstone memorial knows exactly what I mean. What began as a service to mourn the late senator quickly devolved into a partisan spectacle. National Democratic figures seized the stage, turning eulogies into campaign speeches and rallying cries. The event, broadcast live, left viewers stunned as the line between remembrance and political theater was obliterated. Even then-Gov. Jesse Ventura, disgusted by the display, walked out. The backlash was
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