Rating: 
Summary: A great book by one of the greatest senators of our time!!
Review: This book chronicles the political life of Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota), a progressive liberal, New Deal-type senator that is a rare breed in today's "New Democrat" politics. It started with how he got started his political career as a grassroot organizer in a rural Minnesota county, his first Senate election in 1990, which he won despite the fact that he raised very little money and was labeled a lost cause by the Democratic party establishment, and then went on to describe his senate career, which he described as more "playing defense to the Republican attacks" than playing offense and pushing for new progressive initiatives (such as a national health insurance program), because such programs are not going to be supported even within today's Democratic party. He then proposed that to create a new progressive majority and to enact progressive policies, we have to elect new progressive politicians, which have to be backed up by grassroots organizing directed toward the democrats constituencies, both old (labor unions) and new (recent immigrants). It is sad that Wellstone would never see the reemergence of the Progressives, because of his untimely dead last month. It is the job of us as Progressive Democrats to make his dreams come true and to build a new America based on Progressive policies.
Rating:
Summary: Pure goodness, from a good man!
Review: This book says it all. Bill Bradley said it best when he said, "Read this book and feel thankful that there is a man such as Paul Wellstone in the service of our country."Kudos, Senator Wellstone.
Rating: 
Summary: Personal, moving memoir of a great human being
Review: This is a moving memoir of the late senator from Minnesota, showing how he got his start in life, his early inclinations, how he decided to become a sentator, and the rewards and frustrations he found there. In addition to his story, this book also gives a valuable insider's look at how the Senate actually runs today (forget what your high school civics book said) and how the interplay of special interests, passions, personal relationships, and even chance events give shape to the laws of the land. It should be noted that the title borrows directly from Barry Goldwater's "Conscience of a Conservative." Even though both senators had diametrically opposite political philosophies, both were courageous men of integrity who stood by their (often unpopular or misunderstood) principles when it would have been much easier and politically expedient to compromise on them. Now that few of such lawmakers remain, it's a good thing that he left this testament, so others can be inspired and follow his example. I take one star off, though, because I expected a somewhat deeper view on what makes a winning progressive politics. The last chapter goes a little into that, but readers should look elsewhere if that's what they are looking for. Even if he's not many people's hero (or mine), Ralph Nader's Crashing The Party does show a deeper perspective on what's wrong with the political system and what it would take to fix to restore real democracy to America.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolute drivel!
Review: This is the type of feel good no meat and potatos thinking that permiates the liberal left. An agenda designed to fail from start to finish because the author refuses to accept the reality that regardless of what you do money does not solve problems, accountability does.
Rating:
Summary: Awe Inspiring!!
Review: This man is one of the greatest and sweetest.
Rating: 
Summary: "Not a classical liberal"
Review: This was an informative book, however it is another example of the misuse of the word "liberal" and how the word has deteriorated to mean the opposite of what it originally meant: liberty, lack of government, laissez-faire capitalism.
It is not difficult to find older books (even from the 1950's) that use the word liberal to mean laissez-faire capitalism and hatred of government. Wellstone was not a classical liberal.
The word now refers to people who love government, love the social security system, socialist slave numbers that are given to infants to track people (& their finances, movements, employment, income etc) for their entire lives, government schools (socialized schools), socialized medicine, socialized everything, and massive taxing and spending, etc.
The book is another reason to never use the word "liberal" to refer to "the left." It is more accurate to use the words "socialists" or "democrat-socialists." This is a point that is lost on republican-socialists and conservative-socialists who brainlessly use the word "liberal" pejoratively (that is another reason why they are republican socialists and conservative socialists).
Whenever a conversation mis-uses the word "liberal" in that manner that this book does, explain that the word "liberal" comes from the root meaning "liberty" and referred (in times past) to laissez faire capitalists and people who opposed government taxes, government programs and government growth. The term "liberal" became corrupted and now has the complete opposite definition. Try to restore and promote the words obvious original concept.
It is amazing that people can write entire books about the very topic of the "liberal" establishment and never mention the etymology and history of the word.
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