Sen. Klobuchar describes former VP Mondale as having ‘dignity, decency, civility’
Former VP Died Monday At 93
MINNESOTA (KVRR) – One person close to Mondale was Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
She shared why she feels he wasn’t just a successful politician, but a humble and noble man shortly after news broke of his passing Monday night.
“What does Vice President Mondale mean to you? Because I know he’s counseled you a lot. What does he mean to you and the state?” KVRR’s Austin Erickson asked.
“He was my mentor and he was someone that encouraged me to run for office before I knew I could do it myself. In fact, I still remember when I was running for Senate, I was trying to figure out what was my 30 seconds I would say about myself? And I would try it out on him and he would say ‘That’s not good enough.’ and hang up. We were friends. He was someone that Minnesota had this unique thing to see. Everyone saw him, including the people of our state, and we were proud. A world leader negotiating on the world stage as vice president, as ambassador, as a senator that passed civil rights legislation, but we also got to see what he did after he lost. A lot of people kind of crawl under a rock and go away. Not him. He came home and became a leader at home,” Klobuchar explained.
“How do you think he has boosted the careers of women and helped women have voices in this country?” Erickson asked.
“When he picked Geraldine Ferraro (as his Vice Presidential nominee in 1984), I still remember what she was wearing: a red dress and white pearls and I thought at that moment anything and everything is possible. He was ahead of his time He wanted to see a woman in one of the highest offices in the land,” Klobuchar said.
“What do you think he should be remembered for, not only for his policies as senator and vice president, but as a person?” Erickson asked.
“Dignity, decency, civility. I think those are very important words right now in our politics. He was always making sure that people he worked with were treated with respect. He always wanted to bring dignity to the game of politics and a lot of people just treat it cynically as a game. He saw it as a purpose and a calling,” Klobuchar said.
