Remembering a Minnesota Senator

Minnesota lost one of the state’s great politicians and leaders last week with the death of former Sen. Dave Durenberger on January 31 at age 88.

Durenberger first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1978 to replace Sen. Hubert Humphrey who had died earlier that year. He remains the only Minnesota Republican elected to three terms in the U.S. Senate.

In his 15 years in the Senate, he served as a moderate, progressive voice for Republicans. He wanted to make life better for people and believed government had a role.

He worked to bring about health care changes, changes in how those with disabilities were viewed, and pushed for protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park.

He served in an era when politicians of both parties worked together to do what was right for the citizens. Yes, they disagreed on the particulars of many issues, but they knew they were elected to serve all the people, not just their supporters. They knew more could be accomplished by working together to build a better nation for everyone.

It was a time when issues caused our elected representatives at least tried to discuss their differences in a civil manner and ultimately be willing to compromise to find a workable solution. Opponents were not enemies, compromise was not a dirty word, and voters were not demanding that only their views be considered.

It wasn’t a perfect world as the halls of Congress still saw heated debate, and Durenberger was not the perfect politician.

He got himself into hot water in 1990 for financial improprieties on income and expenses including disguising speaking fees as income from a publisher and paying rent on a condominium that he partly owned.

He faced Ethic Committee charges, was censured by his fellow senators and accepted that judgement. He did not resign, but he did not seek re-election in 1994.

After leaving the Senate he taught health care policy at the University of St. Thomas until he retired in 2014.

He accomplished much, made some serious mistakes, but continued on, doing his best and serving the people of Minnesota.

No one knows how Dave Durenberger would fare in today’s political climate. For that matter how would any of his Minnesota contemporaries fare.

Durenberger’s moderate views are not looked at in the same way today.

In this era of fractious government and politics, the country could learn a lot from Dave Durenberger and his colleagues on how to govern.

And voters too could learn a lot from the politics of that era. The one who disagrees with you is not your enemy, simply someone who holds a different view.