Who are your great American (political) heroes? I'll take anything -- those who you think are obvious but deserving, those who are obscure but shouldn't be, past or present, whatever. Don't see any reason to separate this between liberals and conservatives, so I'm going off-format today. Back to regular next week. So: let's have some heroes!
Studs Terkel.
ReplyDeleteEd Muskie. I grew up on one of the 10-most polluted rivers in the US; on a farm that stretched a mile along its shore. If you fell in, you went to the hospital. The wildlife was stunted and deformed or just missing.
ReplyDeleteToday, thanks to the Clean Water Act, you can swim in it where my family farm is located. There are otters, bass, turtles, eagles.
In the mill towns upstream, thanks to the clean air act, houses that used to have the paint peel off now can keep a coat of paint. The air doesn't reek.
Ed Muskie's my political hero. His politics made life better for people all over this nation, perhaps all over the world.
Thank you for asking, Jonathan. Happy Independence Day.
Ted Sorensen. There have been few people able to articulate the liberal world-view as well as he. He was also an extremely kind and caring person. Quite charming, too. He saved the world, too.
ReplyDeleteHe grew up not even a mile from where I sit, which kind of gives me goosebumps.
This is something of an odd answer, since they're not political heroes of mine ... but since I'm finishing a book about heroism and since I use a couple of examples of contemporary politicians throughout the book, here are a couple of blog posts I've written about John McCain (http://kohenari.net/post/1263636689) and John Kerry (http://kohenari.net/post/6555443238). Specifically, the posts are about the ways in which we're not thinking in quite the right way about the heroic behavior of either one of them.
ReplyDeleteAgree about Studs Terkel. Also, Walter White, an early and longtime leader of the NAACP. He was white-skinned and could "pass" but instead chose to use this ability to go undercover, posing as a white man to gather information (at great risk) about lynchings and race riots. In the last years of his life, as NAACP Executive Director, he green-lighted the lawsuit that led to Brown vs. Board of Education. But Thurgood Marshall gets all the credit for that, and White died shortly before the Mongtomery Bus Boycott and the rise of ML King, so has largely been forgotten.
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ReplyDeleteJohn McCain. I find his story genuinely moving, and while I've disagreed with him on a number of issues, I've never doubted that he believed in what he was doing, and I can't say that about many national figures.
ReplyDeleteMLK, easily. He wasn't afraid to say things that made him one of the most hated people in America.
ReplyDeleteCool question, Jonathan, and interesting responses from other folks. I have to agree with Anonymous above - it's MLK for me. And not simply because of his (fully deserved) status as an icon of justice; but because he represents, in a big way, all those people who fought for racial civil rights throughout American history. From John Jay, to William Lloyd Garrison, to Ida B. Wells, to the Freedom Riders. And of course all the less famous folks whose names we don't remember yet who gave so much of their lives for what must have seemed so often to be an impossible struggle. These are the individuals who actually bent (and continue to bend) the arc of justice. Without them, the ideals of America are a sick, hollow joke; because of them, America still retains its promise today.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington and Ulysses S. Grant. The former was so influential as to be taken for granted; the latter was the only President to enforce civil rights for blacks and try to reform treatment of native Americans before before the mid-20th century.
ReplyDeleteIf John McCain had never been born, what would the effect be on US history? Seriously, what's his legacy? He's taken many brave principled stances such as supporting the Iraq War, supporting/opposing cap and trade, supporting/opposing immigration reform, opposing DADT repeal, arguing that undocumented immigrants cause wildfires, etc. Clearly this maverick has spent his entire political career selflessly speaking truth to power.
ReplyDeleteBoring answer: George Washington. For me it boils down to his setting of precedent. He could have become a monarch in all but name, but he didn't. That means a lot.
ReplyDeleteWithin this century, it's MLK. Earlier, it's Abe Lincoln. To the extent that we've lived up to the finest principles of our founding fathers, those two individuals did the most despite the extreme dangers to their lives.
ReplyDeleteAs a Civil War buff, I've always had a particular admiration for Lincoln and Grant, and I might add Frederick Douglass as well.
ReplyDeleteI've often said that Lincoln is the only historical figure I know who seems to get better once you understand his flaws; Lincoln wasn't a great man at the start of the war, but he learned. He improved himself. He came to understand the cause of human freedom in a way he didn't before, and eventually he died for it. That's a remarkable thing, to me, so I'll spend my Fourth of July tribute on him.
I’ll add President Grover Cleveland -- he was a principled anti-imperialist, he fought political corruption throughout his career and he opposed the easy money and corporatist policies that feed the boom-bust of the business cycle. His honesty, courage and integrity have always been admired, but it’s his political philosophy that seems to be fueling a comeback. We could use that kind of leadership again today.
ReplyDeleteIf John McCain had never been born, what would the effect be on US history? Seriously, what's his legacy? He's taken many brave principled stances such as supporting the Iraq War, supporting/opposing cap and trade, supporting/opposing immigration reform, opposing DADT repeal, arguing that undocumented immigrants cause wildfires, etc. Clearly this maverick has spent his entire political career selflessly speaking truth to power.
ReplyDeleteI simply assumed the question was about modern leaders, though it appears I'm the only one to make this assumption. If it wasn't meant that way, then I'd have to think about it a bit more.
That said, I explained my admiration in two different ways, and I think his stances on campaign finance reform and immigration were quite bold; the latter nearly costing him the nomination, your incredibly persuasive sarcasm notwithstanding.
I couldn't care less if you agree, and I find it bizarre that you'd try to argue with someone else's choice. Particularly without putting so much as a fake name to the complaint.
Historically, I agree with those who have chosen Washington, and I agree that the "boringness" of the choice does not diminish it. I'd highlight his personal restraint in being offered so much power, and still turning it down, above most everything else.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of TR.
ReplyDeleteI think this one is more for an act of political heroism. Former Illinois Senator Peter Fitzgerald was a rather extreme conservative, I didn't agree with him much - but he did one thing that never happens in this state - he insisted on bucking the state establishment and submitted the name of Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation) as US District Attorney for Chicago.
ReplyDeleteRather than installing another get-along, go-along guy, we got a fierce advocate for justice, and we're going on our second ex-governor heading to the Federal Pen.
He also retired from the Senate after one term, helping clear the way for a skinny kid with big ears to win that seat. (The replacement of that Senator-turned-President leading back to said prosecutor. And now you know the rest.... of the story.)
Michael Bloomberg, because he (mostly) does what he thinks is right, irrespective of the false left/right dichotomy. The fact that he's rich enough to not have to give a shit what interest groups he pisses off is refreshing and telling.
ReplyDeleteHenry David Thoreau
ReplyDeleteCharles Sumner
ReplyDeleteGary Condit.
ReplyDeleteI mean, why not?
Thomas Jefferson.
ReplyDeleteThe contradictions of America, symbolized in one man. He clarified the principles that America always dreams to achieve, while he contradicted it in his own actions. He defined the vision for America, and left future generations to get there.
He painted the goal line.
Truman: because of his courageous personality; the Truman Committee in the Senate; his populist attacks on Wall Street and the Do-nothing congress; his pugnacious rejection of the Dixiecrats and of McCarthyism; the integration of the Armed Forces and other Civil Rights moves; his firing of MacArthur; NATO, the UN, the Berlin Airlift and the Marshall Plan.
ReplyDeleteThrown in at the deep end as President in momentous times, he rose to the occasion and demonstrated a profoundly democratic understanding of the constitutional role and responsibilities of the Presidency.
I like most of the choices above, so I'll propose a couple that don't make the first string of peoples' choices.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, Bayard Rustin. Though MLK was probably the most important civil rights leader, it was Rustin who greatly influenced MLK's ideas on non-violence and integrating the civil rights struggle with labor and the anti-war movement. Rustin's life as a civil rights activist, working on behalf of racial minorities, the poor, and the LGBT community make him an unquestionable addition to the ranks of American heroes.
Second, I'd propose Harvey Milk. Though not the first openly gay politician, his contribution to the gay rights movement has been incalculable, helping organize the California queer rights movement to fight back against insidious anti-gay campaigns, and helping make San Francisco a greater haven for the LGBT community than possibly any other major city in the US at the time.
Benjamin Franklin.
ReplyDeleteThink of where he stood in 1775. Here's a successful self-made businessman, a pillar of the business, political, and intellectual establishment of the colonies' largest city (Philadelphia), a long-time ambassador from the colonies to the British crown. And then, at the age of almost 70 (which at that time was an incredibly advanced age - think 85 or 90 today), he throws his lot in with the revolution. And not just from afar - he spends every day immersed in the grueling, squabbling Continental Congress, serves on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and then, past 70, gets on a boat to Paris to cement the newborn nation's relationship with its most important ally. Oh, and after having used his connections to get his son appointed Royal Governor of New Jersey, he does absolutely nothing as his loyalist son is arrested, imprisoned, and driven into exile. That's cold. Badass. Then, the revolution well won (and having negotiated its end), he backs the Constitution that kept the country from falling apart.
And, to all this, a scientist, a free-thinker, an opponent of moralizing cant, and an abolitionist.
I have a lot of regard for Helen Douglas Mankin, a liberal Congresswoman from Atlanta before being screwed out of her seat thanks to undemocratic procedures revived specifically to kick her out, as well as by her opponent's fairly open alliance with the Klan. "The Belle of Ashby Street" is a good biography (Ashby street being the african-american heavy precinct that provided her with her initial margin of victory.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, second Bayard Rustin, from what I know of him.
Bill Moyers
ReplyDeleteI would throw Ella Baker out there. One of the key behind the scenes organizers of the civil rights movement along with Rustin.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Baker
Here's a good book about her
http://www.amazon.com/Ella-Baker-Black-Freedom-Movement/dp/0807827789
I strongly endorse Basilisc's nomination of Benjamin Franklin, for all the reasons mentioned in the post above, plus an additional one that is personally significant:
ReplyDeleteThe most influential book I've read the past five years is Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. Have a passion but think you're not talented enough to be world-class? Colvin will convince you its not talent you're lacking; its quantity of a particular type of disciplined effort. (FWIW, Gladwell's Outliers covers much the same ground).
Back to Franklin: once Colvin convinces you that greatness is achievable by anyone, the next issue is structuring your life such that you have time to put in the disciplined effort to achieve such greatness. There is probably no better role model for this than Benjamin Franklin. On top of the many accomplishments Basilisc mentioned above, we should recall that Franklin had little formal education...no doubt he is the prototype for how to go about one's business to become great.
Modern era, major names: JFK. RFK. MLK.
ReplyDeleteLess known moderns: Allard Lowenstein. Mike Mansfield. Frank Church. Fred Harris. Wayne Morse.
Jim Garrison. Norman Cousins.
Yesteryear: Tom Paine. Wm Lloyd Garrison (ancestor of Jim). Abe.
Recent: Paul Wellstone. RFK Jr
Ralphe Bunche, I have never been able to figure out why he is not well known
ReplyDeleteThis is a great question.
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson, for the declaration of Independence (but not for a lot of other things).
Alexander Hammilton and Henry Clay for their insistence that the power (and purse) of government be used to develop the country (and, as it happens, to set the stage for private economic growth).
John Quincy Adams, the Member of Congress from Massachussets (not JQA the president), for ending his life fighting for freedom for everyone.
Frederick Douglass, for spending his life fighting for freedom for everyone.
John Sherman, senator from Ohio, for the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Walter and Victor Reuther for building the American labor movement. And Samuel Gompers before them. And all the people who died fighting for the rights of workers.
Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor.
Rosa Parks. I don't think I need to say why.
Al Lowenstein, whose presence and intellectual drive made the anit-war movement more and more mainstream.
A friend of mine from college, Jim Rogers, who, as an anti-war activist volunteered for the army, became a medic, and was imprisoned for providing medical care to dying Viet Namese soldiers wearing the "wrong" uniforms.
Shirley Chisholm, for running for president to make a lot of very important points.
There are a lot more, but this is long enough already.
July 4, 2011 3:24 PM
Word verification
This is a great question.
Thomas Jefferson, for the declaration of Independence (but not for a lot of other things).
Alexander Hammilton and Henry Clay for their insistence that the power (and purse) of government be used to develop the country (and, as it happens, to set the stage for private economic growth).
John Quincy Adams, the Member of Congress from Massachussets (not JQA the president), for ending his life fighting for freedom for everyone.
Frederick Douglass, for spending his life fighting for freedom for everyone.
John Sherman, senator from Ohio, for the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Walter and Victor Reuther for building the American labor movement. And Samuel Gompers before them. And all the people who died fighting for the rights of workers.
Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor.
Rosa Parks. I don't think I need to say why.
Al Lowenstein, whose presence and intellectual drive made the anit-war movement more and more mainstream.
A friend of mine from college, Jim Rogers, who, as an anti-war activist volunteered for the army, became a medic, and was imprisoned for providing medical care to dying Viet Namese soldiers wearing the "wrong" uniforms.
Shirley Chisholm, for running for president to make a lot of very important points.
There are a lot more, but this is long enough already.
Mother Jones for fighting for worker's rights when it was truly a struggle. MLK for recognizing that the right to organize is a civil right. Bernie Sanders for his independent voice in a homogeneous political wilderness.
ReplyDeleteHarry Hopkins
ReplyDeleteI always end up piping up to say "What? No one's mentioned xyz?" -- but ... 36 comments, 90% liberals, a strong plurality of civil rights advocates, and no feminists (mentioned as such)? Seriously? They aren't even my personal American political heroes, necessarily, but they must be someone's, so I'll add a few pioneers.
ReplyDeleteSpecial mention to Abigail Addams for bringing the revolutionary thought that "our souls are by nature equal to yours" to these shores at a time when it was outre even among radicals (except, in England, the small circle around Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin).
The abolitionist women like the Grimke sisters who became political and public figures not to prove a point about feminism but because there weren't enough people saying what needed to be said, and who ended up highlighting other injustices in their persons.
The first organizers, who incorporated feminist concerns into the broader (upper-class intellectual New England) intellectual and political agenda -- people like Margaret Fuller; Louisa May Alcott; the writer, education reformer, bookshop owner, and salon host Elizabeth Peabody; Sophia and George Ripley, who founded the secular utopian egalitarian commune Brook Farm.
The organizers (many starting in the temperance movement) who made feminism its own movement, too -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Amelia Bloomer, and Susan B. Anthony to start with -- and the early advocates of womanhood suffrage, including the always-right Frederick Douglass. The social reformers not focused on temperance, like Jane Addams.
And I'll leave the arts, electoral and appointed politics, and the entire twentieth century to the imagination -- except to thank the person who mentioned Frances Perkins above.
I'm a lawyer in Illinois, and when they gave me my license, they said, "You're now part of the same fraternity as Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama." So yeah, those two mean quite something to me.
ReplyDeleteBut I'll throw out another big name in the liberal movement: Bill Brennan. God knows he operated from a relatively secure position, but it would take you a long time to list all the lives he made better.
William Jennings Bryan. Nowadays mostly remembered for the Scopes trial, which is like remembering FDR because he had a dog named Fala.
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