# Top five 'Heroes' of the Democratic Party **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318 "2015-07-05T16:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/21 "2015-07-06T13:20:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Hey Quick Draw (yeah, we know who you are), what’s the deal with Sally Ride? You got a thing for her or something? Who is this ‘Quick Draw’ of which you speak? Anyway, I think you should direct your question to Wilson Pickett. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/22 "2015-07-06T13:29:37Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Sally Ride? Seriously? Holy Incomprehensible, Batman! > > FDR > LBJ > HHH > BHO > EMK I think they were playing to the local crowd with that one. The parade was in a Houston suburb, and NASA of course is based in the area. I don’t have the impression that Ride was at all political, however. Interesting to see the support for Humphrey. It often seems as though he’s completely forgotten these days. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/23 "2015-07-06T14:32:15Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I think they were playing to the local crowd with that one. The parade was in a Houston suburb, and NASA of course is based in the area. I don’t have the impression that Ride was at all political, however. > > Interesting to see the support for Humphrey. It often seems as though he’s completely forgotten these days. I’ll skip the obvious chance for a Lehrer link. No I won’t. As for Sally Ride; I disagree with the choice but I can understand it beyond the NASA thing. You have someone from a same-sex relationship who basically stayed closeted (there is some debate as towards if it was by choice or need), someone with roots in education at least at the college level, and someone with an active charity as part of their legacy. If you go with say Christa McAuliffe, you lose the whole LGBT connection and have to bring Reagan into the mix. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/24 "2015-07-06T14:46:56Z")
Well, times and attitudes change. In my youth, Andrew Jackson would have been on that list for sure, but today, he’s regarded as the embodiment of evil among liberal Democrats. Even all this time after the New Deal FDR surely belongs at the top of the list. JFK would have been a no-brainer not long ago… to more recent, younger Democrats, perhaps Ted should be there. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/25 "2015-07-06T14:55:22Z")
As the first Democrat to win reelection in more than 50 years Bill Clinton certainly deserves to be there. Way more than Obama. Obama just gets an asterisk for being the first (half-) black president. I don’t think history is going to remember him for much anything else. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/26 "2015-07-06T15:05:01Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > As the first Democrat to win reelection in more than 50 years Bill Clinton certainly deserves to be there. Way more than Obama. Obama just gets an asterisk for being the first (half-) black president. I don’t think history is going to remember him for much anything else. Circumstances had a lot to do with re-elections. Truman wasn’t elected the first time, but after almost a full term inherited from FDR he did get elected. Johnson’s first term was short, but he didn’t run for re-election after he won his second term in a landslide. Really only Carter failed in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/27 "2015-07-06T16:23:12Z")
You don’t even really have to go Hubert Humphrey (most folks would probably be like who? which doesn’t work for a float) - replacing Sally Ride with Ted Kennedy would work just as well, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/28 "2015-07-06T16:28:01Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > As the first Democrat to win reelection in more than 50 years Bill Clinton certainly deserves to be there. Way more than Obama. Obama just gets an asterisk for being the first (half-) black president. I don’t think history is going to remember him for much anything else. I expect that the advancement of gay rights and the death of OBL will be strongly associated with Obama by future historians. Further, if the ACA sticks around and/or more progressive health care reform is put into place, he’ll be strongly associated with that too. And likely a major economic recovery, depending on how it goes the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/29 "2015-07-06T16:43:19Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > You don’t even really have to go Hubert Humphrey (most folks would probably be like who? which doesn’t work for a float) - replacing Sally Ride with Ted Kennedy would work just as well, IMO. As VP HHH was overshadowed by LBJ. Ted had a pretty checkered career though, besides the Chappaquiddick thing many blame him for giving the 1980 election to Reagan by running against Carter and failing to back him. He was a champion of public healthcare, but never really accomplished much toward that end. I consider him a tragic Shakespearean figure, it did take courage for him to stay in politics, but he doesn’t rise to the level of hero in my book. For those who adore Bill Clinton, remember that he turned the nation over to Bush because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. Everything he accomplished was quickly erased by the _worst president ever_. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/30 "2015-07-06T17:09:10Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I MISS having the national debt paid off and having a great job in the 90s. I’d shake Bill Clinton’s hand any day… Bill Clinton wasn’t President in [1840](http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_debt_chart.html). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/31 "2015-07-06T18:01:52Z")
LBJ saved my hometown. That has earned him hero status with me. Harry Truman for carrying the weight of dropping the atomic bomb with strength and character. Both Roosevelts (Franklin and Teddy) for their leadership and vision. Ophelia Watt Caraway (first female elected US Senator). ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/32 "2015-07-06T18:10:01Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > LBJ saved my hometown. That has earned him hero status with me. > Harry Truman for carrying the weight of dropping the atomic bomb with strength and character. > Both Roosevelts (Franklin and Teddy) for their leadership and vision. > Ophelia Watt Caraway (first female elected US Senator). Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican. But I guess he can still be a Hero of the Democratic Party. Hell, Lincoln too while we’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/33 "2015-07-06T18:14:57Z")
> [@](#): > > As the first Democrat to win reelection in more than 50 years Bill Clinton certainly deserves to be there. Way more than Obama. Obama just gets an asterisk for being the first (half-) black president. I don’t think history is going to remember him for much anything else. If it was my list of 5 heroes of the party, Obama wouldn’t make it, but as the float was sponsored by the local party (and not likely limited to 5 individuals), putting the current president on the float seems a reasonable choice. The OP asks for 5 heroes, but I do need to know if that’s just a list on who we think the should be or who we’d promote with pictures on a parade float? For that, they need to famous, not just important, and it’d probably help if they were recognizable by face and not just name. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/34 "2015-07-06T18:23:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > For those who adore Bill Clinton, remember that he turned the nation over to Bush because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. Everything he accomplished was quickly erased by the _worst president ever_. That’s the electorate’s fault, not Clinton’s. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/35 "2015-07-06T18:28:58Z")
For the ideal Texas float: LBJ Sam Houston Sam Rayburn Ann Richards Wendy Davis They just won’t recognize the names of anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/36 "2015-07-06T18:30:49Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Sally Ride? What? > > And Lyndon Johnson definitely deserves it. He’s one of the most important presidents in our history. He’s a hero of mine and without him I probably wouldn’t be so strongly Democratic. > > Yes, Vietnam was fucked up. But great men make big mistakes. Vietnam was a mess, but watching some PBS shows about it just yesterday I can say that it appears that the MAIN reason J.F.K. dicked around over there was political: he was afraid his popularity and ratings would suffer if he didn’t try to stop the seeming Communist tide. I’ll add that the kind of people whose opinions _he_ was worried about 50+ years ago are the very same kind of people who were clamoring for revenge after “9-1-1” and who now are itching for a fight against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh. In _other_ words: people who seem to be _itching_ for a fight and who usually don’t have a personal stake in it (“chickenhawks”). Was Vietnam a mistake? Yup. No question about it. Did J.F.K. escalate things there solely because he was a war-hungry madman who wasn’t willing to find other ways of dealing with that situation? Nope. Not in _my_ book! ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/37 "2015-07-06T18:30:56Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican. But I guess he can still be a Hero of the Democratic Party. Hell, Lincoln too while we’re at it. Aaack, I should have checked and I got lazy. Mea culpa. But as a Pubbie, he’s a damn good one. Lincoln was a most excellent Democratic Republican. I will amend my fifth choice, then, to Shirley Chisholm, who had the cojones to attempt a run at the White House in 1972. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/38 "2015-07-06T18:36:27Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > Did J.F.K. escalate things there solely because he was a war-hungry madman who wasn’t willing to find other ways of dealing with that situation? Nope. Not in _my_ book! Right, not solely for those reasons but as you say also for popularity and ratings. That is sooooo much better. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/39 "2015-07-06T18:38:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Right, not solely for those reasons but as you say also for popularity and ratings. That is sooooo much better. Do you think any Republican in office would’ve acted any differently to that “threat”? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318/40 "2015-07-06T18:44:54Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > Do you think any Republican in office would’ve acted any differently to that “threat”? At that time, no. But jumping on the bandwagon is not heroic. LBJ inherited that war, JFK thought it was a good idea. Even Ike was hesitant, but he did open the door. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-heroes-of-the-democratic-party/724318.md?page=3)