Which politicians do you admire, and why?

Great Debates
21

Al Smith probably the most lovable human being who ever ran for high office in the US. I remember reading that GW Bush’s appeal was that the average American could envision having a beer with GWB, but Al Smith would blow him away in this catagory, especially if karaoke was involved.

In a sad coincedence of history, Al Smith lost to Herbert Hoover; another man born at a brief moment when an American with next to nothing could still make everything possible for himself - and who’d then seen a clear path where offering all the fruits of his personal gains back to a nation which had made this possible made perfect sense. And then each man was mightily shat upon by that same nation.

22

He is another one of my local heroes from Washington. That state has been blessed with some great politicians. Tom Foley is another guy I had tremendous respect for, yet he was tossed out of office just when he could start making a difference as Speaker of the House. I still don’t get what Spokane was thinking back then. (Term limits, yeah, yeah, not when its your guy at the top though - I think it was just payback since the Republicans couldnt re-elect Reagan in '88. Irony struck when Foley’sreplacement broke his pledge not to seek re-election in 2000. Looks like he
paid for it in '04 though.
[Warren G. “Maggie” Magnuson](Warren Grant “Maggie” Magnuson), Scoop’s partner in crime, so to speak, was another local great. It speaks to their legacy that even though both passed away before I came of age, most locals still revered them greatly, and had/have high expectations from their elected representatives.

I also agree that Jimmy Carter has become a great ex-president. It looks like Bill Clinton may do the same (it will be fun to see how he handles being First Gentleman if Hillary wins.) Newsweek had a good article about him last week or so. I’ve also noticed even more than a lack of good politicians is a lack of good statesmen, ala Carter, or Nixon (yes, that Nixon, regardless of domestic politics, he kicked ass internationally - and it was our loss we could not use him after Watergate as a diplomat.)

Gorbachev, Mandela and Carter are the only three I can think of, and they are all fading away.

I realized another type I admire are the quiet powerbrokers like William Daley and George Schultz - they have no desire to be on the front pages, or even get elected, just smoke their cigars and try to get things done.

23

Sometimes I think I read and know too damn much about politics. I don’t admire any politico unreservedly, but I do think very highly of:

John Glenn - Our retired U.S. Senator from Ohio. War hero, unflappable astronaut, a genuinely nice guy with bedrock integrity. That said, he should have known better than to get caught up in the Keating Five.

Nelson Mandela - One of my favorite political/historical movies is Jonathan Demme’s biopic of Mandela (you’ve gotta see it!). The guy’s locked up for decades and emerges to preach peace and reconciliation, becoming president by acclamation. He could have become a vengeful, hateful man, but he took his experiences and did grew enormously from them. Then again, I’m not crazy about his embrace of Castro, Khaddafy, and various other Third World despots.

John McCain - Another war hero, who handled his experiences as a POW with courage, strength and honor. Considerably to the right of me in his views, but pragmatic, tough and smart. But… I’m very displeased by his cozying up to the Religious Right in the last few years. Hope he doesn’t sell his soul for another shot at the White House. I’m also not wild about his ideas to increase U.S. troop strength in Iraq.

Jimmy Carter - The Nobel laureate, for the reasons stated earlier. Mostly a failure in the White House, but the best post-Presidency ever.

John Edwards - A crusading plaintiff’s lawyer who did a lot of good and won a lot of David-vs.-Goliath courtroom battles. Smart, optimistic and idealistic. Ran a spirited primary campaign in '04. But… didn’t seem to do the ticket much good in November, alas.

John Warner - A success in both business and politics. Telecom millionaire and smart, capable governor of Virginia. Sorry he took himself out of the running for the White House in '08.

And since the earlier posts haven’t been limited to the living:

George Washington - Took on the superpower of the day and held his army together for eight years of hard war, winning when no one thought he could at Trenton, Princeton and Yorktown. Despite the weakness and ineptitude of Congress, insisted on civilian control of the military. Turned down a crown that many would gladly have given him. Took a big risk in chairing the Constitutional Convention, virtually guaranteeing its success. Reluctantly agreed to serve as President when he would much rather have stayed at Mount Vernon. Left happily at the end of his second term, establishing an invaluable precedent for the peaceful transfer of power. “Modest, wise and good,” as Abigail Adams said.

Abraham Lincoln - Made a lot of mistakes on the job, but learned from them and achieved greatness. Incredibly articulate and committed to the Union. Overcame every difficulty and saw the nation through its greatest ordeal with grace, good humor and patience.

Winston Churchill - An amazing guy who led an amazing life. Presciently warned of the rise of Nazism, then led Britain through its most difficult challenges. Forged a brilliant working relationship with FDR, and did it all with panache, wit and style.

John F. Kennedy - Far-sighted, witty, articulate and brave. WW2 hero. Handled the Cuban Missile Crisis brilliantly. Set America on the course that led to the Apollo missions. After initial hesitancy, committed the nation to civil rights. Brought style to the White House.

Harry Truman - Rose from obscurity to lead the nation. Scrappy, smart and tough. Won in '48 when everyone thought he’d lose, despite a three-way split in his own party. Handled incredibly difficult problems - the A-bomb, Korea and the Soviet threat - adroitly.

Theodore Roosevelt - I’ve always admired his sense of joy in life, his voracious appetite for food, books and adventure, his courage and gusto. Built up the Navy and set America on its course to become a leader on the world stage.

24

Before we start applying to the Vatican to canonise Mandela we should remember that he wasn’t imprisoned for his political beliefs but for causing terrorist explosions .and that after his release his gang of “enforcers” operating under the name of I believe" the Nelson Mandela football club",carried out some pretty sickening murders of his own people to eliminate dissenters within his own party and prevent other black african political factions from presenting a serious challenge to his leadership of the Anti Apartheid movement.

I believe that he genuinlly was unaware of the N.M.F.C s actions but he SHOULD have known !His own wife was issuing their orders.

But N.M. aside I admire J.F. Kennedy, for many things ,but most of all for causing mankind to land on another world for the first time in history and The Dalai Llama ,a man with devoted followers worldwide but who hasn’t let it give him a swollen head .

25

To be fair, the Football Club was ‘run’ by Winnie, and he got rid of her.

Also to be fair, he could have got off Robben Island a lot earlier if he had renounced the use of violence, which makes me suspect that he realized that his lifespan could have been a lot shorter - from his own side.

I can understand the Castro and Qadaffi stuff, the trick is to keep a channel of communication open - push someone into a corner and they can get dangerous.

That is why I support a retirement resort for ex dictators, hot and cold running women and all mod cons.

26

Joe Biden is quite convincing.
I think he’s always just saying what he believes.
Only a few others seem as sincere, like Colin Powell, but they are often tied to others who are pretty shifty, like his party heads. Whenever any of the top leadership says something, all I can see is their eyes saying it’s being spun.

27

Harry Truman shot straight and was where the buck stopped. He also had a Democratic Congress, but in spite of taking the easy way, he told them to get to work.
Mike Mansfield was one of the greatest Senate Majority Leaders we’ve yet had. He was a progressive who got things done, and stood up to President Johnson when he felt he was right, even though they were both Democrats.

Al Gore has taken his prestige over the last six years and really done something with it. Though he hasn’t been seeking office, he’s been using his influence to do a lot of good.

Paul Wellstone wasn’t called “the Conscience of the Senate” for nothing. God rest his soul; we need more like him than ever before.

Bob LaFollette wanted to be president, but actually had good ideas. Unfortunately, he came along too early (when Teddy Roosevelt stole his thunder) and too early again (when progressivism was in a lull, soon before the Great Depression hit.)

Eugene McCarthy’s politics might not be something I find too admirable, but I like how he stood up against the Vietnam War.

Adlai Stevenson ran for president twice, and though he lost both times, few Americans have ever merited that office more than he did.

Abraham Lincoln stood up for what was right and fought for it, and he got things done. Plus he was cool as hell; I’d love to hang out with him probably more than any other president.

Ken Livingstone is another one who stands up for what’s right, cleans things up and takes no crap.

Robert Stafford was a real credit to his party, his state and his country. R.I.P.

Jim Jeffords is another Vermonter who put principle first, even when it wasn’t easy, and he worked with the other side.

Howard Dean, speaking of Vermonters. He also stood on principle and whipped the Democratic Party into shape when it needed it the most.

Franklin Roosevelt enacted the progressive agenda that had been trying to move forward for decades and probably saved American society.

Birch Bayh had real backbone, and was a brilliant progressive. He would have been a great president.

Alf Landon would have made a fine president, if his progeny are any indication. Even I would have voted for FDR in 1936, but Landon has my respect, and he might have gotten my vote if he’d run a little later in history. It’s not too late for Landon!

Jimmy Carter gets my unceasing admiration for his work after the presidency. While he was still in office, he was a mediocre chief executive at best.

And I want to weigh in on the Carter/Iran debate that’s been going on here. I figure there’s no way Carter (or any president) could have handled Iran well by the time Pehlavi’s government toppled. Pehlavi had been a most oppressive leader, either crushing dissent or chasing it into exile. The West should have been more responsible and less permissive where Iran was concerned, but the bottom line is that by the time Pehlavi was run out of the country, there really was no other party or leader who could step in and take over. Khomeni returned from exile and took charge, but hell, no one else was doing it, and it’s not like the Iranis would have listened to any guidance from the U.S. or Europe—why should they, considering our track record there?! We’d propped up a brutal autocrat for decades! They would never listen to us, and I don’t blame them.

Even the most progressive elements in Iran embraced the Ayatollah when he showed up. Those people were shot up against the wall soon after Khomeni took power, but you really can’t blame them for thinking that Khomeni was their best bet, when compared to Pehlavi. The reign of Pehlavi and the rise of Khomeni is the result of decades of bad foreign policy on the part of the West toward Iran; putting all the blame on Jimmy Carter is irrational, illogical, and arguably mean.

28

Nobody.

All governments, ALL OF THEM, use the same techniques to rule: taxing & killing.

The only difference between them is what will provoke the behavior.

Genocide, torture, Nuclear Brinkmanship…it’s all the same.

There is little or no functional difference between organized crime & governments.

All politicians are frenzied rats clawing their way to the top of the pile. All of them. :frowning:

29

@Chance, the Shah and SAVAK were pussy cats compared with the Ayotollahs

Not hard to predict, Russia 1917 and the French Revolution are good examples.

Government requires a certain ‘mystique’, take that away and it falls.

The idea that Iran hated the USA is somewhat complicated by the fact that there are over 500,000 ex Iranians resident in the USA.

The Shah could probably have pulled through, yet ‘uman rites’ carping from his allies undermined his domestic support. When your friends turn on you … you have had it.

30

Keizo Obuchi. He was a dishrag who was picked by more powerful men to be the fall guy when they thought the economy was going to sour. Instead, he managed to connect with people, build popular support for his ideas, get a bill or two passed, and then dropped dead after a year and a half in office.

We need more politicians to follow this lead.

31

I’ll echo FRDE’s list. Are you my mirror? Or am I your shadow?

32

Dennis Kucinich, because when he gives a speech he never says anything soothing or vague or ambiguous, he just gets straight to the meat and speaks the truth, however unacceptable it might seem at the moment. Also, he never gives up. After what the Cleveland Electrical Illuminating Company (CEI) did to DK when he was mayor of Cleveland, a lesser person might have washed his hands of politics in disgust, but Dennis kept coming back.

33

Yes it still sickens me that Brits campaigned against the Shahs regime at the time out of no genuine ethical concerns but because it was trendy at the time and a “bit of a laugh” .
When I ask the same people today how they feel about the conditions in Iran today that they helped bring about , I usually get a blank"who me?" look followed by the “well we were young ,it was a bit of fun thats all”

God knows how many deaths,tortures, acts of terrorism later it isn’t their fault cos it was just a" bit of fun" and they were young.

34

Yes, well I was around at the time, and had a very good idea of the outcome.

They were young and very, very, stupid.

35

But there wasn’t a direct transition from the Shah to the Mullahs. There was a possibility for things to work out better. It’s a little before my time (I was born in 1969) but I did chat at college with some members of the Iranian Communist Party who had been involved in the revolution and were then exiled by the Islamists.

They certainly didn’t think it was inevitable that the country would go to fundamentalism.