What pol (living or dead) has most inspired you, or do you look up too

[littlewolf]

I have 2 ...
William Prixmire ( i loved his "golden fleece" awards )


and Evert Dirkson ( an excellent speaker who could express his point excellently ...)

they were both examples of what I believe a congress critter should be like ...

both true gentlemen ....

[dkf]

1. Howard Dean.

[mod mom]

29. Me too. He is the one who inspired me to get active.

[Missy Vixen]

2. Paul Wellstone

He was a liberal. I'm also fairly sure he was from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

He and Dr. Dean make me believe there could still be meaningful and effective change in our country.

[EconomicsIsGod]

3. There are many

James Madison is one. His ideals were key in founding this nation.

Benjamin Franklin is another. His strive to reach moral perfection is inspiring to me, despite his failure.

Theodore Roosevelt definitely is inspiring. Not so much his politics as his speaking and things he said such as-

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat"

There are a few others as well but this list looks good for now.

[BlueCaliDem]

4. Barbara Boxer and Paul Wellstone

And Sherrod Brown, too.

They have moxy and weren't afraid to stand up for the little guy/gal.

I'll never forget seeing that footage of Rep Wellstone going into diners, shaking hands. He didn't look like some rich pol. He looked more like a hardcare union boss fighting for the people.

I admire Barbara Boxer. She's an unapologetic Liberal, and I fell in love with her when she stood up together with the Congressional Black Caucus to challenge the Ohio electoral votes. She didn't vote for the Iraq war - thus didn't profit from it like Feinstein did - and she truly cares about the issues I do.

Sherrod Brown is tough, and he's got that Wellstone touch.

[Radical Activist]

5. Paul Simon

And Paul Wellstone





As far as elected officials go, they inspired me the most.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. The guy I did my thesis on

Fray Servando Teresa de Mier, one of the Mexican fathers of independence.

Not only could I write a novel...like Ben Franklin's...but it takes real huevos to stand to the Inquisition...

[napi21]

7. I have to say JFK. I was 20 when he was elected, and I swear, most of the females

in the US were in ove with him. He was a great speaker, very intelligent, handsome, and young. I know the Pubbies HATED HIM back then & probably still do.

[era veteran]

8. FDR & from the Court The Great Dissenter

William O Douglas

[Journeyman]

9. Mr Lincoln. . .

and Robert Kennedy . . . among many . . .

[Citizen Worker]

10. Eugene Debs, Upton Sinclair, FDR and the incomparable Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

11. James Monroe, Teddy Roosevelt, LBJ....

....Monroe may have been our greatest founding thinker....

Teddy and LBJ for their take no shit style.....

These days, Bill Clinton and Russ Feingold.......Obama too, I think will get there with me once he loses his naivete about these assholes on the right.

[OHdem10]

12. FDR --the greatest.

Admire Howard Dean, Grayson, Kucinich Feingold Dorgan

These are men who have the courage of their convictions and'this
I admire in anyone. I do not necessarily agree with them on
every issue but you can count on them to come down on the
side of the American People.

[WingDinger]

13. Reagan, he inspired me to become a lifelong dem.

[hermetic]

14. Paul Wellstone

Hands down.

[Raine]

15. Eleanor Roosevelt

not an elected politician but a political figure and wonderfully progressive. :thumbsup:

[Loki]

17. Same here.

I just recently read the quote from Laura Bush saying she wasn't an elected official and therefore she didn't have to stand up for what she believed in. Eleanor stood up BECAUSE she believed in the rights of all people.

[Mimosa]

18. Same here, too. n/t

[sarge43]

16. Barbara Jordan

"I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But though the process of amendment, interpretation and court decision I have finally been included in 'We the People'."

[hlthe2b]

19. Yes.. Barbara Jordan was remarkable....

Thanks sarge43 for not leaving her out. Eleanor Roosevelt, of course, but Jordan should not be forgotten.

[sarge43]

33. I had the good luck to hear that speech

She was the voice of the millions of people who for too long had no voice. It was a moment.

[guitar man]

20. FDR

He got it right....

[lightningandsnow]

21. Harvey Milk.

[AndrewP]

22. Bill Clinton

[MineralMan]

23. Martin Luther King

Although not technically a politician, he showed us all how it is done.

Harvey Milk, for showing us the same things again.

Both were murdered for what they did.

[FLPanhandle]

24. Jimmy Carter

Probably the smartest and most honest president we've had since TR.

He had the long term vision of what needed to be done and did the right things in spite of how popular it was.

Also, I've met him and he's personable and approachable.

[mucifer]

25. Harold Washington Chicago mayor.

So sad he died in office. He would have been great as a national figure.

[marmar]

26. Barbara Lee

[lpbk2713]

27. Bobby Kennedy

Like no other.

[FailureToCommunicate]

28. FDR for ushering in economic justice; Most Despised: Reagan, for destroying it...

And, in second place for most admired -while not directly a 'pol'- Malcolm X for putting it all in perspective to my emerging progressive outlook back then.

[KittyWampus]

30. Louise Slaughter

[HopeHoops]

31. Adlai Stevenson II.

[Javaman]

32. Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky. nt