By Butch Freedman
In this frightening period of time where our political “leaders” demonstrate their disregard of all legal and moral guidelines, I feel the need to remember those former politicians who led with dignity and decency.
First a disclaimer: I am no political expert. These are personal choices about leaders who I observed in my lifetime. Obviously, there are many others who deserve praise.
My criteria for these choices are fairly simple. For a start, I am only considering those who ran for and served some time in elected office. Thus I wasn’t able to include MLK Jr, though he clearly met all other definitions of a hero for our country. I am only including political leaders of the USA. What characterizes all of these heroes is a strong sense of moral and ethical clarity, the intention to do good and not use their office and power for personal enrichment—a far cry from Trump and his sycophants. But decency absent of accomplishments is not of much political use, the ones I have looked up to and valued had a strong record of getting things done that benefitted the country. The other attribute that factors in is harder to define. Call it charisma, a certain magnetic pull that makes us take notice that this person is both special and relatable.
The prime example of all of these qualities is Barack Obama. Sure he had some faults and missteps, what human being does not. But he led with dignity, intelligence, and courage. Obama was (and is) a mensch. I only wish he would serve again. In his eight years as president, I always felt that the country was moving forward on the track of MLK’s declaration that “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” If only we were on that path today.
My next hero is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a life-long advocate for human rights and particularly women’s rights. She served on the Supreme Court from 1993 till her death in 2020. Some have criticized her for not stepping down before that time, so that she could be replaced by another liberal Justice. But I think that was just not in her make-up. She would go on fighting for the causes she believed in till she couldn’t battle any longer. Ruth would be appalled at today’s “Justice” system and the make-up of the court she dedicated her life to.
Next on my list Is Jimmy Carter. It would be hard for me to imagine anyone who could not see what a good man Carter was. He proved it in office, (even though he failed re-election in 1976) and even more so once he left office. Carter was a humanitarian and a defender of the poor and downtrodden. A good man, who lived his long life (100 years) in the service of others. If he didn’t exactly have charisma, he had something even better—decency. And he had Rosalynn by his side in politics and building housing for the poor. Both Presidents Obama and Carter had brilliant wives partnering with them. (Not to be catty, but compare those two First Ladies to the person hiding in the White House now.)
The next hero is a personal favorite—Beverly Stein, who also happens to be my wife of 22 years. But long before I was on the scene, Bev was a well-known and respected politician. After a start as a Legal Aid lawyer she went to serve as an Oregon State Legislator, then served two terms as Chairperson of Multnomah County, and then was a candidate for Oregon Governor in 2002. Many people still bemoan that loss. Bev went on to work as a consultant for state and local governments across the country. Like RBG, Bev is a crusader for women’s rights, and works tirelessly to put democratic ideals into practical solutions. She still does that, even in retirement.
One last possible political hero I want to include is the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani. Yes, he’s still unproven. But the dude ran brazenly as a Democratic Socialist and won in a landslide against the old guard democrats. He offers a bold vision of what a politician can be. Mamdani is reaching for something new and brave and I’m hopeful he can be a new force in liberal politics. He clearly has the charisma thing dialed in. Even Donny likes him.
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