Who is your liberal hero?

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And what specifically did they do to become your hero?

[taterguy]

1. A DJ in North Carolina

She worked at a classic rock station, the kind that plays Free Bird every hour. One year on election day she said the following: Get out and vote and I'll give you two reasons: Jerry Falwell and Doctor Laura can vote today. Matthew Shepard can't.

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2. that's great

[Midlodemocrat]

9. Wow. That's a great story. What station was it?

Can I stream it?

[taterguy]

17. WKRR 92.3

The overwhelming majority of their content is apolotical, which is why I was so impressed with her remark. Anyone can preach to the choir.

[malta blue]

3. John Lennon

for having the courage to speak out, regardless of the effects it may have had on his personal life or career.

[Initech]

4. The Dude

Takin' er' easy fer all us sinners!

[Bucky]

5. Martin Luther King Jr. What he did: he redefined America

He's going thru a lot of the same banality-lock that Washington and Lincoln have been platitudinized by. But his critiques of American culture, Americans' right of opportunity, and finally American war powers changed the way that we define our country and our country's mission. The most stunning thing to realize about him is that King was murdered before the age of 40. It boggles the mind what gifts and contributions he had yet to make to this country... how far we might have gone had he had more time to teach us.

[kwolf68]

6. Hmm

No one Liberal really made me "see the way", but these are the Liberals who were my heroes

-Jim Valvano (he wasn't openly political, but was a great Dem, and inspired me with his courage)
-Mo Udall (I'm an environmentalist, enough said on this one)
-Greg Graffin (PhD., scientist, highly progressive, lead singer of my favorite band Bad Religion)
-Paul Wellstone (Easy choice here. One man who seemed to give people hope)
-Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy (they took a bullet for their troubles.)
-Jimmy Carter (Is there a more consistent Moral Vision than this man?)

[ZombieNixon]

7. Ooh, Greg Graffin!!

:thumbsup:

(BR's my favorite band, too. :bounce:)

[kwolf68]

10. Cool deal

...I could have put Brett Gurewitz in there, because I actually think Mr. Brett is MORE political than Graffin, although Graffin is just inspirational with his brilliance. The guy is just pure genius.

No band will ever replace these guys even when they hang it up and someone else comes along that totally blows me away like them.

[ZombieNixon]

11. Brett's more openly political, true.

(You can tell which songs he wrote even when they're not separately credited), but yeah, Greg is just genius.

One day I want to be the aging genius Ph.D rocker. :D

[kwolf68]

14. Me too Zombie Me too...

Actually, I'd say there was some inspiration by Graffin to go back to school for my Masters Degree (if a guy touring in a rock band can receive his undergrad from an Ivy League school, teach, and get a Masters and then the PHD. then why can't I do something?).

I'd have to say my favorite songs are probably songs Brett has written, but I like most of them all...I think of the 200+ songs they have I don't like maybe 3 total.

Even have the son into them...didn't force it on him (and he's only 9), he just likes the way they sound. I have no problem allowing the words of Mr. graffin and Mr. Brett lead my son's intellectual development.

[ZombieNixon]

19. Haha...that's great.

:thumbsup: :D

[NewWaveChick1981]

8. Jimmy Carter.

He's a native Georgian, and so am I. He's a decent, kind man who genuinely cares about his fellow man. :) He's done so much good that no one will ever be able to recognize it all. :D

He also admitted he was human and had his own faults. Ever see W do that? :grr:

[jobycom]

12. Mine, too.

He was a positive image for a southerner at a time when we needed one. His understanding of human rights is beyond even most liberals. One of the greatest people alive, I believe.

[NewWaveChick1981]

13. Totally agree with you.

:hi: I lived in Georgia when he was governor, and I grew up with a great deal of respect for the man. And you're right---when Southerners needed a role model, he was there for them. :) He showed what it really meant to be a liberal, and I'll always admire him for that.

He also showed he could be deeply religious AND tolerant----something that current fundies are sadly lacking.

[kwolf68]

15. I am going to update my list

Jimmy Carter belongs on any list...he practice what he preaches...He is truly a great man.

[taterguy]

18. you just like him because he had lust in his heart :)

[NewWaveChick1981]

21. Well, at least he was honest about it.

:P So am I. :hi:

I like him for that AND a lot of other reasons. :)

[taterguy]

22. Have you read Hunter S. Thompson's article about him?

It's in the Great Shark Hunt anthology. It's all about a trip Thompson took to see him speak in 1974 expecting to not like him, due to the Southern thing and Thompson's distate in general for pols. Instead Thompson was absolutely blown away by a speech Carter gave at the U of Georgia law school.

[NewWaveChick1981]

24. Yes---great article!

That's what many people have said. They started out thinking they were gonna hate him, and instead, they realized what a great statesman he was/is. He's super-intelligent and a nice, kind person to boot.

[jobycom]

25. Every speech he makes does that.

The final lines from his Nobel Peace Prize speech:

"War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good.

The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.

God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes - and we must."

He is the only politician who can talk about God and not make me cringe.

[Ohio Joe]

16. My Parents

Not only did they teach me the value of being liberal, they show me by the way they live their lives.

[samplegirl]

20. I have few but

I really like Ted Kennedy. I think he exhumes great knowledge and respect when he speaks. He's not afraid to say it like it is.

A few of my favorite words from him:

We as Democrats maybe the minority in Congress but we speak for the majority of Americans.

Our cause has been since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the cause of the common man and the common woman.

If health insurance is good enough for the President and Vice
President then its good enough for every family in America.

The only thing we have to fear is Four more years of Bush.


His deep beliefs of Democratic Ideals has always been very
obvious and spoken.

[SKKY]

23. I don't have a "Liberal Hero" per se....

...But I've gotta tell you, I'm becoming a big-time Gavin Newsom fan. Of couse, you gotta
love The Big Dog.

[NNadir]

26. Eleanor Roosevelt.

Almost everything that woman ever did was heroic.

[Floogeldy]

27. George McGovern: Democratic Platform - - - Legalize Marijuana.

1972. Educate yourself.

:)

[qnr]

28. John V. Lindsay ... interestingly, a Republican for a while n/t

[LeftishBrit]

29. The schoolchildren of Oxford (my town)

They took to the streets to demonstrate against the war in Iraq as soon as it started, and before almost any of the grown-ups in Britain. While our 'socialist' Prime Minister was poodling up to Bush!

[Broken_Hero]

30. hmmm...

not sure, I do look up to Martin Luthor King Jr, the fights, and aggression that man had to endure...I can't imagine the emotion, and pain, that he had to endure to push through on civil rights...so, MLK....

[regularguy]

31. In retrospect, maybe it was Norman Lear...

[RFKHumphreyObama]

32. OK

Paul Wellstone –A truly visionary, wonderful, eloquent and passionate champion of liberalism who was unabashed in his commitment to the progressive cause –as evidenced right to the end with his vote against the IWR during a close election campaign.
Hubert Humphrey –Quite possibly, along with RFK, the best President we never had. His inspirational and passionate speech in defense of civil rights and his uncompromising and unwavering commitment to liberal beliefs and values was truly inspirational. I actually feel a little sorry for him because he was between a rock and a hard place on Vietnam in 1968. On the one hand, he had people like Johnson and Daley pressuring him to maintain a hawkish position on Vietnam and on the other hand he had liberals and progressives urging him to oppose the war. I truly do believe that Humphrey would have promoted an emphasis on peace negotiations and an end of the war much earlier than RN did had he been elected as President
Robert Kennedy –I know that people (including myself) have issues with him over his surveillance of Martin Luther King but I truly believe that he was a genuinely progressive and visionary character with leadership credentials which were at the very least equal to his brother. The world would be a much better place if he had served as President
Edward Kennedy –Chappaquiddick and his 1980 presidential bid aside, I admire his unabashed passion and commitment to the liberal cause and his steadfast championing of liberal causes regardless of how popular they are
John Kerry –A true liberal progressive who would have made a great President. The one blemish on his record is his IWR vote but I’ve never doubted for a second that his heart was in the right place
Barbara Boxer –The only Senator brave enough to stand up for the rights of the disenfranchised after the 2004 senate election and someone who has always been unabashedly liberal and progressive in her views on domestic and foreign policy issues
Al Gore -Admittedly I am a late convert. I was apathetic to him in 2000 but have been greatly impressed by him since that time. Another one who would have made a great President
Bill Bradley -Another one who would have made a great President and who had a passionate commitment to liberal progressive
Bill Clinton –Oooh, this one is going to be controversial. But despite some disagreements with him on US domestic and economic issues, I credit him with allowing me to spend my formative years in an environment of peace and prosperity. I think his liberalism was greatly evident in foreign policy. Since I live overseas, I witnessed first hand how America’s reputation benefited from Clinton’s foreign policy. Friends of mine who had been bitterly critical of the US for all their lives, spoke glowingly of the US when Clinton was President.
Jimmy Carter –A true Christian with a heartfelt passion and commitment to making the nation and the world a better place, a man whose idealism and compassion serves as an inspiration. A man who has fought against every type of prejudice there is.
Lyndon Johnson –Another controversial choice. Let’s face it, I have many disagreements with his foreign policy. But his domestic policy agenda and his compassion for the poor and the underprivileged in society and his commitment to civil rights were truly inspirational. We need more domestic policy thinkers like him
Wayne Morse –Voted against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and was passionately committed to his values and beliefs. Same goes for Ernest Gruening of Alaska
George McGovern –A war hero and a passionate liberal who built up the Democratic Party in South Dakota and who remained true to his principles and values.
Marcy Kaptur –A woman of passion, commitment and integrity and a true liberal
Helen Clark –Prime Minister of New Zealand. A true progressive who has promoted an independent foreign policy and a liberal domestic policy and is one of the few world leaders remaining whom I truly respect
Gough Whitlam –Former Prime Minister of Australia. A passionate and uncompromising liberal (in the American sense, NOT in the Australian political terminology) whose first 100 days set the revolutionized Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam#Prime_Minister
Don Dunstan: The Premier of South Australia during the 1960s-80s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Dunstan. A man truly ahead of his time
Neville Wran: The Premier of New South Wales who pushed through anti-discrimination legislation and helped change attitudes toward social issues such as homosexuality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Wran

[WildEyedLiberal]

36. I really like your list!

I especially second Paul Wellstone, John Kerry, and Robert Kennedy - probably my three all time favorites.

To your list I would add:

Paul Simon - A Southern Illinois son of a preacher, he became one of Illinois' most liberal senators ever.

Adlai Stevenson - Liberal Illinois governor, would have made a great President, but he had the misfortune of running against war hero Ike.

[femmocrat]

33. Paul Wellstone

"Wellstone was known for his work for peace, the environment, labor, and health care; he also joined his wife Sheila to support the rights of victims of domestic violence. He opposed the first Gulf War in 1991 and, in the months before his death, spoke out against the government's threats to go to war with Iraq again. He was strongly supported by groups such as Americans for Democratic Action, the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, the ACLU, and People for the American Way." (from Wikipedia)

Wellstone was my ideal of a progressive democrat. He was brave, scrappy, and never backed away from his liberal beliefs. The Senate would be a far different place today if he was still there.

Plus, he was a former teacher (professor of Political Science). I keep a little picture of him on my desk with the caption: "He was one of us", that I cut out of some teacher publication.

[Deep13]

34. Colbert of the Steelnads--at least lately.

[Fox Mulder]

35. Paul Wellstone.

[martymar64]

37. My Avatar, Abbie Hoffman

He showed that being left-wing can be fun. Beneath the fun was always a serious message. For a good example, read excerpts from the Chicago Eight trial. Truly inspired. His books were cool too!

RIP, Abbie. Yippie!!!!

[Sooner75]

38. Al Franken

I always enjoy tuning in and hearing him hold their feet to the fire. He's out there fighting the good fight every day, and he manages to make it entertaining as well. Not just a non-stop, one voice rant like a lot of the others.

If he ever gets elected to the Senate, he'll definitely stir things up. Gotta love that.

[Ramsey]

39. Al Gore

Al Gore has been my hero since I read his book Earth in the Balance back in the early 90's. I just LOVE that man!! I have always been an ardent conservationist, and he always made such good sense.

:loveya:

[HuskerDU]

40. Jesus Christ

'It is easier for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to pass thru the gates of heaven.' He kicked the moneychangers out of the temple. He comforted moral outcasts and chastised those who judge them.

Republicans are quick to quote Paul, but would like us to forget Jesus' words because he was a liberal.