Who is your liberal hero, and why?

[begin_within]

What specifically did they do to become your hero?

[ronnykmarshall]

1. Hillary Clinton

:hide:

[fordnut]

13. have you woke up to reality

rember this woman doesn't want the soldiers out of Iraq and
went along with George W on it.she's a yes ma'am no ma'am just
for votes

[ronnykmarshall]

25. Just gettin' the Hil bashing started.

Which is the reality around here.

It's like sunrise and sunset. Mention her name and people have shit fits.

Carry on.

[im10ashus]

24. Liberals - not triangulators.

:-)

[Schema Thing]

2. Wes Clark: when asked, "are you a liberal" He didn't hem and haw

he said "yes, I'm a liberal" (to Bill Maher)

He didn't run from the term, and he doesn't run from it in the policies he advocates for.

[Jack_Dawson]

59. Wes is so that man it's just stoopid

Remember how reviled he was on DU when he first threw his hat into the ring? I hope people have finally pulled their heads out of their arses with regard to The General.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Paul Wellstone.

This just about sums up my sentiments.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020527/nichols

[blm]

42. Made it on my list, too.

.

[Dinger]

47. Paul Wellstone For Me Too

He was like David & Goliath. He counqered so much, against such daunting odds, and his heart was so good.
Wish you were still here Paul . . .

[Lindacooks]

49. Yep, mine too.

[mac56]

52. Mine too.

"I was proud to say I shook his hand."

[VOX]

4. JFK was great, but my choice is RFK -- he had genuine heart...

He had a vision for civil freedom and justice, and he would have taken social development programs far beyond LBJ's Great Society. He would have removed us from the Vietnam debacle and saved thousands of lives in the process.

He remains a genuine icon of American liberalism in its most muscular form. :patriot:

[Corgigal]

28. RFK also

He wasn't the selected one in this family. The rest of his family considered him a ma'am's boy.
Treated as a second class member of his own family. Then went out to this world and understood the treatment the poor received. I have his signature on a letter he wrote my In-Laws on my wall of the computer room. It will never be removed from it's spot.

[xkenx]

51. Amen for RFK. And not since Bobby Kennedy

have I been so inspired by a public figure as I have been inspired by Wes Clark.

[greyl]

5. My first reaction is "Jon Stewart"

because of
-his skill at identifying spin
-he's a champion of critically thinking about journalism
-he accomplishes the above in a hilarious way, and has much influence on a certain segment of youth culture

edit: he's only polite to a point. The day he ripped Tucker and Crossfire a new one will live in my heart forever. ;)

[etherealtruth]

6. Ted Kennedy

No one specific act or moment ... more an entire career championing liberal and populist causes.

[fordnut]

14. this man is for illegal immigration

[etherealtruth]

37. This man is for a saner immigration policy

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. Henry Waxman...

Ethical
Dogged in his pursuit of justice
Fearless
Authentic
Consistant


That is what I want in a liberal politician. If only more of our politicians followed his example...sigh...

[blm]

41. Check out my post - He's on my list as an anti-corruption Democrat.

They are the ones who do more to preserve REAL history than any other lawmaker.

[Lusted4]

63. I second all that about Waxman, by far the most ethical of them all. n/t

[blm]

8. I'm an anti-corruption Democrat, so my first hero was Kucinich as mayor of

Cleveland when he took on big business to protect the citizens from an Enron type screwing.

Then John Kerry hit my radar when I started to realize the depth of corruption that was involved in IranContra, the illegal wars in Central America, and mostly BCCI. That he worked for so many years uncovering much of the dirt that we know today is amazing, especially since he had little help and in the case of BCCI, much obstruction from even his own party. He believes in open government when few do.

He also worked to expose the CIA drugrunning that was effecting so many of our policies.

And together with Paul Wellstone, Kerry advocated for and submitted the public financing of campaigns legislation Clean MOney, Clean Elections.

Two Henrys get big nods from me - Henry Gonzalez, who worked to inform us citizens about Iraqgate and its secret dealings, and Henry Waxman, one of the House's best investigators when he gets past being stonewalled by corrupt Republicans and corporations.

[Rude Horner]

9. Russ Feingold

He's my State Senator. He voted against the Patriot Act. He votes what he feels is right, and I believe he actually has the American people's best interest in mind when he votes.

[UDenver20]

60. Echo that...

Anyone that has the balls to go against 99 other Senators on something called the USA Patriot Act CERTAINLY gets to be called a "hero" in my book.

[BuhByeChimp]

10. JFK, although it probably would have been RFK.

[TahitiNut]

11. Me.

I am my own 'hero.' I am my own 'leader.' I am my own 'Buddha.'

That's not to say that I've not found people whose actions I respect, but I 'follow' nobody and look for no 'rescuers.'

Among the prominent ("well-known") people who've acted in ways I admire are Mohandas Gandhi(!), Nelson Mandela(!), Barbara Jordan, Mario Cuomo, Paul Wellstone, Archbishop Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and so on.

[laura888]

20. Well said. n/t

[NoodleBoy]

12. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

really, the man no longer gets the credit he deserves for his part in shaping the modern US, and the world.

[LSK]

15. Randi Rhodes

She brings the truth on a daily basis and backs up everything she says.

Members of the 30something group - Tim Ryan, Kendrick Meek, Debbie Wasserman Schultz - check them out on CSPAN.

Others include Dean, Kerry, Clark, but they are not flawlessly perfect.

[Mojambo]

16. Howard Zinn

His books opened my eyes to a world that had somehow escaped me for the first 25 years of my life.

[porphyrian]

17. The first person who stands up and makes something fucking happen.

They'll probably take a bullet, and that's why it isn't my cowardly ass standing up yet.

[mikelewis]

18. John Conyers and there are countless reasons why...

[Little Star]

54. I'll go with you on JC. He never gives up! n/t

[fordnut]

19. i don't follow nobody

but i have to say i admire Larry Flynt because he stood up for
his rights and against Jerry Falwell.

[Hoosier Dem]

21. Eugene McCarthy

Eugene McCathy stood up to a White House that had gotten us ass-deep in a war with no way out. He brough intellegence and eloquence to the political debate. He also connected a whole new generation of Americans to the political process.

After losing the nomination at the rigged 1968 convention, McCarthy was pressured to rubber-stamp the nomination of Hubert Humphrey and bravely said "NO". (He finaaly did endorse Happy Hubie the Clown in October, but only AFTER Humphrey called for an end to the bombing of North Vietnam.)

At a time when too many senators would rather just go-along to protect their incumbency (cough, cough, Hillary, cough), it would be so refreshing to see another mcCarthy who would just stand up and say "To hell with you, this just isn't RIGHT." I think the closest we have today is Russ Feingold, who will always have my admiration for standing up and voting no on the Patriot Act.

It's really a shame that Eugene McCarthy is almost forgotten today. :patriot:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Leo Tolstoy.

[cali]

23. I don't have heros, but

there are lots of liberals I admire: FDR, RFK, Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Paul Wellstone, Russ Feingold, Bernie Sanders, Pat Leahy, and many, many more.

[im10ashus]

26. Too many to name.

Gore Vidal, Russ Feingold, Al Gore, Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, just to name a few.

[stanwyck]

27. Jimmy Carter

for being a true Christian who has written extensively about the danger our world faces due to religious fundamentalism, including Christian fundamentalism. Plus, former President Carter really lives his beliefs. He and his wife Rosalyn have been tireless in their efforts to help other people.
These people are so much farther along the path than the rest of us.

[mitchtv]

29. Mayor (SF)Gavin Newsom

allowed same ex marriage in SF county, in spite of everything.

[laura888]

30. I've heard him speak.

He's fantastic!

[TygrBright]

31. Paul Wellstone

He worked quietly for many years alongside farmers and working people, listening to their concerns, getting to know them and understanding their needs, BEFORE he sought public office.

Eventually, convinced he had something to offer the people of MN (and the US,) he challenged the DFL machine that would have put a corporate drone up as a challenger to a popular incumbent Republican Senator. He fought the internal Party fight with grace and humor, never letting himself or his followers descend to the kind of nastiness that breeds long-held resentments (especially in MN.)

Having won that fight, he went up against the well-funded, Reagan-machine-backed incumbent and again fought with joy and laughter and grace, without cheap nastiness or gratuitous ad hominem smears, and again won a stunning upset victory, in which he was magnanimous.

He went to the Senate with both humility AND determination, marked out the territory he felt he could have a real impact in, and worked slowly and carefully to gain the good will, experience, and influence he needed to be effective, all while giving yeoman service to his constituents and voting his conscience and principles.

He never hesitated to admit it when he was wrong, and do what he could to make amends. He communicated clearly and regularly with ALL his constituents, not just the money folks, not just the DFLers, and was always accessible to them. He spent as much time as possible 'on the road at home,' traveling throughout MN to continue listening to people in rural cafes and suburban community centers and neighborhood libraries and school cafeterias.

He found ways to be principled and effective in his opposition among his colleagues, while retaining human ties and good will that made him incredibly effective in achieving much of his own agenda. There wasn't a mean bone in his body, but he had a wicked tongue for pointing out human silliness.

Above all, he cared about the people no one else in politics or government cares about. Cared DEEPLY about them, and worked himself dizzy to make things better for them.

And he was my friend. Not just mine, but literally thousands of people who campaigned with him and supported him and stopped into his office whenever he was in town or we were in DC, and shot the bull with him and let him know he was right on target, and got a big Wellstone hug and a thousand-watt grin from him.

They don't make that kind in multiples. God, I miss him so much...

sadly,
Bright

[scarletwoman]

48. Thank you! What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul!

I was scrolling down the replies to this thread thinking, "how could anyone not mention Paul Wellstone?" As I was thinking that I'd do a post about Wellstone, I found your wonderful post.

There's really nothing I could say that you didn't already, so I just want to thank you for doing such a wonderful job of honoring a man who meant so much to so many of us.

What an immeasureable loss to our entire country that this very special being (and all the other very special beings that died with him) is no longer here to raise his light against the darkness.

sw

[bperci108]

32. Eugene V. Debs, Mother Jones, Emma Goldman and FDR

I know...I know....all over the map. :eyes:

A Socialist, THE champion of Labor, a wealthy patrician with a conscience and Red Emma.


Who says we don't have a biiiiiiig tent. :P


(edit: smilie error)

[helderheid]

33. Dennis Kucinich. Bush got me involved in politics - the Kooch got me to

stick around.

[blm]

64. Kucinich was my first, then Kerry, Wellstone, Gonzalez and Waxman.

All anti-corruption Democrats.

[cgrindley]

34. Pierre Elliot Trudeau

Repealed laws against homosexuality.
Gave us our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Gave us official bilingualism.
First western nation to establish diplomatic ties with China...
yadda yadda yadda

And, of course, this:

(Excerpt from the eulogy presented by Justin Trudeau)

"One day, we were in Alert, Canada's northernmost point, a scientific military installation that seemed to consist entirely of low shed-like buildings and warehouses.

"Let's be honest. I was six. There were no brothers around to play with and I was getting a little bored because dad still somehow had a lot of work to do.

"I remember a frozen, windswept Arctic afternoon when I was bundled up into a Jeep and hustled out on a special top-secret mission. I figured I was finally going to be let in on the reason of this high-security Arctic base.

"I was exactly right.

"We drove slowly through and past the buildings, all of them very grey and windy. We rounded a corner and came upon a red one. We stopped. I got out of the Jeep and started to crunch across towards the front door. I was told, no, to the window.

"So I clamboured over the snowbank, was boosted up to the window, rubbed my sleeve against the frosty glass to see inside and as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw a figure, hunched over one of many worktables that seemed very cluttered. He was wearing a red suit with that furry white trim.

"And that's when I understood just how powerful and wonderful my father was."

[personman]

35. Noam Chomsky

A brilliant speaker of unpopular truths, Noam Chomsky was an eye opening and important part of my "political awakening". He didn't so much convert me to anarchism as help me to more fully realize my own feelings and ideas on the problems of power and class. I had the good fortune to catch Manufacturing Consent on Free Speech TV a couple years ago, and I remember having the feeling that someone was finally saying some of the ideas I had always thought...things I thought I must have been crazy to be the only one noticing.

It was like a Matrix moment:

Morpheus - "You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world..." "It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

What truth?

The truth that our current political and economic system is an institution of the rich and powerful. That it exists to thwart the will of the people rather then to carry it out. That because they own the media and white-wash the school textbooks, we have been indoctrinated, practically since birth, with nationalist propaganda to support this machine against our own best interests. That they will attempt to maintain (and increase) that wealth and power to the detriment of any other nation, class, people, or the world itself...all that good cozy stuff.

-personman

[A-Schwarzenegger]

36. Adlai.

I was very young, mind you, and didnt know the diff between
a Repub and Dem, but I was taken even then by his humor &
mind & humanity & smile & he had a hole in the sole of his shoe.

[d_b]

38. Jello Biafra

The Dead Kennedys' lyrics got me interested in leftist politics when I was 13.

[MamaBear]

39. The first one to demand a recount.

And see it through until he or she claims the seat we elected him or her for.

That will be a hero.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

40. Holy Fuck. I'm The First One To Say Barbara Boxer? For Real?

I constantly admire her wisdom, patience, demeanor and overall intellect and reasoning skills. She impresses me every time I listen to her, and in a world of politics dominated by arrogent bullyish men in a lot of cases, she certainly holds her own and is one of the best voices in all of congress. I admire what she does in all sorts of ways.

[SaveElmer]

43. Hubert Humphrey...

Civil Rights, Peace Corps, Medicare...to name a few!

[Mir]

44. Michael Moore and Uri Avnery

Avnery is a brilliant writer and peace activist in a land of war and savagery. I like Moore because he roots out the fuckers, humiliates them and puts it out for the whole world to see. Gotta respect that. Can't wait for "Sicko" next year. Health care. Should be a good one.

[Bretttido]

45. Stephen Colbert

[mtnsnake]

46. Hillary, because she's the neocon conservatives' worst fucking nightmare

and she'll remain so because in THEIR mind she's the epitome of liberal America. Each and every one of those fuckers will have their pathetic rightwing lives shortened by 10 years from excessive worrying about the possibility of Hillary ruling this land someday.

[proud patriot]

50. Medea Benjiman

she gets American and Iraqi families together
to share their grief of lost loved ones .

She disrupts just about every major hearing etc...

founder of Global Exchange and I believe Code Pink.

She is the Abbie Hoffman of today as she is
constantly organizing .

Medea Benjiman :yourock:

[Vinca]

53. The Kennedy Family

Sorry, I can't pick one. Despite their ups and downs, great victories and great sorrows, they've always fought for the underdog. Sometimes when I listen to Teddy on the Senate floor I get tears in my eyes. He will never stop fighting for us. I wondered where he was during that minimum wage vote until someone here posted a photo. He was at a soldier's funeral.

[Uncle Joe]

55. Al Gore because he championed the most liberal/progressive creation

known to humanity only to be trashed and slandered for it. He is also my favorite conservative as he is trying to conserve life as we know it from our own foolish destruction.

[earth mom]

56. RFK Jr, Conyers, Moore, Rhodes and Sheehan.

RFK Jr. for his stand on the Autism epidemic, Election Fraud and the Environment.

Conyers for his stand on Election Fraud, and so many other important issues.

Moore for Fahrenheit 9/11 and his unflinching challenge of the powers that be.

Rhodes for speaking Truth to Power every day.

Sheehan for her bravery in a full on, 24/7, no holds barred quest for Peace.


Kudos to all!
:applause:

[Kazak]

57. Kurt Vonnegut

'Love the books, 'love the man, 'love the message...

[Lilith Velkor]

58. Cynthia McKinney

:hide:

[Solon]

61. Check my sig...

Also, I don't think I have to list his numerous accomplishments, including being the best orator of the 19th century.

[Warren DeMontague]

62. Bill Hicks.

Just listen to the man's work.

[PassingFair]

65. Yeaaarrrrraaaggggghhhhhh! The Chairman hisself!

He still inspires me on a daily basis.