Obama Success Rooted In Late Senator Paul Simon

Chicago Sun-Times:

t was Rahm Emanuel's suggestion, actually. "Why," asked the Chicago congressman, "don't you look at this presidential election through a different lens?"

Exactly what lens would that be?

"Paul Simon," he replied.

No, not the guy who used to sing with Art Garfunkel.

The other Paul Simon. The crusading young newspaper publisher from Southern Illinois who carved a political path from the state Legislature to lieutenant governor to Congress to the Senate and along the way, in 1988, ran for president. OUR Paul Simon.

You could argue that before Barack Obama ever stepped onto a political stage, was a community organizer or editor of the Harvard Law Review or ran for the state Legislature, Simon created the infrastructure of his presidential campaign.

Read the whole story: Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

[solid]

Paul Simon was a man of integrity and honor from my home state of Illinois. He was the last of a dying breed of true public servants who knew why there were in office - to serve.

There are aspects of Obama's approach that remind me of Simon. He would do well to emulate the finest qualities of Paul Simon.

[BronxRobb]

I am a New Yorker, and find this information really interesting. Why? One evening, I was watching the news and saw Senator Obama. I commented that he reminded me of Paul Simon who said famously in all of his stump speeches - "I want to be the President of all the people."

[Turtleposer]

I just HEARTed the late Sen Paul Simon. I was so bummed when they chose Clinton over Simon, even if Clinton turned out better than I had expected. I remember when Simon was asked about the rumors about Clinton's affairs. Senator Simon responded that if true he was jealous because he couldn't even get his wife to have sex w/him. Ha. The late Senator Paul Simon was a good role model for anyone. He had a ton of integrity, had a great heart and was truly for the little guy (and gal!).

[RoXXanne]

ROTFLOL!

[SheriChardonnay]

I USE TO LOVE simon whne i was a kid....i never had the privaleged of voting for him (too young) but from what I remember he was a good senator!

[scjk67]

wow, i haven't heard about paul simon in years, he was a cool dude...lol, especially with a bow tie

[SailFree]

Paul Simon was the guy who rewrote history after trying to lynch Clarence Thomas. Real trustworthy, honorable dude there. I haven't trusted anyone with a bow tie since.

Meanwhile, back at Reality Ranch, in the world of real news, the infamous "Obama Letter" about the mortgage crisis turns out to be about nothing much.

[StillweRise]

Senator Paul Simon was an OUTSTANDING United States Senator. Period. I have so happy to have been reminded of him.

Clarence Thomas sucked then, and he sucks now.

[emcd]

Sen. Simon was a great senator and I'm proud to say I was one of his supporters when he ran for president. SailFree didn't your mother ever tell you 'don't speak ill of the dead'.

Simon was an honorable man, and Thomas, has done nothing on the Court but affirmed our worst fears.

[illinoisan]

It would be impossible to be more proud of being an Illinois Dem at this point. I'm too young to remember Paul Douglas but I sure do remember the late great Paul Simon. My lasting memory of him is the time he jumped out of a parade in Waggoner to shake my grandmother's hand.

I also got to ask him a question at a town hall meeting back around 1990. I asked him if it wouldn't be a good idea to increase the minimum wage every year to keep up with the cost of living and his answer to me was forthright and respectful. "That's called indexing and it would be inflationary."

[TrevorAlan]

Cool, I liked Simon. I knocked on doors for him in Iowa in '88. I was crushed when he lost to Dukakis (and wasn't THAT a great choice for Democrats). So now its like all us long lost Paulists have won.

POWER TO THE BOW-TIES.