Politicians you dug in high school who you still dig now

[Gentle Giant]

Barney Frank. When I was in high school, he was running for office for the first time against two other people. The three of them were supposed to have a debate at my high school. Frank was the only one who showed up. And he took as many questions as people wanted to ask. I've liked him ever since.

John Kerry actually came to my junior high school once. I don't exactly remember the year but I don't think he held a public office at the time. He was there to talk about Vietnam. Then we watched the documentary Hearts and Minds, and he took questions after that very intense and disturbing film. I've liked him ever since, too.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

Barney Frank. When I was in high school, he was running for office for the first time against two other people. The three of them were supposed to have a debate at my high school. Frank was the only one who showed up. And he took as many questions as people wanted to ask. I've liked him ever since.

John Kerry actually came to my junior high school once. I don't exactly remember the year but I don't think he held a public office at the time. He was there to talk about Vietnam. Then we watched the documentary Hearts and Minds, and he took questions after that very intense and disturbing film. I've liked him ever since, too.

Of all the politicians I remember, Pierre Trudeau, whether or not people approved of his decisions while Prime Minister of Canada, was the most interesting and intelligent politicians that I remember. Of course, he was running for Prime Minister the very first year that I was eligable to vote. I was very enthusiastic about him because he was so different from any of the previous politicians with whom I was familiar, from civics classes and a passing interest in the political process. It was my admiration of his intelligence and his general bearing which spurred my continuing to this day, facination with politics.

[Pete C]

[Tanager]

Richard Lugar. Charles McC. Mathias. Carol Schwartz. Terry Sanford. Paul Simon. Barbara Mikulski. Jimmy Carter.

[frankiepop]

Of all the politicians I remember, Pierre Trudeau, whether or not people approved of his decisions while Prime Minister of Canada, was the most interesting and intelligent politicians that I remember. Of course, he was running for Prime Minister the very first year that I was eligable to vote.

besides being interesting and superbly intelligent, and extremely canny politician on a george wallace or bill clinton level. i mean were talking genius. trudeau rode herd over a nation in distress during his tenure. he even called martial law for a short period over the french-canadian unrest thing, is that right, patricia????????

i was not in high school, but i remember that he and his wife were like rock stars almost as for love and hate. he was dashingly handsome and dynamic, and his wife was absolutely sophia loren like smokin' hot, absolutely bangin'! rumor was she slept with mick jaggar while pierre was pm and u thought the clinton's were trouble! yes, i believe the pot boiled over tho it wasnt quite the clinton fiasco was it patricia?

[Gary Sisco]

Shirley Chisolm.

George Aiken.

End of list.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by frankiepop

besides being interesting and superbly intelligent, and extremely canny politician on a george wallace or bill clinton level. i mean were talking genius. trudeau rode herd over a nation in distress during his tenure. he even called martial law for a short period over the french-canadian unrest thing, is that right, patricia????????

i was not in high school, but i remember that he and his wife were like rock stars almost as for love and hate. he was dashingly handsome and dynamic, and his wife was absolutely sophia loren like smokin' hot, absolutely bangin'! rumor was she slept with mick jaggar while pierre was pm and u thought the clinton's were trouble! yes, i believe the pot boiled over tho it wasnt quite the clinton fiasco was it patricia?

Two diplomats, James Cross and Pierre LaPorte were kidnapped by the FLQ, which was a French Canadian terrorist group. Pierre LaPorte was killed. Trudeau declared martial law during that time and there are still those who disagree with that action.
Mr Trudeau married a woman in her early twenties who, although they had three kids together, seemed to still have wild oats to sow. She ran off to New York [among other shocking things] to be at a Rolling Stones concert. Eventually they were divorced, amicably. She re-married. He carried on with his life, fathering another child quite late in his life. Trudeau's oldest son was killed in an avalanche and his son, Alexander is a journalist, who travelled to the Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan, writing about the wars in those places, much more candidly than the American press does, for MacLean's [Canada's "Time"].
Trudeau, the father, remained a respected politician, to most, until his death.

[frankiepop]

well with that thought, i always thought that jmj needed a woman like the former ms trudeau. someone to loosen that pin stuck in his ass.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by frankiepop

well with that thought, i always thought that jmj needed a woman like the former ms trudeau. someone to loosen that pin stuck in his ass.

I have a feeling that he already does.

[Uli]

I always had tremendous respect for Charles De Gaulle not for his politics but for his visionary qualities.

Now in retrospect he looks even better.

[frankiepop]

I have a feeling that he already does.

noway,

[Brian Olewnick]

Even if I disagree with him I also still find McGovern to be a serious political thinker who retains my respect. (Voted for him in '72).

[frankiepop]

i use to love watching mcgovern smoke william f buckley in debates on firing line...

[Richardo Caerleoni]

Rosa Luxemburg...THEN & NOW... Ever more so...

A remarkable woman. And Socialist. And Internationalist.

[Sergio Zamora]

Fidel

[frankiepop]

zamora, be realistic, it says high school, list someone who was alive then...like debs, teddy roosevelt, taft, lenin,.........

[Gentle Giant]

Also Carter and, though he was before my time, I've always been a fan of RFK.

[Chris D]

Abner Mikva
Adlai Stevenson III
Sam Ervin
Peter Rodino

[walto]

In high school I got "neat and clean for Gene" (who basically got screwed by RFK). In college, I supported McGovern and Fred Harris. (I still have a mint Harris "The Issue is Privelege" t-shirt, if anybody's interested. Let the bidding begin at $20.)

[Jesse]

I wrote in Chisolm in '72! That's after a little pamphleteering for George McGovern in Cedar Rapids Iowa.
It was my first election, I was 18, and Chisolm was brought to my attention in a format lost to me now in the fog of the early 70's...

[Gary Sisco]

Jesse -- I did, too. The first vote I cast, at 18, was a vote for her in the New Mexico primary, because she'd stood with VVAW when the cops cleared out a demonstration in DC, with clubs and tear gas. She was the only one. And then I wrote her in during the regular campaign. Your the first one I've encountered who did the same. Greetings, comrade!

[Jesse]

Back at you, fellow-traveller!
Any chance (compounding our parallel universes) that you cast a vote for John Anderson or Ralph Nader? (The other 3rd party losers I've cast votes for)...
I would, upon fragmented reflection of the 70's, add some of Frank Chuch's voting to a grudging admiration list, as well as Iowa's Harold Hughes.
Short list, given the roll call.

[stonemonkts]

[Gary Sisco]

Jesse -- I've cast many (in fact, all) losing ballots in my time, but none for either of those. I am leaning (note, leaning) toward casting one for Nader this time, however, because he's the only one who's been answering questions straight up and the only one granted national coverage who says what millions of regular citizens say and gets it at least heard. As in Israel/Palestine, the putrifaction of the two-party racket, and etc. I don't disagree with him any more than with anybody else, but I do appreciate his candor and his singlemindedness. I just may vote for him, and then spread my votes around on the state ballot, as I normally do. In VT, there are several "third parties" who have major party status (which means they have access to public funding and also an automatic place on the ballot), but to keep it, they have to win at least five percent each election in at least one of the statewide offices (guv, lt guv, sec of state, etc). So, I normally spread my votes around so that we don't have to have a two-party scandal here. Actually, come to think of it, we have a three-party scandal. The Progressives have been in power in Burlington since 1981, and have several reps in the statehouse. I've never voted for them, however, as I was part of the organized left opposition to them in Burlington for many years before I moved out to the hinterlands.

[Monte Smith]

I can't recall admiring any politicians when I was in high school. Or, I'm sorry, "digging" them. Maybe the politicans I knew of weren't groovy enough to dig.

I mean c'mon:

Mayor McCrackity?

In retrospect, I do take back the flippant, punk rock things I said about the *great* Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher during the years of my high school minority, 1986-89.

[john williams]

In spite of his numerous flaws-

[RBS]

I liked Robert Redford in "The Candidate."

[Monte Smith]

I liked Robert Redford in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, but I liked Paul Newman better, and I liked Katherine Ross best.

[GoodSpeak]

Politicians you dug in high school who you still dig now

Originally Posted by Pete C

None other.

[Gary Sisco]

Damn, you that young, Monte, and your ass doesn't belong to Sgt. Wilson? It's worse than I thought. No wonder your boyz are in so much trouble with the likes you having leading the charge. So to speak.