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P.S.: The Autobiography of Paul Simon

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With all of this messy and ugly trouble going around with the Clinton Administration(Chinagate, Monica, Paula, Kathy Willey, Travelgate, Whitewater, Filegate, Hairgate, etc.), I think we all know, despite what we may say, that Clinton should not have been nominated by the Democrats in 1992. When I look over the Democratic field, 3 names of potential great persons pop up: Mario Cuomo, Bill Bradley and Paul Simon(with nods to the late, great Paul Tsongas, Senator Bob Graham, VP Gore, NC Gov. James Hunt and the late, great Governor of Florida, Lawton Chiles).

Paul Simon is an outstanding American, a proud progressive in the FDR/Truman mold(can you believe those two were once on a ticket - what a vote that must have been!), a decent man and a committed humanitarian. He shows himself to be a fine man of Christian faith and ethics. He has great integrity, as he has shown in his stands on the need for a balanced budget, entitlement reform and health care reform, despite what the press and polls say.

In this book, Simon shows just how great he is. I may not necessarily agree 100% with the Senator, but as both a proud American and a proud Democrat, as well as a person who is sick and tired of the lack of integrity in the White House and politics in general, I think that Simon is great. Two thumbs up for Simon!

By the way, if Senator Simon is reading this, I loved 'Let's Put America Back to Work.' It's a great read on an idea nobody talks about anymore - get the word out on the WPA!

Well, anyway, we should've put America back on the road to integiry in public office and put Simon in the White House in 1992. The least we can do is read his book!

This book is excellent reading for anyone who has an interest in the American political system. Paul Simon spent more than four decades in politics, retiring from the U.S. Senate with a well-deserved reputation for integrity, candor and genuine concern for the public interest. His lifetime of public service is thoroughly documented in this interesting and provocative autobiography.

Simon offers fascinating insights into the American political process at every level as he describes his years as a corruption-fighting state legislator and lieutenant governor in Illinois, his five terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms in the U.S. Senate and his experiences during an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination. (One cannot help but wonder how different things might have been had that campaign been successful!)

Sen. Simon's relationships with political figures such as the late Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, U.S. Presidents from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton and an array of international leaders reveal much about the decision-makers of our time. His level of international experience is impressive, and gives weight to his views on the world today and the U.S. role in international affairs.

I personally found his detailed accounts of various campaigns engrossing reading. Others no doubt will be more interested in his insights into the legislative process or his views on hot-button issues like abortion and gun control or vital questions like campaign finance reform and the proposed balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. No matter. There's something here for everyone.

"P.S." left me glad that we had Paul Simon--I'm an Illinois resident so he was my Senator--and happy that he's still involved. Few political figures in our time measure up to his standard. I already knew that, but this book reaffirms it--and then some.

I have had the opportunity to deal with Paul Simon in a student/teacher relationship. Let me assure anyone who has read or is interested in reading this book that Paul Simon is as sincere as he sounds. Readers who carry the standard stereotypes of politicians should be made aware of the fact the former senator is indeed as high moraled as anyone could be as a leader of our country. He has battle for what he believed to be right instead of what would get him re-elected. It is absolutely refreshing to see a political figure who genuinely wants to make a difference and improve the nation and the world. When the founding fathers set up the framework for this country they had men like Paul Simon in mind to run the "great experiment." Paul Simon is not just a great politician, but an amazing man.

I admit it. I am a Simon fan. I had the opportunity to meet Paul Simon when he was a Senator at one of his "Illinois Breakfasts" in Washington. Basically, the Illinois Breakfast was a weekly meeting in the Senate office building where folks like me from Illinois could meet their Senators. I remember introducing myself. I said, "Senator I am from Bloomington, Illinois. You know, the Lucca Grill (a famous Democratic hangout). Well, Paul turned to Carol Mosley-Braun and said, "Carol, I want to introduce you to the Williams' from Bloomington." After that we went and watched the U.S. Senate in action, and Paul Simon spoke on the Senate floor. I felt proud that Paul Simon was representing the State of Illinois.

Senator Simon's book has numerous personal insights, especially regarding his impressions of fellow Congressman and world leaders. I also thought his chapter on Religion was one of the most thought provoking essays on religion that I have read.

In his chapter on International Figures he states, "You can judge the extent of democracy in a nation by the number of pictures of "the leader" (whatever the formal title) in evidence everywhere." You know, he's right, but I never thought of it.

I beleive I heard recently that Paul Simon recently underwent heart surgery. Hey, Paul. Get well. You need to write more books.

Giving up on all politicians in today's political climate I decided to seek refuge in a representative I knew and trusted. Paul Simon's autobiography did not let me down. Senator Simon died on December 9th, 2003. The first edition of this book was published in 1999. It was written in his retirement from political office where he decided to serve the public in the role of education.

Though the book is thirteen years old, many of the individuals he mentions are active politicians. As a former journalist and with no inspiration to seek political office, Senator Simon speaks honestly about past success, failure, and the problems of the political atmosphere. This type of honesty is not available to any active politician. The fault is not on the part of the politician. The fault belongs to a media and citizenry who condemns those approaching the truth by voting them out of office.

Paul Simon's autobiography is a rare gem which is unlikely to be repeated by a retired representative today. Though in retirement a former politician is not accountable to the people, he or she is accountable to the lobbying group which pays them huge amounts of money. Opinion approaching honesty cannot be obtained. Paraphrasing a famous quote by Upton Sinclair, "It is difficult to get the truth from a man when his salary depends upon on a fallacy."

Take abortion for example, do you think any politicians would go to such detail to share an opinion on such a volatile subject? From Paul Simon's Autobiography:

"... the rigidity and piousness and the unwillingness to face fundamental facts by some of the pro-life people offends me. If our aim is to stop abortion, then we should be encouraging family planning and sex education, both of which reduces the abortion rate, but many in their ranks oppose the measures. They say that sex education in the public schools will require that certain moral judgements have to made in the process, and even teaching about this as a mechanistic amoral process involves teaching choices. There is truth to that, so are their churches providing sex education classes? With rare exceptions the answer is no.

Jeanne and I once made our home available for a teenager so that she could carry a baby to term, and a family in California then adopted the baby. How many of the pro-life zealots have done something practical like that, something more difficult than carrying signs and booing those who you disagree?"

Final Note: For those living or interested in the St. Louis metro East area, Paul Simon's autobiography provides quite a bit of historical reference.

Senator Paul Simon (1928-2003) of Illinois was a rare politician who earned respect from nearly all, supporters and opponents. In this readable autobiography, we get a feel for the man, the times, and many important national and international issues. The son of missionaries, warm and sincere, and a bit nerdy in his trademark bow ties, Simon was a highly capable public servant. Here he describes his trail from muckraking newspaper publisher (at age 19) to national political figure. As a young Democratic state legislator from the farm and coal country of Southern Illinois, Simon eventually married a Republican colleague from Chicago's wealthy suburbs. He also describes his time as Lieutenant Governor, defeated candidate for Governor, U.S. Congressman, and U.S. Senator (elected in 1984 & 1990). Simon gives essays on issues such as the U.S. role in the world, entitlements, and campaign finance reform. Simon also gives insights into many heavy hitters he worked with and at times against, from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton, from Mayor Daley to Charles Percy. Simon retired from the Senate in 1996 to lecture at Southern Illinois University - some think he was happiest in that role. This book is an interesting and intelligent read, as warm in its tone as the Senator was in public life.

The name "Paul Simon" comes with it an aura of respect and admiration from both political parties in Illinois. Paul Simon was a principled liberal and a true blue Democrat, working on both sides of the aisle to get things accomplished in congress yet being standing for core Democratic ideals, like workers rights, social programs, and civil rights for all Americans. He was first elected from the Deep South of Illinois, a traditionally conservative area, as a state legislator and then a US Representative after having made a reputation for himself as a fighter of corruption with his work as a newspaper publisher and editor. He was elected to the US Senate during the Reagan landslide of '84, defeating Republican Senator Chuck Percy, a former liberal Republican who had campaigned on "100% support for the Reagan program". Simon didn't shy away from unpopular votes he made in the house, like his vote against the Reagan tax cut and instead defended his position and attacked Percy for being wishy washy himself. Simon gave the image of a principled Democrat who stood for core Democratic ideals and was willing to work hard and independently for what he stood for, and his hard work, strong record, and dedication led him to victory in 1984 when Ronald Reagan carried Illinois by 600,000 votes.

Simon ran for President in 1988, having made a good showing but having lost because of a lack of funds. He would have made a fine president, in my opinion. His speech for his announcement of his candidacy presents a point that has cemented my belief in a Democratic party -

"The tradition of fighting for decent jobs for all Americans and long-term care for seniors, the tradition of leveling with the American people and having pay-as-you-go government, the concern for quality education for everyone, the tradition of standing up for human rights - these are traditions I embrace, not just with this speech but with my whole heart. Those who tell us to abandon these traditions are telling us to abandon our soul and our chance of winning. I'm pleased that there is a Republican Party, but one Republican Party is enough. You can't win an election by standing for nothing."

In reading the account of this great man, I have renewed hope in what my party stands for. It is true that we are going through a tough time right now and that men like Paul Simon in congress are fewer than before, but the mere fact that people like him can exist in our political system is enough to give me hope for the future. We need more men like Paul Simon.

Simon is truthful and covers many political bases in his book, from Presidents to the media. In it, Simon dispels all possible doubt from his reader of his reputation as an even handed and principled politicians. Simon never shied away from unpopular issues if he believed in them, Simon never let himself get overly partisan and never let politics get in the way of serving the people. I can say that my only dissapointment is that this man isn't serving us anymore, becuase now in these troubled times do we need his leadership the most.