2024 Election, Politics
Call It Character or Call It Likeability, But Harris-Walz Have It, and Trump-Vance Don’t
Many years ago, I worked on Capitol Hill and occasionally traveled with a Congressman, Paul Simon. The two of us joked about our names. I had nothing to do with Nixon or Watergate, and while Paul Simon was talented in many ways, he couldn’t sing. He was one of the finest human beings I have known.
Simon represented the Congressional District that included Carbondale, the home of Southern Illinois University. SIU was exceptional in its success in offering a high-quality college education to people with disabilities. Paul Simon’s interest in SIU reflected his commitment to removing legal and physical barriers that discriminated against people with disabilities.
I recently thought about Simon, who died in 2003, served in the U.S. Senate, and ran for President in 1988. It was Simon’s Senate election in 1984 that made me think of him. That year, Ronald Reagan won Illinois in a 13-point landslide. Simon, amazingly, also won, beating incumbent Republican Charles Percy.
How did Simon do it? The answer was charm and intelligence. Simon was folksy. He wore a bow tie. His wife had been a state legislator when he served in Springfield. In short, Simon won on the basis of character. A sizable…
