Hero’s are lacking

Do you have a hero? I don’t.

I am not talking about a hero in the form of a favorite movie

superstar or a sports champion. I am not referring to a hero in the

form of a colleague, a professor or a teammate. I am not even

talking about a hero in the form of a parent, a sibling, or a

friend. I am sure heroes can be found in all of these areas of

life, but I am not talking about any of these kind of heroes. I am

talking about a political hero. An old fashion, out-dated type of

hero that I am beginning to believe has gone out of style.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle, on every side of every

possible political spectrum, are letting me down, leaving me

desperate. I want a politician who not only gains my vote, but a

politician who gains my trust and allows me to feel proud to have

cast my vote in their name, for their cause. I don’t see any

politician out there today who can do that. I don’t see a single

politician today who even comes close to being my political

hero.

I need a politician who represents me, not necessarily my

interests. I mean, sure, it would be great if there were an honest

man or woman out there, who felt exactly the way I do on every

political topic. From domestic and social issues to foreign policy,

this person would vote exactly the way I would, if put in their

position, on every issue, but this type of political romanticism is

unreasonable. I just want a politician who has a conscious, feels

much compassion for the less fortunate, has a sense of honor and

dignity, and believes in education and the general well-being of

all people, everywhere. I want to vote for a politician who is more

concerned with their morals than their quest for re-election, a

person more dedicated to ethics than political stature, a chair on

a committee or reputation.

I want a politician who would rather leave an elected position

than pander to big business, labor unions, the NRA, the ACLU or any

other politically persuasive person, group or association. Is it

too much for me, for all Americans, to ask to be represented by

politicians who base their vote upon the issue at hand and not upon

an upcoming re-election or outside financing or influence? I don’t

think so, but this type of politician does not exist. Maybe my

youth leads me to na�ve assumptions about politics and how

the political structure wasn’t always this way.

I look back to famous names like Roosevelt, Lincoln and

Washington, all men who have become national, historical, and

political heroes to so many Americans today. And then I look to the

names of politicians today, none of which scream to me, none of

which appeal to a full and complete sense of civic duty. The

difference is painfully obvious. Every election I have voted in,

and every candidate I see emerging in the upcoming election in

2004, is not a political hero, but more a choice between a lesser

of two evils.

Do you have a political hero? A favorite politician whose poster

you have hanging on your bedroom wall next to a poster of John

Elway or Brittany Spears? I wish I could say I do. Unfortunately,

the only image of elected officials people have is the one on the

front page of the newspaper, or the one beaming from the television

set in the family room. (If you would like a picture of your

elected official go to their official Web site for a free portrait

to be sent to you.)

I hope that someday a politician will emerge who is honest, who

doesn’t pander to anyone and who I can feel proud to hang a poster

of in my family room. I hope someday a candidate will emerge who is

not a politician, but a political hero as well.