The Top Ten Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#10

Mitch Daniels

What happens when you travel through Indiana in an RV and on a motorcycle, visiting all 92 counties (three times each) and sleeping in the houses of random strangers? If you’re Mitch Daniels, you get elected governor of Indiana. Twice.

A Harley-riding budget wiz, Daniels was reelected in 2008, garnering the most votes in the history of the Hoosier state. He stood against the Obama tide that washed away so many conservatives.

We respect Mitch Daniels because he does what he believes in—cutting spending, attacking government waste—even if it means axing some popular programs and upsetting people in the process.

A true government conservative who turned a $200 million deficit into a $1.3 billion surplus, Daniels has a 70 percent approval rating in Indiana. The Economist likes Daniels, too, all but endorsing his presidential candidacy last month. They called him “the kind of man to relish fixing a broken state—or country.”

The governor, who holds degrees from Princeton and Georgetown, served as senior advisor to Ronald Reagan and director of the Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush. His work in the private sector—an executive at Eli Lilly and Company and CEO of the Hudson Institute—helped to give him the experience and confidence to balance budgets.

In 2007, Daniels brought his innovative problem solving to bear on his state’s health care system. He raised taxes on cigarettes to fund the Healthy Indiana Plan, which provides coverage for 132,000 previously uninsured residents.

He has fought for job creation, claiming to have secured nearly 100,000 positions at 700 Indiana businesses since 2005. He has pushed bio-fuel, establishing nearly 20 ethanol and biodiesel plants in an effort to reinvigorate the state’s agricultural industry. A 10-year program to improve the Indiana’s infrastructure, constructing miles of new highways, is in development.

“Even his opponents have to admit that [Daniels] is pretty sharp,” said Abdul Shabazz, a radio host and political commentator from Indianapolis. “He understands politics. He understands policy—which is very rare. I call it a dying breed of elected officials.”

If Daniels ignores Washington’s calls and stays in Indiana, it’ll be because of his family: his wife, Cheri, and four daughters. Will he consider a presidential campaign? “If I don’t see anybody who’s raising what I think of as the survival issues [debt, deficits, and the role of government] for the country,” Daniels told the Washington Post, “I guess I’d listen, if it’s not too late, which it might well be.”

Man-to-Man with Mitch Daniels

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e. effective) politician?

Yes, of course. And there are many more than people think.

If you were making a list of politicians you respect for both their integrity and their dedication to the ideas they believe in, what man—from a party other than your own—would you be sure to put on the list? And why?

Winston Churchill. He spoke with courage but always knowledgeably—both reflections of integrity. He also had the integrity to change his mind (and even his political party, twice) when facts or new circumstances convinced him he was wrong.

You are dedicated to (some might say obsessed about) eradicating inefficiency and waste in government. In your personal life, do you ever splurge on an item you really don’t need but can’t live without?

About once a decade. A second motorcycle was my indefensible extravagance for the ’00s.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you fell short of “goodness,” however you define it.

I have too frequently allowed impatience or temper to get the best of me, leading to harsh treatment of good people working closely with me. Prompt remorse and apologies do not offset or excuse these lapses. I hope to have committed the last of them.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#9

Bernie Sanders

When Bernie Sanders, the Great Socialist Contrarian, spoke to a group of 60 students at South Burlington High School in Vermont in 2006, he didn’t begin with lofty rhetoric or empty political nonsense. Instead, he made a simple, unorthodox plea.

“I urge you all to argue with your teachers, argue with your parents,” he told them, concluding with the observation, “The discussion we’ve had in here is at a higher level than what we often have on the floor of the United States Congress.”

The senator’s democratic-socialist views and his spirited independent streak make him one of the most refreshingly atypical politicians in recent American history.

“Bernie is independent through and through,” said Craig Aaron, managing director of Free Press, an organization working to reform media. “Unlike most of his colleagues, he’s not beholden to party hacks or corporate benefactors. That means he’s free to fight for what he believes in, if for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.”

After graduating from the University of Chicago, Sanders spent four terms as the mayor of Burlington, and then 16 years in the House of Representatives—the longest ever for an independent member—serving as the first independent since 1950. He was elected senator in 2006.

Sanders has occasionally sided with Republicans on some issues: he voted in 2004 to terminate the marriage penalty and supported a 2003 bill to ban human cloning.

But more often than not, he votes with the Democrats. He voted against using force in Iraq in both 1991 and 2002, has staunchly supported single-payer universal health care, is one of the leading advocates for green technology (he introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007), and supports gay marriage and pro-choice legislation.

Sanders continues to fight to close the increasing wealth gap. “We need to revitalize American democracy,” he wrote in an essay, “The Collapse of the Middle Class,” which criticizes a government whose decisions reflect the needs of only wealthy campaign contributors. He opposes unregulated free trade, which, he argues, deprives Americans of jobs and exploits foreign workers.

He also called for the replacement of Ben Bernanke after the bank bailouts, and was one of only three majority senate members to oppose the appointment of Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, in 2009.

“What makes him so good is that he’s not just an idealist—he’s a realist, too,” Aaron said. “He understands that sausage-making can be a messy business, and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty if that’s what it takes to actually get things done. He didn’t get to the Senate because he’s a socialist. He got there because he’s a populist in the best sense of the word, one who’s knocked on every door in the state.”

Idealism, disrupting the status quo, and daring you to challenge authority: these things aren’t just for high-school kids.

Man-to-Man with Bernie Sanders

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e., effective) politician?

Yes. These are enormously difficult times for our country and we need to encourage as many young people, men and women, to get involved in the political process—from school board to the White House. Anyone entering politics, and those observing it, must appreciate that it is impossible to do everything you or your constituents want on every single occasion. That doesn’t make you “bad” or a “sell-out.” While it certainly is not easy, I do believe that one can be an honest and effective politician and maintain one’s dignity and integrity. At the same time, I should say that in our current approach to politics we sometimes get so carried away by the “good man” idea that we forget that good ideas, ideas about fairness as well as freedom, should also matter in politicians.

When I was in the House I worked, on occasion, with Rep. Ron Paul who is a Republican libertarian from Texas. He has, against the mainstream of his party, been a strong voice for civil liberties and against an imperial foreign policy. Over the years he has voted his conscience and cast many votes that were far from popular. I don’t agree with him on many issues, but his courage—and his willingness to work with a “socialist” when we share views—make him unusual and admirable Republican.

It’s our belief that every capitalist country needs a socialist or two in order to keep things interesting. But does it get lonely?

Yes. The Senate is a pretty conservative institution. There are not too many members prepared to stand up strongly against a very powerful ruling class. In the U.S. today we have, by far, the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country, with the top 1 percent now earning over 23 percent of all income. Not too many senators talk about that. The Republican Party has veered very far to the right, while the Democratic Party is, by and large, centrist. The wealthy and large corporations have plenty of representation in both parties. The working class of this country does not.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you fell short of “goodness,” however you define it

In 1981, I was elected Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, as an independent, and was vigorously opposed by both the Democrats and Republicans on the City Council. It was a very contentious political moment. In retrospect, I think there are things I could have done to deal with that situation in a less confrontational manner.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#8

Mark Strama

Mark Strama was married in Playa del Carmen, a tourist town near Cancun. Despite being a state representative in Texas, he was one of the least famous people at his own wedding.

Strama’s fiancée (now wife) was an Austin-based television journalist named Crystal Cotti. Present at the wedding were high-profile Texas lawyers and politicos. The doctor who delivered NFL quarterback Vince Young was present. So was journalist Lisa Ling. The Austin American-Statesman was there to chronicle the whole thing.

The story was thorough, covering every part of the wedding—except Strama. The notoriously low-profile state representative was hardly more than background noise in his own region’s coverage.

“Mark is just different,” said Paul Stekler, a documentary filmmaker and professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. “He’s someone who’s secure in who he is, who loves helping people, but could also live without the power of office.” Stekler also praised Strama’s “uncommon intelligence” and “the ability to put people around him at ease.”

When it comes to voters, Strama’s goal is to educate them early, engage them in the election, and push accessible and modern methods of registration.

Strama was the director of operations for Rock the Vote, and was key in registering over a million first-time voters. His Campaign Academy program focused on exposing high school and college students to the campaign process.

“Mark has been a tireless advocate for engaging people, especially young people, in the civic debate and the electoral process,” said Mark Shilling, director of Shilling Public Affairs, an advocacy and communications group. “His goals of improving education, civic participation, and access to technology are evident through not just his political work, but his community engagement as well.”

Strama founded the first company to register voters online, which was acquired by Election.com in 2000. According to Strama, the site helped to register some 700,000 voters that year.

He can see past the next election cycle, making public education, children’s health-care, and renewable energy priorities. Going green in an oil-rich state like Texas might be as popular as rooting for the Redskins, but that hasn’t stopped Strama from publicly expressing a desire for Texas to become this country’s leader in renewable energy technology.

He has recently proposed measures against school bullying, working closely with Equality Texas, a statewide LGBT advocacy organization, to push anti-bullying legislation adjusted for issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Forward-thinking positions like these could one day make Mark Strama an unforgettable name.

Man-to-Man with Mark Strama

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e., effective) politician?

The short answer is yes, definitely. In fact, of the politicians I know personally, more of them are good men than good politicians—and many of them are both.

Admittedly, I play in what many would consider the minor leagues (the state legislature). Your question refers, I believe, to the ruthless ambition, self-serving machinations, and underlying narcissism that people believe are necessary for political success at the highest levels.

There is a poignant passage in Heilemann and Halperin’s Game Change in which Barack Obama’s advisors describe in detail the extraordinary sacrifices he and his family would have to make if he chose to run for president—sacrifices to which no one in their right mind would voluntarily submit—prompting Obama to reject “the notion that running for president was a task suited only to the borderline mentally ill.”

I do sometimes consider that the higher you want to go in politics, the crazier you have to be, though I find the current president to be a comforting exception to this rule.

In my much smaller world, I interact daily with effective politicians who, though I often disagree vehemently with them on matters of policy, are excellent fathers, grandfathers, husbands, civic group members, congregation members, and community leaders. Indeed, once you get to know some of them outside the political environment, it can be startling to see them practice—or even just passively tolerate—the sometimes vicious devolution of politics that Americans find so discouraging.

Explaining that phenomenon—how good people are co-opted into a system that so many Americans find so frustrating—would take a book, but it’s a book that needs to be written.

This is hard for me to answer because I respect the integrity of most politicians, regardless of their party. However, as the stage gets bigger, it gets harder to find political leaders who do not appear to have compromised their integrity at some level. I admired George H.W. Bush for his international diplomacy, and for supporting bipartisan budget reforms in the early ’90s that contributed to the prosperity and fiscal surpluses of the late ’90s (and that engendered the Pat Buchanan challenge from his own base that undid his presidency).

As an individual, he practiced a politics of cordiality and respect, he was devoted to his wife and family, and he truly believed in public service. On the other hand, his policy reversals on voodoo economics and on reproductive rights illustrate the extent to which big-league politics do seem to bring out the worst in a man.

Same with John McCain. I’ve always admired his advocacy for campaign finance reform, and his personal history of service to the country, but the John McCain who emerged from the gauntlet of Republican presidential primaries two years ago—not to mention the John McCain currently seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate today—strikes me as a politician who simply wants the job too badly. My favorite politicians are generally the ones who would rather be doing something else.

So my list is topped by the Republican Speaker of the Texas House, Joe Straus. He’s principled and smart, and has restored an inclusive and bipartisan atmosphere in the Texas House after unseating an incumbent speaker from his own party. Most people haven’t heard of him yet, but someday I hope they will. They probably won’t, though, because he strikes me as more principled than ambitious, and therefore he may soon be reaching his political limits.

You’ve worked hard to engage young people in the political process. Do you think most young people equate goodness with politicians? If the answer is no, can you blame them?

Every election cycle I run a program called Campaign Academy and spend the summer with 30 bright, committed, optimistic young people who believe in the power of politics to bring about positive change. So my perspective on this is skewed by that experience—these young volunteers obviously see politics as a noble calling, not a pejorative.

In 2008, we saw their generation embrace the political system, inspired by an Obama campaign that empowered grassroots organizers with cutting-edge technology, and by the urgency of the political climate at the time. A young former staffer of mine tells a great story about his experience working for John Edwards in the Iowa caucuses.

They had put all the eggs in the Iowa basket, and had IDed every person who had ever voted in an Iowa caucus before. Based on multiple conversations with each of those voters, they were absolutely certain they were going to win the caucus.

And their predictions were right on the money—among voters who had previously voted in an Iowa caucus, John Edwards was the winner that night. But Barack Obama is president today because he overwhelmingly won the votes of the tens of thousands of first-time voters that night. They were the margin of his victory in Iowa and throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Since then, an entire industry of political professionals has dedicated itself to making sure those young people who turned out in 2008 never vote again. That is what explains the entrenched, monolithic obstructionism being practiced by Republican operatives today in Washington, D.C.

All the polls show it’s clearly not helping their standing with the American public—but it’s taken the air out of the president’s balloon, and that’s exactly what it’s intended to do. The more unseemly, the more unattractive, the more frustrating they can make the political process, the less likely you will see the surge in youth turnout that occurred in 2008 sustained into the future.

And it appears to be working. Can I blame young people for falling victim to a cynical strategy to suppress their enthusiasm for politics? No. Can I do my best to illuminate that strategy for what it is, and hopefully reverse its effect? Yes.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you fell short of “goodness,” however you define it.

During my first term in the legislature, following an interim hearing of the Juvenile Justice Committee, one of the advocates for the youth locked up in the Texas juvenile detention system approached me and urged me to look more deeply into allegations of misconduct by guards and prison administrators.

He said the system was profoundly corrupt, that kids were being abused on a widespread basis. This advocate was someone I did not know well, and while I have since come to respect both his credibility and his passion, at the time I thought he came on too strong, and that his passion on the issue overwhelmed his reason.

I had a hard time believing there were systemic abuses requiring conspiracies and cover-ups throughout the large bureaucracy that is the Texas Youth Commission.

I was wrong, and he was right. One year later, the whole sordid scandal was exposed by a Justice Department investigation and some high-quality investigative journalism. But I had been told of the problem a year earlier, and had failed to take action to protect those children.

We receive citizen complaints all the time that often can’t be substantiated, but now we make sure we perform adequate due diligence on each of them to make sure we’re not neglecting our responsibilities. I will always regret not having been able to uncover and document the systemic abuses at TYC soon after I was told of them.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#7

Richard Lugar

Richard Lugar, the squared-away, combed-over Republican senator, has never cared about celebrity or notoriety. He doesn’t possess the eye-winking charm of Bill Clinton, nor the rhetorical gifts of Barack Obama.

But in today’s politics, where substantive arguments are often outweighed by scandal, Lugar has avoided every 21st-century political pitfall, emerging as a historic figure revered for his steadiness and intellectual pursuits.

“Lugar refuses to engage in demagoguery to score cheap political points,” said David Nickerson, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame. “Lugar concerns himself with the big picture and not the outrage of the day. Even people who do not agree with [him] politically generally feel that he is a sincere and honest broker.”

Lugar is a conservative, but his bipartisan streak makes him difficult to pigeonhole. He initially supported the Iraq War but later condemned it, admitting, “Bush’s strategy is not working.” He has pushed for alternative fuels, sometimes in direct contradiction to some of his Republican colleagues.

He keeps a liberal stance toward immigration. He has fought for LGBT-rights initiatives, such as the Matthew Shepard Act, which expanded hate-crime statutes to incorporate gender identity and sexual orientation. But he also voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment, limiting marriage to heterosexual couples.

Lugar’s most noteworthy achievement is the 1991 Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which aimed to eliminate nuclear warheads in the former Soviet Union. Experts believe the initiative eradicated stockpiles by the thousands. The senator and partner Sam Nunn were awarded the Heinz Awards Chairman’s Medal.

He is still working to deactivate Soviet-era weapons. In 2005, Lugar and then-Senator Barack Obama inspected nuclear facilities in Russia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. Their visit resulted in the Lugar-Obama Proliferation and Threat Reduction Initiative, which Bush signed into law in 2007.

Lugar’s relationship with President Obama has remained strong. In a speech at the National Defense University late in Obama’s campaign, Lugar praised the candidate’s foreign-policy ideas, speaking out against McCain’s.

Also in 2008, Lugar and Joe Biden pledged $1.5 billion in aid per year to economic development in Pakistan. At Obama and Biden’s inauguration, Lugar was named honorary co-chairman.

Since Obama’s election, Lugar, who ranks 13th in all-time Senate votes, has sided with the president on both judicial appointments: United States Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor and Solicitor General Elena Kagan.

Although currently the Senate’s most senior Republican, Lugar’s work isn’t over. He’s prepping for a reelection run in 2012.

In keeping with his low-key style, Lugar declined to go man-to-man with us.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

10) Mitch Daniels

9) Bernie Sanders

8 ) Mark Strama

7) Richard Lugar

6) Jeff Flake

5) Al Franken

4) Anh “Joseph” Cao

3) Cory Booker

2) Paul Ryan

1) Carl Levin

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#6

Jeff Flake

Before the Tea Party boiled over in anger over government spending, before it became vogue to hate waste, Jeff Flake was fed up with Washington’s high-pork diet and was crusading against earmarks.

Officials have often tacked on perks to make sure bills benefit their constituents. Earmarks—addenda to bills requesting funding for projects unrelated to the bill itself—infuriate many Americans, for good reason.

In 2006, Flake publicly challenged several requests—including $750,000 for a new building at the Los Angeles County Fair and $500,000 for a swimming pool in Banning, California. The earmark system, Flake argues, is in need of a major overhaul.

At the end of spending debates, in what he calls the “Flake Hour,” the congressman invites earmark sponsors to the House floor and asks them to explain themselves to the American public. Each week, he issues a press release highlighting the “egregious earmark of the week,” and features it on his website.

When one particular earmark asked for $235,000 for weed management in Nevada, Flake responded that the state should “get a goat” instead. When a marine-research group was earmarked $300,000 to examine one specific type of fish, Flake responded on Twitter, “Congress is hard of ‘herring’ when it comes to fiscal reform.”

His efforts earned him the distinction of “Taxpayer Superhero” from Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.

“Jeff Flake is that rare creature in Washington,” said Matt Welch, editor of Reason. “He’s someone who elevates principle over party, choice over control, and good governance over doling out goodies to his constituents.”

Flake hasn’t been afraid to irritate some top Republicans. He’s one of the most outspoken opponent of the Cuban trade embargo and has earned praise from some liberals for his positions on civil liberties. President George W. Bush once said Flake was “too dang independent.”

Flake’s fight against earmarks may injure his chances of climbing high within his party—he was reportedly bounced from the House Judiciary Committee for criticizing party leaders on 60 Minutes—but that hasn’t slowed him down.

“When today’s Tea Party bandwagon was busy supporting every Republican power grab in Washington,” Welch said, “Flake was admitting as early as 2006 that there’s ‘nothing we’ve done as Republicans that ought to make libertarians excited about our record.’ He’s a serious man in an unserious town.”

Man-to-Man with Jeff Flake

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e., effective) politician?

Sure. I think it’s probably more difficult to be a good man the longer you hold office, but it’s certainly possible.

Ron Kind (D-Wisconsin). Over the years, I’ve watched Ron stand up to both his party and his constituents—his party when he has sponsored or voted for ethics measures that his leadership hasn’t been fond of, and his constituents when they pine after farm subsidies that Ron does not believe in providing.

In 2009, you spent a week alone on one of the deserted Marshall Islands. What did that experience teach you about being a good man?

As soon as I stepped off the island, the island forgot I was ever there. I suppose that’s how it is when we leave this earth. The relationships that we develop with our families, friends, and colleagues are all that matter. My island experience did much to reinforce that notion.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you fell short of “goodness,” however you define it.

Three-and-a-half years ago, my oldest son was leaving for a two-year church mission. I had the choice of either seeing him off with my wife or heading back to Washington for votes that evening and the following day. I chose the latter. I suppose I was trying to be a good politician, but I wasn’t being a good father. I don’t even remember what votes I cast that I felt I couldn’t miss, but I’ll never forget that I wasn’t there for my wife and son when I should have been.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#5

Al Franken

In the summer of 2009, Al Franken had just emerged from a brutal court battle against incumbent opponent Norm Coleman for his Minnesota seat.

At the time, the debate over President Obama’s health-care plan had spilled into angry town hall meetings across the country. Members of Congress who backed Obama were shouted down or openly taunted. The president himself was being called a socialist—or worse.

At the annual Minnesota State Fair, mere weeks after Franken was sworn in, a group of Tea Party members angrily confronted the new senator, arguing with him over the Democratic position on health care and other issues. The encounter—like many political discussions that summer—had the potential to turn nasty.

Then something strange happened.

Instead of anger, the argument turned toward reason. Instead of shouting, Franken led the group through a sober ten-minute discussion. “I thank you for your passion,” Franken told them.

Franken has come a great distance since his years as a comedian and author, known for his acting on Saturday Night Live, and his books—notably, Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations—which some say made him the most hated Democrat among Republicans when he entered office.

Franken has adapted his act with startling self-possession, defying expectations by transforming into a serious lawmaker, a man capable of effecting the change he so vehemently promotes.

“When you have a certain level of celebrity,” he told the Associated Press, “it’s even more important to demonstrate to your constituents and to your colleagues that you’re there to do the work.”

And Franken’s work ethic is undeniable. His first piece of legislation, passed in October 2009, created a program to pair disabled veterans with service dogs. The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia.

Franken has also proposed amendments to the health-care-reform bills, fought for the rights of sexual-assault victims to seek justice, and pushed developments in financial reform. He’s currently pursuing legislation to reduce abuse from debt collectors.

“Al Franken is a very funny man, but he’s also deadly serious,” says Ron Krebs, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. “He asks serious questions, and he’s interested in serious answers. If only we had more men like him in the Senate.”

Still, not everyone is a fan. “He’s a good fundraising tool for us,” said Minnesota GOP chairman Tony Sutton. “[He] turned out to be the knee-jerk liberal everyone thought he would be.”

Not quite. Franken has evolved into something far more complex (and less divisive). Though still just a rookie, Franken may soon find himself on more top-politicians lists.

(Unfortunately, he didn’t respond to our questions. We’re trying hard to forgive him.)

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

10) Mitch Daniels

9) Bernie Sanders

8 ) Mark Strama

7) Richard Lugar

6) Jeff Flake

5) Al Franken

4) Anh “Joseph” Cao

3) Cory Booker

2) Paul Ryan

1) Carl Levin

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#4

Anh “Joseph” Cao

In Vietnamese, “Cao” means “tall.” At 5-foot-2, the Republican congressman might not be living up to his name, but he has managed to stand out from the crowd.

A former seminary student, Cao got his law degree at Loyola University in New Orleans, the city where he now lives with his wife and two daughters.

In 2008, he ran for a New Orleans House seat against William Jefferson, a black nine-term incumbent in a largely Democratic and African-American district. Obama’s presidential campaign was running parallel, and for a time it didn’t look like Cao had a fighting chance.

Luckily for Cao, Jefferson was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges. And, thanks to the late-season hurricane, the election was moved back to December. Voter turnout dropped dramatically, and Cao won. (He was dubbed “the accidental congressman.”)

“Mr. Cao Goes to Washington” headlines were everywhere. In post-election interviews, Cao, who emigrated from Vietnam when he was eight, admitted he’d never heard of the Bush-era tax cuts or the House’s committee system. But since then, he’s made his positions clear.

“In D.C. he’s working hard to represent his constituency, meaning he’s voting with the Democrats,” said Thomas Langston, a political science professor at Tulane University. “If he weren’t deeply conservative on social issues he could just switch parties and, possibly, keep his job. Ironically, that would make him seem less brave and less outstanding.”

Cao supported legislation from Obama 69 percent of the time—more than any House Republican. He was the only Republican to support the House health-care bill. Among House Republicans, only Ron Paul and John McHugh voted less with the GOP.

His reputation as a maverick was solidified when he spoke out against the BP oil spill, telling its president, Lamar McKay, “During the samurai days, we would just give you a knife and ask you to commit hara-kiri.”

His main efforts have been toward post-Katrina issues. He has reorganized the local FEMA office and introduced a bill asking for private utilities to receive federal funding after natural disasters, which would protect consumers against rate hikes. He has also appealed to have FEMA forgive disaster loans given to New Orleans following the hurricane.

“Cao is honest, smart, and hard-working,” Langston said. “He’s also a guy with a big heart, who went into law to help people instead of just to make a living.”

In what’s expected to be a tough round of elections for Democrats, Cao might be the most vulnerable Republican. Up against Cedric Richmond, a wildly popular African-American Democrat, his re-election is almost as unlikely as the election that put him in congress in the first place.

Man-to-Man with Anh Cao

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e., effective) politician?

Yes, a person can be both, but in this day and age of partisan politics it can be difficult. When one speaks of a “good” man, there are several characteristics that come to my mind: a) honesty, b) compassion, and c) determination.

Throughout history, we have seen many “good” people who possessed these characteristics: Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln. These characteristics, when combined with the ability to listen to the other side and be open to others’ opinions, to compromise except when core moral principles are involved, to work with one’s colleagues, and to convey messages that will help the public to understand one’s position, will make one both a “good” man and an effective politician.

One politician who I would definitely place on a list of those I respect for both their integrity and dedication to their values is my House colleague, Dan Lipinski, Democrat of Illinois. Congressman Lipinski’s integrity was put to the test in the debate on health-care reform. He was under enormous pressure from the Democratic Party to vote in favor of the Senate-approved bill, and although he strongly believes reform is needed to lower soaring health-care costs and make insurance coverage more affordable and accessible for individuals and working families, he had serious reservations about the version of the bill that came to us from the Senate.

He was particularly concerned about its lack of protection against expanded federal funding for abortion, which he opposes on moral grounds. Ultimately, Congressman Lipinski stayed true to his conscience, resisted partisan pressure, and voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I admire and respect his political courage.

You are the first Vietnamese American to serve in the U.S. Congress, as well as the first Republican to serve in your district since 1890. What has either of those experiences taught you about fitting in?

Being the first Vietnamese-American Congressman and the first Republican to serve in the Second District of Louisiana since Reconstruction has very little to do with my ability to be accepted by my colleagues as well as my constituents. I think the basic principles that undergird a good moral person, combined with the ability to be friendly and work with others, have enabled me to fit in both on the Hill and in the District. And beyond morality and cordiality, there is the element of hope. It unites us all and enables us to embrace each other as individuals engaged in a common pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you fell short of “goodness,” however you define it.

Because of the demands of this job and the amount of time they require, it is difficult for me to be the best husband and father to my two daughters. Before, I would have time to be home more with my wife and do homework with my daughters, to take them to the park, and be present for them in every aspect of their lives. That is no longer possible, which is a source of frustration for me, but also humility—because I know that I am a being of limitations and must rely on the help of others, as well as my faith, to make sure and hope that all things will turn out well.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#3

Cory Booker

A thousand comedians have told jokes about Newark, New Jersey. Largely, they go unanswered.

But when TV host Conan O’Brien made a good-natured jab at the city on NBC’s The Tonight Show, Mayor Cory Booker took up the charge and jabbed right back.

“The mayor of Newark wants to set up a city-wide program to improve residents’ health,” O’Brien said. “The health-care program would consist of a bus ticket out of Newark.”

In response, Booker filmed a YouTube video in which he purported to ban O’Brien from flying into Newark’s airport. Of course, Booker has no such power. The two jokes evolved into a fake feud, the mayor and the comedian trading sarcastic barbs for weeks.

Eventually, a ceasefire was brokered by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her “peace accord” called for Booker to appear on O’Brien’s show; in response, O’Brien made a generous cash donation to a Newark-based charity.

Booker’s plan succeeded admirably: he defended his town, made a few cracks of his own, and got a major celebrity to lend Newark a hand.

In the process, he confirmed his new status as an up-and-coming national political figure.

Following that incident, the Newark Star-Ledger reported in April 2010 that March was Newark’s first murder-free month in 44 years.

For decades, making Newark safe was thought to be impossible—but Booker has made admirable progress, thanks to a series of initiatives, including hiring a tough new police chief and installing more than 100 security cameras in key areas.

As a result, there were 109 arrests in Booker’s first 16 months in office. Murders dropped by more than 35 percent. Shootings dropped by more than 40 percent. Rapes dropped by more than 30. Auto thefts fell by 25. US News & World Report named Booker one of the country’s most inspiring leaders.

Newark’s improvements haven’t come through additional spending. In 2006, Booker overhauled Newark’s budget, more than halving the deficit—bringing it down to $73 million from $180 million in 2006. To demonstrate his commitment, he took an 8 percent salary cut in his first year. He has kept his yearly promises not to increase taxes.

When Obama was elected, Booker turned down a position heading the new White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy. He’s committed to finishing the job he set out to do in Newark.

“Cory Booker is a good man, a politician—not the first—attempting [to] reform [the] mayoral administration in Newark,” said Heidi Swarts, a political science professor at the University of Rutgers-Newark.

She argued, however, that Booker has erred in “assuming everything he inherited was tainted.” By bringing in his own people, he was unable to discern which men and women had worked hard to effect improvements within the city.

Booker, a Rhodes Scholar and graduate of Stanford, Oxford, and Yale Law, faces little other serious criticism. (Other than from us, for failing to go man-to-man by answering our questions.) But if his successes continue, there are certain to be larger political offices to conquer.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

10) Mitch Daniels

9) Bernie Sanders

8 ) Mark Strama

7) Richard Lugar

6) Jeff Flake

5) Al Franken

4) Anh “Joseph” Cao

3) Cory Booker

2) Paul Ryan

1) Carl Levin

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#2

Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio. He listens to John Tesh, drinks Miller Lite, and leads a Congressional exercise group. The man is arguably as exciting as an extra point in football.

But Ryan has a plan to save America—and many folks are listening.

His strategy, a combination of privatization and spending freezes, holds true to many core principles of conservatism. He aims to privatize Social Security, asking younger workers to shuttle their accounts to a non-government-run system; freeze discretionary spending but leave the military budget untouched; and, most controversially, eradicate the popular Medicare program and replace it with a voucher system.

His policy manifesto, “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” is nearly 100 pages long. Conservatives have touted it as a logical way to salvage America’s economy, crediting Ryan for his number-crunching ability and his willingness to take real action.

“Could you only imagine Paul Ryan being chairman of the Budget Committee?” Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy told Fox News. “Not only would we have the power, but Paul would outsmart the president each and every time.”

Ryan’s detractors, however, include Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, who called “Roadmap” a “fraud that makes no useful contribution to the debate over America’s fiscal future.” Ryan’s plan would cut benefits for the middle class, Krugman says, while nearly halving the taxes on the richest 1 percent of the population.

Ryan admits his ideas aren’t perfect. But he insists he is one of the few politicians dealing directly with reducing the deficit, which he has called “the hardest problem we have.”

Ryan was elected to the House in 1998 at the age of 28, a conservative running in a Democratic district. His record shows a man resolute in his beliefs: he has consistently supported the National Right to Life Committee, No Child Left Behind, and tighter border security. Even so, Ryan is open to new ideas.

“What I particularly like about Paul Ryan is that he seems to respect people he disagrees with,” said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “That’s a rare attribute in today’s political world.”

“Roadmap” would be his most influential project to date—if he can find the support. “I just hope enough people join me so that we can actually do something about it,” he told Time.

If the upcoming elections change the balance of power in the House, Ryan will be in line for several key positions, including chairman of the Budget Committee. Though some Republicans would like to see Ryan run for president in 2012, he’s ruled it out. “I am not going to run for president,” he told ABC News earlier this year. “I’m just not going to do it. My head’s not that big, and my kids are too small.”

Man-to-Man with Paul Ryan

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e. effective) politician?

Of course it’s possible to be both a good man and an effective representative, and I’d like to think that most Members of Congress are both. If given the opportunity to serve, I believe elected leaders have a moral obligation to principled representation. It is a sacred trust in our republic that must be honored.

I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible individuals on both sides of the aisle, and it’s hard to keep the list limited. Democrat Representative John Spratt is the first name that comes to mind. John and I have our policy disagreements as leaders of the House Budget Committee, but our debates are rooted in mutual respect and good faith. He leads with the courage of his convictions and unwavering integrity.

You are respected partially for treating people you disagree with respect. In your view, is that one of the marks of a good man? And why don’t more of us—in politics and life—practice it?

Respect and a willingness to listen to both sides of an issue are important in every field, but especially so in politics. In order to solve the problems facing our nation, we need to be able to have an adult conversation on these critical issues. Fierce debate is a hallmark of our democracy, but I’ve always believed we can—and we must—conduct our disagreements without being disagreeable.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you feel short of “goodness,” however you define it.

My dad used to always say, ‘You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.’ He was usually telling me this when I was being part of the problem. It’s a lesson that has guided me throughout my life and my time in Congress. If you make a mistake, it’s important to recognize it, learn from it, and move forward.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

#1

Carl Levin

In April 2010, account executives from Goldman Sachs stood before Carl Levin, head of the subcommittee on investigations charged with probing the financial crisis.

The senator focused on one particular odorous transaction, drawing attention to a Goldman memo that bragged of a deal that was to the company’s advantage. But as Levin pointed out, it wasn’t just any deal. “It was a shitty deal.”

The hearing was live on C-Span, but Levin didn’t seem to care about his use of profanity. The more the Goldman executives offered excuses, the angrier Levin became.

That scene became a viral sensation on the Internet. It wasn’t solely because of the image of a stately, graying senator, whom Jon Stewart calls “the kindly old shoemaker,” instilled with biblical rage.

It was because Levin was doing what millions of Americans would have done themselves. He was holding the bastards—and all of their shitty deals—accountable for their actions.

The rest of the country saw firsthand what Levin’s constituency from Michigan already knew. He is one of the most respected politicians in Washington, and a bipartisan seeker of the truth.

Goldman wasn’t the first greedy corporation to feel Levin’s wrath. In 2002, the senator, chairman of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led a team in an investigation of Enron’s collapse.

His crusade earned him a place among Time magazine’s top 10 senators in 2006.

“Not only is he generally a straight arrow in terms of his personal interactions,” said Ken Kollman, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, “but he has worked hard to promote transparency in government operations and to fight wasteful spending, especially in the Department of Defense. One can disagree with his politics, but he is respected by his colleagues in both parties.”

Levin is chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Since 2003, he has spoken publicly against the manipulative half-truths and outright lies used to justify the invasion of Iraq, calling the Bush administration’s attempts to establish a connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein “deception” and “misinformation.” He has consistently battled government secrecy, working toward declassifying documents that supposedly link al-Qaeda to Saddam Hussein.

Levin has developed into one of the key—and trusted—national security experts. In 2004, Levin won the Harry S. Truman Award for his work in support of national defense. The Four Freedoms medal for his bipartisan work in foreign and military policy soon followed.

Levin has fought for American manufacturers to be given an equal playing field with their foreign counterparts—an issue that is critically important to his region. He is a member of the Senate Auto Caucus and the Great Lakes Task Force.

Levin is hugely popular in his state and has been consistently reelected by wide margins. His constituents trust him to keep shitty deals far from Michigan.

Man-to-Man with Carl Levin

Can one be both a good man and a good (i.e., effective) politician?

Absolutely. Almost all the senators I have worked with are good and honest people who are trying to do the right thing for the country. We often disagree, strongly, on what is the right thing. In fact, I’ve disagreed not only with some good senators, but some great senators!

If you were making a list of politicians that you respect for both their integrity and their dedication to the ideas they believe in, what man—from a party other than your own—would you be sure to put on the list? And why?

Senator John Warner, my former Republican colleague from Virginia, would surely be on that list. I worked for years with Senator Warner on the Armed Services Committee, and he always deeply impressed me with his honesty, his willingness to work across party lines, and his dedication to the country. Warner believes that politics stops at the water’s edge, and that it should never keep us from doing the right thing for the country’s security or for the men and women in uniform.

What has being a senator for as long as you have taught you about being a good man?

Trying to be a good senator takes up most of my time, but I’ve learned that my first priority is trying to be a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather, a good brother, and a good friend. That’s a 24-7 job.

We believe that a good man owns up to his mistakes. Tell us about a time when you fell short of “goodness,” however you define it.

One of the votes I regret that stands out in my mind is my vote against the confirmation of C. Everett Koop, a good man, as surgeon general of the United States.

The Top-10 Good Men Politicians

Click here for “good men” nominations from top political journalists and thinkers

David Brooks
Columnist, The New York Times

Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). Senator Graham is the model of what a modern senator should be. He is a strong conservative, with firm principles, but he knows that to get anything done, it is necessary to work and play with others.

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Joan Walsh
Editor, Salon

Joe Biden. He began his Senate career tragically, as a sudden widower with two little boys, and he took the train back and forth from Washington, D.C., to Delaware to stay their dad. He made his mother a celebrity at the 2008 Democratic convention; he can’t tell a story without referencing one of his parents. He can be a lovable gaffe-machine sometimes, but he’s not afraid to cry, either. Oh, and he authored the Violence Against Women Act—and regularly gave credit to the women staffers who worked it for him.

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Andrew Sullivan
Blogger

Ron Paul (R-Texas). Agree or disagree with him, he believes what he says, is fearless in saying so, bravely opposed his fellow Republicans on the Iraq War, has spoken more candidly about the follies of Republican spending and was a brave fore-runner—and a far more decent fellow—than most of the Tea Party brigade.

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Chris Wallace
Anchor, Fox News Sunday

Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) and Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut). Agree with him or not, you have to admire Ryan’s zeal about trying to fix our fiscal mess. He has mastered the Federal budget—and come up with daring and surprisingly non-political solutions. He has more intellectual honesty than just about anyone in Washington.

Some call Lieberman sanctimonious, but he has always marched to his own moral code and sense of what’s best for the country. Over the years, he’s ticked off almost everyone in the nation’s capital—which means he must be doing something right.

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Thomas Frank
Author, What’s the Matter with Kansas?

Raj Goyle (D-Kansas), a state rep. from Wichita. He’s a Democrat who ran in a district held by one of the most conservative Republicans in the state a few years ago, and he won. He’s a very, very good guy, presently running for the congressional seat just vacated by Todd Tiahrt. Smart, articulate, young, does good by his district. He’s also taken on Fred Phelps, among many other things. He is remarkable because he basically embodies the red-state stereotype of the scary liberal (went to Harvard, worked in D.C., etc.) and still wins, in a very Republican city.

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John Podesta
President, Center for American Progress

Jared Polis (D-Colorado). He’s a congressman from Boulder, a software entrepreneur, former chair of Colorado state Board of Ed., openly gay, fierce, fierce advocate for poor kids and education reform. Really good guy.

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Reihan Salam
Writer, National Review Online

Mitch Daniels (R-Indiana). He’s demonstrated a level of intelligence and integrity that’s rare in a politician, and he’s also been willing to change course when necessary.

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Jonathan Capehart
Editorial writer, The Washington Post

Patrick Murphy (D-Pennsylvania). That the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell passed the House of Representatives is due to the tireless and strategic efforts of Rep. Patrick Murphy. The Iraq War veteran and West Point instructor worked the halls of the House for more than a year to line up the votes needed to get it done. And he did this while representing a district that is more conservative on the issue than he is. Murphy knows this could cost him his seat. But if you ask him, he’ll tell you that he’d rather lose his seat because he did the right thing than to win reelection by doing nothing.

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Cokie Roberts
Senior news analyst, NPR; political commentator, ABC News

What, no women? I would nominate the women of the Senate as a group. In the increasingly hostile atmosphere between parties, the women of the Senate hold up the last bastion of bipartisanship. Barbara Mikulski, the senior woman, has served as the organizer, making sure that the women get together regularly and work across the aisle on all kinds of issues, particularly those that promote the economic wellbeing of women, children, and families.

If I’m forced to choose a man, it would be Richard Lugar (R-Indiana). Not only has he served his state well over many decades, he has also done important work with former senator Sam Nunn to make the world a safer place by promoting arms control, particularly in trying to end the threat of nuclear weapons. Lugar’s voice speaking “on the right side of history” has often been the most sane in the Senate on key foreign-policy issues.

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Thomas Mann
Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institute

Tom Perriello (D-Virginia). He is a first-term congressman representing a large, diverse, and Republican district. Most handicappers expect him to lose in November. He is a person of extraordinary intelligence, energy, ideals, and capacity to relate to ordinary folks. He has been hard at work developing new economic opportunities in areas of decline. I wish we had dozens like him in public office.

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Chris Beam
Political reporter, Slate

Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin). The Senate is a tough place to be good. And it’s impossible to know for sure whether a politician’s vote is based on conviction or opportunism. But Feingold seems the furthest thing from a weather vane the Senate has. His voting record is unpredictable—relatively, of course; he still votes with his party 80 percent of the time. But there is method to the maverick. On finance issues, he doesn’t think Democratic regulatory proposals go far enough, voting against TARP and Wall Street reform, as well as the confirmations of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

He’s non-interventionist on military issues (he voted against the authorization of force in Iraq) and protectionist when it comes to trade (he opposes most free-trade bills). His name is synonymous with campaign finance reform, a 2003 legislative victory that has since been largely rolled back. And when it comes to party loyalty, his vote is often a coin toss: he didn’t join fellow Democrats in dismissing the articles of impeachment against President Clinton after the Lewinsky affair, and he voted to confirm John Ashcroft as attorney general.

Of course, it’s easy to vote your conscience when doing so doesn’t hurt you. Feingold can usually take unorthodox stances knowing that liberal Wisconsinites won’t punish him for it. That may be about to change, as Republican challenger Ron Johnson ekes ahead in the polls. But Feingold hasn’t wavered on the progressive stances that got him elected in the first place—which, whether you agree with them or not, seems as “good” as a politician can get.

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David Mixner
Civil-rights activist

John Lewis (D-Georgia). He has lived his entire life based on values and principles of equality, freedom, and justice for all people. In his younger years, he was beaten and jailed in the epic civil-rights struggle against segregation. The congressman, as a young man, was a speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. As an elected official he has consistently and powerfully given voice to the powerless. No one in public life has lived a more good life in the service of others.

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Andrea Mitchell
Anchor, Andrea Mitchell Reports, MSNBC

Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) is a politician who strives to work across the aisle, whether he is in the majority or the minority—and who lives by old-fashioned virtues of integrity, intellectual honesty, commitment to public service, and hard work for his constituents, in the tradition of the late, great Senators John Chafee and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

In the same spirit, his partner on the other side of the aisle, Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Massachusetts)—who overcame his understandable disappointment at not becoming President or, more recently, Secretary of State—has worked tirelessly for bipartisan solutions to the intractable challenges we face around the work.

If there were an honor for a woman politician, it ought to go to the indomitable Intelligence Committee Chair, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California).

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Mary Beth Cahill
Democratic strategist

Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), because he persevered through complicated financial reform without deviating from his commitment first and foremost to the working [people] and the fairness they deserve. [Frank is] the single most effective voice for progressive values on the Hill.

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Eric Shawn
Co-host, Fox News Live

Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker. He has guided his troubled city with integrity, vision, and leadership that transcends a municipal office holder. His activism and personal engagement have led to achievements that were once considered unattainable, such as reducing crime, cutting the budget deficit, and addressing drug violence. He does this with a dynamic, caring magnetism that makes residents of the troubled city feel that they indeed have a friend and ally in City Hall. As a role model for Newark’s young people, there is no one better.

Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-Michigan). He serves as the intellectual and principled philosopher of the Republican party on Capitol Hill, who has sought to return the GOP to its founding tenets, without being constrained by rigid ideology. He addresses national policies with an unorthodox, independent approach, and is not afraid to challenge the status quo with bold ideas, historic references, and self-deprecating humor. As the Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, he wrote a pamphlet titled “We the People: Wide Awake for Our Newest Birth of Freedom,” which enumerates Republican principles. He even proposed eliminating the Congressional policy post he holds, to save taxpayer money. He also founded a bipartisan rock band!

The Good Men Project’s Picks for the Top-10 Good Politicians