Paul Simon (politician)

Paul Martin Simon (November 29, 1928 ? December 9, 2003) was an American politician from Illinois. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 to 1985 and United States Senate from 1985 to 1997. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. During the campaign, he briefly captured the national attention and was considered a major candidate. This lead to an appearance on the popular television show Saturday Night Live, co-hosting with celebrated singer Paul Simon.

Political Values

Simon was known as a crusading liberal with a distinctive appearance that included wearing a bow-tie and heavy-rimmed glasses.

Related Topics:
Liberal - Bow-tie - Glasses

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His social liberalism caused him to denounce racism, support women's rights, and to encourage equality for minorities of all stripes. He was a fiscal conservative who described himself as "a pay-as-you-go Democrat." As a senator, he overhauled the college student loan program to allow students and their families to borrow directly from the federal government, thus saving money by not using private banks to disperse the loans. He fiercely took a stand against obscenity and violence in the media in the 1990s.

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In foreign affairs, he promoted the military response to Somalia during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, and he was an outspoken critic of President Bill Clinton's timid response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which resulted in the deaths of up to one million people. Simon believed America should have acted faster, and Clinton later said his belated response was the biggest mistake of his presidency.

Related Topics:
Somalia - George H.W. Bush - President - Bill Clinton - 1994 - Rwandan genocide

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