The Essential Paul Simon: Timeless Lessons for Today's Politics

The permanence of political questions and the impermanence of solutions hit home in this philosophically charged collection of essays. Simon's (Fifty-Two Simple Ways to Make a Difference) four decades of political service included terms in the Illinois state legislature and as lieutenant governor, terms in the U.S. House and Senate, and an unsuccessful presidential bid. Many issues addressed here continue to resonate, such as this sentiment from 1985: "The biggest national scandal today is the way public policy is distorted by campaign contributions." His interest, though, was less in carping than in looking forward, as these 1981 remarks attest: "Today's headlines are about oil; 10 years from now the headlines are likely to be about water." Editor Jackson notes that Simon, who died in 2003, was an early and unswerving champion of the Balanced Budget Amendment proposal and a pay-as-you-go approach, attitudes not typically associated with Democratic liberals. The essence of Simon's dedication to politics lay in his belief that the political leader had an obligation to persuade and educate the public. Johnson convincingly argues that Simon's "example stands as an eloquent counterweight to the pervasive cynicism of today's politics." Worth a look by disgruntled citizens of today. (Oct.)