By Jeremy Broadbooks
Winston Churchill once said “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” Throughout this election cycle there is one thing that you won’t hear either side of the aisle talking about and that is people who have the courage to hold firm in what they believe in regardless of what their own party leaders say. People on either side of the aisle who win the ire of their party leadership are often cannibalized and unfairly attacked in the public arena all because they take a stand for what they believe in.
Unfortunately in today’s arena of politics, politicians all too often lack the courage to live up to empty campaign promises they made to constituents in order to get elected. All too many lawmakers get swept up in the glitz and glamour of Washington and become part of the establishment. Many go in with the best of intentions, but they end up succumbing to the same pressures as the candidate they just defeated in an election.
In our country, throughout its storied history we have been marked by men who were willing to stand on their principles even when they were unpopular. The greatest example of this is the presidency of our 16th president Abraham Lincoln. At the time of the civil war, Lincoln’s stance on the war angered many and left our nation bitterly divided. In his time many people did not like Lincoln or think too highly of him. But history has showed us that by his staunch stand for the Union, he saved our country as we know it today. Abraham Lincoln was not praised or loved during his time as president, but his willingness to fight for the union, no matter how unpopular it was, has won him a place among our nation’s most revered leaders.
With that said, it is quite relevant to mention that in Missouri we have one such man who is willing to stand up for something. No matter what your opinion on who Todd Akin is and what he said, you have to give the man one thing and that is he is standing on his principles. He doesn’t care who is ripping him, whether it be Rachel Maddow or Rush Limbaugh. Todd Akin has stood up to the Republican Party at every level and told everyone from Mitt Romney to our local state reps that he will still stay the course in his race. Now Congressman Akin may not be Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., but in this current climate of flip floppy politicians and party stooges, it’s refreshing to see someone actually stick out their neck for their beliefs, and that’s something people on both sides of the aisle can respect
