Let me state clearly, first, that I’m not taking sides on the issue. Not here, at least.
That being said, Oympia Snowe is a woman to admire. Breaking from her party, she voted for the health reform bill in the Senate Finance Committee. Understandably, she is trying to avoid the media circus. Democrats are praising her, Republicans are calling her a traitor, and Snowe doesn’t seem affected by either. She has made no promises about how she will vote once the bill reaches the floor.
What is admirable about Snowe is the way she balances personal experience, thorough research, and voices of trusted advisors in making decisions. Anyone who thinks she could be pressured into voting one way or another knows nothing of the strength she has gained in her life from one heartbreaking tragedy after another. Those who would criticize her with worn out clichés and trite remarks have no understanding of how diligently she has worked for decades to represent her constituents with integrity and honesty, taking her job and its impact on others’ lives very seriously.
Whether you agree with all she says and does, she sets a strong example for leaders everywhere, and each of us, in one way or another, is a leader. She demonstrates that: though decisions can not be made purely on emotion, personal experience and the voice of the heart can not be ignored; most issues are more complex than they first appear, and you must be open minded enough to explore them thoroughly; the wisdom of others is valuable, but ultimately, the decision is yours, not your family’s not your church’s, not even your political party’s, and your voice must be the loudest and the last.
And now we all wait, with great curiosity, to see what her next move will be.
Comments
Most importantly, does her vote reflect the ideas of the people she represents? This matters more than what "side" she takes.
but how does she look in high heels?
gotta love the red power suit. agree with Catrina tho. it's not her voice that should be heard but what the people she represents want. "Hither goes the crowd. I must follow, for I am their leader"
Catrina and Janet- you bring up an interesting dilemma. Should a leader blindly follow public opinion on every decision, or do we elect our leaders because we trust them to make informed, intelligent decisions in our best interest? It is unrealistic to think that every individual will understand every issue to its fullest. If we could, we would all vote on everything instead of electing officials to represent us.
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