I am an unabashed fan of Representative Barbara C. Jordan (D-TX). I would happily proclaim myself as a member of her cult were she alive today. For me, Jordan encompasses everything I would like to see in a Democratic nominee for the Office of the President. Indeed, she is a model for both of our candidates because she was both African American and female.
Besides the obvious, there is much more about Jordan that would make her the most inclusive candidate in American history.
A Houstan native, Jordan was inspired as a teenager to seek a career in law. Having graduated from Texas Southern University, she recieved her law degree from Boston University in 1959 and became the third woman to be licensed in Texas.
After serving six years in the Texas Senate, Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 with the strong support of Lyndon B. Johnson. Her six years in the House encompassed one of the most critical periods in American history -- the impeachment hearings of Richard M. Nixon.
Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States: "We, the people." It's a very eloquent beginning. But when that document was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that "We, the people." I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in "We, the people."
Today I am an inquisitor. An hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.
Jordan was considered as a possible running mate with Jimmy Carter, and President Bill Clinton considered nominating her for the Supreme Court. Clinton wasn't aware of the toll that multiple sclerosis had taken on Jordan's health. If she had been well, we can only imagine her impact on the highest court.
Jordan was pragmatic and firm. Barak Obama can learn her ability to reinforce a message of hope with facts that are clear, concise and well researched. She acknowledged many times that she was a beneficiary of legislation crafted by reason and enacted by force of will. She expressed hope but was not afraid to express reality.
Hillary Clinton can learn the kind of power a woman possesses by sheer force of intellect and measured words. I defy anyone to find a speech where Jordan is anything but controlled.
Alas, we don't have Barbara Jordan. We do have her as a model of good leadership, intelligent discourse and courage. If I could erase all of the negativities of the last several months, I would wish that our candidates would emulate this American treasure. Unfortunately, I don't have a "magic wand."
We are a party -- We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future. We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. We believe that.
This, my friends is the bedrock of our concept of governing. This is a part of the reason why Americans have turned to the Democratic Party. These are the foundations upon which a national community can be built. Let all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable.
Finally, and something I just learned, Jordan was a lesbian. What a happy surprise! Here was a woman who fully understood what it was like to be the object of bias on so many levels, and yet became one of our greatest leaders.
1974 Impeachment Speech
1976 Democratic Convention Keynote Address