Abner Mikva
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Abner Mikva is a living political legend who has made significant contributions as a state legislator, congressman, and federal judge. This interview reveals his diplomatic leadership style, characterized by coalition-building and a deep understanding of the political process.
“Indirectly, and I would not do them, and I incurred his ire. One of them was he wanted to build an airport in the lake, and I was opposed to that. He wanted to help US Steel put a new steel mill in the lake, and I opposed that. He wanted to increase sales tax for Chicago, and I voted against that.”
“First of all, he brought incredible restraint to the office. Primarily in foreign affairs we had gone through several terms Designate the president anywhere you want as hawks or as Cowboys, or whatever.”
“It was very painful time to be a Democrat. We had just gone through the assassination of Dr. King, which had upset the city and all the big cities very much, including the South Side. We'd had riots and fires and all kinds of things. And then Bobby Kennedy was assassinated.”
“And the incumbent in my district was a man by the name of Barrett O'Hara, who was then 83 or 84 years old. And he was the last Spanish-American war veteran in the Congress. And he was a good liberal Democrat. He voted to abolish the House on American Activities Committee. And I really had no issues with his voting record.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 40 - Abner Mikva
LISTEN AT THE SOURCE ↗THE RECORD IS CHECKABLE