No matter your opinion on the recently passed stimulus package, the bold stand taken by three Republican Senators is a good example of true leadership. In the face of extreme pressure from the heads of their own party, Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter decided to reach across the aisle and work with their Democratic colleagues to craft a compromise bill.
In a statement released on his Web site, Specter explained why he decided to buck the wishes of his own party and many of his constituents.
“My vote was cast recognizing the very substantial political peril that I face. I know that there are many on the Republican political spectrum who do not like the vote. I remember, obviously, the tough primary fight I had in the year 2004. But I felt in the final analysis, given the very severe consequences which might befall the country, that my duty was to look out for the public interest and not my own personal political interest. That is why I voted as I did.” (1)
Susan Collins is no stranger to taking a stand for what she believes is right. In 2003, Collins worked with Democrats to craft a deal that would send $20 billion in relief to state governments. During the negotiations, she was called in the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert. When she arrived, she not only found Hastert, but also Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney gave her a very strong warning about compromising with the Democrats. In discussing her efforts six years later to craft yet another compromise relief bill, Collins said, "My constituents did not send me here to sit on the sidelines.” She went on to say that, "I see it (my efforts) as an affirmation of the approach I take to governing.” (2)
Like Specter and Collins, Senator Olympia Snowe believed that the times called for bold leadership. As she said, "Facing one of the worst economic downturns in our nation’s history, inaction was not an option….” (3)
The second event, the crash of Continental Flight 3407 just outside of Buffalo, New York on February 12, 2009, took the life of an unlikely leader. On the morning of September 11, 2001, appearing before Congress was the furthest thing from the mind of Beverly Eckert. However, the tragic events that day that ended in the destruction of the Twin Towers and death of her high school sweetheart and husband Sean Rooney, forced her to find the courage to stand up against the political leadership of the day.
In 2003, Eckert and several other widows, mothers, and children of 9/11 victims chose to forego the payoff from the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and instead filed suit to request an official Congressional investigation of the events that lead to 9/11. In an official statement to USA Today, Eckert stated:
"I've chosen to go to court rather than accept a payoff from the 9/11 victims’ compensation fund. Instead, I want to know what went so wrong with our intelligence and security systems that a band of religious fanatics was able to turn four U.S passenger jets into an enemy force, attack our cities and kill 3,000 civilians with terrifying ease. I want to know why two 110-story skyscrapers collapsed in less than two hours and why escape and rescue options were so limited.
I am suing because unlike other investigative avenues, including congressional hearings and the 9/11 commission, my lawsuit requires all testimony be given under oath and fully uses powers to compel evidence.....
By suing, I've forfeited the "$1.8 million average award" ..... Nor do I have any illusions about winning money in my suit. What I do know is I owe it to my husband, whose death I believe could have been avoided, to see that all of those responsible are held accountable.
So I say to Congress, big business and everyone who conspired to divert attention from government and private-sector failures: My husband's life was priceless, and I will not let his death be meaningless. My silence cannot be bought." (4)
Even though government leadership in Washington D.C. and public opinion were against her, Eckert joined other family members of victims of 9/11 to form “Voices of 9/11”. She worked tirelessly lobbying Congress members to gain passage of legislation that authorized the formation of the 9/11 Commission and lead to sweeping reforms that overhauled the United States’ intelligence efforts.
President Ronald Reagan once said “A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must be undaunted when the going gets tough.” (5)These four individuals are definitely examples of this statement in action.