I started thinking about how I might describe ideological purity and then I came up with the name of someone who embodied it in spades.
Jeannette Rankin was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana. She served during two eras in the House and they coincided with our nation’s entry into the two world wars that dominated the 20th century.
What sets Rankin apart is that she voted against declarations of war in both instances.
While we lament politicians’ lack of ideological core and their willingness to bend in whichever direction the winds are blowing, we have this individual who standsĀ tall as the purest of the pure.
Rankin was electedĀ to the House in 1916, four years before women even had the right to vote! President Wilson came to Congress seek a war declaration in 1917 for entry into the Great War. He got it, but Rankin was among 56 House members to vote “no” on the request.
She left the House, but then was elected again in 1940.
Then came the “date which will live infamy,” Dec. 7, 1941. President Roosevelt came to Congress to ask once again for a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. Every House member — except one — voted to declare war.
The lone holdout? Rep. Rankin.
She was a lifelong pacifist. When given a chance to vote for war, she opted twice to stick to her principles.
It wasn’t popular, particularly in the hours and days immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack, to stand on a belief against war. Rep. Rankin did.
When I hear of individuals such as that, I become torn between conflicting emotions.
My dark side tells me to condemn these people for failing to heed their constituents’ wishes. My strong sense was that her Montana constituency favored going to war in both instance.
My kinder side wants to give her credit for standing foursquare on a principle she held dear to her heart.
I believe that today, as we remember Pearl Harbor and the war we declared against Japan and later, against Germany and Italy, I’ll give more credence to the part of me that salutes Jeannette Rankin.