What do you think?
Rate this book
Senator Pressler: An Independent Mission to Save Our Democracy
In 2013, the film American Hustle was released. Its 1979 ABSCAM-inspired plot created renewed public interest in Larry Pressler, the South Dakota senator who was the only public official to turn down the illegal FBI bribe. He immediately reported the incident to the FBI. When Senator Pressler was told Walter Cronkite referred to him on the evening news as a "hero" he stated, "I do not consider myself a hero... what have we come to if turning down a bribe is 'heroic'?" Capitalizing on the public's renewed interest, Pressler, who was disillusioned by the partisan two-party system, chose to get back in the ring. It had been eighteen years since he left office, but with an open Senate seat in 2014, Pressler felt a calling urging him to run. Despite serving his twenty-two years in office as a Republican, Pressler ran this time as an Independent-he was tired of the partisan bickering in Washington and was unwilling to submit to either party's special interests. This book tells the journey of this unexpected candidacy and instills hope that with some much-needed effort, we can achieve a political renaissance. About the Author Senator Larry Pressler is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1975-1979) and the U.S. Senate (1979-1997). He is a Rhodes Scholar, a Harvard Law School graduate, a Vietnam combat veteran, a Fulbright professor, and a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.
166 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2016
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 7, 2021
In 1982, I served as a US Senate Intern, for Senator Orrin Hatch. I was assigned to the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution. When I arrived the Senate was gearing up for a full trial for the expulsion of NJ Senator Harrison Williams, who was caught up in the Abscam scandal. I spent the bulk of my time researching and writing Senator Hatch’s floor speech in opposition to expulsion and in favor of censure. During that process, I first became aware of Senator Larry Pressler. He was the only public official who turned down an illegal FBI bribe in Abscam. Think about that, the only one. Walter Cronkite called him a hero and Pressler responded – “I do not consider myself a hero. What have we come to if turning down a bribe is considered heroic?”
Impressed, I followed his career for years. Then lost track after he left politics. A few years ago, my good friend, Clayton Christensen, baptized Larry Pressler as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After reading a commentary in my law school alumni quarterly, where Sen. Pressler, was lecturing, I looked him up and found this short political biography.
Pressler has led a remarkable life. He came from a poor farm family in South Dakota, overcame a severe stutter, and excelled academically as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, then Harvard law school. With a world of opportunity open to him, he volunteered for the Vietnam War as an infantryman.
One mission involved verifying body counts. Body counts were, being touted as evidence that the US was winning the war. He sustained a slight injury (his words) to his hand from a mortar round. The commanding officer wanted to recommend Pressler for a Purple Heart. He declined because it would have been “disingenuous,” he said. “I had seen severely wounded soldiers who really deserved a Purple Heart and never received one. I saw the awarding of medals as haphazard.” From that point on, Pressler never totally trusted government authority again and nourished his independent streak.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Pressler returned to his South Dakota hometown and eventually ran for Congress. The nation was still reeling from Watergate. He wanted to be part the post-Watergate reform movement and ran as a Republican because the midwestern Republican Party was a reform party and was very pro-civil rights.
Whenever around others in Congress who didn’t serve in Vietnam or even in the military, Pressler often felt disdain. For instance, one meeting he attended of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee included former Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle, and Phil Gramm, none of whom served in the military. They were discussing troop deployments and Pressler felt he was the only dove in the room. The Vietnam War had made him deeply skeptical of putting American boots on foreign ground, especially for nation-building. “But among these guys who had avoided serving, I sensed that I was resented because I had served in Vietnam.”
After losing his re-election bid in 1996, Pressler gave speeches, taught, and went into business. In 2014, believing that the toxic partisan atmosphere was hurting the nation, he ran as an Independent for the Senate. As he showed strength in polling data and gained momentum, he became the target of both the national Democratic and Republican parties with massive amounts and robocalls flooding the state in the final weeks of the campaign. In the final chapters, Pressler gives a compelling argument for the benefit of even a small group of truly independent senators serving in the Senate.
I was touched by the descriptions of his deep commitment to the native peoples of South Dakota and beyond. He was an ally and was recognized as such by multiple tribes. Seeing the hyper-partisanship and vitriol in today’s political environment makes me wish we had more men and women like Larry Pressler.
Impressed, I followed his career for years. Then lost track after he left politics. A few years ago, my good friend, Clayton Christensen, baptized Larry Pressler as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After reading a commentary in my law school alumni quarterly, where Sen. Pressler, was lecturing, I looked him up and found this short political biography.
Pressler has led a remarkable life. He came from a poor farm family in South Dakota, overcame a severe stutter, and excelled academically as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, then Harvard law school. With a world of opportunity open to him, he volunteered for the Vietnam War as an infantryman.
One mission involved verifying body counts. Body counts were, being touted as evidence that the US was winning the war. He sustained a slight injury (his words) to his hand from a mortar round. The commanding officer wanted to recommend Pressler for a Purple Heart. He declined because it would have been “disingenuous,” he said. “I had seen severely wounded soldiers who really deserved a Purple Heart and never received one. I saw the awarding of medals as haphazard.” From that point on, Pressler never totally trusted government authority again and nourished his independent streak.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Pressler returned to his South Dakota hometown and eventually ran for Congress. The nation was still reeling from Watergate. He wanted to be part the post-Watergate reform movement and ran as a Republican because the midwestern Republican Party was a reform party and was very pro-civil rights.
Whenever around others in Congress who didn’t serve in Vietnam or even in the military, Pressler often felt disdain. For instance, one meeting he attended of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee included former Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle, and Phil Gramm, none of whom served in the military. They were discussing troop deployments and Pressler felt he was the only dove in the room. The Vietnam War had made him deeply skeptical of putting American boots on foreign ground, especially for nation-building. “But among these guys who had avoided serving, I sensed that I was resented because I had served in Vietnam.”
After losing his re-election bid in 1996, Pressler gave speeches, taught, and went into business. In 2014, believing that the toxic partisan atmosphere was hurting the nation, he ran as an Independent for the Senate. As he showed strength in polling data and gained momentum, he became the target of both the national Democratic and Republican parties with massive amounts and robocalls flooding the state in the final weeks of the campaign. In the final chapters, Pressler gives a compelling argument for the benefit of even a small group of truly independent senators serving in the Senate.
I was touched by the descriptions of his deep commitment to the native peoples of South Dakota and beyond. He was an ally and was recognized as such by multiple tribes. Seeing the hyper-partisanship and vitriol in today’s political environment makes me wish we had more men and women like Larry Pressler.
Displaying 1 of 1 review