[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S8835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WILLIAM OSBORNE HART

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute to a 
beloved figure in Wisconsin politics, William Osborne Hart, who passed 
away on August 22. As a longtime activist in the State's Socialist 
Party, Hart ran for political office 25 times, and lost 25 times. He 
spread his message by running for office, and understood that he didn't 
need to win to make a difference. He once said ``I don't buy that Vince 
Lombardi nonsense that winning is everything. Change is everything. 
Most politicians in American life who win have lost their souls.''
  William Hart brought about change by challenging his opponents, and 
the voters, with his ideas. He was a champion of the Bill of Rights, 
and always remained so, refusing to compromise when it was politically 
unpopular. A tireless political organizer, Hart was a cornerstone of 
Wisconsin's Socialist Party and helped found Wisconsin's Labor and Farm 
Party.
  A great example of Hart's tenacity was his run for the Presidency in 
1984. Though he was a well-known politician in his home State, Hart was 
almost kept off Wisconsin's Presidential primary ballot, not considered 
a viable candidate because he lacked national media exposure. He 
refused to abide by a decision that equated the ability to buy 
television time with the right to run for office, and sued for a place 
on the ballot with the Wisconsin branch of the American Civil Liberties 
Union. Hart won his lawsuit and scored an important legal victory. He 
didn't win the primary, but he did make a difference.
  ``I've always said that if I won an election, the first thing I'd do 
is demand a recount,'' said Hart, who loved to say that he'd once come 
``dangerously close'' to winning a seat on the Madison school board. In 
1992, at 80 years old, Hart ran in his 25th and last election. Walking 
with two canes and suffering from heart problems, most people would 
have decided 24 times was enough. But Hart defied convention to the 
end, and exemplified integrity and commitment to those who knew him.
  Though he felt strongly about politics, Hart never let partisanship 
get the better of him. His dignity, kindness and humor won him the 
respect and friendship of people across the political spectrum. He was 
also a deeply religious man who often acted as a lay preacher and was 
inspired by faith in everything he did.
  His message has resonated with me and so many others because of its 
simple truth: being true to your own beliefs is the highest ideal. I 
have tried to heed Hart's message in my own life, and I'll always be 
grateful for his example of political courage.

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