Paul Simon (politician) - Political Positions

Political Positions

Social issues

Simon fiercely took a stand against obscenity and violence in the media during the 1990s, and his efforts against media violence helped lead to the adoption of the V-chip.

During the 1990s, Simon opposed both the Republicans Contract with America, and President Bill Clinton's welfare reforms. He was one of 21 Senators to vote against the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.

Fiscal issues

Simon was considered a fiscal conservative, who described himself as "a pay-as-you-go Democrat". As a Senator, Simon helped overhaul the college student loan program to allow students and their families to borrow directly from the federal government, thus saving money by not using private banks to disburse the loans.

Foreign affairs

Simon promoted a military response to Somalia during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. Simon was an outspoken critic of President Bill Clinton's response to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Simon believed that America should have acted faster, and Clinton later said his belated response was the biggest mistake of his presidency. He is, together with Jim Jeffords, supported by Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda from 1993 to 1994, for actively lobbying the Clinton administration into mounting a humanitarian mission to Rwanda during the genocide. According to Dallaire's book Shake Hands with the Devil, he "owe a great debt of gratitude" to both Senators.

Presidency

Simon believed modern Presidents practice "followship," rather than leadership", saying, "We have been more and more leaning on opinion polls to decide what we're going to do, and you don't get leadership from polls... and not just at the Presidential level. It's happening with Senators, House members, and even state legislators sometimes, conduct polls to find out where people stand on something."

Simon was also a supporter of Taiwan and opposed United States policy to isolate Taiwan. He helped convince President Clinton to allow Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to visit the United States.