On the night of October 18, 1967, Paul Soglin needed some stitches. His cuts and bruises served as tattoos commemorating one of the darkest and most famous moments in the history of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Earlier that day, Soglin and a large group of students met in what is now Ingraham Hall for the second installment of a demonstration protesting the on-campus interviews being held by the Dow Chemical Company, one of the principal producers of napalm for the United States military. While remaining peaceful, the students were eventually ordered out of the building, which led to a bloody conflict. Those enforcing the removal were police officers for the city of Madison.
It would have been easy for Soglin to walk away at that point. After having been beaten by law enforcement officials, he could have allowed his anger to push him away from the city they “protected.” But he didn’t walk away. No one would have blamed him if he left, but he remained and has dedicated his life to serving Madison.
But, why does this matter? If anything, one of the main criticisms that Soglin has faced over the course of this campaign is that he and his policies haven’t been truly relevant in over 40 years and that it’s time for the city’s “Mayor for life” to abdicate his throne. But Soglin has proven that he will continue to fight for the city he loves.
Let’s put aside policy for a moment because, in all honesty, Soglin and his rival in the general election, Scott Resnick, aren’t too far off from each other. Both see the biggest threats facing the city right now as homelessness and inequity. Is it worth it to have a discussion about the relative merits of their specific plans? Absolutely. And over the next two months they will be discussed at length.
For right now, though, I think it’s worth asking which one is going to fight harder, because that is what defines us as a city. For decades we have been a bastion of liberalism, willing to raise our figurative fists when someone, or some organization, steps in the way of our rights as citizens. Not backing down when the opposition seems too strong to fail is part of what makes us Madison, and say what you will about Paul Soglin, but he is not one to back down. Some question the pragmatism of this approach, but this city has always preferred someone with a backbone and politics is inherently personal.
Ultimately, Scott Resnick would be a fine mayor. His knowledge of the tech sector would certainly be beneficial to the city, and his policy preferences would match up fine with those of many Madisonians. But what do you see when you look at Scott Resnick? I see a person who is very smart, a person who is certainly kind-hearted and a person who definitely cares about this city’s future. Now, what do you see when you look at Paul Soglin? I see someone who is stubborn, to be sure. However, I also see a person sitting cross-legged in the mayor’s office while barefoot in jeans, and I see someone who gave a key to the city to Fidel Castro and I see someone that, in the midst of being beaten, continued to scream the cries of justice as blood ran down his face. Most of all, when I look at Paul Soglin, I see Madison.
Max is a junior majoring in political science. What do you think of his take? Should personality matter in this mayoral election? Does Paul Soglin truly represent all that is Madison? We want to know what you think. Please send comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
