It was hot and sunny in D.C. today. But then over the Capitol, as John McCain’s coffin was brought, in it rained.
As noted by reporters it was not a city-wide rain–nor did it last long.
McCain had planned every aspect of his funeral but there was no way to have made it rain. It was, however, like a very sad movie being played. And yet, perfect.
Roberta McCain, John McCain’s mom is a twin.
Here is Roberta, right, and her twin sister, Rowena Willis at Roberta’s Washington apartment in 2000. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post).
Roberta McCain, Sen. John McCain’s 106-year-old mother, attended a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Friday honoring her son’s life. She watched as the flag-draped casket of her son was brought in. Roberta held hands with her granddaughter Meghan McCain during speeches. After the speeches, Roberta paid her respects at her son’s casket, making the sign of the cross before she was wheeled away.
Today the amazing life of Aretha Franklin is being remembered at a funeral service in Detroit. What a legendary woman! As I watched some of the coverage I noticed a very large police presence for the funeral. And I thought how ironic.
After suffering a most embarrassing event in Madison where OutReach, the gay community center, caved like a souffle when confronted with outlandish demands from the always outraged Socialists, the African American community in Motor City, meanwhile, had no problem with uniformed police. OutReach banned all law enforcement from participating in the recent Gay Pride Parade. The fans of Franklin, who massed for her funeral, had no qualms walking by (gasp!) police in uniform.
This underscores why so much of the drama, as proven by OutReach, is nothing but the continuation of a very false narrative about the professional men and women who wear blue. Because it is clear scores of the black community had no problem with police being at the funeral.
Maybe OutReach should have taken off their knee pads and acted with some intelligence when dealing with Madison and Dane County law enforcement.
This caught my attention late yesterday afternoon as I was catching up on the news.
Senate Judiciary Democrats are calling John Dean, best known as Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, as one of their witnesses for the confirmation hearings of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee next week.
Dean without doubt will be the headliner for the minority side, who have questions about nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s views about the limits of executive power.
I have read a lot this week about John McCain.
Now, of course, McCain’s longevity is one of the reasons he’s being mourned by people of all ages and political persuasions. In the end, his age made him venerable.
It’s not just that he stayed in the game. Some people who shouldn’t stay do. But he stayed and he kept talking about things that matter, ethereal but essential notions like cooperation, service, hope.
Even if you disagreed with him on policy — and people in both major parties did — he had a talent for making you believe that our country still shares ideals.
McCain is often called a hero, and it’s a fair word for a man who spent five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. But he was not a perfect man. No need to airbrush his flaws and failures.
He was ambitious, sometimes self-serving. His words could be more courageous than his actions. While he could be praised as flexible, he could be condemned as erratic and vainglorious.
In other words, he was a politician. In other words, he was human.
But, however imperfect he was, he seemed to try to abide by the standards he preached, and that’s a lot of what we’re responding to when we mourn his death.
We’re responding to his effort, his endurance, his basic decency. Our collective reaction reflects not only who he was but also what we — the majority of Americans — are searching for in ourselves and in a leader.
If only the Bernie Sanders voters had more than just a candidate running for office. If only they had an actual nominee that would WOW the electorate and thereby show to the nation that if a true progressive is offered to the voters as a choice the end result will be shockingly good.
Well, Bernie Sanders voters have that chance. In Florida.
I was stunned last night when Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a black progressive who never led in a major poll, edged out former Congresswoman Gwen Graham, the politically moderate daughter of popular former governor and senator Bob Graham, in the Democratic primary.
In the mid-term of the woman I thought that Graham would have prevailed, and still think she would make a better fall candidate. While I was amazed at the turnout by young people and minorities the fact is that statistics show those demographics are not huge voting blocs in mid-term elections. And the Florida governor’s race is a most vital win this cycle for Democrats.
Obviously Gillum ran a most impressive campaign, and no one needs to underscore that he is bright and filled with energy. But before one can govern one needs to be elected. And I just can not see that happening in a state that is not solidly blue.
The contest in Florida is now the one Sanders’ voters have been asking for. Give the voters a choice of a true progressive and the voters will respond.
We will be watching.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 