Our Past, when Democrats and Republicans talked and worked with one another for the common good regardless of beliefs, was on poignant display at Senator Bob Dole’s funeral.
President Biden gave a moving eulogy for a friend from Kansas, who repped for the other party. Biden praised him while talking about their differences, and made the point that Senator Dole knew how to compromise for the common good, putting country above party. It was good to see Senate Majority and Minority leaders, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell ( R-KY), sitting next to each other. It was appropriate to see Vice President Harris and former veep Pence at the funeral. This was our past. If we don’t act “outside” the box”, it may never come again.
Our Present, could also be seen at the funeral. While former President Bill Clinton was present, former President Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, was missing. Mentioning Donald Trump in the same article as Bob Dole is painful. But Trump represents a present in which he and his minions oppose and criticize everything and anything the Democrats do, regardless of whether it insults their own party or is good for the country. The epitome of this present reality can be seen in the recent debt ceiling compromise that Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell worked out so the country wouldn’t default on its existing debts.
