There are a couple of things that I want to write about today. The first is my friend Andrew Gillum who won the Democratic nomination for Governor in Florida. He is the real deal and will focus on creating a progressive agenda that is good for many social conservatives who want good health care and better-paying jobs. More about him in the next post.

The overriding event of this week was, of course, the memorial tributes to John McCain, culminating with the service at the National Cathedral in Washington on Saturday. Many commentators pointed out how President Trump was not invited to participate, and yet they focused on how many of the speakers at the service seemed to be aimed at rebuking the President for his behavior and not just toward McCain. On Friday there was a ceremony at the Capitol with Vice President Pence, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan paying tribute to a man that they are not like at all. The deficiencies of the three enablers were so clearly identified by what they do and yet they acted as if they actually could relate and agree with McCain. One might think they would be a bit ashamed, but after looking the other way on the moral turpitude of their President, I think it it’s fair to say that they have expunged that reaction from their moral framework.

I found the service on Saturday very moving. I never voted for McCain, disagreed with him often on policy matters, yet I was moved to tears when I realized what we as a nation had lost. He was a man who wouldn’t look the other way when confronted with awful behavior, particularly by our government. He was fiercely loyal, yet not blindly so. He stood for values of freedom and honor and bravery which should make us all grieve for his passing. His very life was a rebuke to Trump and all that he does. I almost said what he stands for, but since it is only himself, it has gotten old and trite. John McCain understood that we had to be part of something greater than ourselves. Donald Trump doesn’t think there is anything greater than himself…and therein lies the problem of our nation.