Just as during the presidential campaign between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the re-elected president is showing he has no class. Harris remains the essence of class.
Trump’s behavior throughout the campaign was such an embarrassment that when he went to the microphone, we immediately had to hang our heads in shame about what he said or did. We’re still hanging our heads in shame for what a certain group of the American people did when they voted for him.
Many of those who fueled Trump’s big lies have risen to positions of power as he returns to the White House. That’s scary.
Harris did her job with class when she walked up to the podium and announced the presidential results in early January. She read the results she was given. She used no vulgarity, no hate, no name-calling, no lies.
She was courteous when the Republicans applauded loudly before she could continue once she gave Trump’s number of votes, and they continued applauding before she read her own votes. She politely paused before continuing. She never called Trump or them filthy names.
She never showed his supporters any rude behavior — but did you see her courteously reach out her hand to shake the hand of Bruce Fischer, spouse of Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska? That showed another act of class by her, but not from him.
She just walked away and continued the job she had come to the Capitol to do. I could only hope Sen. Fischer had more class and made it a point to chastise her classless spouse when they got home.
Jan. 6 will remain in our minds as we see Trump still threatening retribution for law-abiding citizens while offering to pardon perpetrators of the violence his associates rained down on the people’s Capitol and law-abiding citizens.
Sens. Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham once said about the attacks on the Capitol, the police and the building itself, they were done with the criminals until Trump reined them in and quickly showed them who the boss is, they closed their mouths never to tell the truth about the situation again.
On that awful day, Trump went out to speak to the perpetrators telling them, “Go home now. I love you” (or something like that). The only bright spot on that fateful day was a welcomed, but totally unexpected day when former Vice President Mike Pence refused to bow to the threats to hang him while Trump kept urging them instead of quelling the violence.
Clearly, the threat didn’t end when the insurrectionists left the Capitol steps. Many of those who fueled Trump’s big lies have risen to positions of power as he returns to the White House. That’s scary. Please pray for our nation.
Let history show that Vice President Harris has shown us the grace and dignity that caused former President Jimmy Carter to be determined to live long enough after his dear wife left when he said “I want to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris.” I, too, am glad I was alive when Vice President Harris showed the world what class is, as did President Jimmy Carter.
E. Faye Williams is president of The Dick Gregory Society (www.thedickgregorysociety.org).