Decency And Empathy

Two Decent, Compassionate Men: Jimmy Carter Asks Joe Biden To Give Eulogy When Carter Dies!

It is so hard these days to find a news story that can bring tears to one’s eyes, but the news that former President Jimmy Carter, who is in hospice, and nearing the end of his life, at this point, 98 years and 5 and a half months and counting, has asked President Joe Biden to give the eulogy for him at his funeral, whenever that occurs.

These are two of the most decent, compassionate, empathetic men we have ever seen in the Presidency, and one must recall that young Senator Joe Biden, at age 33, was the first US Senator to endorse the “dark horse” Jimmy Carter for President on a political trip to Wisconsin on March 25, 1976.

Biden had foresight, but clearly saw a connection with the then 51 year old Carter, which has lasted a half century.

And one must recall that Carter, with no hate in his heart, became fast friends after his Presidency, with the man he defeated, Gerald Ford, who also was a uniquely decent and compassionate man, more than any Republican President in memory.

So the Carters and the Fords became great friends, and it was arranged whoever died first, the other one would give the eulogy at his funeral, which Carter did for President Ford after his death on December 26, 2006.

So these three men, who have shared the office of the Presidency, have this unique connection which should inspire people!

And while one never knows how long anyone shall live, it would seem appropriate when President Biden passes on, hopefully after his second term in office, that his companion, President Barack Obama, give the eulogy for Biden, as Obama shares the decency, compassion, and empathy of Presidents Carter, Biden, and Ford!

Sad 44th Anniversary Of The Passing Of Hubert Humphrey, My Original Political Hero!

On this day, January 13, 1978, 44 years ago, my original political hero, Senator, Vice President, and Presidential nominee Hubert H. Humphrey passed away from cancer at the young age of 66.

When I was young, Humphrey became my political hero, with his strong liberal championship of views on civil rights, and introducing many ideas that became part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society in the mid 1960s.

Not well utliized by Johnson, Humphrey became the nominee of the Democratic Party for the Presidency in 1968, a divided party that had elements rallying around Senator Robert F. Kennedy before his tragic assassination, and also those who backed fellow Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy.

In a three way Presidential race, Humphrey would fall short, losing to Richard Nixon, and with George Wallace being a strong third party candidate.

Humphrey, who had been Mayor of Minneapolis, and then a US Senator from 1949-1965, returned to the Senate in 1971, replacing the retiring Senator McCarthy, and competed unsuccessfully for the Presidential nomination in 1972, and remained a major figure until his untimely death in 1978.

This author and blogger literally wept when Humphrey died, as I was drawn to his humanity, empathy, decency, and compassion.

And once he passed away, I looked around the US Senate for a successor leader I could believe in, and found the young Delaware Senator Joe Biden, still in his first term at age 35.

I feel fortunate that although there were many barriers to Joe Biden’s advancement to the Presidency, that after serving in the Senate for 36 years, and as Vice President under Barack Obama for eight years, that four years later, on his third try for the Oval Office, Biden finally won, and saved the nation from the menace of Donald Trump.

Neither Humphrey nor Biden were or are perfect, no such situation exists, but the two men shared characteristics that caused me to fall in love with them as political leaders.

I am sure that Humphrey would be very proud of Joe Biden, and the two men stand out as uncommonly models of leadership!