My predictions from a week ago regarding the Lewis service were right on track. Obama connected the dots between the sixties and today, as he was bound to do. As with most of his speeches regarding race and civil rights, it sounded a lot like a sequel to the Gettysburg Address, with the emphasis on the never-ending struggle to perfect the Union. The best part of it, for me, was his description of the forces that the young Lewis was facing in the sixties; he, unlike us, had no idea that victory was inevitable. It is both chilling and inspiring to consider that.
The most consequential speech, from a political perspective (and make no mistake about it, this was always intended to be a political event) was that of George W. Bush. Why was he even there? For two reasons: to send a message to the country that Trump doesn’t speak for all Republicans on issues of race; and to reassure swing voters with ties to the GOP that voting for Biden is OK. That matters, a lot.
Let’s hope the message got through.