Everything changes come noon on Friday — except for Congressman John Lewis. The civil rights icon and Georgia Democrat has promised to boycott Donald Trump’s inauguration, and he’s already denied the legitimacy of the president-elect. But this is standard fare from Lewis.
When Senators Barrack Obama and John McCain squared off in 2008, Lewis compared the Arizona Republican to Alabama Democrat George Wallace, the same racist segregationist governor who turned a blind eye to the 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing, which left four little girls dead.
The episode taught us that civil rights icon is prone to crywolf.
McCain once described Lewis, a contemporary of Dr. Martin Luther King, as “one of the most respected men in America.” But the Democrat blamed McCain for “sowing seeds of hatred and division.”
Alarmed by unverified reports of racism at Republican rallies, Lewis accused McCain of a bigotry on par with the racism of Jim Crow’s most notorious governor. Of course, there wasn’t any overt racism. Instead, according to Lewis, McCain was guilty of a silent prejudice that fostered an environment of violence.
“George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks,” Lewis wrote in a statement. “Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.”
But McCain couldn’t be any more different than the racist governor who famously stood between black students and the door of the University of Alabama.
By all accounts, the Republican nominee ran a decent and honorable campaign. He even lavished praise on Lewis after the Democrat attacked, calling him “an American hero.” And the senator rebuffed rumors about his rival.
When a Minnesota woman called President Obama an Arab, McCain literally took the mic from her hands. “No, ma’am,” McCain replied. “He’s a decent family man and a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign’s all about. He’s not an Arab.” Those are hardly the words of a racist.
Lewis has a far stronger case when he charges Trump with racial insensitivity and willingness to stoke racial strife. So its no surprise Lewis has returned to his 2008 tactic and has summoned the ghost of Wallace against Trump. He trod out Wallace last January, telling UCLA students that Trump emulates much of what the Democrat governor said and did.
But what worked against McCain, ironically, failed against Trump during the campaign. Lewis’ warning about Trump fell on the deaf ears of an electorate weary of false alarms.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
