Just two weeks into the 115th Congress, Mark Walker finds himself reprising his old role of Baptist minister. The new chairman of the Republican Study Committee has advice for both Rep. John Lewis and Donald Trump.
Walker hopes that the civil rights icon will reconsider his decision to boycott the inauguration. And at the same time, he wishes the president-elect would reconsider his tone.
“Am I disappointed that someone is boycotting an inauguration? Yes. I can’t remember any Republicans who did that in 2008 or 2012,” Walker told the Washington Examiner. “But nevertheless you don’t, in my opinion, take personal shots at a person who maybe the greatest living civil rights icon of our time.”
As chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus in Congress, Walker’s words have some weight. His group’s political clout will shape the policies adopted by Congress. In fact, the only Obamacare replacement plan on the table comes from Walker’s RSC. Still, Walker says the GOP’s ultimate goal “isn’t to make an argument but to make a difference.”
Lewis and Trump got into a very public tit for tat over the weekend. After dismissing Trump’s victory as illegitimate, the Georgia Democrat announced he’d skip the inauguration. Trump responded in kind and on Twitter.
The toxic exchange exemplifies the partisanship that’s already threatening to poison Trump’s first 100 days. Though Republicans have majorities in both chambers, they’ll need to win over the minority to pass more sweeping legislation. And fighting with a civil rights leader on Martin Luther King Day probably isn’t the best way to start.
Trump has only a few days before taking the oath of office. If he wants to start fresh, the president-elect might consider taking Walker’s advice.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
