A funeral for a King

February 8, 2006

I’ve seen a variety of news accounts since late yesterday that argue speakers at Coretta Scott King’s funeral “took jabs” at Bush. The president was “scolded,” headlines said. Eulogies included “bitter criticism” of Bush, another argued.

Nonsense. Several speakers honored King, celebrated her life, and honored the values and principles to which she dedicated her life. The fact that those values and principles happen to be diametrically in opposition to Bush and his conservative agenda was an inconvenient coincidence for a clearly-uncomfortable president, but the point of the eulogies wasn’t to attack Bush; it was to pay tribute to King and her beliefs.

To be sure, I can see why Bush and his political supporters might be confused by the difference. The president is accustomed to pre-screened audiences, frequently made up of sycophants, many of whom are scripted and rehearsed to make sure their “spontaneous” comments are on-message. Yesterday, some speakers were more concerned with King’s message than Karl Rove’s.

The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery: “We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor.”

Former President Jimmy Carter: “[Mr. and Mrs. King] were not appreciated even at the highest levels of government. It was difficult for them, personally, with the civil liberties of both husband wife violated as they became the targets of secret government wiretapping and other surveillance…. This commemorative ceremony this morning and this afternoon is not only to acknowledge the great contributions of Coretta and Martin, but to remind us that the struggle for equal rights is not over. We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, those who were most devastated by Katrina, to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans.”

For reasons that I can’t quite understand, some conservatives believe they’re well-positioned to complain — and tell others who to “behave” at Coretta Scott King’s funeral services.

If you haven’t seen the video of Kate O’Beirne’s attack on Carter and Rev. Lowery, it’s worth watching, if only to see the bizarre contempt she has for those who would dare celebrate King’s legacy.

How does one honor Coretta Scott King at her funeral? We could listen to Carter and Lowery, who were King’s friends and confidants for decades, or we could follow the advice of Kate O’Beirne and Michelle Malkin, far-right activists who reject everything King stood for.

It doesn’t strike me as a tough choice.

Eugen Robinson of WaPo held an online discussion during the homecoming celebration for Coretta Scott King. A couple people were offended by what they thought we attacks on Dubya. Here is on response Mr. Robinson came back with – in a nutshell: Mrs. King did not share the same ideas, thoughts and politics of W…..if she were there in the flesh, she would have been saying the same exact things as President Carter and others.

Arlington, Va.: I realize many conservatives were not always respectful of Clinton but at least they didn’t turn a funeral into a political rally. Even the comments on your chat seems that many on the left are partisan even in death. What a sad commentary.

Eugene Robinson: But I haven’t heard anyone at the funeral speak in partisan terms of Democrat or Republican. I don’t think you can ignore the fact that Mrs. King was dedicated to a set of ideals, to a specific philosophy, and in most respects these were not conservative ideals or a conservative philosophy.

  • The whole thing reminded me of how Paul Wellstone’s funeral broke down into a huge, ugly, bitter political rally.

    Or…..maybe it reminded me of how fox news said it did…not sure which.

  • You see, most conservatives get easily confused when reality collides with their belief system.

    Therefore, any talk of civil rights or equality or justice is taken as a stab at their ideology or “their” president.

    The only politicking I saw yesterday was when Bush Sr. tried to float his old campaign slogan “kinder and gentler”. Of course, the wing-nuts are attacking Carter today like he ate a baby. Why? Because he mentioned wiretaps. Which apparently the righties don’t realize happened back in the 60’s and 70’s to the Kings. Most likely this is due to their disdain for “looking backwards” or what progressive-minded people would call “History”.

  • From Digby: ” Conservative objections here are nothing more than precisely what the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King faced in his own day: conservative white people terrified of the truth.”

    That sounds about right to me.

  • Damn you CB. You made me do it. I clicked and watched the utterly vile Kate O’Beirne. For all of O’Beirne’s shrill caterwalling at the tastelessness of using a funeral to launch a partisan attack, she’s the one who was doing precisely that. The thing that always strikes me about O’Beirne is how deeply bitter she is, regardless of the topic. I think she needs some mental heath care.

  • And where was Babs, big momma of W, Bride of 41? Hillary was there. Laura was there. I believe Mrs. Carter was there.

  • I was surprised Bush didn’t have King’s body removed because it might be disruptive. And, see, it was.

  • The fact that W was there at all was a slap in the face of King. It’s akin having a wolf at a lamb’s funeral. If the Republicans want to bitch about partisan show politics at a funeral, then they should include the mere presence of their dear leader. Everything he does is a photo op.

    He should’ve stayed home with mommy.

  • Hmmm…maybe I’m “misremembering”, but I seem to recall that there was plenty of talk and praise about Reagan’s political philosophies by people who shared his viewpoint during the services celebrating his life. Were his services apolitical? I don’t think so. And I don’t like you heard a lot of progressive and liberal voices out there making a stink about it. I guess it’s only OK to reflect about a person’s political stands at his/her funeral if they agree with W.

  • How quickly the GOP forgets Reagan-palooza. The trimphalism of the republican hacks (akin to Khomeni’s coprse being paraded around the streets of Teheran) was a far more overt politicization of a funeral than either Wellstone’s or Mrs King’s funerals.

  • The White House Office of Protocol’s Official Rules for Funerals of Public Figures (Harriet Miers, editor):

    1. If you can’t say something nice about President Bush, don’t say anything at all.

    2. If at any time President Bush looks anxious (as demonstrated by excessive figiting in his chair, or an inappropriate wry grin) the speaker should both change the subject and then promptly conclude, preferably by thanking the President for the honor of his presence.

    3. While many public figures became such by taking public stances on issues of the day, proper protocol is that policy and funerals don’t mix. You should refrain from saying anything substantive during any comments at a funeral; from substance comes division and funerals are for uniters, not dividers.

    4. Advance planning is helpful. To best achieve Rule #4, it is best to not invite Democrats to speak. Republican speakers are much more adept at avoiding substance and should therefore be preferred.

    5. Inviting living former Presidents is generally frowned upon (please note this rule has been recently amended to reflect President Ford’s health concerns. This rule does not apply when there are more living former Republican Presidents who can be in attendance than Democrats.)

    6. If any unforeseen contingencies should arise, they are best addressed by always seeing Rule #1.

  • GMF – It was just like Wellstone’s funeral: a crowd of friends of the deceased sharing their feelings of loss and like-minded hope for what the deceased wanted to accomplish. Exactly what the funeral of an idealitic, principled person should be.

    JoeW – me too. I hate myself for soiling my eyes/ears by looking at that shrew.

    Bubba – I don’t think the Bush Crime Family is letting Barbara stray very far from her managers ever since those revelatory quotes during the Katrina evacuation (considering their background they must really feel priviliged living in an overcrowded sports arena; let’s hope they don’t all move to Texas).

    doubtful – I’m surprised anyone from the Bush Crime Family showed up since they’re the ones who hounded the Kings all their lives. Actually, I’m not surprised; they have no decency.

    The funeral was exactly what it should have been, and if the Republicans and Kate and Tucker and their ilk don’t like it they can shove it.

  • MLKJ, Coretta Scott King and people like them are so diametrically opposed in their beliefs to people like Bush, that Bush’s presence at her funeral basically amounts to an attempt to deceive people into thinking that he supports MLKJ and Coretta Scott King in some way.

    The fact is that people like Bush and Cheney hate people like MLKJ and Coretta Scott King very much.

    MLKJ had a much bigger agenda than just what he accomplished while he was alive. I’m sure he didn’t conisder his work near to finished at all. And I’m sure the Bushes of this country would be quite willing to break a lot of rules in order to hinder any bit of that agenda from advancing.

  • This is precisely why when the White House sends the Cowardly Cowboy out in public it’s either in front of the military or invitation only events for his core support audience of ignorant, misinformed rednecks who will blindly follow this moron regardless of his incompetence. Everything that has W’s fingerprints before the year 2000 and especially after has been a fucking DISASTER. If his “public” events were truly open Bubble Boy would find out that the standing ovations in response to his failed policies at the King funeral are in reality the way the majority of the country feel about this simpleton.

  • What I’m wondering is whose head is going to roll for advising Dubya to attend the funeral at all? If I were George W. Bush, I would NEVER speak anywhere if Bill Clinton were going to be there. All Bill has to do is say, “Thank you very much,” and it makes George look like an inarticulate sixth-grader by comparison.
    . . . jim strain in san diego.

  • I wondered a bit that the Bush people would be so bent about the mild criticism voiced at the King funeral, until I realized the GWB hasn’t been in an unscreened public forum in years.
    A sizable majority of the US diagrees with what Bush is doing, Heaven forefend he should ever have to face that fact.

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