Political Tensions at a Funeral

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Yesterday in this space I discussed the State Funeral of former President Jimmy Carter which occurred two days ago on Thursday, January 9th, at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.  It was quite a dignified and memorable affair with the current President of the United States delivering the primary eulogy and all five living US Presidents in attendance.  The large church was packed with mourners who came to pay their respects to a truly great individual who actually had spent the entirety of his very long life in being of service to others - a man who will forever be remembered for his uncommon decency and good works.

What I didn't discuss in yesterday's posting were the political tensions which seemed to be on display during the funeral service, especially in the first couple of rows of the VIP section where the Presidents and Vice Presidents and their ladies were seated.  There was an inordinate amount of discussion on social media regarding photographs and video clips of those individuals at the funeral service and what their expressions and body language seemed to be implying.  I am choosing to detail some of that speculation in this forum as a way of preserving a more complete picture of President Carter's funeral service and of the times in which we are living.

Here are some of those observations:

The first pew contained just two couples:  President Biden and his wife, Jill, with the President sitting next to the aisle, and Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, with the Vice President sitting next to the First Lady.  One commentator referred to the mood between the two couples as "frosty," and that is certainly how it appeared to this observer, both in photos as well as in videos.   All four individuals looked straight ahead in stony silence without any overt evidence of cordiality,  something that would normally be expected, even at a funeral, among people who worked together on a daily basis.

Part of that apparent coldness between the two couples may have been related to President Biden's recent public musings that he feels he could have won the race against Trump this past November.  That probably didn't sit too well with Harris or Emhoff who both gave the effort their all while standing by the President and his programs when showing some separation from him would have undoubtedly been a better campaign strategy.  And Biden, for his part, may be starting to blame some of the "betrayal" that he believes he suffered from Democratic Party leaders (as they led him to the sidelines) on Harris - thinking that she may have had a hand in showing him the door.

Whatever was at play, there definitely seemed to be a chilly chasm between the First Couple and the Second Couple, something far more revealing than standard funeral faces.

But the tensions didn't end with them:

The second pew had been reserved for former US Presidents and their wives, and seating was from the aisle by seniority with Bill and Hillary Clinton sitting closest to the aisle, followed by George W. and Laura Bush, Barack Obama (Michelle had other commitments), and Donald and Melania Trump who were seated farthest from the aisle.  One of the more interesting interactions on the second pew was the friendly chatter which seemed to be occurring between Barack Obama and Donald Trump who were seated next to each other due to Michelle Obama's absence from the occasion.  If ever a former President had reason to not be social with a fellow member of that club, it would be Obama after Trump spent much of his one term in office trying to erase the advances made by the Obama administration - but that's not who Barack Obama is.  Obama was open and friendly to the man who is generally regarded as a pariah by the past leaders from both parties.

Trump could learn a lot from a man like Barack Obama, in fact we all could.  Jimmy Carter would have been pleased.

The third pew had been set aside for former Vice Presidents, and three were in attendance:  Dan Quayle, the senior member of that club, next to the aisle - and out the range of several of the photographers, Al Gore, and Mike Pence along with his wife, Karen.   (Dick Cheney, George W. Bush's Vice-President, was noticeably absent - perhaps not wanting to interact with  Donald Trump who has "suggested" the Cheney's daughter, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, should be jailed for her participation in the January 6th congressional inquiry.)

The drama on the third pew occurred when Donald and Melania Trump were walking along the front of the second pew toward their seats at the far end of the pew.  Trump was reaching across and shaking hands with the former Vice Presidents, and when the awkward moment came that he faced Mike Pence, his own Vice President and the person he declined to support after Pence did his Constitutional duty on January 6th, 2021, both men reached across the pew and shook hands.  Karen Pence, however, was not nearly so magnanimous.  She remained seated while Trump and her hustand greeted each other, and made no move to staned or extend her own hand in greeting.   Karen, by her actions and the disgusted look on her face, has not forgiven Trump for his betrayal of her husband - nor did her countenance indicate that she is ever likely to forgive and forget.

The absence of Dick and Lynn Cheney (Republicans), and anger of Karen Pence (Republican) and the absence of Michelle Obama (Democrat) who may have just not wanted to sit next to Trump, would all seem to indicate that long-standing norms of our nation's highest office holders may be fracturing, an indicator that the age of civility may be on the wane.

And I suspect we all know who's to blame.