Who can lead us?
The instinct is always to look up, but what happens when the person at the top is deemed unfit to lead?
Such seems to be the case now with President Trump. Certainly his supporters like his ability to tell it like it is, but when what he sees is fundamentally opposed to the way most Americans think, there is a problem. Such is the case after his comments about Charlottesville in which he drew a moral equivalency between those invoking hatred (the neo-Nazis) and those protesting that hatred (leftists).
For many he crossed the line of moral legitimacy. In fact, many would argue he had crossed that line decades ago from his days as a race-discriminating landlord in Queens right through his advocacy for the death penalty for the Central Park Five. (All were black and all were eventually exonerated.) He began his modern political career with the birther issue, citing that President Obama was foreign born, a trope race-baiting conservatives used to discredit that president’s legitimacy.
“At the root of it all is Mr. Trump’s temperament,” The Economist asserted in its lead editorial in the current issue. “In difficult times a president has a duty to unite the nation. … Mr. Trump cannot see beyond the latest slight. Instead of grasping that his job is to honor the office he inherited, Mr. Trump is bothered only about honoring himself and taking credit for his supposed achievements.”
In the wake of the President’s remarks, all commanders of the five branches of the armed forces issued statements in praise of diversity. Defense Secretary Mike Mattis added his voice, “On the battlefield we are one team.” CEO members of his advisory councils quit in such numbers that Trump disbanded the groups. Republican Senators Lindsay Graham, John McCain and Marco Rubio have criticized the President’s stand on Charlottesville. And Senator Bob Corker said, "The President has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to be successful.”
Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, opined on his show, "Morning Joe," that the center seems to be holding. Institutions of government remain functioning despite the cloud of chaos that shrouds the White House day after day.
In times of darkness leaders rise to the occasion. Certainly we saw that with George W. Bush visiting the site of the fallen towers after 9/11. Again we saw it with President Obama in the wake of the mass shootings, notably at Sandy Hook and Charleston. Each president in his own way invoked the spirit of good that would triumph over evil.
Leadership is alive and well, and it shows itself in our communities. The mayor of Charlottesville, Michael Signer, has spoken out against the racist groups who terrorized his community and provoked a riot that cost the death of one anti-hatred activist, Heather Heyer. The major of Phoenix, Greg Stanton, has asked President Trump to delay a visit to his city, citing the potential of civil unrest such a rally would cause.
Now we must navigate a world where there will be no moral leadership from the White House. And that will be okay at least for a short time because our nation has men and women of good character who are leading well everyday and have been doing it for decades.
You find such folks in our communities as teachers, coaches, pastors and communitarians. They go to work every day not seeking what they can get for themselves but searching for ways they can make things better for others. Theirs is the example that is the face of American greatness.
Bigotry shouted from the mouths of know-nothing racists who exploit perceived grievances for personal gain falls flat against the example that our true leaders show.
Let’s close with the words of Susan Bro who delivered a powerful eulogy in memory of her daughter Heather Heyer: "Find what's wrong. Don't ignore it, don't look the other way. [Ask] 'What can I do to make a difference?' And that's how you're going to make my child's death worthwhile. I'd rather have my child, but by golly, if I gotta give her up, we're going to make it count."
