Our president continues continues to be a fascinating gift from Spirit who inspires Americans across the political spectrum to a greatness we didn’t know we had. Yesterday the Daily 202 — a wonderful news collection of The Washington Post– pulled together 10 inspiring voices for us to listen to instead of the president’s. Daily 202: Trump has Failed to Offer Moral Leadership–these 10 people are filling the void
The rest of this piece is all quotes from that article–and those 10 people. I urge you to subscribe (free) to the Daily 202 and get an email every weekday with a great analysis and collection of the days news.
The Daily 202, 8/18/17 10 People that are Filling the Void:
As Trump continues to dig in his heels and becomes increasingly isolated, Bush yesterday released a joint statement with his father, George H.W. Bush, from Kennebunkport. “America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms,” they said. “As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city’s most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency and greatness of our country.”
Constance:Van Jones interviewed an activist named Constance in Nashville yesterday as part of his “We Rise Against Hate” tour. She was injured in Charlottesville on Saturday and is afraid to give her last name for fear of retaliation.
“The hate that I saw on Saturday is something that I’ve never ever seen before, or that I have felt before,” Constance said. “One of [the Nazis] told me ‘I really wish I could lynch you’ and blew me a kiss.”
Recounting what it was like to be hit by the car when it plowed into the crowd, she said: “I’ll never forget the sounds … First I heard the car hitting people. Bam, bam, bam, bam, and then I heard the screaming. I don’t remember getting struck, but I remember landing on the ground. And I remember hearing people saying get up, get up, he’s putting it in reverse.”
Jones told her, “You would be forgiven for saying ‘I’ve done my part for justice and I’m going to let someone else go and carry this fight forward.’ Is that your view?”
“Absolutely not,” she replied. “I love this country too much.”
Susan Bro:
The mother of Heather Heyer gave an extraordinarily touching eulogy about her slain daughter during a memorial service in Charlottesville yesterday.
“They tried to kill my child to shut her up, but guess what, you just magnified her,” said Bro, sparking a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute and a half.
More than that, it was a call to action for the 32-year-old’s life to not be lost in vain. “I have aged 10 years in the last week,” Bro said. After struggling up the stairs to the podium, she urged everyone watching to fight against intolerance “as Heather would do.”
“I’d rather have my child, but by golly if I got to give her up, we’re going to make it count,” she said.
“Moments later, as the service ended, Bro implored a protester in the audience to stop her critical comments about President Trump by asking the woman to be respectful of her daughter. The woman, who called Heyer a hero, complied, and there were no other outbursts,” Ellie Silverman, Arelis R. Hernández and Steve Hendrix report from Charlottesville. “In her remarks at the service, Bro described a determined, argumentative and passionate woman who made an impact on her community despite never going to college. She implored those who wished to honor Heyer to pay attention to social events in the way that her daughter had taught her and others to do. Citing a Facebook post of Heyer’s, Bro said: ‘If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.’”
David Shulkin:
The Veterans Affairs secretary, a holdover from the Obama administration, said yesterday that he is “outraged” by what he saw from neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville. “Shulkin, who is Jewish, spoke to reporters and said that although he serves Trump, he does not speak for him,” Dan Lamothe reports.
“I do feel like as an American and as a member of the Cabinet, that I can speak for my own personal opinions on this, and I am outraged by the behavior that I have seen with the Nazis and the white supremacists,” Shulkin said. “I am outraged on the use of violence — to be able to put one’s ideals, and force them upon others.”
Shulkin said it is “a dishonor to our country’s veterans for the Nazis and the white supremacists to go unchallenged, and that we all have to speak up about this as Americans.” He then quoted the famous poem by Protestant pastor Martin Niemöller that begins, “First they came for the Socialists.”
“I strongly believe that, and I believe that history teaches us that if we don’t do that, we’re going to get ourselves down a road that isn’t consistent with what America stands for,” Shulkin said. He added that “staying silent on these issues is not acceptable,” and that he will continue to speak up for things that he believes are important.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff:
The commanders of each service branch of the military, who normally steer clear of anything that has even a whiff of politics, have each spoken out strongly against racism this week.
The chief of Naval Operations:
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The Commandant of the Marine Corps:
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The Army chief of staff:
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The Air Force chief of staff:
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The chief of the National Guard Bureau:
 Rabbi Emeritus Haskel Lookstein:
The rabbi who oversaw Ivanka Trump’s conversion to Judaism sent a letter last night to his congregation condemning Trump’s statements about Charlottesville.
Writing along with two other rabbis, he said: “We are appalled by this resurgence of bigotry and anti-Semitism, and the renewed vigor of the neo-Nazis, KKK, and alt-right. … While we avoid politics, we are deeply troubled by the moral equivalency and equivocation President Trump has offered in his response to this act of violence.”
“Lookstein was close enough to the Trump family that last year he was invited to speak to the Republican National Convention,” Yashar Ali writes for New York Magazine. “He initially planned to give an invocation but later dropped out after outcry from the Modern Orthodox community and other groups.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.):
The Senate’s lone African American Republican said history has shown the nation typically sees the president as a part of the nation’s moral high ground. From the Charleston Post and Courier’s write-up of an interview with him yesterday: “Because of that, voters typically give deference to the objectives of the administration, he said. But he added that Trump’s answers equalizing the roles of the supremacist groups and the protesters have left the president weakened on the moral leadership front. ‘There is no doubt the last couple of days complicates this administration’s moral authority,’ Scott said …
“Scott said the issue is simple: ‘We do not support in any way, shape or form any group that thinks they are superior, or any folks who are looking to divide this nation into smaller groups.’ … Scott further pointed out that Trump’s rhetoric has not been clear enough on the denouncement of hate groups. That includes trying to equate protesters ‘with the extreme elements who are responsible for the death of an American citizen.’ By drawing a ‘moral equivalency’ between the white supremacists and counter-protesters, Scott said, ‘I think you are either missing four centuries of history in this nation or you are trying to make something what it’s not.’”
“When the administration speaks in a way that seems to cause confusion in ways I vehemently disagree, I’m going to speak out against the words of the administration,” Scott added.
John Brennan:
The former CIA director wrote a letter to Wolf Blitzer, which he allowed to be published, after the CNN anchor noted on his show after Trump’s news conference that he had lost all four grandparents to the evils of Nazism.
“I just want to extend my sympathies not only for their deaths but also to you and your family — and countless others — for the pain inflicted today by the despicable words of Donald Trump,” Brennan wrote. “Mr. Trump’s words, and the beliefs they reflect, are a national disgrace, and all Americans of conscience need to repudiate his ugly and dangerous comments. If allowed to continue along this senseless path, Mr. Trump will do lasting harm to American society and to our standing in the world. By his words and his actions, Mr. Trump is putting our national security and our collective futures at grave risk.”
António Guterres:
The secretary general of the United Nations issued a veiled but unmistakable criticism of Trump during a news conference yesterday, saying that racism is “poisoning our societies” and imploring all leaders to reject intolerance. “The U.N. chief was asked about Trump’s remarks in response to the racially charged violence in Charlottesville … and while Guterres said he does not comment on individual leaders, his criticism of Trump was nonetheless plain,” Anne Gearan reports.
“Racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or Islamophobia are … poisoning our societies,” Guterres said. “And it is absolutely essential for us all to stand up against them everywhere and every time. … To condemn all forms of irrationality that undermine those values is essential, at the present moment, be it in the United States or everywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, these demons are appearing a little bit everywhere.”
Kenneth C. Frazier:
It took courage for Merck’s chief executive to resign from Trump’s manufacturing councilon Monday. In so doing, he gave cover for others to follow. In a statement, one of the few African American CEOs in the Fortune 500 said he had to step down as “a matter of personal conscience.”
“America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal,” he said. “I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism. … Our country’s strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs.”
Other chief executives who have spoken out against Trump have seen their stocks fall when Trump inevitably retaliated, so it was a risky move. Indeed, with an hour after Frazier’s statement was first issued, Trump attacked Merck on Twitter for its “RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!” He followed up that night with another criticism of the company.
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