Goddamnit. We needed him more then ever, and now a civil rights hero has died at the much too young age of 68. As the story explains, he was steeled by the tribulations of his youth to become a great man with immense gravitas.
I hope some of his iron has been passed on to the House Democrats.
There is steel in some House Democrats…the Squad comes to mind. Whether that mettle is seen in House Democratic leadership, well, I’m not holding my breath.
It’s ridiculous how quickly Wikipedia gets updated when someone of note dies.
A great loss. He was truly a giant of our age. We can hope that his death will inspire the Dems to continue his quest for the truth. Also, maybe some of his GOP friends will be inspired to do what is right. I will not hold my breath on that.
One of the few politicians I’ve met in person. He was a strong speaker and a courteous man to go along with his solid politics and resilience. He spent 15 minutes talking to me at an event. I was in middle school. A white middle schooler in a high rent area outside his district. Despite what many republicans claim about about identity politics, he clearly cared about everybody.
I moved out of Baltimore around the time Cummings took office (and also wasn’t very political back then; I must have voted for his predecessor Kweisi Mfume a couple of times, but I forget now). We need more people like Cummings now and it’s very sad to lose him. Not sure what to say beyond that.
Elijah Cummings fought until his end.
Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: “As I was paying my respects to our forever Chairman, his staff told me that in his final hours he signed subpoenas to USCIS and ICE, pursuing justice for immigrants in my district & across the country with chronic medical conditions. A man of his word every moment of his life.”
She is in his committee, the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Another member of that committee had this tribute:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: “A devastating loss for our country.
Chairman Cummings was a giant: a universally respected leader who brought profound insight, commitment, and moral fortitude to Congress.
His guidance and vision was an enormous gift. I will forever cherish his example. May he rest in power.”
A few months back, AOC tweeted this about her signing up for the Oversight Committee:
Let me tell you a story about Chairman @RepCummings.
Before new members are assigned to Congressional committees, we have to make our case to the chair.
Chairman Cummings was TOUGH. I sat down in his office to make my case for Oversight, and I was quite nervous.
He looked right at me & said: “I am going to ask you plainly: Are you here to do the work?”
People’s lives are at stake in urgent ways on Oversight. He demanded excellence, & was watching my every word.
I said “Yes” &made my best case incl why & how I wanted to be on the cmte.
By the end of the mtg, I had no idea if I made the cut.
If you look at Oversight, it includes many all-stars of Congress.
From @RepRaskin to @RoKhanna, Cummings is a legendary coach who brings the best out of everyone.
He makes the country better. You want to be on his team.
Meanwhile, the man in the White House continues to eat garbage and won’t stroke out. Though I suspect he’s had a dozen ministokes over the years.