Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019
Obama at Elijah Cummings funeral: 'It falls on us to continue his work'
Former President Barack Obama eulogized Rep. Elijah Cummings, saying he was "honorable before he was elected to office." USA TODAY
Obama: 'It falls on us to continue his work'
Delivering the final tribute of the service, former President Barack Obama recounted the boost Cummings gave him during his presidency, especially during the tougher times.
“There is something about his voice that just made you feel better,” Obama said. “That deep baritone. A prophetic voice.”
More than once during his presidency, when the economy was struggling to pull out of a recession, or when health care legislation seemed dead in Congress, Obama said he would watch Cummings rally his colleagues. Cummings would tell them that the cost of doing nothing isn’t nothing, and folks would remember why they entered public service.
“He would remind all of us that our time is too short not to fight for what’s good, and what is true and what is best in America, Obama said. “And now it falls on us to continue his work.”
Listening to Cummings’ daughters talk about their father reminded Obama that he wants his own daughters to know that being a strong man includes being kind.
“You’re not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect,” he said.
While the title “honorable” is conferred on “all kinds of people” who get elected to public office, Obama said, the difference in Cummings’ case was that he “was honorable before he was elected.”
“There’s a difference. There’s a difference if you were honorable and treated others honorably outside the limelight,” Obama said. “As president, I knew I could always count on Elijah being honorable and doing the right thing.”
The four-hour service ended with a prayer and a hymn led by the choir that spoke of leaning on God in times of grief and pain.
The thousands in the audience held hands with those beside them, even strangers who they’d just met, and sang along before watching Cummings’ flag-draped casket carried out.
Bill Clinton: 'How did he do that?'
Former President Bill Clinton, who was impeached by a Republican House and saw his wife Hillary regularly slammed by GOP lawmakers, praised Cummings for being able to reach across the aisle when many in Congress do not.
“He actually made, in one of the most partisan periods in our country’s history, a lot of Republican friends,” he said, speaking to a crowd that included Cummings’ pal, North Carolina conservative Rep. Mark Meadows. “Why did he do that? How did he do that?”
“I think he did it because everybody could see the real deal,” Clinton continued. “His heart was in it. No matter how hard he fought and how passionately he argued, he tried to treat everybody the way he wanted to be treated, the way he thought Americans should be treated.”
Cummings, Clinton said, offered the country a lesson in these hyper-partisan times: “You know you can’t run a free society if you have to hate everybody you disagree with.”
It was Cummings during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing he was chairing earlier this year that helped calm a potentially explosive moment involving Meadows and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich..
At a February hearing that featured testimony from President Donald Trump's ex-attorney Michael Cohen, Tlaib accused Meadows of a “racist” act by bringing a black Trump administration official to the hearing.
Cummings, trying to diffuse the situation, thanked Meadows and called him one of his best friends on the committee.
"I know that shocks a lot of people," he said while adding that he did not think Tlaib meant to call Meadows racist.
"I can see and feel your pain. I feel it. And I don't think Ms. Tlaib intended to cause you that, that kind of pain and that kind of frustration," Cummings told Meadows.
Clinton seemed to bring that moment up during his remarks Friday, recalling that Cummings was “so proud” that he could help resolve the personal spat.”
Eiljah Cummings' wife: 'He was a man of soul and spirit'
Describing her husband’s final days, when he was in a lot of pain, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings said her husband kept saying he was tired and ready to go.
The staff at Johns Hopkins wanted to give him “sunshine therapy.” They rolled his bed to the roof of the hospital, where helicopters land, and he looked out over the inner harbor, his beloved south Baltimore where he grew up, and other parts of the city.
“Boy, have I come a long way,’’ he said.
Cummings said her husband’s fights for what he believed in weren’t easy, especially in his final months when Trump repeatedly attacked him and his district.
While Rep. Elijah Cummings already carried himself with grace and dignity in public settings, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings said, the attacks hurt him.
“He was a man of soul and spirit,” she said. “He felt very deeply.”
Cummings said her husband would’ve objected to lying in state at the Capitol yesterday, the first African American to do so.
But, she added, that was a necessary part of his funeral.
“We needed to make sure that he went out with the respect and the dignity that he deserved,” she said, eliciting a standing ovation from the gathering as her voice rose. “This was a man of the utmost integrity. Do you hear me?....He wanted to make sure that we left a society worthy of our children.”
'An ordinary man doing an extraordinary job'
Joe Alexander, a former aide who called Cummings his mentor, said Cummings straddled two worlds – inner Baltimore and the halls of Congress.
“He always said he was an ordinary man doing and extraordinary job,” Alexander said. “However, he was not an ordinary man. He was a brilliant man. He was born to lead and he served for all the right reasons.”
Another mentee, Lean Wen, the former Baltimore health commissioner, said the city needed Cummings’ moral authority to overcome the stigma of opioid addiction so it could be treated like the disease that it is.
Wen named her now 2-year-old son after Cummings, a tribute that made him cry.
During their last conversation, Wen told him how blessed she was to have had his mentorship. He replied that he was the blessed one, “because you are part of my destiny as I am a part of yours.”
“He challenged us to be better and we are all better for knowing him,” Wen said. “May we be worthy of you and may you rest in peace.”
'You can call my dad and ask him'
Jennifer Cummings thanked her father for giving her pride and confidence in being black – and for teaching her how to stand up to bullies.
Being told by him that she was beautiful may sound basic and “like a no-brainer,” she said. But her dad, who insisted on buying her brown dolls, wanted her to know that rich, brown skin was just as beautiful as alabaster or any shade of the rainbow.
She recounted a time when she was called ugly by another kid on the elementary school playground.
“My daddy says I’m beautiful,” she responded. Then she pulled out of her small purse that was otherwise filled with rocks a business card.
“You can call my dad and ask him,” she added.
Cummings, her daughter said, did not suffer fools.
“And you taught me not to either,” she said.
Hillary Clinton eulogized Rep. Elijah Cummings at his funeral, comparing him to the Old Testament prophet Elijah. USA TODAY
Hillary Clinton: 'He kept reminding us, life is no dress rehearsal'
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it’s no coincidence that the late Rep. Elijah Cummings shared a name with the Old Testament prophet Elijah, who used the power and wisdom God gave him “to uphold the moral law that all people are subject to.”
In remarks that seemed a thinly veiled reference to President Donald Trump, Clinton got a huge applause from the mourners when she said that Cummings, like that Old Testament prophet, “stood against corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.”
“And he kept reminding us, life is no dress rehearsal,” she said.
Clinton said Cummings had the simple philosophy that no matter how daunting a problem seems, there’s always something each person can do, even if it seems small.
Toward the end of his life, Cummings begged the American people to pay attention to what was going, Clinton said.
"'When we’re dancing with the angels, the question will be asked,' he said, in 2019, 'what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?,'" Clinton said.
She ended with paraphrase of a poem Cummings recited in his first speech to Congress and would repeat to himself as many as 20 times a day as a reminder to make the most of every moment on Earth.
“I have only just a minute. Only sixty seconds in it,” the poem begins. “Just a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it.”
35 Photos
Rep. Elijah Cummings is honored at funeral
Pelosi: Cummings was our 'North Star'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had plenty of nicknames for Rep. Elijah Cummings: Mentor. Master of the House. North Star. Mr. Chairman.
Pelosi, D-Calif., spoke about the late Maryland Democrat's role as a mentor to incoming lawmakers.
“As we know from the Old Testament, there is a tradition to leave a seat at the table for Elijah. He might show up,” she said. “Our Elijah always made a seat at the table for others. He made a seat at the table for children who need education, for even new members of Congress so he could mentor them. For all who wanted to be part of the American Dream. Elijah himself personally lived the American Dream and he wanted everyone else to have that opportunity and many seats at the table.”
Cummings was a close advisor, someone she said she looked to for direction and whose candor was always welcome “whether we asked him or not.”
“He held himself to a high standard,” she said. “And that’s why I called him the North Star of Congress, our guiding light.”
An all-star audience of mourners
Elijah Cummings can still draw a powerful crowd.
Two ex-presidents, a former first lady, presidential candidates, former cabinet members and countless members of Congress - of both parties - showed up to pay their respects.
Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton headlined the group but here are some of the others who came:
- Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.
- Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
- Members of Congress including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (a fellow Marylander), John Lewis, Adam Schiff, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republicans Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan.
'He was a good man'
Thousands stood outside for hours in brisk, 50-degree weather, waiting to pay respects to Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died Oct. 17 at age 68.
The line snaked throughout the front of New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, where Cummings' funeral was held Friday. The church holds a maximum of 4,000 people, and employees warned that many would not be able to get inside.
The ceremony, which will include remembrances by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, started at 10 a.m. EST.
Mary Roary told her friend Carla Fennell that she hoped she had enough tissues as the pair waited to say goodbye to Cummings, who represented parts of Baltimore in Congress for 23 years.
The women both had fond memories of the longtime congressman, including once when Fennell says Cummings helped her, a single mother, find a job.
“He was a good man. It’s clear from looks at this line,” she said motioning toward the massive number of people in line.
'Enough is enough': The moments that defined the career of Rep. Elijah Cummings
His death, both women said, is bringing together people during a moment in history where Americans and politicians couldn’t be more divided.
“He has always had this way of bringing people together and he’s doing it even after death,” Roary said. “This shows us we all don’t have an endless amount of time on this earth.”
Outside the church, a massive American flag was hoisted up by two fire truck ladders.
Visitors walking into the Baptist church we’re greeted by church elders and pastors welcoming each person. Many took photos of a large blanket with Cummings’ face and an American flag that was hung up just outside the hall.
Many swayed or sang along with their arms raised in the air to Baptist worship music and traditional hymns.
As a video played documenting Cummings’ life, from his time as young boy to his career in Washington, many grabbed tissues to wipe their eyes.
This massive American flag hoisted up by two fire trucks greets those coming to New Psalmist Baptist Church to pay respects to Rep. Cummings.
Here is part of the MASSIVE line to pay respects to Rep. Cummings. Employees of the church have told those in line that many will likely be unable to get inside the church, which holds up to *4,000* people
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Original story:
WASHINGTON – Rep. Elijah Cummings' legacy and life will continue to be honored Friday morning, as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are set to speak at the late-congressman's funeral.
Cummings laid in state in Statuary Hall Thursday, making him the the first black lawmaker to do so in the Capitol. Cummings, who represented portions of Baltimore, died last week at 68 due to complications related to longstanding health issues.
In addition to Obama and the Clintons, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who Cummings succeeded in a special election in 1996, will give remarks at Cummings' funeral.
The funeral will be held at the New Psalmist Baptist Church, where the late-congressman worshiped for nearly 40 years. A public viewing will take place at 8 a.m. ET and the funeral will take place at 10 a.m.
Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill said in a tweet Wednesday night that the former president was asked by Cummings' widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, to "deliver remarks about the remarkable life and legacy of one of this country’s finest public servants." Cummings was an early supporter of Obama's 2008 presidential run and was personal friends with the former president.
Obama said in a statement following Cummings death last week that the Maryland Democrat showed the "necessity of good people stewarding" the checks and balances within the United States' democracy.
"Steely yet compassionate, principled yet open to new perspectives, Chairman Cummings remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth, justice and reconciliation," Obama said in the statement. "It's a tribute to his native Baltimore that one of its own brought such character, tact and resolve into the halls of power every day."
Bill Clinton in a statement last week said Cummings "was a resounding voice of moral courage who fought the good fights for the people of Baltimore." In a statement last week, Hillary Clinton said Cummings was "a man of principle who championed truth, justice and kindness. He fiercely loved his country and the people he served."
Friday's funeral follows several days of memorials for Cummings. Mourners paid respects to Cummings on Wednesday as his body lay in repose at Morgan State University, a historically black college in Cummings' district. He served on the school's Board of Regents for 19 years.
On Thursday morning, family, friends and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle gathered on Capitol Hill to pay tribute.
Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Mark Meadows were among several attendees who made remarks Thursday.
Meadows, R-N.C., passionately described his friendship with Cummings, his eyes glistening as he held back tears.
"Some had classified it as an unexpected friendship," Meadows said of their bipartisan relationship in a highly partisan era. "But for those of that know Elijah, it’s not unexpected."
Cummings casket was open to the public to view following the memorial service. Hundreds lined up Thursday afternoon to say their final goodbyes to the late-congressman.
Members of the public are paying their respects to the late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, as his body lies in state outside the House chamber where he served for 23 years. (Oct. 24) AP, AP
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