Cal Thomas: Raise the bar

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday May 23rd. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Up next: WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on the need to elevate our political discourse.

CAL THOMAS: Only 16 percent of the public approve of the job Congress is doing, according to a Gallup poll. Last Friday in Washington, D.C., we saw why.

During a House Oversight Committee hearing, several House members resorted to schoolyard taunts and raucous name-calling. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene started it by telling Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett, “… your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quickly joined the fight: “How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person!” she shouted.

“Are your feelings hurt?” Greene asked facetiously.

“Oh, baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez shot back.

Committee Chairman James Comer appeared flummoxed, as though he had no idea how to gain control of the situation.

Order was eventually restored. House Speaker Mike Johnson later issued a statement about the incident, saying that “it was not a good look for Congress.” That’s an understatement.

Senator John Fetterman had the best response. He posted on social media: “In the past, I’ve described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show. Today, I’m apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show.”

Personal, even physical attacks, are not new in Congress. In the 19th century, Representative Preston Brooks was a slaveholder, and he used his cane to beat unconscious the abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner. Sumner had recently delivered a fervent anti-slavery speech.

As the History Channel notes, members during this time “commonly carried pistols and bowie knives” on the floor. “There were more than 70 violent incidents between congressmen,” according to Joanne B. Freeman, a Yale history professor.

Fortunately, last Friday’s name-calling didn’t end in a physical confrontation.

Perhaps if those members had attended an event the day before in Statuary Hall, they might have acquired some humility. On Thursday, a statue honoring the late Evangelist Billy Graham was unveiled. Several politicians spoke at the event, mentioning Graham’s humility and faithfulness to the gospel. They also noted his friendship with presidents and politicians of both parties. Graham boldly displayed leadership at the dawn of the Civil Rights era. He refused to speak anywhere stadiums were not integrated, and he rejected an invitation to visit South Africa under apartheid.

Graham’s event was in stark contrast to what followed on Friday. Many are crying out for civility and humility in our leaders, but they aren’t getting it. Even Donald Trump and Joe Biden engage in name-calling and putdowns of each other.

Where are the great orators? Leaders like Daniel Webster, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others encouraged us to embrace the “better angels of our nature.” We need more people like that today.

You’ve probably seen video clips of Greene’s and Crockett’s conflict. If you missed the Graham statue dedication, you can still watch it at C-SPAN.org. Note the difference between those two events and pray for–and demand–better behavior from your representatives.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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