As America mourned the loss of two giants in public life, you couldn’t escape the feeling that the country had reached the end of an era. John McCain was a pugilist able to cross party lines, command the respect of his opponents, and stand up to his own side on principle. Aretha Franklin possessed a once-in-a-generation talent that let her reign as the universally-beloved and undisputed Queen of Soul. She coupled her gift with a fearless determination to use it in the cause of justice. Watching the ceremonies, it felt a bit like the rare patches of goodness in American life are shrinking and that those with the courage to carve them out are in shorter supply.
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Capitol Tributes: The two most senior Congressional leaders, Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan reminisced about the “cocky handsome naval aviator” who “fought for freedom in the skies.” McConnell paid tribute to McCain’s legendary strong will, exercised in fierce debates with colleagues. His jailers in the “Hanoi Hilton probably needed group therapy" after contending with McCain, he quipped. Ryan remembered McCain as “a patriot who served his country, a man the of the Senate, yes, but also a man of the House. A Navy man. A family man. A man who made an enormous difference in the lives of countless people.”
Emissary from the White House: McCain specifically asked that Trump not attend his funeral and that applied to lying in state as well. Trump notoriously denigrated McCain’s service and his imprisonment in Vietnam by saying the fighter was “not a war hero” and that “I like people who weren’t captured.” In his stead, Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the ceremony. Pence used the famous hymn “Faith of Our Fathers” as an allegory for McCain’s courage, “in spite of dungeon fire and sword.” Where other speakers fondly remembered recent interactions with the late senator, Pence tactfully avoided references from the Trump era and instead focused on their service together in Congress.
A Mother’s Farewell: At 106, John McCain’s mother, Roberta, has lived long enough to bury both her husband and her son. She spent much of the ceremony seated next to and holding the hand of her granddaughter, Meghan McCain.
Historical Notes: McCain is only the 30th person to lie in state in the Capitol. It’s a rare honor generally reserved for public officials of distinguishment. Four private citizens have lain in honor (as opposed to lying in state): civil-rights icon Rosa Parks, preacher Billy Graham, and Capitol police officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson—both killed in the line of duty in 1998 while protecting the Capitol from an armed gunman.
Ceremony: An honor guard of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines representing all four armed services escorted McCain’s casket into the Capitol and its rotunda followed by an array of Capitol Police in dress uniforms. The flag-draped coffin sat atop a black catafalque. Its significance lies not so much in the material or craftsmanship itself—pine wood and cloth—but that it was first constructed for when Abraham Lincoln lay in state in 1865. The Lincoln catafalque has been used several times since then. The last time was for the last person to lie in state in the Capitol, Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii.
Band of Brothers: Among those saying farewell to McCain in the Capitol was a fellow former member of Congress and Vietnam prisoner of war, Rep. Sam Johnson. As CNN noted, the 87-year-old is often wheelchair-bound but insisted on standing for a last touch of the casket when saying goodbye to his friend.
Farewell to Royalty: While American political life mourned the passage of a giant, Friday closed a chapter in American culture, too, with the memorial to Aretha Franklin.
Conflicting schedules: President Obama had wanted to attend Franklin’s funeral, but the memorial conflicted with his previous commitments as a eulogist for John McCain. Nonetheless, Obama administration veterans attended in his stead. Hillary Clinton sat on stage with husband, Bill, who eulogized the late diva as a woman who “lived with courage, not without fear.” Former Obama attorney general Eric Holder—a devoted fan whom Franklin delighted with a surprise performance at his Justice Department going-away party—was in attendance, as well.
Red Carpet Memorial: In addition to political notables, Greater Grace Temple sent Franklin off with performances from Ariana Grande, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Jennifer Holliday, and the Clark Sisters. Other celebrities paying tribute included Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Tyler Perry, Isaiah Thomas, and Gladys Knight. With all those high-profile names offering tribute to the departed diva, the service has turned into a marathon. At press time, Franklin’s memorial was running over three hours behind schedule as dignitaries lined up to praise her.
The Queen Honors the Queen: As a testimony to Franklin’s title as “the Queen of soul” and her global fandom, guards from the British Army’s Household Division at Buckingham Palace opened the day with a tribute to the singer. The band played her top hit, “Respect,” before an assembled audience outside the palace.
An Artist and an Activist: Eulogists praised Franklin not just for her musical talent but for her contributions to feminism and the civil-rights movement. Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson remembered how she and Harry Belafonte went out on an 11-city fundraising tour for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was on the verge of bankruptcy. Jackson also remembered how Franklin faced down racists when on tour in the south. During one performance in Houston, he recalled, someone put tear gas in the ventilation system but she kept singing despite it.
A Dig at Trump: Politics wasn’t far from the Franklin memorial as the eulogists spoke to the causes of civil rights and the ongoing water crisis in Flint. Rev. Al Sharpton captured the mood of the room in a dig at President Trump that brought the assembly to its feet. "On Sunday on my show I misspelled 'Respect' and a lot of y’all corrected me. Now I want y’all to help me correct President Trump to teach him what respect means," he said.
Snyder: Gov. Rick Snyder made for something of an odd guest. Though the state of Michigan had declared Franklin’s voice a state natural resource, Snyder is deeply unpopular in the state in general and Detroit in particular. That’s due in no small part to his administration's role in the crises of Flint’s lead-tainted water. Despite his unpopularity, mourners nonetheless welcomed Snyder with polite applause for his tribute.
Cringe Factor: Bishop Charles H. Ellis III of the Greater Grace Temple, where the ceremony was held, acted as emcee for the event. After Ariana Grande’s rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” Ellis looked like he was teeing up a dad joke about how he was unfamiliar with the star his children adored. But no, it was a cringey ethnic joke. Mentioning her name, Ellis said "I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell."
Sign of the Times: The absence of a strong presidential footprint on these simultaneous moments of national mourning says a lot about how Trump’s crass divisiveness has created a hole in American life where once presidents were able to voice the country’s mood. Former Obama communications staffer Tommy Vietor said it best on Twitter: “It's jarring to watch these moments of unity, decency and healing at the McCain and Franklin memorial services and have the current president be totally absent.”
