John Cornyn’s Shun To Lady Bird Johnson

Matt over at Stop Cornyn has already given us some of the sorry details of Texas Senator John Cornyn’s shunning of Lady Bird Johnson’s funeral.

Now, Evan Smith over at Texas Monthly has gotten in on the act as well, after having mentioned it once already.

While Cornyn was gassing about how “bi-partisan” he is (ha ha!), health care and getting people to stop smoking to a group of doctors in Abilene, the rest of the world was honoring Lady Bird Johnson. What gives?

Would it have hurt a few people’s feelings in Abilene if Cornyn had canceled to go to the funeral? Sure, but they’d have understood.

Some people have also noted that perhaps it’s a good thing he didn’t go because most Texans don’t like him anyway.

That, however, is not the point. The point is about giving respect where respect is due on the most fundamental levels.

A former First Lady–from Texas–was being buried. For the state’s junior sitting United States Senator to not show up or at least make a public statement about why he wasn’t going to be there is a fundamental disgrace. It’s such a disgrace.

It’s about showing a family that you are there as a representation of the respect the people of your state show for the deceased even if you yourself don’t share their feelings. And, that doesn’t matter who it is—Lady Bird or someone else.  You show up as a reflection of the respect your constituents have even if you don’t really care one way or the other.

Not even the 44 percent (or whatever the number is today) of people who still support Cornyn, I’d venture to say, fail to respect Lady Bird Johnson. He even disgraced his (remaining) supporters by not being there.

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