OPINION:
In Washington, it’s all political.
So was civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis’ attack on President-elect Donald Trump, calling him “illegitimate” on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” vowing to boycott the inauguration, and saying he wouldn’t invite Mr. Trump to Selma.
“By going to Selma,” Mr. Lewis said of Mr. Trump, “maybe he would learn something.” But, he added, “I would not invite him to come.”
NBC advanced some of Mr. Lewis’ comments on the Friday before the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
Was there any doubt Mr. Trump wouldn’t respond on Twitter? He’s a counter-puncher, after all.
And the Democrats were waiting for it.
On the morning after Mr. Lewis’ comments were released and Mr. Trump had responded, a fundraising email was blasted by Mr. Lewis and the Democratic National Committee, with the subject line “what Donald Trump said.”
“I’ve been beaten bloody, tear-gassed, fighting for what’s right for America. I’ve marched at Selma with Dr. King. Sometimes that’s what it takes to move our country in the right direction,” Mr. Lewis wrote. “We refuse to stop now. We’re not done fighting for progress. We’re ready for the next four years. Are you with us? Join me and chip in whatever you can today to help Democrats stand up to injustice.”
The money raised was to be evenly split between Mr. Lewis’ re-election campaign and the DNC.
On Jan. 15, the following day, Moveon.org followed up with their own fundraising message.
“On the eve of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend, Congressman John Lewis announced that he will not attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony,” the email read. “Trump’s response has been to launch a fierce attack against Lewis, accusing the congressman — who has served our nation as a tireless leader of the civil rights movement and for 16 terms in Congress — of being ’all talk, talk, talk - no action or results.’
“This is Trump’s latest, vicious outburst in what’s become a terrifying pattern of using outright lies and insults to bully and subdue his critics,” the email said, urging members to sign a petition to skip the inauguration and chip in $5 a month to support their cause.
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