There were ceremonies this weekend to mark the 50th anniversary of the Selma March, a crucial event in the American civil rights movement. From across the country, tens of thousands of people came to Selma, some to listen to the sermons and the speeches, some to walk in the footsteps of those brave protesters who crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way to Montgomery to demand the right to vote, and some just to be there where history had happened. President and Mrs. Obama were there with the girls, as were many members of the Cabinet and the Congress, plus various dignitaries of every sort.
You know who wasn't there? Republicans. Not one single GOP leader from the Senate or House made plans to attend. Zero. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell begged off, saying he and all the members of his majority "had just washed their hair and couldn't do a thing with it." House Speaker John Boehner said he and his caucus had prior commitments for the weekend, like "working on voter suppression legislation and repealing Obamacare."
At the last possible moment, sensing the appearance gross insensitivity and racism (very perceptive, Mr. Weeper), Boehner commanded House Leader Kevin McCarthy to get his ass down to Selma. Which he did.
So there was one Republican after all. In some ways, that's more insulting and less honest than none.
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