The 1957 Pulitzer Prize-Winning book, “Profiles in Courage ,” is a volume of short biographies describing historic acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators*.
Each of them acted independently of their party and the leanings of their constituents in order to do what they believed was right. As a result, each of them received criticism and experienced a substantial loss of popularity.
Compare that to today’s heated partisan fight over the nomination of Republican Party operative Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
For another enlightening comparison about the times in which we live, think about the way Kavanaugh is being feted by his backers in contrast to how quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being savaged by his detractors.
One is a privileged white male well-ensconced in his cushioned social setting, the other is a person of color subject to the societal cross-currents affecting people perceived as “other.”
It’s a stunning symbolic metaphor for this moment in which we live.
Will we see any profiles in courage during the Kavanaugh confirmation process from the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee? (Chuck Grassley, R-IA; Orrin Hatch, R-UT; Lindsey Graham, R-SC; John Cornyn, R-TX, Michael S. Lee, R-UT; Ted Cruz, R-TX; Ben Sasse, R-NE; Jeff Flake, R-AZ; Mike Crapo, R-ID; Thom Tillis, R-NC; and John Kennedy, R-LA.)
Even though there’s a John Kennedy on the committee, I’m not holding my breath.
*The Senators in “Profiles In Courage”: John Quincy Adams, MA; Daniel Webster, MA; Thomas Hart Benton, MO; Sam Houston, TX; Edmund G. Ross, KS; Lucius Lamar, MS; George Norris, NE; and Robert A. Taft, OH.