Daly: The Wrong Stage

Politics and funerals are a hard mix — sometimes more than others.

The other day, as videos from Lindsey Graham’s funeral began popping up online, I got a little curious and clicked on one. In the shot, Fox News host Sean Hannity was at a podium, shifting from eulogizing Graham (a longtime friend) to addressing President Trump, who was seated in attendance.

“Lindsey, Mr. President, I would argue in my mind, probably has a heavenly version of Mar-a-Lago,” Hannity said. “It may even be a little bigger. He may have a little more gold in the Oval Office in his mansion in heaven. And I wouldn't be surprised if he added one big beautiful ballroom and an arch somewhere on the property.”

Hannity then softened his voice, straightened his lips, and added, “Because he would obviously want to duplicate his dearest friend in life.”

Like most people reading this, I didn’t know Graham other than as a public figure. We had no relationship, we never met, and I was a critic of some of the things he did in office. Still, I was saddened by what I heard in the video, and Reason Magazine’s Billy Binion captured why.

“I genuinely am sorry for their loss,” Binion remarked online. “But using a funeral as an opportunity to worship the president is really debasing. Lindsey Graham's funeral should be about Lindsey Graham. It should not be about Donald Trump.”

That’s not a dig on Trump, of course. Our president loves flattery, but he certainly didn’t write those lines for the Fox host.

I found Hannity’s “duplicate” comment particularly off-putting. The only context I can think of, in which such a remark might not sound insulting, would be its direction toward a father in honor of his son. Otherwise, it evokes memories of Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character in the film, Single White Female.

Now, one can certainly make an argument (as some responding to Binion did) that the late senator would have indeed appreciated those words from Hannity. While Graham likely didn’t consider Trump his “dearest friend in life,” or aspire to spend eternity in a remodel of Trump’s country club, the senator did dedicate much of his last decade in office presenting himself (and therefore shaping his legacy) as a loyal defender, flatterer, and hype-man for the president.

Therefore, the thought is: Wouldn’t Graham embrace — even at his own funeral — his loving memory being defined by his unapologetic, over-the-top fealty to Donald Trump?

My guess… would be a strong no. And I think Hannity did his friend a clear disservice by memorializing him as such.

Hannity knows better than most people that the politics we see in front of cameras and microphones are largely performative — actors and actresses playing a role. Yes, there are real-life consequences that come from the narratives and storylines these folks produce, but that’s an argument for a different column.

For better or worse, Graham’s behind-the-scenes goal was to achieve greater political influence, and be included in important conversations and decisions on public policy. He wanted to be the man in the room. He wanted to remain in a position to make a difference. As The Dispatch’s Michael Warren wrote in Graham’s passing, it’s what demonstrably directed his political career — from his love for the camera, to his days as a John McCain-aligned maverick, to his profound conversion to a Trump devotee.

Like others in politics, he made sacrifices (some quite steep) to get where he wanted to go. It’s absolutely fair to criticize the choices he made, and even believe that some of the things he did in office were downright terrible (I certainly do). But I would hope that even those who didn’t have a particularly fond view of the senator would wince at him being used as a self-serving prop at his own funeral. I mean, Hannity (who again, knows better) made Graham sound like he fell asleep every night wearing Trump-embroidered pajamas. How about a little dignity?

I feel similarly when invited speakers, at other high-profile funerals, use the opportunity as a political soapbox to — against the family’s wishes — promote their own political cause.

It’s icky. It’s disrespectful.

On its barest terms, a funeral is about honoring and remembering someone who passed away. It’s not about advancing a personal role, or celebrating an attendee at the expense of the person who died.

In just about every culture other than politics, people understand such things.