John Lewis was a titan even before he became Vice President. A Civil Rights icon whose moral standing was near unimpeachable, which is exactly what Rahm Emmanuel was in need of in 2012.
Lewis was born in Troy Alabama and grew up in the segregated South. He would attend college in Nashville, and there he would begin his career as a Civil Rights activist. He was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Comitee (SNCC) and helped plan and initiate student sit ins around Tennessee. In 1960 he was one of the original Freedom Riders, facing bombings and beatings in order to integrate Interstate Busing. By 1963 he was the head of SNCC and one of the "Big 6" leaders at the heart of the Civil Rights movement. He was the youngest speaker during the March on Washington. In 1964 he coordinated massive voter registration drives across the South and participated in the Selma Marches, receiving head injuries that scarred him for life. From then he continued his activism throughout the 60s and 70s, eventually settling in Atlanta.
In 1977 he made his first run for office, running in a special election for Georgia's 5th Congressional district, but lost to an incumbent Atlanta City Council Member. He then served in the Carter administration as an Accociate Director of ACTION, working to alleviate poverty in America. In 1981 Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council. In 1998 Lewis again ran for the Georgia 5th, winning the Democratic Primary, and thus the election, narrowly and (somewhat ironically) with the support of the White Community in Atlanta. This, combined with attacks he made on his opponent (a fellow veteran of the Civil Rights Movement) which included allegations of drug use, made Lewis the target of criticism from some in the African American community of Atlanta. However Lewis would remain popular in his district and would never face a difficult reelection for his seat.
In the House Lewis carved out a position as a staunch liberal, opposing the Bush and Lott era tax cuts as well as Welfare Reform. When Trent Lott was seriously considering giving Strom Thurmond the Presidential Medal of Freedom Lewis was unflinching in attacking the President and the Senator's record in opposition to zcivil Rights. A strong supporter of Human Rights, Lewis was supportive of efforts to support countries like India and Japan against Communism. However Lewis also condemned the support given to the Dictatorship in Myanmar and voted against sending Millitary advisors to the Philippines, calling it "an invitation to another Vietnam". His true focus however remained on domestic issues and legislation that would help the everyday American. He announced his support for a massive expansion of welfare and a return of control to the federal government. Lewis served as floor manager for the Children's Healthcare initiatives of the Bradley, which saw him appointed Democratic Whip in 2007. When Brownback's congressional supporters tried to repeal the bill Lewis gave impassioned defenses of the program and although the repeal passed the House it fell apart in the Senate. It was during 2009 that Lewis seriously stepped up his support for Universal Healthcare (although he had spoken in favor of it previously), which is likely what brought Lewis to the attention of the Emmanuel Campaign.
Rahm Emmanuel had been more or less openly running for President since December 2008 and had been the frontrunner since Dick Celeste refused to pull a Grover Cleveland. But something was different. He had shifted far to the left, sensing the wave of anger at the Brownback administration. Suddenly he was calling for regulation of wall street, for gay rights, and for universal healthcare. He had swept aside Senator Kucinich in the primaries after his opponent’s campaign was bogged down in accusations of anti-Semitism. The angry moderate was now the angry liberal. But some were still skeptical of Emmanuel's leftward turn, and he still had trouble connecting with African American voters, who still remembered his issues with race relations as Illinois Governor. So, the campaign tapped John Lewis as their Vice-Presidential nominee. To their surprise Lewis was initially opposed to the idea, he was old, happy being a liberal warrior in the House, and had no desire to be used as a token to fill in gaps in Rahm Emmanuel’s resume. But eventually he was convinced to accept a place on the ticket.
On the campaign trail he was slightly hampered by his age, but he made up for it with a strong presence and stumping ability. He drew huge crowds across the south, foreshadowing the ticket’s victories in the Southeast. Lewis brought to the ticket a “moral center” that pundits lauded as a contrast in to Emmanuel’s harsh style and flip-flops. At the debates he proved a force to be reckoned with, easily seeing off Joe Heck. Victory was achieved, but tragedy struck Lewis as Lillian, his wife of 44 years, died in late December before his inauguration.
Despite this Lewis forged ahead, working with Congress during Emmanuel’s First 100 Days in Office, which saw Medicare For All rammed through the Senate via the nuclear option, an LGBTQ+ Anti-Discrimination law passed, bailouts to failing companies (which Lewis begrudgingly stayed silent on), and sweeping new environmental laws to bring America up to the standards set at the San José Conference (boycotted by Brownback). When the backlash from the right inevitably came Lewis pulled a Celeste and did a circuit of town halls that, while failing to stop the incoming wave, did send a right sort of message to the American people. Despite the blowback the Democrats narrowly retained both Houses of Congress, enabling the administration to continue to plow forward. Lewis favored education pushes, particularly more federal support for college payments, and debt relief for student loans. Emanuel favored new Gun Control laws. In a surprising twist Emanuel’s political staff sided with Lewis, citing the danger posed by Gun Control to already weakened rural Democrats. The votes were simply not there, so Emanuel, feeling a bit like a dog being wagged by his tail, signed on. The Democrats simply could not find the votes in the Senate for Publicly Funded College, but substantial debt relief bills did clear the Senate.
In 2012 there was some talk of dropping Lewis from the ticket, he was old and he had fought the President more then any Vice President for years. Emmanuel was having none of it, for all his struggles he still liked John Lewis for his zeal and energy. Again, Lewis won the debates, Rob Portman coming across as a bit too stiff against the Vice President. Meanwhile Ileana Ros-Lehtin’s (the only Brownback appointee who was viable) campaign floundered, her strong foreign policy chops failing to pay off in an election centered on the recovering economy.
Emmanuel’s Second Term started with Gun Control legislation, Semi-Automatic Weapons being heavily restricted was his major push. Lewis still favored education funding, or perhaps police reform, but the post-election zeal had given Emmanuel free reign. This, and voter fatigue, has been one of the reasons given for the polls that show many Democrats in Congress being swept out of office in 2018. Meanwhile John Lewis continues to blaze his own path, speaking and We Want to Live Rallies as the White House tries to sidestep the issue of police brutality, and remaining silent as Emmanuel tries to sell increased American involvement in the Republic of the Congo.
Speculation of course is rampant about Lewis. Some say he wants to run for President, despite the fact that he will be 80 years old by then. Others say he wants to retire. Others say he wants to return to his House seat and live out his days as a Left-Wing Warrior. No one is certain.
What is certain is that John Lewis has had an impact on American life. He has reformed the Vice-Presidency into a tool for those who will hold the office in the future. But he is not the only one to do so. The role of President can be fluid, but it does have some strict restraints. The Vice President has no such restraints Constitutionally. Older Vice Presidents might have said that the limits on the office were placed by how little anyone cared about the position.
John Lewis would say that the only thing holding those older men back was a lack of a will to change the world.
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