Sunday evening I had a moment of real inspiration and hope, a moment of brightness, which if you live in Washington is rare these days. This was in Boston, the Profile in Courage Awards at the John F. Kennedy Library. The late president’s daughter Caroline and her son Jack presented the Courage Awards to two perfect recipients, the citizens of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Jay Powell who was chair of the Federal Reserve Board.
At great risk, they both stood up to brutality and to bullies. These Minnesota citizens stood up to ice thugs trying to take over the city, resolute even when their fellow citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were murdered. Ultimately they prevailed. Most ice got out of town. In a far different environment
Jay Powell showed the same sort of courage. He stood up to the bullying of Donald Trump’s lawless efforts to ride roughshod over the statutory independence of the Federal Reserve. Powell was even threatened with a baseless criminal charge. He too never wavered. Citizens from the streets of Minnesota to the boardroom of the Federal Reserve showed why courage was matters.
It was a great moment. Now back to the darkness.