Just hours before he passed away Thursday, former Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) dictated to his wife reflections on the state of the U.S. for an op-ed published in the Washington Post Friday.
Dingell was the longest serving congressman in American history whose death has prompted an outpouring of support from both sides of the political aisle.
{mosads}Dingell used his some of his final thoughts to critique President Trump, albeit without naming him directly.
“In our modern political age, the presidential bully pulpit seems dedicated to sowing division and denigrating, often in the most irrelevant and infantile personal terms, the political opposition,” the op-ed reads.
While the political veteran started his career before the advent of Twitter, he put it to good use in his final years with witty and insightful posts. However, he decried the limits of the platform.
“And much as I have found Twitter to be a useful means of expression, some occasions merit more than 280 characters,” he lamented.
Dingell also observed that politics today are meaner in a way and lack the same levels of respect from when he began his career in Congress in 1955.
The longtime Michigan resident also pointed out several positives to come from society in the last few decades, notably an improvement in health care with the advent of the Medicare program and increased ecological health of the Great Lakes region.
On the other hand, he observed the country backtracking on progress it had made on racial discrimination.
There were good people of all colors who banded together, risking and even losing their lives to erase the legal and other barriers that held Americans down,” the op-ed reads. “In their time they were often demonized and targeted, much like other vulnerable men and women today.”
He includes with an ode to his now-widow Rep. Deborah Dingell (D-Mich.), to whom he was married for nearly 40 years and won his seat in Congress when John retired.
“As I prepare to leave this all behind, I now leave you in control of the greatest nation of mankind and pray God gives you the wisdom to understand the responsibility you hold in your hands,” he ends the op-ed with. “May God bless you all, and may God bless America.”