Bill Clinton's moving eulogy for John Lewis lauded as memorable by the Internet: 'He brings people to life'
The internet heaped praise on former President Bill Clinton for his words at Rep. John Lewis' funeral on Thursday, when he recounted the celebrated congressman's illustrious civil rights legacy and described him as a "walking rebuke" to those who were thinking of giving up in the fight for racial justice. The socially-distant service held in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia, where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as a co-pastor, saw former Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama pour their hearts out for Lewis.
"John Lewis was a walking rebuke to people who thought, well, we ain't there yet and we have been working a long time," Clinton said. "Isn't it time to bag it? He kept moving. He hoped for and imagined and lived and worked and moved for his beloved community. He took a savage beating on more than one day."
"No matter what, John always kept walking to reach the beloved community," the former president continued. "He got into a lot of good trouble along the way, but let's not forget he also developed an absolutely uncanny ability to heal troubled waters."
Clinton expanded on how the late civil rights firebrand opted to bring people together instead of reacting to his adversaries with anger. "When he could have been angry and determined to cancel his adversaries, he tried to get converts instead. He thought that the open hand was better than the clenched fist," he said.
The 42nd POTUS also referenced a moving posthumous op-ed by Lewis published Thursday. "We got our last letter today on the pages of the New York Times," he said. "Keep moving. It is so fitting on the day of his service he leaves us our marching orders. Keep moving."
Clinton finally urged the public to glean inspiration from the late leader and "salute, suit up, and march on. "John Lewis was many things, but he was a man. A friend in sunshine and storm. A friend who would walk the stoney roads that he asked you to walk...always believing none of us will be free until all of us are equal," he said. "I just love him. I always will. And I'm so grateful that he stayed true to form. He's gone up yonder and left us with marching orders. I'd suggest ... we salute, suit up, and march on."
Twitterati was moved to tears after Clinton's heartrending eulogy for Lewis. "There are few orators as strong, dynamic, moving, and feeling as President Clinton. He spoke so lovingly of his dear friend and our American hero, John Lewis," political commentator Ameshia Cross tweeted.
"I know why Bill Clinton has undergone a reappraisal by young Democrats, but young Democrats might see why Clinton got where he did in this John Lewis tribute," journalist Joan Walsh added.
"President Clinton's greatest gift is his ability to tell an amusing anecdote with admiration for that person. He brings people to life. He brings out their character," one user wrote.
"Totally agree on what a great speaker President Clinton is," another chimed in. "I would pay to hear him recite a CVS receipt. Can anyone even imagine a eulogy by Trump? He would be sure to talk about himself more than the dearly departed person."
"President Clinton’s eulogy honoring John Lewis’s life was memorable. When he talks, you feel like you are the only person in the room. He can still bring the thunder," a third declared.
Lewis is survived by son John-Miles Lewis, six siblings, and several nieces and nephews. Lillian Miles Lewis, his wife of 44 years, died in 2012.