Inaugural speech proved Missouri’s Roy Blunt loves his country. Josh Hawley should listen

Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri was once a history teacher. On Wednesday, at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Blunt demonstrated his deep and commendable understanding of history, and what it can tell us about the future of our nation.

“We are more than we have been,” Blunt told hundreds of people in the socially-distanced live audience and the millions more watching on television. “And we are less than we hope to be.” He called for unity and common purpose.

He said those words as he stood before a Capitol severely damaged just two weeks earlier by anti-American insurrectionists.

Blunt, who chaired the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, is a Republican. He surely understands that disagreement between the parties, and the people, won’t go away because of a few words on Jan. 20.

We will argue with one another soon enough. Blunt may be in the middle of it. He may be challenged in 2022 by misguided zealots in his own party.

But the Missouri senator clearly knows and loves America in a way his junior colleague, Sen. Josh Hawley, never will.

Joined hands can save our nation. A raised fist will destroy it.

Congratulations, Sen. Blunt, for your outstanding work on Inauguration Day.

This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 11:17 AM.