Al Simpson was a Republican who served his nation, not just his party. John Thune should learn that lesson
They ain’t making Republicans like Al Simpson anymore.
And that is a damned shame.
Al — that’s what everyone in Wyoming called him — died Friday in his beloved hometown of Cody, Wyo. He was 93.
I got to know Al when I was the editor of The Powell Tribune in Wyoming from 2013-15. I knew who he was, of course, but the more time I spent with him, the more I grew to admire him.
He was born into power and privilege, attending Princeton. His father served as both governor and a U.S. senator. Al overcome a rowdy, reckless youth to become a Wyoming legend, serving in the Legislature before being elected to three terms in the U.S. Senate.
He was a conservative who formed friendships and political alliances with liberals like Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a Republican loyalist who grew disgusted with his party, a very, very funny man who was dead serious about the problems the nation faced.
Al did what he felt was right for the nation. We talked many times when I was in Wyoming, and he often expressed his dissatisfaction with the far-right turn his party was taking.
I have been thinking about Al in recent days, wondering how he was doing in his final years. A Wyoming friend who deeply admired Al let me know he had died, and while I was saddened, I was not shocked.
Thinking about him and other Republicans I have known and covered, like Jim Abdnor, Larry Pressler, Bill Janklow and many others, I am astounded by the lack of courage and decency shown by the current GOP. Its members seem afraid of President Donald Trump, and unwilling to oppose his wildest, most dangerous words, ideas and actions.
They fear for their political future — and the safety of themselves and their families. Such is the sad state of American politics today.
Sen. John Thune, now at the pinnacle of his career as the Senate majority leader, is a compelling example. Thune has made his distaste for Trump clear for a decade, and I am sure he is often dismayed, even disgusted by the orange felon.
But no matter how weird and wild Trump gets — buddying up with the murderous Putin, threatening Canada and Greenland, making economic decisions that will cause great damage, selling cars on the White House lawn — Thune and other Republicans cower and look the other way.
A Politico profile of Thune that was published Friday shows Thune to be a sharp, decent man. I have covered him for more than two decades, and I agree with that assessment.
But, the story reports with numerous sources confirming it, when will Thune stand up to Trump? When will he draw a line and say, “Enough!”
Al had no problem doing that, and it was a habit he developed early in life.
I met former Commerce and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta through Al. They were friends for decades, meeting in a most unusual manner.
Mineta had a long and truly distinguished political career, serving as mayor of San Jose, then as a member of Congress for 20 years before being a member of two cabinets, one a Democrat, the other a Republican. He was secretary of commerce in the President Bill Clinton administration, and as secretary of transportation for President George W. Bush.
Mineta, a Japanese-American, was interred at the Heart Mountain internment camp between Cody and Powell, Wyo., during World War II. He made friends with a local kid he met through Boy Scouts — yes, young men held in a concentration camp were allowed to take part in Scouting — named Alan Simpson.
I visited the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center several times. It is a place to remember the dishonor of the interment of these people at Heart Mountain and nine other “camps,” a term used in place of the harsher, and more accurate “prisons.” Al was there for all major events.
Al and Norm remained close friends for decades despite their political differences. They reconnected in 1971 when Al saw that Norm had been elected mayor of San Jose. He reached out to him and their friendship was reaffirmed.
They served together in Congress to pass a reparations bill, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided $20,000 in compensation for 82,219 surviving internees. Simpson said it was the right thing to do, and he didn’t take any guff from congressmen who objected, he told Cowboy State Today after his friend died.
“There were 110,000 of them who lost their rights as citizens,” Simpson said. “(Mineta) passed it in the House, and I took it over in the Senate. And I got a lot of flack — they said, ‘Well, who’s next? The Indians? The Blacks?’
“And so I just said, ‘Well, you know, I was there and you weren’t. And I saw the barbed wire and the guard towers and the guys at the top with guns and searchlights all aimed inside – and so I don’t really need any crap out of you.’”
That was Al: Blunt, honest and right. Al and Norm were both Americans, determined to serve their country to the best of the ability. Like many other people, I was inspired by their close ties.
Al was aware of my columns and editorials, telling me, “I read your crap,” and was often very complimentary and free with ideas and suggestions. I really grew to like Al, as did anyone who met him.
At the site of the former camp, Heart Mountain itself towers over the center, casting a shadow almost as long as the memory of what happened there. Farmers tend crops in adjacent fields while volunteers and a small staff work to ensure the center remains open and shares its lesson to future generations.
Al and Norm visited many times, as they found happiness in a place where a great wrong was committed.
In 2021, told Cowboy State News that Norm’s death was painful.
“It was the oldest friendship I had,” he said. “We were 12-year-old boys, and that was a tough one. I went out there to the camp and howled into the moon.”
They met nearly eight decades ago, and their friendship, which they celebrated and shared, was a wonderful story that can offer important lessons on the terrible stain of racism on our history, the ability of two boys to overcome it, and the wisdom of two old men to cherish it.
My old paper, The Powell Tribune, said it well in a May 17, 2022, editorial: “With so many issues facing voters from every U.S. party, it’s time for federal, state and local lawmakers to mirror the actions of Simpson and Mineta. It’s time for politicians at every end of the political spectrum — and all points in between — to cross the aisle and get something done.”
In a time of such bitter partisan divides, simmering racial tensions and a madman in power, it is a reminder of our better angels, and the possibility of good rising from evil. So take a moment to think about Norm and Al, and thank them for the lesson.
Let’s hope John Thune is able to learn it, and emulate Al, who stood up for what was right.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
