Watch Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's powerful eulogies for Elijah Cummings
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The late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) has a powerful fan base.
Following his time laying in state at the Capitol, Cummings was remembered Friday at a funeral with high-profile eulogists including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, and former President Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton got a rousing applause for her comparison of Cummings to the Biblical prophet that shares his name, and then her husband followed up with a suggestion for how listeners should remember the congressmember.
After joking that he was a "warm-up act" for Obama, Clinton recalled Cummings' leadership in the civil rights movement and how he "hauled down to the swimming pool and joined a group to integrate it." He then described how Cummings' voice should resonate with listeners "when we need courage," and when "we don't know if we can believe anymore."
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Obama came next, reflecting on eulogies from Cummings daughters and describing how he'd earned the "honorable" title that's usually just given to every elected official. Watch his whole eulogy below. Kathryn Krawczyk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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