Let me anger virtually everyone on either side of the aisle with my tribute to John McCain. Nope, never voted for him in the 15 plus year we have been in Arizona, bur with his passing, i am left saddened for lots of reasons. I avoid politics on this site whenever possible, but today, i need to say these things. In 2008 when Barack Obama was elected President, i literally wept tears of joy. It seemed the country had turned a corner and the color of ones skin wasn't a thing any longer. Damn, was i wrong. The 8 years of his presidency was tumultuous and disheartening. He found ways around the republicans who were there to insure he wasn't going to succeed, but it came at a horrific cost Sadly, that became the benchmark for the political process we are trapped in today. It also opened the door for a grossly unqualified opportunist to get elected to the presidency under the guise of white nationalism. He used the birther argument to place himself on the national stage...all predicated on a lie that was debunked time and time again. But this thread isn't about Trump or his deeds. Having read McCain's latest book, The Restless Mind, triggered in me an odd wish he had won in 2008...or better yet in 2000. Because had he won, we wouldn't be where we are today. How refreshing would that be? We may well have avoided the international wars we have been engaged in all these past years. McCain had one thing neither Obama nor Bush came even close to matching. He knew first hand, up close and personal, foreign policy. I dare say there is not another political figure who understood the Middle East or appreciated our allies and our enemies around the world. No one traveled more to get the grasp of it he had. Bush was shaped by the war hawks around him and Obama came with virtually no international experience. Let's face it, the last 18 years has been far from perfect, and the failure of the political system has never been more obvious than it is today. The other thing McCain brought to the table was his grasp of the importance of a bi-partisan process where the country was more important than party affiliation. He freely admits he wasn't always that way, but as he aged, he grew to appreciate how much better it was for the country. In retrospect, had John McCain selected Joe Lieberman his running mate rather than Sarah Palin, who knows what could have been? The idea was so abstract, the powers that be inside the republican party were aghast he would even think it. It would have been the classic maverick move of one who wanted to shake up a process that was struggling as dark money was becoming insidious and dangerous. And, he knew how destructive it would become. For those of you who stayed with this diatribe, i apologize for its length. I've shed tears as i have followed the tributes to John. He deserves each and every one of them. He was that powerful a force in our country and his style of politics will be sorely missed. There are so few statesmen left. My favorite politician of all time was Hubert H Humphrey. He was my hero. I used to tape his speeches and tried to mimic his style and his emotion. The best tribute i can pay John McCain is he was Hubert's parallel on the right. They both fought for the things they believed in, but understood compromise for the right reasons was the ultimate solution to make our country a better place to live. RIP John, you earned it.
Get chills when I see the video of McCain defending his opponent, Obama at a rally. I agree if he was President in 2000, we would not be here today. I am hoping Gov. Ducey picks someone to replace him that shares his ideals. I suggest Cindy McCain.
Good comments gang, thanks for responding. I'd love to see Ducey put either Cindy or better yet John's daughter Meghan name in to fill his spot till 2020. Or if wanted to play a real wild card, have Flake step down and fill the spot with Jeff. But alas, Ducey is a Trump follower so watch him as he dutifully fills the spot with a hand picked lover of all things orange. On a side note, did anyone see what candidate Kelly Ward did Friday. Shameful. When the McCain announcement came out about discontinuing treatment, she posted a twitter feed claiming he did it to upstage her bus trip the weekend before the primary. She has since pulled it down, but the damage had been done. I suspect McSally will kick her and Arpio's butt on Tuesday. Wouldn't it be an insult to McCain's legacy for Ducey to fill the spot with one of the losers. Ward has hammered McCain over the years as she has been lusting over his position and Arpio is well, Arpio.
Good afternoon Bill- As you know, sometimes we agree & sometimes we don't. I want to thank you for your excellent post on John McCain. There's not many(or even any) like him left. We will all miss him.
I do not think it is appropriate to have a family member "given" the position of a "voted in" politician.
Hey Jim, good to see you log in and join the fun. Wouldn't it be a boring place if we all agreed with everything we each said. It's been interesting to read the testimonials pour in and the interviews on cable as people from across the world pay their respects. I frequent a couple of right wing sites just to get a counter-view and the vitriol and hatred is even more shocking. Today's brand of politics is such that there is no room left for compromise, we've moved into the Trump era of win at all and any cost. Depressing to see. The one thing that stands out about McCain was his joy in virtually everything in life, winning or losing, he got the most out of each day. What a lesson for us all.
Interesting comment Peg. So had do you feel when Gov Ducey "gives" the position to someone/anyone other than a family member who hasn't been voted into that office?
The position should just be left vacant until someone is "voted" in. An alternative that is not widely supported. A bit of research told me that a few wives have taken over the position when their Congress husband died. And, many wives have taken over the position when their Representative husband died. So, there is definitely a precedent. But were they really qualified or just pacified?
Fair question Peg. That said, looking at the political landscape today...does having the right "qualifications" mean anything anymore?
I am beginning to think that it would be wise to have Cindy McCain continue in her husband's place. It would avoid a lot of political controversy. And there definitely is a precedent.
Gov Ducey is in an awkward position on this one. He should be a mortal lock to be re-elected, unless he does something really stupid with this appointment. Given the turnout at the local memorials, McCain has reached legendary status, except for the hardcore righties that hated his tendencies to support the Dreamers/immigration and his willingness to take on the dark money fight, which most of his cohorts feel is way good. Then of course there was his famous/infamous thumbs down at that ungodly hour in DC that sent Trump into orbit. The simple reality is, Ducey might best serve himself by placating the throngs of Arizonians who loved McCain, rather than trying to satisfy the angry mob of Trump supporters who saw him as the devil reincarnate. Should be fun to watch, because Doug has worked hard to be by the families side this week. Can't see him slapping them in the face after all that, but, it is politics, so who knows eh?
Thanks for posting E. I get crazed when i listen to the republican's yammering about how Obamacare drove health care costs off the charts. That is pure bullshoot. I spent a good portion of my working career overseeing our members health care plans. For anyone that doubts me, go back and look at health care costs from the late 90's through the point the Affordable Care Act went into effect. They were rising, with many years at double digit inflation. The difference was there were far less people covered (which meant those without used the emergency rooms and those of us with coverage paid if they didn't) and the coverage they had was inferior. Watch what happens in the next ten years as the inadequate plans they are now selling spirals out of control, people lose or drop coverage and the emergency room once again becomes the fallback option. Everything we are doing is being done for the short term. There is nothing sustainable about short term gains. Politics is now only about getting re-elected. That was the beauty of a statesmen like John McCain, he understood the long game. Yesterday I listened to one of his former aides yesterday lay out the plan for the McCain/Lieberman ticket in 2008 and it was brilliant. Think about it this way: He was passionate about fixing the immigration problem; he believed in campaign finance reform; he was the most knowledgeable politician in DC on international relations and those three items alone would have been dealt with from a bi-partisan position. Obama could have come along after that and simply had to do clean-up. Damn.
Thanks for posting a link o that letter E. I had no idea either, but then nothing surprised me about the man.
