The Return of the Maverick

OK, another day, another politics post. I promise I will move with tomorrow’s post to something truly important (in other words, Doctor Who.) 

But I feel compelled to write something about politics with a rare perspective: one of hope, not cynicism.  

I’ve got to talk about John McCain.  

A Republican Senator from Arizona, McCain had a reputation as a maverick. I say “had” because ever since McCain secured the Republican nomination for President back in 2008, that rep has taken a few beatings. McCain had a penchant for doing what he thought was right, not what was in keeping with party ideology. To get through the primaries in 2008, McCain began sublimating himself more and more towards party orthodoxy. It was a sublimation that sadly did not end when McCain returned to the Senate after losing the 2008 Presidential election.  McCain sadly followed the hard-line party right wing ideology more than doing the right thing. 

Until this week, when McCain the Maverick appeared to return. 

Recently, McCain had been absent from the Senate after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer. But he returned to take up the GOP’s latest efforts at Obamacare repeal.  There were three crucial votes. 

One was a procedural vote to open debate on the Senate floor. McCain voted with his party on that vote. This allowed two different versions of repeal to come up for a vote. 

There was some outrage about this. How could McCain, fighting brain cancer and receiving the best health care funded by taxpayers vote for something that would set the stage for health care to be taken away from millions of Americans?

Well, hold on a second there, pilgrim. 

The GOP lost both repeal votes with McCain being a decisive “no” vote.  

It should be noted that McCain has been openly critical of Obamacare’s shortcomings but when it came down to what the Senate was up to, McCain was not down with that. The Senate was being asked to vote for bills that most Republicans opposed just to keep repeal effort alive, partisan bills rushed through with no hearings and with little or no understanding on what they entailed. 

Instead, McCain had this crazy idea. “Why don’t we try the old way of legislating in the Senate, the way our rules and customs encourage us to act? To report a bill out of committee with contributions from both sides. Then bring it to the floor for amendment and debate, and see if we can pass something that will be imperfect, full of compromises, and not very pleasing to implacable partisans on either side, but that might provide workable solutions to problems Americans are struggling with today. What have we to lose by trying to work together to find those solutions?”

What’s that? An open, honest bi-partisan process to benefit the American people and not a particular political agenda? That’s crazy talk, John McCain! Crazy talk! 

With the first vote, he gave Senate GOP leadership chances to improve the bills before them. Failing that, McCain one and again voted not along party lines but following his conscience.

For a brief and wonderful moment, McCain the Maverick was back.

For a brief and wonderful moment, there was hope for the great American experiment in democracy.
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For all the praise being given to McCain, let's not overlook the courageous conviction of Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), whose steadfast refusal to give in to capitulation to a party line that little to do with improving the lives of their constituents and all about scoring a political victory for Trump and against Obama's legacy. What Collins and Murkowski did was no small thing and they deserve respect for voting their conscience.  

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OK, tomorrow: I promise. No politics. Just Doctor Who stuff. 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.