On John McCain’s legacy.

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In spite of my earlier post, I did start watching some of the highlights from John McCain’s funeral proceedings today.   It’s important that I did, and I’m glad I did, and do you know why?

Here in the Upside Down — in post-trump bizarro world (the lower case t is intentional) — I’m sitting here with tears streaming down my face over a man I did not vote for, whose party and politics I never supported, and it feels very cleansing.  Weird.

All I have to say about that is this.

I pray the beautiful and moving eulogies of Meghan McCain, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and others somehow break through the ignorance and fog to inspire some Trumpers to finally see what we have lost.

The death of John McCain may represent the end of honor and integrity in politics, and  yet his moving sendoff may be exactly what America needs to recover and gain back our great loss — and once and for all discard the manufactured chaos, divisiveness, and insincere, phony idol- and symbol-worshipping that has come to pass for patriotism in the Trump era.

Whether you agreed with his politics or not, John McCain was and will always be remembered as a true American hero and even more than that, a good and honorable man, and that’s why you see so many Democrats and liberals grieving along with old school moderate Republicans and never-Trump conservatives today.  We all recognize what true patriotism really is, what goodness really is, and how important honesty and integrity are — and we grieve the unsettling and tragic absence of these values among those who hold all the political power.

John McCain’s funeral feels almost like a funeral for the Party of Lincoln, and though I never was a fan of the GOP,  today I mourn what that party used to represent, and proudly honor a man who even after his death is sending a message to all of us who would open our ears and our hearts to what being a real American really is all about.

There may be hope for us yet.   Watching all the McCain tributes felt like taking a trip in a time machine back to the pre-Trump political age.   Honor and integrity and true patriotism is not dead after all.  It’s just that those values aren’t currently held by the people with the most power.    But I have to believe goodness, honesty and integrity will always win in the end.

15 thoughts on “On John McCain’s legacy.”

  3. Pingback: One Dead McCain, 2.5 Million Dead Iraqis – My Soapbox

  4. Sorry to be a wet blanket but this subject hits a nerve. Remember a link I posted, One Dead McCain; 2.5 Million Dead Iraqis? It’s just about the opposite in tone to your post. I felt the need to stand up and be counted denying the sentiments that have been all over TV, the internet and even among friends. I explain my attitude and follow it with that article which I regard as a breath of fresh air. https://kiasoapbox.wordpress.com/2018/09/01/one-dead-mccain-2-5-million-dead-iraqis/

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    • Yeah, I know. And I respect your dislike of McCain. I myself usually didn’t agree with his politics or some of the things he did (I mean, Sarah Palin as his running mate in ’04? Gimme a break!) But I think in spite of all that, and the fact he was flawed and held to a set of beliefs I didn’t always agree with, his heart was at least in the right place (and he had one!) and he truly loved his country. I can’t say that about too many of Trump’s people. Probably not any.

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    • I don’t think the contention was ever that McCain’s policy was perfect. But let’s not forget that the declaration of “war” (not declared by Congress, hence the quotes) after 9/11 passed the House something like 420-1. You have to also hold almost every Democrat who voted, save for Barbara Lee, accountable as well.

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  5. I agree so much with Bobcabkings above that Decency is the true resistance. Education comes to mind. Like you I had said I would not be watching, but I ended up watching both Aretha Franklin’s and John McCain’s passing services. It reminded me of just how many good principled people remain in the United States, and the importance of service.
    Excellent post you have written. Thank you.

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    • Thank you for reading! You are right about decency being the true resistance, and it’s all but disappeared from the people who are currently running this country. Make sure you Vote Blue in November! Maybe we can bring it back.

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  6. I agree. Senator McCain was one of the last reminders of a former Republican Party, one that loved the institutions and respected their precedents. Like it or not, the American political system is set up for two party rule, and as long as that is the case, we need two functional and reasonable factions to argue for the will of the nation. Whatever flaws he had, including vetting for running mate in ’08, John McCain understood that. Constructive and respectful dissent makes us stronger, but the kind of dissent we have in the post-45 world (and really, in the few years before it) makes us weaker and ungovernable, exactly what I think the Russians want.

    If nothing else, I think we need to think about not the policies McCain stood for, but the discourse he stood for. A discourse that values the process, hears all voices, and prefers consensus and (dare I say it) compromise to give most of the nation most of what it wants, but few will get all they want.

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    • I think you’ve reiterated my point well. It’s not his specific politics that are being celebrated and that’s not the reason he’s so well regarded by so many people from across the political spectrum. He has bipartisan appeal, and that’s because of the kind of man he was and the honor and respect he showed to others and for the Constitution, not because his politics. His legacy goes beyond partisan politics, and that is why he has bipartisan appeal (though Trumpers despise him). I think some people have overlooked that and only look at his platform, not the all inclusive, careful, and respectful style in which he operated.

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  7. I never thought anyone was saying he was perfect. Just what was so great about him? He wasn’t as bad as some Republicans. So what? That’s the best thing you can say about him. Plenty of people aren’t as bad as the worst Republicans. That doesn’t make him special.

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  8. I like this post, Otter. I agree with it. I’ve never voted GOP and Sarah Palin cast a dark and ugly shadow on McCain. (I’m afraid she foreshadowed the idiocy and evil of modern day Trumpism.) But I came to think of McCain as a decent human being and someone who cares about his country in his last days in senate because of the way he fought to preserve (a losing battle) the integrity of his party, and stood up to Trump. I think we lost a good man, regardless of the fact that he didn’t represent my party or values.

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