“We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home, and their champion abroad. We have done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did. We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don’t. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn’t deserve to.”
I’d like to start out by saying, that Mr. John McCain deserves a heck of a lot more recognition than any small blog tribute can provide. McCain has served our nation in so many ways and through so many different platforms. It’s no secret that he was a POW for six years in the Vietnam War, we all know of his military valor and devotion. Over the past 30 years, we’ve seen the contributions he’s made as a senator and presidential nominee. Identifying as a Republican for the majority of issues, McCain has never put his party affiliation before the good of the people. Recently being diagnosed with brain cancer, McCain remains a strong voice of reason on the political forefront. The 81-year-old will always be a respected figure for his military service and work in the senate, but his resistance, especially within the recent months, is what takes him from a hero to a role model.
During the 2016 election year we saw a number of GOP members supporting Donald Trump solely based ‘Republican’ loyalty. Opposing Republicans weren’t completely absent, like the Bush family, but many Republican office holders were reluctant to speak out against The Donald in fear of losing voter support. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that McCain agrees with Trump on an issue-to-issue basis, but he the individuality he possesses when highlighting right from wrong, is what validates John McCain as an advocate for his people, rather than his party.
I have to be honest, I never really knew much about The Man McCain until just recently. But scrolling through my news timeline and seeing an influential GOP member like himself, opposing his own party, is what I live for- because it’s one step closer to bringing back the America that was great before Trump made it into a giant meme. McCain has spoken out against Trump on issues including foreign policy, Russia scandals, transgender military rights, growing racial tensions, free press, etc. He has been very adamant on refusal to confirm Trump’s senate nominees. Three out of the four were shot down by McCain, including Steven Bradbury, who was nominated for the Department of Transportation’s top legal officer. McCain highlights the issue of torture and how Bradbury and ultimately our own President show approval for the use of torture. “The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes,” McCain said in a statement responding to a New York Times report ,“But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.”
Trump employs the use of slander to defend himself against opposers, for example, he made comments aiming to discredit McCain’s military heroism by saying he “likes people who don’t get captured,” in reference to McCain’s POW experience. However, McCain likes to fire back with facts, that have much more credibility than anything that The Donald spits out. Public Records show that Trump avoided being drafted into the Vietnam War over five times. ‘Muscle spurs’ was a validated reason to avoid military duty, as signed by a so-called physician.
Foreign policy has been another huge topic of debate. McCain fully supports further investigation into the Russian-Trump scandal. His speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany expressed fear for the ‘Western World’ as growing tensions are on the rise, while NATO support and leadership is on the demise. His Republican affiliation hasn’t stopped him from defending Muslims or illegal immigrants- as human rights shouldn’t be a partisan issue. While overseas he makes a clear point that Trump’s discrimination should not be reflective on the American Body as a whole. In regards to the founding members of the Conference, McCain said,“They would be alarmed by the hardening resentment we see toward immigrants, and refugees, and minority groups, especially Muslims.”
In my opinion, support for a free press is one of the most important stances McCain has made lately. Scrutiny of journalists and fake news accusations have tarnished media reliability- which is exactly what the Trump Administration aims to do, as an effort to shade their fowl play. McCain believes that a free press is a traditional right, as it aims to “protect democracy.” During a ‘Meet the Press’ interview, McCain urges citizens to take a look at the historical contexts of what fuels the rise of dictators. I think it’s safe to say that revoking freedom of the press, or any right for that matter, has never led to a happy ending.
So there you have it. John McCain is a badass. It’s so important for people like him to use their platform and influence to shed a voice of reason on our current situation. Amidst the political, social and economic mess playing out before us, the fear of losing power has put a blanket of silence over too many powerful individuals. But not John McCain. He embraces bravery, equality and human kindness in everything he does. Opposing his own party might be an issue for some, but a devoted party member knows that the ideals Trump asserts are not those of either Democrat nor Republican. (note to GOP members – as well as those uneducated on what their party actually stands for). America needs a voice to help resist the incompetent sloth ‘running’ our country- and although John McCain is a champ, he can’t do it alone. So any support I see from same-party-opposers, or those with high influence, have my utmost respect. Not only is he a war hero, John McCain is a role model and his innovative practice on choosing PEOPLE over PARTY is an approach all people should consider- for the sake of humanity and future of America. Thank you John McCain.
P.S. – Wishing you a miraculous recovery.
HEAR ME ROAR 