I purposely waited for a while after I watched Senator John McCain’s speech on July 7, 2017 about healthcare because I did not want to write this article while I was angry.  I have had some time to cool down now and believe that I can be more reasonable and open minded.  Keep in mind as you read this article that Senator McCain had only come out of brain surgery that was paid for by insurance 11 days before he made his speech.

Let me begin my critique of his speech and criticism of him by saying that there is no doubt that Senator John McCain is a patriot and that all Americans owe him more gratitude than we can ever give him for his dedication and service to America and the American people.  Let me also add, and I have said this before in some of my posts to this site, that it is very hard for me  to not like him.  That notwithstanding, I must say that the speech that he gave on the senate floor, after he voted yes on moving Senator Mitch McConnell’s healthcare bill forward, to me, if not disingenuous was, at best, cunning.

He was without a doubt humorous when he said that with all of the wonderful things that people had said about him, he wondered if they were talking about someone else.  He also said, again in humor, that he fully intended to return to the senate and to make all of those who said all of those nice things about him regret that they had ever said them.  I neither regret the way that I feel about him nor do I regret any of those nice things that his colleagues said about him: they are true.  But it is also true that he is trying to straddle the fence and play both ends against the middle.  That is what is discouraging to me.

Since there is no doubt that Senator McCain is a strong and courageous man who is willing to step up and stand up for his convictions, why did he find it necessary to vote to move Senator McConnell’s bill forward instead of nipping it in the bud when he already knows that if any iteration of this bill should happen to pass and ultimately be signed by Mr. Trump, it will hurt millions of Americans, including many of whom are his constituents, who are dependent upon their insurance in order to survive.  Surely he already knows that Mr. Trump does not want poor people in decision-making positions (and does not want poor people in general) and that those poor people are depending on him and others like him to be their voice.  Come on Senator McCain; you refused to desert your fellow soldiers to save yourself, why are you willing to desert those American people who are depending on you to be their voice?!

To Senator McCain’s credit, he said that he would not vote for any of the bills as they are in their current form to be sent to Mr. Trump for his signature.  But should the time come when it must be decided whether or not to send a bill that has been debated and amended to Mr. Trump, even if Senator McCain disagrees with that bill and votes against it, there is likely a fifty-fifty chance or better that that bill will advance anyway.  Then, it will be too late.  As a matter of fact, it is already too late.

Think about that Senator McCain.  During your speech on the senate floor you talked about vainglorious victories and how you, yourself, had participated in some of those types of victories in the past.  You talked about how ludicrous it is to win just for the sake of winning and claiming a victory for yourself and your party.  So tell me, Senator McCain – the senator from the great state of Arizona, how does it feel to be the key person in moving a bill forward that you in essence disagree with just to support your party and hurt your constituents without knowing for certain that you will be able to prevent it from ultimately becoming law and ruining the lives of millions of Americans?  This decision does not diminish you as a person and/or a senator, neither should it detract from your unquestionable patriotism or the great things that you have contributed to America and the American way of life, but it certainly does bring your decision-making into question.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line