No, he was not alone in stopping the procedural madness and the hurtling towards the loss of health care coverage for millions. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska deserve a lot of credit for being firm since the the beginning of the voting process. But I will not dismiss the importance of Senator John McCain from Arizona.
When he first took a more national stage in 2000, running against the son of President George Bush, he shaped himself as a straight talking maverick, someone who would take pragmatic considerations to heart, and not always tout the straight Republican line. Indeed, he named his political touring bus The Straight Talk Express. I've always thought that if I ran, I could have a Strait Talk Express, and who could argue with that?
In actual practice, in his voting and advocacy, he has much been less bold, and stuck to a consistent Reagan Republican orthodoxy. Nevertheless, he has often formed bonds with his Democratic colleagues, in a way that many other Republicans have forgotten how to do. He was even considered as a possible running mate for John Kerry in 2004.
As time passed, the maverick thing seemed more and more distant. There were many moments that many in the center and on the left, were praying that he would help stop the madness.
It never really happened. Until now.
His vote didn't really save the Affordable Care Act. I wish I could tell you that. As long as Republicans control all the levers of government, it will always be under siege. But this immediate and most direct threat is now over.
They are now going to have to either go through the correct procedure (committees, public hearings and input, contributions and compromises with Democrats), or abandon it all together and move on to other things.
I think they are going to move on to other things. At least for now.
If you ask me (not that anyone ever does), the biggest problem is the Hastert rule (Dennis Hastert is a former Republican Speaker of the House, who has since been convicted of child molestation charges), and that rule is that nothing should pass unless it can be passed by Republican votes alone. If enough Republicans object to something, than the vote shouldn't even come up. This has led to giving tremendous power to the Freedom (Tea Party extremists) Caucus.
We need a Speaker of the House (and Senate Majority Leader) that are willing to put partisanship aside, and are open to building coalitions. As a Progressive, this may lead to compromises that I find unpleasant, and well short of Progressive goals. But at least there would be input, and the country could move forward on solving important problems.
No, I don't often agree politically with McCain. He is a warhawk, and conservative fiscally on matters assisting the poor and those in need. But I do recognize, unlike the current President, that he is a genuine American military hero, who served this country well under very difficult and personally challenging circumstances. Other politicians, from both sides. speak out of their well-cushioned posteriors about torture - McCain speaks from experience. I have never doubted, as much as we may disagree, about his dedication to, and love for, this country.
I had, however, become vastly discouraged. I thought his maverick moment would never come.
And now it has.
Bless you, John McCain. Millions of others, who now have their heath care protected (at least for awhile longer), also bless you. We wish and pray for the best for you and your family, as you face the terrible scourge of cancer, that you are able to avail yourself of the best treatments possible, and that you are able to cherish time with your family and others you hold close.
I pray there are many more chapters to come for you, but for now, I am grateful for this, what I consider your finest moment.
Maverick at last.
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