McCain's "Maverick" Moment

I don�t usually write an article on Friday but I enjoy doing this, and with so much material available it�s hard to resist.

            Tonight�s topic is John McCain. McCain is probably the most loved and hated senator in Congress right now and those who love him and hate him probably felt differently about him last week. That love and hate has most likely flip-flopped throughout this week as he continued to make the headlines for his actions and more specifically, his votes. A lot has happened with him in the past few weeks.

            About two weeks ago McCain had brain surgery and his absence delayed the critical vote on the Senate Healthcare bill. Last Wednesday McCain had been diagnosed with a brain tumor following the surgery which was a procedure to remove a blood clot. An outpouring of support from both sides of the political spectrum happened in response with former President Obama tweeting, �Give it hell John.� McCain was celebrated as an American hero which was well deserved.

            Amazingly, McCain returned to Congress on Tuesday to vote on whether or not to open debate on an Obamacare repeal bill. He voted �yes� which secured the votes needed for the Republicans to advance the bill. This angered many Democrats since he said earlier that he would not support the bill in its current state. This made party leaders and the President very happy with Trump tweeting, �Thank you for coming to D.C. for such a vital vote.�

            Senator Bernie Sanders felt a bit differently about the whole matter. He tweeted out, �I hope the Republicans understand the consequences of their vote today.�

            On Thursday night and into Friday morning the vote on a �skinny repeal� on the Affordable Care Act was being held. The �skinny repeal,� which needed 60 votes to pass, would begin to repeal parts of Obamacare while the next step in the healthcare debate could be taken. In a very dramatic moment at about 1:30 in the morning, McCain approached the Senate clerk and put his thumb down to signal that he voted �no.� This action caused gasps, claps from Senator Elizabeth Warren, and groans from Republicans. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader and the man at the center of the resistance to Obamacare, stood only a few feet from McCain when he cast his vote. As he approached the clerk�s desk to vote, Bernie Sanders nudged the Senator next to him and pointed to McCain. It was a very cinematic moment.

            If McCain had voted �yes,� the �skinny repeal� would have passed and the reactions would have been much different. All eyes were on the President this morning to see what he would tweet and if he would bash McCain, a man he praised just days earlier. He tweeted, �3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down,� less than an hour after the vote.

            One cannot overlook the significance of McCain�s move to vote �no.� This vote blocked the President from passing his first major piece of legislation in office and handed another healthcare defeat to Mitch McConnell. For 7 years, McConnell and his colleagues had been vowing to repeal Obamacare and they were thwarted last night by one vote. It was a stunning defeat. Once again, the Republicans fumbled on healthcare when they were inches away from scoring a touchdown and finally repealing the Affordable Care Act.

            It�s been amusing to watch how McCain has been treated by both sides this week. At times, he was unpopular to some and a hero to others and then a few days later, vice versa. I saw somebody compare him to Severus Snape on Twitter this morning, which is actually a great comparison if you�re a Democrat. For years, both sides had respect for McCain just like both sides in Harry Potter thought that Snape was on their side. Then when McCain voted to advance the Republican healthcare bill it was just like when Snape killed Dumbledore on the astronomy tower and everybody thought he was a traitor. But when the final vote came up and McCain struck it down it was similar to when Harry learned that Snape was actually on the good side and he had been protecting Harry for years.

            In this analogy, I think our President represents Voldemort. I think that�s fitting.

Here's the moment that McCain cast his vote:

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