Illness Should Not Equal Immunity from Criticism for John McCain

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., laughs as he and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, cross paths at competing TV news interviews just before a vote in the Senate on legislation to collect sales tax on internet purchases, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. Senator John McCain (R – AZ) was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. A condition discovered as doctors performed surgery last week to remove a blood clot above his left eye. While I am not a fan of Senator McCain, his condition is not one I would ever wish upon him.

In one television report, it was said that the survival rate for McCain’s type of cancer is just over 4%. And based off of his votes on the healthcare issue this week, it seems the diagnosis has given him the added courage to be what many of us knew him to be already… anything but a conservative Republican.

On Wednesday, McCain was one of six Republican Senators who voted against the same Obamacare repeal that they voted for in 2015– effectively sinking the bill. And early this morning, heĀ unabashedly waltzed onto the Senate floor and cast a deciding vote to sink the “skinny repeal”. All to the elation of Democrats. A few of whom couldn’t control themselves as they broke into applause. (Warning: If you watch the video link, it may boil your blood.)

None of this should really surprise us though. This is exactly who John McCain is. When it comes to Conservative rankings, the Conservative Review’s “Liberty Scorecard” gives him an atrocious 33%. In 2008 – when McCain was running for President – the Gun Owner’s of America rated him an F- and called him “a liberal gun grabber”.

To be honest, the list of examples showing John McCain being on the wrong side of issues is so extensive, I won’t bother to cover it all here. But whether it was working with Senator Ted Kennedy on immigration, Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform, or working with Democrats to prevent drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR); McCain’s history of sinking Republicans is fairly extensive.

An interesting side note to all of this is that Senator McCain voted against Obamacare repeal after he refused surgical services from the Veteran’s Administration (VA) in favor of the Mayo Clinic. A hypocritical move for a man who has told other veterans they were “foolish” for wanting non-VA care.

As I said when I began– I wouldn’t wish John McCain’s medical condition on him or anybody else for that matter. But regardless of how unfortunate and sad that condition is, I don’t believe it gives him immunity from the criticism that he is deserving of when it comes to his horrific votes on healthcare this week. Not only did he betray the American people, but he violated his Oath of Office in the process. But we shouldn’t be surprised by that, should we?

Sources:

1. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-mccain-to-start-cancer-treatment-monday-report/article/2630010

2. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/223366/conservative-case-against-mccain-kathryn-jean-lopez

3. https://www.gunowners.org/mcgungrab.htm

 

4. https://www.conservativereview.com/scorecard?chamber=senate&state=AZ&party=R

5 . http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-health-care-vote-video-breakdown-2017-7

6 . https://theminutemanblog.com/single-post/2017/07/27/Republican-Traitors-Six-Senators-Go-Turncoat-on-Obamacare-Repeal

7. http://www.disabledveterans.org/2017/07/20/turncoat-john-mccain-refuses-free-va-surgery-for-brain-tumor/

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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.