The political world was stunned with the revelation that John McCain has brain cancer. McCain’s cancer is the same type that took the life of Senator Ted Kennedy in 2009. Doctors successfully removed the tumor last week, but the prognosis seems harsh with a low survival rate. Regardless of your political preferences, Senator McCain has always been considered a man of principles by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. He has always been one of the few voices in the Senate willing to hold the leadership of his own party accountable. He has also been a consistently supportive voice for Hispanics and immigrants in his state and beyond. I remember when he was running for President in 2008, and on two occasions shut down rhetoric at his own rallies that questioned the patriotism and citizenship of his opponent Barack Obama. Statesmanship is a lost virtue in American politics.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
For most people, there is little upside to writing about the January 6th hearings, but as you probably know by now, I don’t worry about those things. We all must stand for something. The hearings have almost everyone taking sides before a single witness is called. Democrats believe that the events of January 6th were a calculated effort to undermine our democracy by demolishing two of the most sacred tenants of our nation, free elections, and the peaceful transition of power.
Most people consider themselves either a conservative or a liberal. I think if we forget political parties, which flip their positions on things all of the time, and instead focus on the actual definition of what it means to be a conservative and what it means to be a liberal, we might be able to temper the emotional reactions some of us have with political discourse.