Who’s the maverick in this picture?
I always liked John McCain. I regretted that he wasn’t the candidate in 2000. I probably still would have voted for Gore, but I would have felt that no matter who won, the country would have been in good hands. John McCain 2000 seemed to be someone who gave some thought to his issues, and didn’t hide behind a veneer of civility that makes politics seem so phony. George Bush seemed like a big phony, and someone who didn’t give a lot of thought to anything, let alone political issues. 8 years of his Presidency didn’t convince me otherwise, by the way. But those 8 years did a lot to convince me that what I thought of John McCain was incorrect.
McCain wanted to be President. He wanted it bad enough that he sold out his maverick nature to toe the Republican line far more frequently; frequently enough that his moments of breaking with orthodox thought appeared more bizarre than maverick. By 2008, he had fallen far enough in my estimation that I essentially never even considered voting for him. He no longer appealed to the independent streak in me, instead seeming fairly standard issue Republican.
And yet, maybe the maverick spirit lives within in the McCain family. I’ve liked Meghan McCain since she appeared on the scene – she’s a conservative, sure, but she has sensible stands on gay marriage, sexual freedoms, and she can explain her concerns on most issues, and is willing to listen. She also has a sense of humor, which counts for a lot. And she tells other Republicans that blind faith to far right agenda will never appeal to the youth voters, which is true.
And today, I have new reason to respect Cindy McCain. I always thought of her as the severe and somewhat mean-spirited woman on John’s arm. Not only was she a political wife who only seemed to speak in order to support her husband or take a swipe the candidate couldn’t take, but the darker rumor mill indicated she allowed her husband to get away with things that are verbal abuse. She seemed smart, but willingly used. So of course she had to throw off all my expectations by posting for the NoH8 campaign, a movement that photographs celebrities with duct taped mouths and No H8 penned on their faces, for promoting marriage equality – or, in another term, for gay marriage rights.
Mrs. McCain, I’m not sure I like you, as I genuinely like your charming daughter… but bravo. Bravo indeed.
