Stoneage Ramblings

By John R. Stone

I’ve always liked Sen. John McCain and I thought he would have made a good president.

He was not a fan of a hyper politicized Congress, worked to get dark money out of politics and believed in working across the aisle because “you need the opposition’s cooperation to get big things done.”

I recently read his last book, finished not long before he died in 2018, entitled “The Restless Wave.” A sub-head reads, “Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations.”

A number of his stories were interesting. Like the fact he worked with Sen. Ted Kennedy, a political opposite, on a number of issues and enjoyed doing so.

Halfway through the book he outlines his political philosophy.

“I’m a Reagan Republican, a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness and democratic nationalism.

“I also believe government should respond to our biggest problems and prepare for our biggest future challenges, be as transparent as possible and efficient as possible. There are a lot of government responsibilities that have needed to be reformed for decades, especially one of my pet peeves, our broken government acquisition system. I believe that the same can be said about the rules of contemporary politics, the way redistricting is done in most of the country, and the explosion of unlimited and dark money in campaigns, an invitation to corruption made possible by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, a mistake made by five justices who never ran for any office and were more naïve than a cloistered nun about the corrupting effect of money in politics. I believe in the separation of powers, a press free to report without fear or favor, and free to infuriate politicians – including me- as they do. Lastly I believe in principled compromises that move the country forward, goodwill toward Man and empirical facts.”

Seems to me like he summed up pretty well a philosophy that could appeal to many.

As one might expect as a career military man, McCain was deep into military affairs and spent quite a bit of time traveling to other countries so he could understand the threats they faced. When he traveled he always preferred to have a bi-partisan travel group so he could get to know better other members of Congress and their concerns. And he could later use those connections when he might be working on legislation.

He and Kennedy worked for years on immigration reform. Being one of the senators from Arizona he was well aware of border issues. He preferred a fence to a wall, many more border guards, better funding for the system that determines who qualifies for asylum and better facilities for those who are detained. They got the bill through the Senate but it went nowhere in the House.

That caused McCain to seek a return to “regular order” where bills would go to committee where both parties would give input, then, when the committee had done its work, legislation would go the floor of the House or Senate for more debate discussion, amendments and possible passage.

The current system is controlled by the Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House. Very little gets to the floor without their OK. And passage votes are lined up in advance.

In spite of his years as a POW in Vietnam, McCain considered himself a lucky man, even after his terminal cancer diagnosis. The final lines in his book:

“I hope those who mourn my passing, even those who don’t, will celebrate as I celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world. And I wish all of you great adventures, good company and lives lucky as mine.”