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John McCain Dies at 81
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McCain had some sins that his on-again-off-again resistance to Trump and party-line politics did not fully atone for. Once an actual maverick of the Republican party, he sold out, joined Bush's cabal, and gave Sarah Palin a national stage. In selling the McCain-Palin ticket with Karl Rove style politics, he furthered the divisiveness that helped give us Trump and the neo-Nazi Alt-Right.
But he was at least a conservative with a conscience, in an era of cultish loyalty to Trump. He was a man who spoke his mind. He was a man who would work across party lines. He was outspoken, a character, and a unique voice in politics.
Flawed though he was, his voice will be missed, and I am sad that he died seeing his country and his party in the state they are.
I expect the next day will be filled with Republicans who have been insulting McCain back-pedaling and praising him. Many Trump fans will cheer has death as they soullessly cheered his illness. And many liberals will deify, just him for being a conservative with a spine and some common decency. He doesn't deserve any of that. He deserves to be remembered for being the flawed and amazing man that he was. Rest in peace, John.