Cindy McCain makes the jump her husband flirted with in 2001
Before his rivalry with President Trump — and even before his loss to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election — there was a time when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was seen as such a "maverick" that it seemed conceivable he might jump to the Democrats. He met secretly with Senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) in 2001 to plot the move. "He was furious over the way the party establishment had treated him in the 2000 race for the Republican presidential nomination against the eventually victorious George W. Bush," Philip Shenon reported in 2017. "We came very close," Daschle said.
McCain probably never would've been a good fit with Democrats — his "Bomb, bomb Iran" hawkishness would've been anathema to a party base that had turned decidedly anti-war by 2004. But he nearly chose Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) as his running mate when he won the Republican nomination in 2008. (Whatever you think of Lieberman, the choice would've spared America from the proto-Trumpism of Sarah Palin.) And his final great act on the public stage was to cast the deciding vote to save ObamaCare from a Republican repeal bill in 2017.
Given that legacy — and given the clear disdain President Trump and Sen. McCain had for each other — it was no surprise Tuesday when Cindy McCain honored her late husband's legacy by participating in a Democratic National Convention video about the two men's friendship.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"They would just sit and joke," she said of the relationship between the two men. "It was like a comedy show, sometimes, to watch the two of them."
It wasn't an endorsement. But it wasn't not an endorsement, either. Instead, Cindy McCain's video offered more reassurance to any wavering Republican voters out there that it is okay to vote for Biden. It has been two years since John McCain died. Thanks to his wife, he remains a thorn in President Trump's side.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Olympics 2024: is Paris ready to party?
Talking Point Build-up to this summer's Games 'marred' by rows over national identity, security and pollution
By The Week UK Published
-
Solo travel: the 'ultimate indulgence in 2024'
The Week Recommends Why more of us are choosing to go on holiday on our own
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Stormy Monday for Don'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The irrelevance of the United Nations
Talking Point
By Samuel Goldman Published
-
Kick Russia off the U.N. Security Council!
Talking Point
By David Faris Published
-
The dangerous vigilantism that fueled Jan. 6
Talking Point
By Damon Linker Published
-
What the CCP and CRT critics have in common
Talking Point
By Joel Mathis Published
-
The real reason the Pentagon is sounding the alarm over China's hypersonic missile
Talking Point
By Ryan Cooper Published
-
China's ominous incursions over Taiwan
Talking Point
By Damon Linker Published
-
Is Bibi-ism possible without Bibi?
Talking Point
By Noah Millman Published
-
The Derek Chauvin solitary confinement predicament
feature
By Bonnie Kristian Published