Why Is John McCain the Only Obamacare Hero?

What about Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski?

Andrew Endymion
Jul 28, 2017 · 5 min read
John McCain went maverick, but only after two other women did.

Senator John McCain fought back against the diagnosis of an aggressive brain tumor and the Republican Party leadership to sink the party’s latest effort to repeal Obamacare.

Headline after headline trumpeted McCain’s courage in the face of the Grand Old Party’s wickedness.

CNN took you inside “John McCain’s maverick moment.” The Washington Post swung for the fences with “The night John McCain killed the GOP’s health-care fight.” The New York Times dialed down the hyperbole to about a 9.5 in “McCain Provides Dramatic Finale: Thumb Down.” Outlet after outlet, site after site, it was all John McCain, all the time.

If you only read the headlines, you might be forgiven for thinking McCain stood by his lonesome against the GOP’s most recent salvo in its pet project to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Except the decisive vote was 51–49 and there are only 46 Democrats plus two Independents currently in the Senate, which means three Republicans voted against repeal.

Susan Collins from Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska are both Republicans and both voted against the biggest bullet point on President Donald Trump’s agenda. They deserve just as much celebration.

What’s more, a deeper dive into the situation shows the votes by Collins and Murkowski were far more courageous and commendable than that of Sarah Palin’s old running mate.

McCain was very clear that he supported repealing and replacing Obamacare, but he just didn’t like how Republican leadership was handling the process. He called it too partisan, too “tribal” and preached about a return to the good ol’ days when the parties worked together to legislate. All of which was accurate and fair criticism, but overlooked his own leading role in the partisan gridlock. A quick scan of his voting record, especially on health care, reveals the decorated Vietnam veteran has been a maverick in name only.

By comparison, Collins and Murkowski have both mentioned the hyper-partisan nature of the process as well, but they’ve also gone further. Collins singled out bipartisan discontent expressed by our nation’s governors over the repeal’s effect on premiums in addition to defunding of Planned Parenthood. In past comments, Murkowski has identified concerns over healthcare for impoverished Alaskans as one of her primary objections to the efforts. Furthermore, a scan of Collins’ and Murkowski’s voting records on health care show a (slightly) more principled commitment to safeguarding the sanctity of healthcare.

Finally, there’s the issue of consequences.

Collins and Murkowski are already facing ferocious backlash while McCain has received a hero’s welcome and all the headlines.

Chuck Schumer even had to fight back tears on the Senate floor when he referenced McCain and his plea for a less partisan Senate. He eventually got around to name-checking the two women—after heaping more saccharine praise on his bestie—but it looked and sounded suspiciously like pandering.

Schumer loves McCain like he loves cameras.

None of the three dissenters faces a bid for re-election in the 2018 midterms, but Collins is up in 2020 and Murkowski faces the gauntlet in 2022. Predicting the political climate three and five years out is a fool’s errand because so much can happen between now and then. That said and given the pace at which Washington DC is moving these days, it’s highly probable that these votes will still have strong resonance down the road. Unless they change their tunes in the interim, you can bet this will be held against Murkowski and certainly against Collins.

McCain also goes up for re-election in 2022, but he turns 81 years old in August and has a brutal fight ahead of him as he undergoes treatment for the aforementioned aggressive brain tumor. Ask anyone who’s been around a loved one with an aggressive form of cancer and she or he will tell you the odds aren’t terrific. They fall even lower when the patient is an octogenarian suffering from a brain tumor.

Even if the former presidential candidate can stave off aggressive brain cancer for six years, he’ll be 87 and still seriously ill. Regardless of what happens and as tough as he is, it’s highly probable McCain’s not going to be running for re-election in 2022. That’s not to say I’m rooting against him and his serious flaws; I’m just being pragmatic.

All of this means that, by any measure, Collins’ and Murkowski’s votes were just as important and carried far more risk. Yet the two women have been relegated to footnotes by the ailing Senator from Arizona.

The obvious question is: Why?

The obvious answer is: Because McCain placed the final vote, did a little grandstanding on the way, is the much bigger political celebrity, has the better narrative and his vote was more of a surprise. I’m sure that’s what the media outlets and Chuck Schumer would tell you, and it’s a totally fair, logical explanation.

Of course, the obvious answers to lots of questions dealing with disparate treatment of men and women in 21st century America are mundane and less sinister than “America is sexist and misogynistic.”

Collins and Murkowski aren’t getting the same credit as McCain because it’s easier and more sensational to champion McCain. Robin Wright isn’t getting paid as much as Kevin Spacey because Spacey is the bigger celebrity and more accomplished actor, having won two Academy Awards. John McEnroe didn’t say Serena Williams was the greatest tennis player in the world because the best male athletes are typically faster and stronger than the best female athletes. Hillary Clinton isn’t President of the United States right now because she was a terrible candidate who ran an awful campaign in the midst of a pseudo-populist uprising.

It’s not sexism; it’s common sense. Yet common sense rarely wins out.

Consequently, it’s ironic that we have two women being relegated to minor players—despite circumstances that suggest they are the real heroes—in favor of a crusty, old white guy with nary a mention of sexism or misogyny. The irony gets thicker when you consider much of the loudest cheering for McCain at the expense of Collins and Murkowski comes from the very same people and media outlets who regularly trade in flimsy accusations of sexism and misogyny.

If prejudice against women was a major factor in those previous stories despite simple explanations to the contrary, why isn’t a big part of this one?

None of the above should be taken as an argument that the modern United States is a post-sexist, post-misogynistic society. It should go without saying that many parts of the country still have serious issues with both. Silicon Valley and corporate America, in general, have considerable work to do to meaningfully confront an embarrassing, knuckle-dragging mentality. And they are not alone.

Nevertheless, the inconsistencies highlighted by the reaction to the votes of Collins, Murkowski and McCain should make you wonder what the real agenda is.

Andrew Endymion

Written by

Leans to the left, but sees reason on both sides if you get beyond the leadership. Hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty are my pet peeves.

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