John McCain | What His Presence Meant To Minorities

Repost: I’ve been thinking for a few days how I would write about this American hero. I didn’t want to take it lightly and quickly blog. The news about his passing really through me for a loop. We not only lost an American Hero, we lost a huge advocate for the greater good. His loyalty was to a people and to a nation, not to a party.

In doing this research, I did find that this American hero is left handed! This was the icing on the cake. Researching John McCain and just remembering his past services and deeds made me emotional. Here’s a lefty shot:

McCain spoke to everyone like a human being and never gave me the impression that he felt he was above anyone. I strongly felt his presence, voice and authority when he spoke. I am not a Democrat, Republican or Independent. I am one of those American citizens who’s not defined. I am not that American citizen who supports candidates or politicians simply because he/she is a member of a particular party. Although, most of my environment is Democratic. I want to hear what you have to say, not who you’re affiliated with.

Political parties, in my opinion, remind me of high school cliques. Merriam Webster defines cliques as a “narrow exclusive circle or group of persons; especially : one held together by common interests, views, or purposes.” So, if you have 100 people in a clique, that’s just one voice! I’m not sure if that’s hitting home, but that’s scary to me. Clique membership or involvement eradicates individuality. In this example, you have 100 separate people transforming into one ideal. And most of the time, this one ideal is only the opinion of a few members of the clique,not the whole group. Typical consequences of going against a clique are often backlash, ridicule and even being released from the group.

What John McCain’s presence in the White House meant to minority groups? First of all, these are my thoughts and I did not poll. These opinions are mine and stem from conversations within my immediate community. I am as minority as minority can get. I am an African American Female blogger in Alabama, non party affiliated who actively supports tight minority groups such as assisting with our homeless issues, being a voice for the left handed community and supporting our elderly community. None of these things remotely says majority.

As a minority, one of our best interests is to have someone who goes against the majority when necessary, who recognizes their strengths and weaknesses and fills any and all weak gaps with power and fortitude. Someone who understands the importance of diversity. Different backgrounds equal different life experiences and different perceptions. This is very important as America is not a melting pot. I view it as more of a salad. Every ingredient in a salad is its own entity, although the flavors do mix, each ingredient is still recognizable. Each individual ingredient is necessary to create the perfect salad. Lettuce cannot be salad alone. Lettuce needs the additional ingredients to be a salad. A Senator cannot be Senator alone, he/she needs an effective team. A Mayor cannot be Mayor alone, he/she needs an effective team. A President cannot be President alone, he/she needs an effective team. McCain understood this as he often voiced his weaknesses and filled those gaps with a power team.

As a minority citizen, having “Yes Men” or “Yes Women” in leadership roles is against our best interest. Per CNBC, 70% of Americans consider themselves middle class, but only 50% actually are. Either percentage is relatively high which ultimately makes middle class a majority. What about the other 30–50%. The other 30–50% fall into either poor or rich. Knowing these numbers would logically and mathematically lead a politician to campaign and please the majority group. But McCain often went against the grain and what was popular. He stood for what he believed was right and I respected him for that. Even if I didn’t like the decision or someone else didn’t like his decision or his party didn’t like his decision, it was still his decision and he stood his ground. Minority groups need that. We need someone who is willing to stand up for what is right or for what you truly believe no matter what the consequences are.

A few examples of John McCain going for what he believed was right was the health care vote he cast in 2017. Also, when Obama was running for President, he defended Obama on the campaign trail in 2008, when he shut down a birther who raised doubts about Obama’s birthplace and religion. That (more than likely) cost him votes, but he stood up for what was right.

Per ABC7 News, On August 27th, President Donald Trump says he respects the senator’s “service to our country” and has signed a proclamation to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until his burial.

And here’s a shot of the American Flag lowered in Helena, Alabama. I salute you Senator John McCain…I salute you! May you Rest in Peace and may your family find tranquility and comfort during this ordeal.

Here’s a brief snippet of John McCain’s biography per Wikipedia:

“John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 — August 25, 2018) was an American statesman,[1] politician and war hero who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death. He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives and was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather — both four-star admirals — into the United States Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. He experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, the last time in 2016.

While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain also had a media reputation as a “maverick” for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues. After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the Keating Five, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually resulted in passage of the McCain–Feingold Act in 2002. He was also known for his work in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and for his belief that the Iraq War should have been fought to a successful conclusion. He chaired the Senate Commerce Committee and opposed pork barrel spending. He belonged to the bipartisan “Gang of 14” which played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations.”