Sen. John McCain of Arizona joined 50 fellow Republicans on Friday night in voting yes on a Senate bill that slashes taxes on corporations and billionaires, while enacting the largest tax increase in history on many poorer Americans.
That McCain supports such policies is no surprise, given his ideological history. However, his vote is shocking nonetheless in its flagrant violation of all the values McCain claimed to hold just a few months ago.
Senators received the tax bill hours before voting, in an unsearchable version so new that it had handwritten changes. Members learned of possible amendments from lobbyists. There were no regular committee hearings or any attempts whatsoever to involve Democrats.
There may be no historical precedent for jamming through a bill of such significance in this manner – except the chamber’s efforts this past July and September to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But in those instances, McCain loudly proclaimed he could not vote for those bills because of his devotion to regular order in the Senate.
McCain returned to Washington in late July soon after being operated on for brain cancer in order to vote on the first GOP health care bill and delivered a dramatic speech that CNN called “a Washington moment for the ages.”
“As I stand here today,” McCain declared, “I have a refreshed appreciation for the protocols and customs of this body.”
It was wrong, he said, to force through “social and economic change” that was “massive” without any support from across the aisle. Republicans were trying to do this “by coming up with a proposal behind closed doors in consultation with the administration, then springing it on skeptical members.”
So, McCain said, “Let’s return to regular order … the old way of legislating in the Senate, the way our rules and customs encourage us to act.” The Senate’s traditions were “deliberately intended to require broad cooperation to function well at all.”
He then concluded with a stirring paean to slow, deliberative lawmaking, asking, “What greater cause could we hope to serve than helping keep America the strong, aspiring, inspirational beacon of liberty and defender of the dignity of all human beings and their right to freedom and equal justice?”
To McCain’s credit, he then did vote against the Republican health care bill shortly afterward. And his announcement in September that he would not support another GOP run at the American Care Act led to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shelving the issue indefinitely.
In the interim, McCain took the time to again express his dedication to Senate traditions and bipartisan compromise in a Washington Post op-ed.
“We seem convinced that majorities exist to impose their will with few concessions,” he wrote. But this was dangerous: “We might not like the compromises regular order requires, but we can and must live with them if we are to find real and lasting solutions. And all of us in Congress have the duty, in this sharply polarized atmosphere, to defend the necessity of compromise before the American public.”
In particular, McCain said, “Let’s try it on tax reform.” This would “prove the value of the United States Congress to the great nation we serve.”
McCain clearly now feels some sensitivity about his shameless about-face. “I have called for a return to regular order,” he weakly explained in a statement about his support for the tax bill, “and I am pleased that this important bill was considered through the normal legislative processes, with several hearings and a thorough mark-up in the Senate Finance Committee during which more than 350 amendments were filed and 69 received a vote.”
For anyone who understands Senate procedure, this is meaningless. “Citing filed amendments is deeply cynical and shows that he doesn’t really care about regular order,” says Adam Jentleson, former deputy chief of staff for Nevada Democrat and one-time Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “He just used it because it’s a big number, and he thinks no one will call him on it. … It could be a million amendments filed but that doesn’t mean any of them received real consideration.”
And it’s simple even for non-experts to judge McCain’s sincerity. The Senate Finance Committee debated the bill for a mere four days and passed it on a party line 14-12 vote. By comparison, the same committee conducted 33 days of hearings on the comparable Tax Reform Act of 1986 — in 1985, a year before the vote — followed by a subsequent month of drafting meetings. Eventually, the bill was unanimously approved by the Finance Committee and subsequently passed the entire Senate in mid-1986 by a vote of 97-3 after three weeks of floor debate.
It’s impossible to know McCain’s true motives, of course, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the tax bill does differ from the attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act in one key aspect: It directly benefits McCain and his family in obvious ways. His wife Cindy McCain’s estimated $100 million fortune is largely based in her ownership of liquor distributor Hensley Beverage, which would gain from the bill’s cut to alcohol taxes. It also will allow the McCain children to inherit $22 million tax-free, doubled from the $11 million exemption under current law.
It’s NOT “IMPOSSIBLE to know McCain’s motives! Like other blatantly greed driven, self serving Republican Congressional members HE PERSONALLY BENEFITS FINANCIALLY and I mean “BIGLEY!” “Believe ME!”
Congress, along with this illegitimate Administration has become an AntiAmerican criminal conspiracy that flagrantly disregards the wellbeing of ordinary Americans and this country.
My Best.
“So-What-Do-You-Really-Think Sally.
I don’t understand why folks are surprised. McCain has always sided with the conservative thoughts regarding domestic issues,and with the fearful ones regarding foreign policy and military involvement. People read too much into his comments regarding trump.
Walgreens sells tissues. Boxes of them.
Walgreens sells Depends too. Maybe you should buy some.
I glad some else noted where John McCain’s money comes from. He’s just another hypocritical multimillionaire in a family of crooks.
It also an interesting fact Cindy McCain’s father Jim Hensley and his brother were convicted in 1948 of federal multiple crimes of falsifying liquor sales records and concealing illegal whiskey sales as employees of Kemper Marley. In 1953 federal persecutors charged Hensley again of falsifying records but was acquitted, his lawyer was William Rehnquist future Supreme court justice and Chief Justice.
As a convicted felon Jim Hensley was some how able to get a state liquor license and start his own liquor distributorship and also buy a horse race track while concealing a partner who was banned from track ownership due to illegal bookmaking activities.
In fact there are allegations that through Jim Hensley and Kemper Marley their are ties to organized crime.
John McCain also was one of the Keating Five, he as a personal friend of Charles Keating intervened in the investigation of Lincoln savings and when it collapsed it cost the Tax payers $3 billion dollars to bail the bank out.
I wold say mentioning the word Honor about John McCain leads you deep into irony territory.
There is lots of interesting stuff on Jokers like Barry Goldwater Kemper Marley, Charles Keating, Bugsy Siegal Gus Greenbaum, Peter Licavoli and Mo Dalitz.
McCain is no different than the rest of them. In the end, self-interest wins out. But in his case circumstances command a different sense of urgency. Decorum be damned.
Remember the DNC has stated, “DNC argues in court: We don’t owe anyone a fair primary process.
Democrats need to stop there Super Delegate process in the primaries which makes the average voter votes only count 66%.
Blaming Republicans does not fix the rigged Democratic Primaries. The last election proved it. Blaming Trump will not win election, only unity and new leadership in the Party will.
“There may be no historical precedent for jamming through a bill of such significance in this manner”
Seriously? Ever hear of the -we must pass it (jam it through) to know what’s in it- ACA?? You must because you mentioned it’s attempted repeal in the next sentence.
If you think the ACA was jammed through, you must have been in either a comma or another planet at the time. The plan was discussed openly for over a year and it was voted on more times than any other bill in history. Repeating a lie doesn’t make it tru.
Carl, Is your memory really that short or are you bfolloowing Faux News again?
McShame is a LIAR plain and SImple!! He voted NO on the repeal of Obamacare because he cared that 13 million people would lose their coverage with Obamacare. Now he votes to destroy those same people by voting YES on the TAX SCAM!! When all is said and done on McShame’s tombstone it will read “I PULLED THE WOOL OVER EVERYONE’S EYES AND THE Y BELIEVED ME”…..
He voted ‘No’ on the ACA repeal only to spite Trump.
How do you explain his “SUPPORT” for Trump with his vote on the tax scam?? Pretty obvious to me, he’s always been a MAVEPRICK!!!
Careful, you’re dissing one of the great new liberal heroes here. The nation’s conscience, second perhaps only to Dubya or David Frum.
Yes, the liberal heroes. So clueless, I can barely take it.
I won’t be voting DemocRAT again. They stole my Bernie donations, and then expected me to vote for their sociopath. I admit to writing to Gramps McCain way back when he was pushing campaign finance reform with Feingold to praise him.
He’s as erratic as Trump.
You are a massive idiot if you’re not going to vote for Democrat. You’re going to vote Republican after this fiasco? If you say Independent, you are an even bigger moron. Listen: you have 2 options: vote Democrat or allow the Republicans to win, period. There is no “third option”. It’s a vote lost and it’s valueless in the end. Vote with your conscience all you want, but just realize what a massive idiot in the end you are. You’re not going to change a thing in the world by doing so, just handing the Republicants another victory to screw you over some more.
Can just picture it now, McConnell on his knees (not for praying), begging McCain for the vote. Then after McCain voted for the Theft Tax Bill, standing and giving him a hardy hug for rejoining the Good Ole Boys Club he so proudly serves. McCain’s vote puts him a step below the respect level of even Trump. So much for the thought of his not selling out his country in Hanoi! Pfft
Perhaps McCain worried that no Republicans would attend his funeral if he voted Nay.
Tangentially, Rubio clearly plans to run for POTUS again, because after his vote and remarks about killing social security benefits to pay for the “tax cuts” – he is not likely to be re-elected in Florida.
Money was the top & bottom line. Nothing more, nothing less.. He has families that is rich and will benefit like all the others rich ones. so why not.. I am disappointed in HIS vote, I had such high hopes…
I’d like to see a similar piece on another hypocrite: Jeff Flake. He almost tore his clothings condemning his fellow GOPers for not standing up to Trump, and yet… he voted in favor of the grotesque tax bill… Worse, much worse than Trump, is the 99% of the GOPers.
LOL.
john mccain… USS LIBERTY DENIER.
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And we only show the comments we like
Heil Hitler
I can only wish they’d taken his legs off and at least one eye just like they did my friends and then turn their backs on their fellow soldiers were sick and suffering from the wars you voted on in the lack of medical treatment that you voted against you’re a just a scumbag you wouldn’t make a pimple on my friends ass
What are you going to do John buy another house are you going to find some veterans you can support because they’re sick and suffering from your War are you just go around telling people how terrific you are when in all reality you’re just a piece of s***
Hey good people of Arizona. Please vote him in for another term. He truly is a treasure.
He’s dying of cancer, this is his last term.
Had to ensure Cindy was well taken care of when he is gone. The Merry Widow.
Sarcasm? God I hope.
Of course!
Clearly he believes money can come before honor. John McCain is a disgrace.
John McCain has proven to be low life hypocrite. He has brain cancer and can easily afford to pay for the most expensive cancer treatment he needs. When the tax cuts bill he voted for cuts back the Medicare and Social Security benefits Seniors depend on, how does he think we will be able to get the same treatments that he gets. Maverick my ass! I thought you said “Country before Party”.
I’ll be happy when he’s dead
I hope all these People who thought that Hillary was tyne worst of Two Evil get Fuck by a Horse dick on their Taxes
How/why is this a surprise? Hasn’t McCain already proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is nothing more than a hack? Oh, I know…the cancer thing makes him human is supposed to make us close our eyes to all the evil he’s pulled before that.
A republican that is a total hypocrite? Stop the presses everyone. This has to be the first time this has ever happened. If anyone is surprised that John McCain was all talk and no action. I got some ocean front property in Arizona I can sell you.
“…keep America the strong, aspiring inspirational beacon of liberty and defender of the dignity of ALL HUMAN BEINGS and their right to freedom and equal justice…”
I almost puked. Can we send this clown back to the NV?
I see that McCain and Lindsay have joined the Liars Club and jumped into the basket of deplorables next to Trump and his possibly Criminal Administration.
McCain along with Lindsay have joined the Liars Club and jumped into the basket of deplorables with Trump and his criminal like Administration
Well, here we can see the real difference between Republicans and Democrats – Republicans use every dirty trick in the book to do what their wealthy donors want, while relying on the dishonest reporting of Fox and Brietbart to get their ignorant base to go along with it.
Democrats, in contrast, when they controlled the White House, Senate and House, had a bigger dilemma – their base tends to be more diverse and informed, but their wealthy donors have basically the same agenda as Republican’s wealthy donors – and are often the same people, such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan and pharmaceutical corporations. So they dither about and make compromises and excuses while claiming to support their voting base’s values and agenda – what did Hillary Clinton call it, “a public vs. a private position”?
In the end, Democrats did very little when they were in control – certainly nothing like the Republicans did with this tax bill. On issues like climate, renewable energy, public education, healthcare, they just can’t get it together – and I bet they were secretly relieved when they lost control of Congress, as then they could blame their inaction on the Republicans.
Any way you look at it, this is more of a plutocracy than a democracy – a con game played against the American public for the benefit of multinational corporations and billionaires. Gross corruption and dishonesty is their stock in trade.
Silence from the Democrats except Pelosi calling for conyre’s head…. What is wrong with these idiots?? No better than the Republicans, we’re genuinely screwed.
Agreed!
“It’s impossible to know McCain’s true motives..”
He needs the extra cash to pay for what’s left of his brain.
“I like hero’s that don’t get captured”
Would that be “heroes” or “hero’s”? Funny how you can always tell the wingnuts by their spelling.
It’s like Chris Hedges was right when he suggested the Trump era is what you’d naturally expect of end stage capitalism. The economic elites would just loot as much as they can before the collapse.
EFF Chris Hedges and all the rest of his ilk. People like Chris Hedges, helped get the disaster in the oval office elected. I hope Chris Hedges burns in hell.
Huh, I didn’t know he had ilks. If he’s a deer himself, as well, he’s very smart for a quadruped. That cunning ruminant is the one who convinced me to vote for Trump. The impressive set of antlers are what sold me in the end. I should have known! What bipedal hominid would rail against the entire system, including its sham candidates from BOTH major parties. I guess, it was all an “elk and pony show”, after all… But what does EFF stand for?
I hate to say it, but Mirbeau was right.
With all due respect to ol Mirbeau ~ who’s only proscription for these troubling times, I can find, seems to be to remain “lucid” (?) ~ the anarchy ‘inherent in state sovereignty is already moving to a climax’ … and Mr. Trump’s campaign to #MAGA is leading the way!
I don’t care for anarchy. If you like anarchy, you’ll love Trump.
*although there is nothing wrong with ‘lucid’
“Anarchy” so-called, is a temporary or transitory condition. It’s a short period of flux that accompanies real or true “change.” While an established “order” or “institution of control” persists, no real change is possible. What is called “change” during the existence of an established status-quo, amounts to nothing more than a superficial rearrangement and relabeling of the subsystems or components that compose an institutional entity (i.e. collective, agency, organization, government, etc.) This superficial rearrangement is then labeled “change,” when it amounts to nothing more than a shuffling of institutional components. People accept the status-quo, no matter how bad, inequitable or corrupt it is because they fear true change which necessarily incorporates a period of temporary flux or “anarchy.”
They ALL lie, Jon, Republicans and Democrats alike, everyday. They HAVE TO because of the legal bribes they accept in the form of lobbyist bundled campaign contributions. With maybe one or two exceptions every member of Congress regularly dishonors their oath to defend the Constitution, both for their major contributors and in misguided efforts to protect empire’s war criminals.
Piss on ’em all and their evil empire of greed.
” ”
*found the space I dropped in “every day”