‘Progressive’ Praise for McCain Shows Limits of ‘Acceptable’ Conservatism

“Dear friends” celebrate their interpretation of the Constitution with awards — meaning anyone to the right of this alliance can be labeled an “extremist.” (John McCain/Facebook)

USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” Mark Antony declares in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Those familiar with the play understand the subtlety of the oratory and its hidden political purposes. There are political parallels now that Republican Sen. John McCain has passed, with Democrats signaling their admiration for the man.

I’m not going to speak ill of the dead. McCain’s record in life was clear and my differences with him – and there were many — were expressed then. It’s more productive for the purpose of defending against some of those differences to look at what his ostensible political opponents, his friends across the aisle and in the media, are saying about him now.

Barack Obama recalled a “shared… fidelity to something higher.” Joe Lieberman “lost a dear friend.” Joe Biden “will miss him dearly.” Bill and Hillary Clinton noted “He frequently put partisanship aside to do what he thought was best for the country, and was never afraid to break the mold if it was the right thing to do.”

The New York Times called him “a last lion of the Senate,” a title previously bestowed on the death of another McCain friend, Sen. Edward Kennedy. Similar tributes appear in all the major papers.

MSNBC remembered “the ‘maverick of the senate,’” compiling recollections from, among others, “Rev.” Al Sharpton and “conservative” radio host Hugh Hewitt. As with the newspapers, all the major networks have similar fond memories with similar controlled opposition.

That’s just normal, though, right?  At times like these, people put aside their differences; they do the right thing, the polite thing and try to find something good to say?

If you believe that, you believe the sympathizers are essentially benign and objective, as opposed to opportunists bent on manipulating public perceptions in order to advance an agenda. Who thinks those delivering the “heartfelt” eulogies would not find all kinds of critical remembrances if the politician being memorialized were President Donald Trump? Who thinks some wouldn’t be “In your FACE!” about it?

What they say and do for public consumption is about power.

This is the lesson Republicans continue to not learn—every time they make a concession and surrender a point on guns, what happens? It’s never enough, and the citizen disarmament zealots are back demanding more—and painting anyone who stands in their way as an uncompromising extremist.

They won’t appreciate you for “compromising.” They’ll take it and continue on their quest to have it all, and to apply the politics of personal destruction against anyone who stands in their way.

Case in point, let’s look at how “actress and activist” Hayden Panettiere regarded John McCain in a (NSFW) “Funny or Die” video (one that looks like attempts have been made to scrub it from the internet, but is still posted – for now — on a Brazilian site).

The underlying message: McCain was too conservative, too unethical and too dangerous, in fact, the political equivalent of a carcinogen.

If that’s what they’d say about a man many of us considered unacceptably “moderate,” what must they want followers to think about those of us that are more hard line and less willing to cede any ground?

We know.  We’re extremists and haters. Just ask the Southern Poverty Law Center. And because “hate speech isn’t free speech,” not only will the dominant DSM ignore us, we’ll be increasingly locked out of social media platforms.

For now, those praising Caesar to advance their own ends are extolling his virtues for reasons beyond good manners. Look for them to hold those up as the ultimate edge of acceptable political discourse, where anyone outside those calculated boundaries can be branded an “anti-government” radical, a clear and present danger, and ultimately, an “enemy of the Republic.”


About David Codrea:David Codrea

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.

In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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beau

i read recently that some people make others happy by showing up, others make people happy by leaving. mccain, small letter intended, is, for me, of the latter variety. like smelly garbage, it is good he is gone. good riddance.

Joe

The main portions of obe the one care for insurance companies (justice Robert’s tax out of wholecloth) was mostly written by the husband of a congressgenderthing from Illinois who was in prison for financial fraud. This was the commies det dream of taking over and nationalizing yet another portion of the country. Obe the one went after food, energy, healthcare, housing, the vehicle industry by buying Chrysler for 56 billion and selling it for 550 million to his buddies at fiat,. He took over GM and gave it to his buddies at the union, forsaking all contract law and threatening… Read more »

Ronald Nuxon

Claims that McCain was responsible, fully or partly, for the tragic Forrestal fire and was protected because he was son
of an admiral is ridiculous. If McCain had been in any way responsible, no relation or connection would saved him from
facing up to the consequences, court martial or otherwise. If there had been any truth to the allegations, he would have
been stopped early in his political career.

Lord-Pi-314

@Ronald…And I suppose all the “Conspiracy Theories” about the USS Liberty are all hogwash too ? And how about McNamarra on video saying that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened. And the photos of the craters below the WTC basements, they are pure baloney, too, right ? McCain was a self serving weasel from the day he was born, spoiled rotten by his admiral ancestors and led by the nose by his Zio-Nazi Mafioso in laws. Get over your cognitive dissonance, and see a shrink for a reality test. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he wrote the… Read more »

Bill Roe

Thank you for bringing up the name McNamarra. The author of the Domino theory of all of Asia. I reached out to McCain for help to bring attention to women employees working for the VA. After many unreturned phone calls, emails, and letters , he was unconcerned about these poor Women being Abused everyday in their work place. To me, this speaks volumes about anyone. I have reached out to several independent journalist who have also refused to help. These women are still living in their own words, ” A living HELL” every day. They have knowledge of the “DEATH… Read more »

Bill Mullins

I think McCain’s nickname among other residents of the Hanoi Hilton pretty much says all we need to know about the (now “late”) Senator from Arizona. IMS, the other POWs named hm “songbird”. And I doubt it was a reference to his singing voice.

TheHolyCrow

@Bill…He had another nickname before he became the Songbird. They called him “WetStart McCain” because of a little joke he played on one of his pilot buddies that went terribly wrong, killing 130, many injured, many jets destroyed, and almost sank the Forrestal Aircraft Carrier. Because his daddy and granddaddy were admirals, he was swiftly evacuated off the ship before the surviving crew got their hands on him. And boy, did they want to get their hands on him !!!

Country Boy

QOUTE: “Look for them to hold those up as the ultimate edge of acceptable political discourse, where anyone outside those calculated boundaries can be branded an “anti-government” radical, a clear and present danger, and ultimately, an “enemy of the Republic.” ”

So be it. Looks like we’re in for “a fight to the death” for our country… again.

MMinLamesa

Glad to see conservative in quotes describing Hugh Hewiitt. Talk about a swamp creature, he makes me sick. Started as a neverTrump and when he saw which way things were going, did a 180. There’s your POS for you.

As for McCain, I remember when he ran for the nomination, how REgressives fawned all over him. Then the day after he nailed it, The NYT had a front page article accusing him of infidelity. The same people that are praising him now are doing so because he ratted out Republicans constantly.

Joe

There is also s great video of fellow senator Bob smith and I think b1 bob as well on McCain and Kerry covering up the POWs mias for the cia. I have no link, sorry

warhorse

Bob Smith from NH was one of the good ones. then they started letting the out-of-state college students vote in NH like they were residents and he couldn’t win. still a big problem, but the current governor fixed it with legislation that doesn’t take effect until 2019. so..not this time..but next……

Joe

Sorry for cyndy and meghan for there loss. But good bye to a pos lying traitorous bastard. Have fun with your best friend teddy Kennedy in hell.good riddance to a guy that helped his chief of staff become a billionaire by writing and profiting from the va choice program, I have called the ig on the strip mall HMO drs too numerous to count. They have a reported reimbursement rate 30percent lower than Medicare but they are subcontractors so we can only say what drs say, even while drunk lying on reports. This money was stripped from the va so… Read more »

Alex

Well said my friend ,you took the words right out of my mouth

James Higginbotham

WELL SAID.
AND RIGHT ON.

Country Boy

Good Bye “Judas” McCain. Now, let’s hope some more RINOs bite the dust very soon……..Hip Hip Hooray.

Ray Miller

Of coarse the left loves McCain, they could count on his support on most of their bills. He attacked Republicans and stopped many bills they proposed for spite. He was a spitefully, small person, and I don’t mean his stature, but his character. We can thank God that he never got in the Oval Office, I believe he would have been as horrendous as Hillary.

tomcat

I don’t like to belittle a man after he is laid to rest, however,he had his fingers in the dossier and he was the deciding vote
not to scuttle obamacare.

macko

And he was in it up to his eyeballs using the IRS to stifle conservative groups

Bill Roe

Exactly! This albatross is still wasting billions of dollars. If I recall the challenge was to help 30 to 40 million Americans with out any insurance. The Democrats composed a 2000 page horror movie that they wrote behind closed doors without bipartisan interference.
And the nail in the coffin to the entire health care industry, infamously famous words that will live in the anus of minds forever! Sign the bill then we will read it!!!! Both sides signed it, it hangs like noose on both sides of political corruption.

Notalima

“He frequently put partisanship aside to do what he thought was best for the country, and was never afraid to break the mold if it was the right thing to do.”

You mean, as long as he did what YOU wanted. Anything that wasn’t was partisan, reckless, and not good for the people.

The Senator does not get a free pass for his later actions.

Joseph P Martin

Now, finally, he’s a good politician and he’s finally shut up. If you are a sorry SOB when you are alive, dying doesn’t change you; you’ll always and forever be an SOB. Good riddance.

Boz

Amen Brother Patriot!

Manfred

This has got to be the most rambling and stupid article ever written. David, I have read most of your articles. Get to the point–do you praise or hate Senator McCain?

Heck the man is not even buried yet?

I guess that it is true that “civilian will talk nice to your face, and then stab you in the back. “While those of us that served will talk sh!t to your face, but we WILL protect your back.”

Douglas Kuykendall

Don’t think his point was him liking or not.Maybe I’m wrong,but I think the point is the democrats saying all kinds of good things about him now,when he was living he was a piece of shit to them.Just showing their true colors.Me myself if I didn’t like you when you’re living. I damn sure am not going to say good things about you when you’re dead.As far as he goes to me,didn’t like him.He should have retired last year or sooner as far as that goes.Just like Bob Bird of WV,he was in there way to long.

Wild Bill

Not so fast Manfred, McCain’s “service” included nearly sinking his own aircraft carrier, destroying most of the aircraft aboard and killing 130 of his fellow sailors. Now, he gets to slap Annapolis in the face by being buried there. It was recommended that he not be a pilot due to his poor flying skills, but due to being the son and grand son of admirals, McCain was a big noise in the navy. So he got to be a pilot anyway. This, in turn, led to the error on the Forrestal. McCain was toxic and should have been discharged. Later… Read more »

Ray Miller

Amen, Brother

Ron

Sorry Bill but your grasp of that particular historical event is sorely lacking in facts. The Zuni rocket that was fired on-board the Forrestall did not come from his aircraft, it came from an F-4B, not an A-4 (McCains aircraft type), and it was the result of a poor ground during circuit testing, not an accidental pull of the trigger. Fact is that then Lt McCain saved several of his shipmates while trying to get away from the fire caused by a maintenance error. You can read the actual incident report, its available online. The Navy was pretty brutal in… Read more »

Wild Bill

@Grig, I saw other Forrestall pilots testify. What you have written comes straight from Wikipedia.

TheHolyCrow

The story I heard was he had just landed and another pilot pulled up behind him. That was when McCain jokingly did his wet start which cooked off a bomb on the plane behind him. The ensuing fire and mayhem is history. Because he was the Admirals son, he was evacuated off the Forrestral before he was hunted down and strung up.

Grim

While I did not agree with everything McCain said or did, he put himself out there in war and peace, which is more than any of us on this website have done.
Couch commandos are the worst trolls.

James Higginbotham

WRONG.
some of us were in Vietnam also pard.
Marine Corps for me.
65/66 68/69

Grim

“You can always tell a Marine. You just can’t tell him much.” I stated two qualifications, Pard.
“68

Trumped

When you say “those who served” – are you referencing the POWs McCain helped cover up and keep classified so the public was not aware that Vietnam still had hundreds of Americans alive into the 80s?

Vernon E Kuhns

McCain’s political strategy was compromise, except it was more often with the left than the right. How does that make him a Maverick??

https://dianawest.net/Home/tabid/36/EntryId/3774/Why-So-Many-Americans-Loathed-John-McCain.aspx

Green Mtn. Boy

When one is best eulogized by the left and one is of a supposed conservative party,just how conservative does that make that one.

Thanks for your service and well bye.

Missouri Born

One less RINO in the swamp.

Country Boy

And let’s hope some morer RINOs bite the dust very soon……..Hip Hip Hooray.

Geary Mcdevitt

Thank you for your service, John McCain.
The first thing that comes to mind is bitter. like he was trying to punish the GOP for some reason. Republicans like John are the reason the left will prevail.

m.

mcstain provided excellent service to the pelosi-party

Wild Bill

@m. McStain provided excellent service to the armed forces of the Peoples Rebublic of North Vietnam, too. He did more damage to his own aircraft carrier and killed more US sailors than all of the armed forces of North Vietnam during the entire war.

Wild Bill

@Geary Mcdevitt, Have you forgotten or did you not know that McCain’s navy service included nearly sinking the Forrestal, his home aircraft carrier, destroying the aircraft on it, and killing 130 sailors aboard it? And that is the service that you are thanking him for?

SenorT

Who needs Russian trolls when you have American armchair conspiracy commandos. I always wonder if you’re mostly retirees with too much time or just young and suggestible.

Since we’re quoting Caesar:

“You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason….”

Wild Bill

@ST, you should value those who were alive to witness what is now history, and tell you the truth of it . As to conspiracy, to what are you referring? “Though we lay these honors on this man, he shall wear them as a jack ass wears gold.”… as long as we are quoting.

Mike

Hypocrite thy name is democrat. Do democrats not remember mccain’s Presidential run? Liberal’s sang his praises , msm loved him, he was the savior of the Republican Party,. As soon as he won the nomination, he was Satan incarnate, and now they line up to bestow his virtue. Democrats make me sick

Herb T

A lot of people that came in contact with McCain said he was an a-hole before, during and after Vietnam. The only thing that has changed is that he is now dead. Honesty over political BS.

Trumped

Excellent points about McCain. For those interested in just why exactly the media and almost all politicians in both parties praised McCain, check out the following article on McCain helping cover up the Vietnam POWs. It was written by the same Pulitzer winning author who wrote “The Killing Fields” about the Cambodian massacre. Yet for some reason, none of the mainstream DC approved press would touch this article. Only Ron Unz did when he was still the publisher of the American conservative. It is rather devastating to the McCain narrative, and it helps explain why the press and deep state… Read more »