McCain

When I was in high school, and probably when everyone was in high school, there was a big fat reader that was used in English class. In it were dozens of short stories.

I have forgotten most of them, but a few stick in my head. One had a title close to the saying, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."  I tried to find it last night, but could not so maybe the title I've recalled is a little bit off, but I remember the essence of the story.

The essence was, what you do in life plants the seeds for what will happen later in life. Your actions will affect future developments even if those developments are unrelated to the prior action.

And that is, at least in part, what fueled what happened last night. The bad news last night was that I woke up at 1 am and had some trouble getting back to sleep. The good news was that I went to the computer at that hour and saw that the senate was voting on what has been called the skinny health care bill--a repeal of ObamaCare and a replacement with a thin health care bill that had been cobbled together.  I flipped on CNN and watched the drama live and its aftermath.

The vote was going to be close because all 48 Democrats were going to vote against it.  Support required 50 of the 52 Republican senators to vote for it.

I attempt, without much success, to separate the fact that I do not like the person Donald Trump from my assessment of how he performs as president.  It is not an easy separation because the character of a president is a component of what makes a president a good or bad one.  Also character influences behavioral decisions.  Still, I try to say to myself, "just because I don't like him, doesn't mean he might not be effective."

Well so far, Trump has solidified my sense that he is not a good person. His speech to the boy scouts was outrageous--just for an example.  Not accepting responsibility for failures of his administration is another.  The president reminds me of the fraternity guy who brags about how much money he has, but whenever you try to get a few bucks from him to pitch in for a keg, pats his pockets and says he must have left his wallet in his BMW.  Or the guy who walks out of the can where he has left a predictable odor, but yanks his thumb over his shoulder like an indifferent hitchhiker saying "Wasn't me." He's boastful and not the slightest bit willing to take responsibility.  Just don't like the guy.

What irks me most is how he speaks of other people.  During the campaign he referred to his Republican competitors--two sitting senators--as "those two morons".  President Obama was appropriately professional during the transition, yet since taking office Trump has gratuitously disparaged him.

Perhaps the most outrageous thing he has ever said, was when he was discussing Republican Senator John McCain.  When someone pointed out that McCain was a war hero, Trump commented that he is only a hero because he got caught.  Trump continued saying that he liked people who did not get caught.

So last night Trump needs 50 senators to vote in support of the skinny repeal and replace.  Murkowski from Alaska, and Collins from Maine, two Republicans, vote against it.  It comes down to McCain's vote.  The guy just had brain surgery. The guy has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  He comes back to Washington to vote.  And votes against Trump's repeal and replace.

Now maybe it was ideology, but maybe it was "Hey you sob, let me tell you what heroism is."