It turns out that John McCain’s most important service to American democracy was not rendered in a P.O.W. camp in Vietnam. It’s being rendered right now in the U.S. Senate. In the first place, McCain seems to be the only member of Congress who insists on holding hearings and working toward compromise before passing major legislation. This would seem to be the very elemental prerequisite of good government — like a doctor seeking a diagnosis before performing surgery — but McCain appears to be the only member, or at least the only Republican, willing to risk unpopularity to insist upon a basic respect for our sacred institutions. Second, McCain is one of very few Republicans willing to stand up for the American story. Human beings can be …show more content…
Public figures are the primary teachers in this mutual education. Our leaders have outsize influence in either weaving the moral order by their good example or ripping it to shreds by their bad example. McCain’s career has had its low moments, as all of ours do — a banking scandal, Sarah Palin — but he exemplifies a practical standard of excellence to an extraordinary degree: enduring in Vietnam, seeking compromise legislation on everything from immigration reform to campaign spending, condemning torture after 9/11. Moreover, I don’t think there’s another politician now living who devotes so much of his speeches to little biographies of his own exemplars, people like James Stockdale, Bud Day, Morris Udall and Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez. He has turned his own heroes into educational resources for his country, and used them to evangelize our national ideals. These sorts of testimonies help weave a shared moral order, which is necessary to unite, guide and motivate a diverse country. That is an essential bulwark in the age of Trump. That is what needs rebuilding. Books will someday be written on how Trump, this wounded and twisted man, became morally acceptable to tens of millions of Americans. But it must have something to do with the way over the past decades we have divorced private and public morality, as if private narcissism would have no effect on public conduct. It must have something to do with
He started at the Naval Academy and eventually worked his way up to the point where he became the United States Senator of Arizona. Although McCain did not win the Presidency in 2008, he was exposed to more of the political world, he become an exceptional Senator and he’s successfully handled international relations. McCain is a well versed and strong political leader who was had many accomplishments. He was even held hostage and tortured for about six years and never spoke a word about U.S. information. John McCain is a well respected war hero and would do a great job as Commander and Chief.
Both McCain and Obama have impressive resumes when viewed objectively. They are both committed to protecting and defending the United States against both foreign and domestic
Other main issues were health care, energy and illegal immigrants. Obama stated numerous times during on the campaign trial that all Americans should have health care coverage they can afford. While McCain focused more on health insurance by compelling them to make prices within American’s means and make them feel protected with everyone receiving the same tax benefits. On energy, both candidates opposed drilling in the Alaska refuge but that is where the similarities end. McCain supporters during his rallies would chant, “drill, baby, drill” which gave much insight on his views on energy (Balz, 2009, 206). He supported the expansion of offshore drilling and the increased use of renewable sources such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. In principle, Obama said he didn’t oppose expansion of nuclear power but said it had to be done carefully and cost-effectively. The Republican platform had no
In his book Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville highlights the importance of religion within America, stating how the Christian religion, specifically the Protestant vein, had a great influence over the hearts of American men and women. This influence can be seen through the Second Great Awakening, which galvanized many social and literary reforms within American society, including transcendentalism, the temperance movement, the education reform movement, abolitionist movement, prison reform movement, and the women’s rights movement. Although these reform movements, incited by new, heightened religious growth, changed the political and social climate of America during 1825 and 1855, they more greatly impacted America by spurring the
“...great rigor and personal charm. He is where he is today because of the efforts of Joe McCarthy and should be beholden to no man. . . . If he will use his talents and his experience. . . . he can have a bright future in the U.S. Senate” (Oshinsky 72).
In conclusion, political leaders across the world are often noted for their accomplishments during times of crisis in the minds of the people and within the books written about such events. Although political leaders must have certain skills and abilities in order to fulfill the tasks given to them once they enter office, those skills are simply tools to be used against the challenges faced. How political leaders face the challenges and how the challenge is initially solved, such as how they benefit the people at large by their actions, is what they are remembered the most
Obama’s overarching campaign theme was the need for change. His theme of change had two facets. First, it meant a change in the White House, replacing the failed Bush presidency with a Democratic presidency. Second, it meant a change in the way that Washington worked. Divisive partisanship should be replaced by a more cooperative post-partisanship approach. The excessive influence of lobbyists in the legislative process should be replaced by a greater concern with the public good. Obama believed that voters were not only unhappy with the Bush administration, but that they were also unhappy with the nature
Democracy, as most people think of it today, did not exist during the first few decades of U.S. history.
In the Republican party, John McCain is running for president. McCain isn’t change, He’s more of the same. He voted 90% of the time with George W. Bush. At
Research Essay on Democracy and Citizenship in Australia “Australia is an excellent example to the world of a democracy which values the participation of its citizens in all levels of government. Discuss”
While he could have chosen to get more done for the country by sacrificing some of ethics, especially concerning those in poverty, without healthcare coverage, and the ailing middle, he instead stoop up for these people, his beliefs, and the beliefs of the majority of his constituents that placed him in office and has won more for us. This has caused more death threats than any president in history and he can arguably to be said the most hated president of all time amongst conservative republicans. He is a shining example of standing firm to one’s own moral and ethics.
We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been
Normative democratic theory deals with the moral foundations of democracy and democratic institutions. It is distinct from descriptive and explanatory democratic theory. It does not offer in the first instance a scientific study of those societies that are called democratic. It aims to provide an account of when and why democracy is morally desirable as well as moral principles for guiding the design of democratic institutions. Of course, normative democratic theory is inherently interdisciplinary and must call on the results of political science, sociology and economics in order to give this kind of concrete guidance.
“The strongest democracies flourish from frequent and lively debate, but they endure when people of every background and belief find a way to set aside smaller differences in service of a greater purpose” (Obama, 2009). Fellow survivors, I ask you to imagine a year from now and envisage the society you want to be a part of.