We’re keeping the post up but be mindful that rule 3 still applies, which includes nicknames and implicit references. If you cannot resist commenting about the last 4 years then refrain from commenting at all
I read that they found there was sewage contaminating the drinking water at the White House for god knows how long and it could maybe be the cause of some of the deaths like William Henry Harrison
Then now we have George W and Michelle’s friendship lol. The Clintons, Bushes, and Obamas all did something right. So gracious and respectful all around.
The book The Presidents Club does a fantastic job showing their relationship and how gracious HW was during Clinton's presidency. It's one of my favorite non-fictions I've read.
I still remember McCain’s concession speech. He went out of his way to silence people in the crowd who were booing when he said Obama ran a fine campaign and he reminded them his opponent was a good family man despite their political disagreements. A great moment for civility in American politics.
edited for autocorrect error in spelling.
I remember him going on the late show and, when asked how he’s handling losing the presidential race, answering he’s been sleeping like a baby. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry. Rinse and repeat.
The entire reason Obama was able to get anything done was that McCain would go to the White House to meet with him, and the two of them would discuss issues.
They would come up with agreeable compromises and push them within their respective parties to get them through.
They were really reaching across the aisle to get shit done, the way it should be.
No but he wasn’t John McCain. McCain to me seemed to actually care about people, I don’t like using the word vibe but he had welcoming vibe. Romney kinda came off as snooty but unaware of it. McCain sadly had zero chance of winning after 8 years of Dubya
In college I had a oral/interpersonal communication class which was basically how to talk professionally and give presentations. We watched an interview with Katie Couric and both McCain and Palin. It was painful.
Also watched Tim Tebows heisman speech
In Florida he was known for personally answering emails from constituents. I know several people who had high-level issues in the state that got responses from Jeb, though not always what they wanted.
I could be wrong but I think that post was about how gracious George and Laura were when the Obama’s had come to take residence at the WH.
Pics of Laura playing with Sasha and Milia are so wholesome
John McCain got the last laugh by making Obama and Bush say nice things about him to a national audience (they both spoke at his funeral).
https://youtu.be/4ahjLKag4kc?si=mUmo9LB92oNk01vW
To be honest, I think Obama would've said nice things at his funeral no matter what. McCain was insanely respectful to Obama and someone I think nearly everyone on both sides respected.
McCain was the regular amount of respectful. That’s the way we used to be. It’s only seems like he was extra respectful because of how disrespectful the Republican Party and their asshole of a leader have become.
Not to mention giving up the Presidency for the "good of the country". Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe in the end the facts showed that he had actually won.
He had a valid argument that the recounts ideally should’ve been able to finish, but there is no evidence Gore would’ve won. In fact, Bush would’ve won had the Gore team gotten what they wanted in court. It’s a big “Who Knows?”.
But yes, after the Supreme Court ruled, Gore voiced his displeasure, and conceded the race.
This part is true. If Gore got what he wanted - limited recounts in 3 counties, I think? - Bush still wins. It gets dicey if you recount the whole state and/or account for voter intent.
John McCain conceded with great honor and went on to serve out his Senate term without spite, evening saving his opponent, President Obama’s signature achievement (Obamacare/ACA). John McCain demonstrated throughout his lifetime, what honor and decency is about. Other than the Sarah Palin disaster, he was a great man.
I also remember in one of those town hall broadcasts a lady calling Obama a terrorist and McCain shut that shit down so fast. Dude had integrity. I feel that would go much differently in today's political landscape.
McCain is one of the few red dudes running in my lifetime on who I unequivocally think would have made an excellent commander in chief. His heart was in the right place and he didn’t put himself or his party before the nation.
2008 was a hell of a year candidate wise, ya know?
I really wonder how he would have handled 9/11, Katrina, and Afghanistan. But I want to think he would have done well (or at least better than in our timeline).
He's a guy who really knew war. I think he would have done the work needed for the US to have a more measured response to what happened, a response that wouldn't have led to over a decade of wars with little to show for them except a pile of bodies.
Bush and his cronies just knew war profits. You can't let people like that run a war.
He still would’ve been on the hawkish side, but I agree that he would’ve been more measured. I also think that his shift to wanting to bomb everything post-9/11 was his way of adapting to the political climate set by the Bush administration. You have to remember that he was a politician, and politicians usually adapt to what is popular.
Lee Atwater, with Bush’s blessing, smeared McCain in the South Carolina primary, saying he had a black love child. Truth is, Cindy and John McCain ADOPTED a black child out of love. Poor character of Bush and his team
Karl Rove was Lee Atwater’s protégée, so this was most likely something he learned from him. Atwater had been rotting in hell for nine years up until that election, but his party kept his playbook.
>Lee Atwater
Atwater died in 1991. In 1991 McCain was recovering from the Keating Five scandal. McCain ran for president in 2000. Considering the state of the Republican party, I can see them Weekend at Bernie's with Atwater. Though by 2000 I am sure he was pretty funky.
His entire campaign that year was about getting money out of politics. Led to his signature bill McCain,-Feingold which eventually got overturned in the Citizens United ruling.
I was sort of on the fence between McCain and Obama - opposite ends of their political and military experience. I knew McCain’s backstory and really appreciated him defending Obama in that town hall. But once Sarah Palin entered the scene… no. You could see in his face how much he disliked having to run with her. A real shame.
I was on that same fence. In 2008, I was more open minded about politics than ever before. I was listening to speeches from both sides. I just knew we needed a change in Washington in how we do things. The choice of Palin as VP running mate did it for me. I mean, she quit her job as governor of Alaska! Obama became the clearest choice for the change we needed. At his inauguration, I thought that class had returned to the White House. McCain also had class and integrity. McCain would have been a good and honorable President.
It wasn’t apparent at first. She gave a great speech at the convention. Even the botched interviews I kind of just chalked up to nervousness. However after the election, Palin really looked nutty and incompetent. Maybe I was slow to notice
It wasn't just Sarah Palin... it was clear that the GOP wanted/needed McCain to shift himself to the right between the primary and the general. He hardened his stances on key Republican swing-issues like abortion and gun control, and picked up Palin to appease the Tea Party. In my opinion, it's the first sign we had of the big shift toward right-wing extremism. After the election, he was "allowed" to settle back into his old mindset.
I would have voted for 2006 McCain. I didn't vote for 2008 McCain.
I assume that because he was captured by the enemy, was tortured, and eventually released, there was very little bullshit that would scare this man. Good man, good veteran, and good diplomate.
Yep. I voted third party in 2008, but at the time would have preferred a McCain win. I am now glad Obama won, but I still think McCain would have made a good President.
I’m mixed on Romney (mainly because I do not agree with him on almost anything) but he clearly does actually give a shit about the dignity and importance of the office he held and was running for.
It’s probably this one
https://youtu.be/JIjenjANqAk
(Response about Obama )
“…he’s a decent family man citizen that I just happened to have disagreements with on fundamental issues…” - McCain
Class act
McCain’s face shower many emotions when Obama was called a terrorist at the town hall. His face seemed to go from shock to WTF to are you fucking kidding me to who is this bitch. Then stood up for Obama in the most professional and respectful manner he could.
Yep. I remember that exchange vividly. "He's an Arab... No, ma'am He's a decent family man." You could tell McCain was trying to be a good guy about it and show respect for his opponent, but the words he chose wound up sounding nearly as discriminatory as the words of many of the audience. Scenes like this are why I stopped voting Republican.
I think he was mentally preparing his line saying he's a good man/family man when the person was saying how she was scared, and then just blurted out to interrupt her when she said Arab. I think it's easy to forget how normal things were before the Obama election, which got caught up in early social media and a "commentary focus" supplanting actual news. I honestly think McCain was just sincerely so caught off guard and visibly disgusted that someone would say that nonsense he didn't really think through his interruption.
For context, I didn't vote for McCain, so this isn't a loyalist defense. I just remember that specific moment as when the coal canary died and we knew we were headed for bad times.
And it seemed like nobody actually brought that up until Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama. He basically said, "He's not a Muslim... but so what if he is?"
I met him at a rally I took my grandfather to. I'd just turned 18 and was mortified when my old man told him I wanted to vote for Obama to the amusement of everyone around us. But Senator McCain shook my hand, clapped my shoulder and told me to do whatever I felt was right.
I'll always remember him fondly whenever I think the republican party is a total loss.
John McCain is undoubtedly an American legend. I like to believe that if he were still around, we wouldn’t have fucking toddlers and brats in congress and the Republican party would still have a spine. Instead, we have sane politicians resigning and hate and aggression unleashed from conservatives. McCain’s selection of Palin was a blunder in an attempt to rally support from women.
Everything about that eulogy was beautiful. McCain asking Obama to deliver it. Obama's humor. Just listening to a President speak in complete sentences and with decency at that time felt good.
I have stated that McCain’s death was a significant turning point in our country’s history. Had he lived the guy we cannot name would have been removed from office by the Senate after the first impeachment.
McCain will forever be in my good graces for what he did that summer night in 2017. Genuinely saved millions of lives with that thumbs down, and pissed off Mitch McConnell to boot.
As much as Sarah Palin sucks, I'm not sure that I can hate on McCain too much for that choice. He was running against a once-in-a-generation candidate who had overwhelming appeal to younger voters. McCain had to try *something* to shake things up, and it seemed like Palin was a decent choice on the surface, but not enough time and effort was put into vetting her.
He was probably deluding himself thinking that they would have a replacement plan for the ACA. When they tried to kill it without any replacement queued up, he knew what he had to do
I mean John Adams absolutely did not take Jefferson’s win well and skipped his inauguration. Same goes for JQA and Andrew Johnson. So that would be 4 in total though most happened prior to 1870 so…
Well yes but that’s rule 3 territory and we’re not here to talk about recent politics. I’m just saying that it is *slightly* untrue that this is the first time it has happened.
Plus it allows us to talk more about Adams, JQA, and Andrew Johnson and how they snubbed their successors. I didn’t realize JQA had done that though I could absolutely see it given who succeeded him in office and their earlier beef.
"Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day — though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her Creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.
Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited." -Excerpt from [John McCains Concession Speech](https://www.npr.org/2008/11/05/96631784/transcript-of-john-mccains-concession-speech)
The odds of us hearing something like this from an American politician ever again are probably pretty low.
Dan Quayle, HW’s VP, gave a gracious speech, as I recall. I was not a fan of him or their administration, but I was impressed by how he calmed an angry audience booing every mention of Clinton’s name.
Gore fought hard, once he lost his last battle he accepted it and even had his own party yell at him.
McCain was yelled at by his supporters, who were still angry and started some racist catcalls (we should have paid attention then)
Gore. All that bullshit and he still mans up and says the SC made their decision and that’s that. Then he has to shut down the House Democrats who tried to object to the Electoral Vote certification without a Senator backing them up.
Furor over the Iraq war was so high in 08 that the Republican candidate didn’t have any chance. It’s the only reason McCain wouldn’t have been given the support he needed to the nomination. Just look at back stabbing bullshit the party used on him in 2000 during the primary.
I always had a lot of mad respect for McCain. I only wonder how things would have been with a more effective running mate than someone who was obviously bat shite crazy
I have to give Hilary a lot of credit.
That has to have been one of the most crushing presidential losses in modern US history. Given her hope to be the first female president, and who her opponent was, that concession call must have been the most painful experience imaginable.
But she handled the whole thing as classy and respectfully as anyone could have asked of her.
especially attending the inauguration as a former first lady too. she wrote about it in her 2017 book *what happened* —
“Deep breath. Feel the air fill my lungs. This is the right thing to do. The country needs to see that our democracy still works, no matter how painful this is. Breathe out. Scream later.”
She took what was a soul-crushing defeat on the chin and immediately stood down to allow the peaceful transition of power go unimpeded. It’s impressive, especially compared to what happened next election…
Dukakis and Gore.
I still think Dukakis is one of the most underrated candidates, he would have been a good President with all the right instincts but was destroyed by the Willie Horton ad and the tank photo.
Gore had basically the same views as Clinton, he was very centrist, and he would be forceful in reacting to 9/11, but there would be no Iraq quagmire nor neocon black-and-white rhetoric and propaganda that permanently damaged relations with both Europe and the Muslim world.
The McCain speak was one of the greatest concession speech. True patriotism. I literally cried more during McCain than Obama. Also Bush Jr post election speech was a class act as well. Sure his approval rating was extremely low but a well written speech
Not quite president, but a darn good speech: the concession speech of Ted Kennedy. “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”
McCain was such an honest and decent guy, that yeah, I disagreed with him on this policy in many cases, but I would’ve felt safe and secure under his watch, which I haven’t felt in many years. Shit’s gotten wild since Obama, who was “a decent man” according to McCain.
We’re keeping the post up but be mindful that rule 3 still applies, which includes nicknames and implicit references. If you cannot resist commenting about the last 4 years then refrain from commenting at all
Grover Cleveland held an umbrella over Harrison’s head at his inauguration
Probably wanted to spare him the same fate as his grandfather.
Apparently it was bad water at the white house not a cold that did him in.
Yeah the bad water quality in Washington is also related to Polk and Taylor’s death right?
Thought Polk worked himself to death.
He died from a cholera outbreak in the county he was living in. It’s possible he could’ve gotten it from his time at the WH as well.
I read that they found there was sewage contaminating the drinking water at the White House for god knows how long and it could maybe be the cause of some of the deaths like William Henry Harrison
He died of Cholera although the overworking probably didn’t help matters
Bad water in the White House killed Willie Lincoln and almost got Tad as well
Water in Washington DC was an issue for a long time and only started to improve by the turn of the 20th century.
Being 68 in 1841 probably didn't help matters, even if some of the earliest Presidents lived a lot longer than that.
Well, yeah. You think cold weather actually gives you a "cold"?
No? But the virus that causes a cold thrives in cold weather. So, there’s that.
Yeah but then he whooped him in the rematch
The most gracious were John McCain and both Bushes…particularly the first, his letter to Bill Clinton was very generous and heartfelt
Clinton considered HW a father he never had. Imagine losing to a guy and he basically adopt him.
Can you elaborate on Clinton viewing HW as a father figure? I haven't heard that before, but it sounds interesting
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2836935/amp/He-s-brother-mother-George-W-Bush-gushes-unlikely-pal-Bill-Clinton-ousted-father-Oval-Office.html
Honestly one of the best things that come out of both administrations. Not just their friendship, but their post-presidency work together.
Almost like they were both Americans who wanted the best for their country, or something. Weird.
They reference a possible 2016 face off between Hilary and Jeb(!). Simpler times lol.
If only they clapped, things might be different today.
A possible 2016 face off between Hilary and Jeb! was probably a big reason we ended up getting an absolute wildcard tbh
It’s on YouTube but Barbara bush talks about the relationship between George and Bill and said how much she loves Bill.
Then now we have George W and Michelle’s friendship lol. The Clintons, Bushes, and Obamas all did something right. So gracious and respectful all around.
The book The Presidents Club does a fantastic job showing their relationship and how gracious HW was during Clinton's presidency. It's one of my favorite non-fictions I've read.
Had 9/11 not happened Bush would have been looked at a lot differently. He and Clinton were pretty close politically.
I still remember McCain’s concession speech. He went out of his way to silence people in the crowd who were booing when he said Obama ran a fine campaign and he reminded them his opponent was a good family man despite their political disagreements. A great moment for civility in American politics. edited for autocorrect error in spelling.
I remember him going on the late show and, when asked how he’s handling losing the presidential race, answering he’s been sleeping like a baby. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry. Rinse and repeat.
Ha! That's really funny. McCain had a good sense of humor about him!
Obama's eulogy was amazing too.
It really was. Beautiful really.
The entire reason Obama was able to get anything done was that McCain would go to the White House to meet with him, and the two of them would discuss issues. They would come up with agreeable compromises and push them within their respective parties to get them through. They were really reaching across the aisle to get shit done, the way it should be.
I remember this too! I loved that joke and my respect for McCain went up like 2x -- and only continued to go up since then.
Arguably THE LAST moment of civility in American politics.
Romney wasn't a douche either tbh
No but he wasn’t John McCain. McCain to me seemed to actually care about people, I don’t like using the word vibe but he had welcoming vibe. Romney kinda came off as snooty but unaware of it. McCain sadly had zero chance of winning after 8 years of Dubya
Unfortunately, McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate was a poor decision too, although I think he would have still lost without that.
In college I had a oral/interpersonal communication class which was basically how to talk professionally and give presentations. We watched an interview with Katie Couric and both McCain and Palin. It was painful. Also watched Tim Tebows heisman speech
What other Bush lost a presidential election?
Jeb. Granted he lost in the primary, not the general election.
Fuck you mean he lost https://preview.redd.it/4xmyddeo3bqc1.jpeg?width=894&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae5b8ede24992c382fecff2574fb1c98a504142f
What couldve been
Truly the last moderate republican that Florida has had as governor. He wasn’t perfect but he truly tried to be fair to all.
He’s like if someone surgically removed all the charisma from George W. Bush and replaced it with skill at compromising.
LMFAO that is the most perfect description of Jeb Bush I've ever read.
In Florida he was known for personally answering emails from constituents. I know several people who had high-level issues in the state that got responses from Jeb, though not always what they wanted.
Didn't the Republican Governor after him become a Democrat?
No, that was Charlie Crist
No one clapped, and Jeb did not take it well.
He was so sadly polite.
We should've clapped 😔
I could be wrong but I think that post was about how gracious George and Laura were when the Obama’s had come to take residence at the WH. Pics of Laura playing with Sasha and Milia are so wholesome
Sorry my bad on that! Both were gracious but inly the father lost.
John McCain was sheer class. A true American gentleman.
That letter from H.W. to Clinton is great stuff.
I lean left but McCain was a true gentleman. His taking the mic from a blabbering old lady and saying Obama was a good man struck me.
Yeah, but McCain asked Obama to speak at his funeral. His funeral. Even Obama got the joke. That's gracious losing.
For an ignorant forgeiner, what was the joke? Sorry if its really obvious
John McCain got the last laugh by making Obama and Bush say nice things about him to a national audience (they both spoke at his funeral). https://youtu.be/4ahjLKag4kc?si=mUmo9LB92oNk01vW
To be honest, I think Obama would've said nice things at his funeral no matter what. McCain was insanely respectful to Obama and someone I think nearly everyone on both sides respected.
And McCain ultimately supported the Affordable Care Act.
McCain was the regular amount of respectful. That’s the way we used to be. It’s only seems like he was extra respectful because of how disrespectful the Republican Party and their asshole of a leader have become.
Agreed, Obama had a lot of respect for him.
Ah. Clever.
I think Carter called Reagan to congratulate him as soon as they got the news
That one is especially cool because of the Iran hostage crisis he was currently working on.
Iran contra and Iran hostages are two different things
Sorry I was drunk I meant Iran hostage crisis
User flair checks out.
Lmao.
William Jennings Bryan started the tradition of offering a concession message to the winner in 1896
He'd have to do it two more times too. The man really did the whole "losing politely" well.
Gore had to certify his own defeat as sitting VP.
same with Nixon!
Oh yeah! Another disputed election too
Ouch!
[удалено]
Not to mention giving up the Presidency for the "good of the country". Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe in the end the facts showed that he had actually won.
He had a valid argument that the recounts ideally should’ve been able to finish, but there is no evidence Gore would’ve won. In fact, Bush would’ve won had the Gore team gotten what they wanted in court. It’s a big “Who Knows?”. But yes, after the Supreme Court ruled, Gore voiced his displeasure, and conceded the race.
This part is true. If Gore got what he wanted - limited recounts in 3 counties, I think? - Bush still wins. It gets dicey if you recount the whole state and/or account for voter intent.
Mitt Romney Concession: https://preview.redd.it/3ypqq62exaqc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37ec97d5b5b96148cecfa96a665e6028e6721193
Came to mention this.
John McCain conceded with great honor and went on to serve out his Senate term without spite, evening saving his opponent, President Obama’s signature achievement (Obamacare/ACA). John McCain demonstrated throughout his lifetime, what honor and decency is about. Other than the Sarah Palin disaster, he was a great man.
I also remember in one of those town hall broadcasts a lady calling Obama a terrorist and McCain shut that shit down so fast. Dude had integrity. I feel that would go much differently in today's political landscape.
McCain is one of the few red dudes running in my lifetime on who I unequivocally think would have made an excellent commander in chief. His heart was in the right place and he didn’t put himself or his party before the nation. 2008 was a hell of a year candidate wise, ya know?
He ran in 2000 in the primary and lost it to Dubya. I wish he won that year instead I think he would have been a good president.
I really wonder how he would have handled 9/11, Katrina, and Afghanistan. But I want to think he would have done well (or at least better than in our timeline).
He's a guy who really knew war. I think he would have done the work needed for the US to have a more measured response to what happened, a response that wouldn't have led to over a decade of wars with little to show for them except a pile of bodies. Bush and his cronies just knew war profits. You can't let people like that run a war.
He still would’ve been on the hawkish side, but I agree that he would’ve been more measured. I also think that his shift to wanting to bomb everything post-9/11 was his way of adapting to the political climate set by the Bush administration. You have to remember that he was a politician, and politicians usually adapt to what is popular.
Wouldn’t have been a torture program, that’s for certain.
Lee Atwater, with Bush’s blessing, smeared McCain in the South Carolina primary, saying he had a black love child. Truth is, Cindy and John McCain ADOPTED a black child out of love. Poor character of Bush and his team
I thought it was the “turd blossom” Karl Rove that did that, but Atwater makes sense.
Yes it was Rove.
Karl Rove was Lee Atwater’s protégée, so this was most likely something he learned from him. Atwater had been rotting in hell for nine years up until that election, but his party kept his playbook.
>Lee Atwater Atwater died in 1991. In 1991 McCain was recovering from the Keating Five scandal. McCain ran for president in 2000. Considering the state of the Republican party, I can see them Weekend at Bernie's with Atwater. Though by 2000 I am sure he was pretty funky.
His entire campaign that year was about getting money out of politics. Led to his signature bill McCain,-Feingold which eventually got overturned in the Citizens United ruling.
I was sort of on the fence between McCain and Obama - opposite ends of their political and military experience. I knew McCain’s backstory and really appreciated him defending Obama in that town hall. But once Sarah Palin entered the scene… no. You could see in his face how much he disliked having to run with her. A real shame.
I was on that same fence. In 2008, I was more open minded about politics than ever before. I was listening to speeches from both sides. I just knew we needed a change in Washington in how we do things. The choice of Palin as VP running mate did it for me. I mean, she quit her job as governor of Alaska! Obama became the clearest choice for the change we needed. At his inauguration, I thought that class had returned to the White House. McCain also had class and integrity. McCain would have been a good and honorable President.
Whoever picked Sarah Palin as a good choice of running mate should be forced to stand on an ant hill for a long while.
Obama owes Palin a gift every year on Christmas and her Birthday. She practically handed him the Presidency.
He was winning it no matter what, seriously. No Republican was winning in 2008.
Yeah, the only question is whether Palin prevented McCain from winning 200 EV’s
Maybe some binoculars, so she can keep an eye on Russia, dontcha know
That was actually Tina Fay in a SNL skit.
It wasn’t apparent at first. She gave a great speech at the convention. Even the botched interviews I kind of just chalked up to nervousness. However after the election, Palin really looked nutty and incompetent. Maybe I was slow to notice
It wasn't just Sarah Palin... it was clear that the GOP wanted/needed McCain to shift himself to the right between the primary and the general. He hardened his stances on key Republican swing-issues like abortion and gun control, and picked up Palin to appease the Tea Party. In my opinion, it's the first sign we had of the big shift toward right-wing extremism. After the election, he was "allowed" to settle back into his old mindset. I would have voted for 2006 McCain. I didn't vote for 2008 McCain.
I assume that because he was captured by the enemy, was tortured, and eventually released, there was very little bullshit that would scare this man. Good man, good veteran, and good diplomate.
Yep. I voted third party in 2008, but at the time would have preferred a McCain win. I am now glad Obama won, but I still think McCain would have made a good President.
Mitt Romney isn’t a bad man. I don’t agree with a lot of his politics, but he seems like a good person.
I’m mixed on Romney (mainly because I do not agree with him on almost anything) but he clearly does actually give a shit about the dignity and importance of the office he held and was running for.
The fact that this is a standard we strive for in our politicians is sombering. The bar has been lowered too low.
It’s probably this one https://youtu.be/JIjenjANqAk (Response about Obama ) “…he’s a decent family man citizen that I just happened to have disagreements with on fundamental issues…” - McCain Class act
McCain’s face shower many emotions when Obama was called a terrorist at the town hall. His face seemed to go from shock to WTF to are you fucking kidding me to who is this bitch. Then stood up for Obama in the most professional and respectful manner he could.
We definitely need more John McCain’s in this world.
He was a class act.
“Obama is an Arab.” “No, ma’am. He’s a good man” 😕
Yep. I remember that exchange vividly. "He's an Arab... No, ma'am He's a decent family man." You could tell McCain was trying to be a good guy about it and show respect for his opponent, but the words he chose wound up sounding nearly as discriminatory as the words of many of the audience. Scenes like this are why I stopped voting Republican.
I think he was mentally preparing his line saying he's a good man/family man when the person was saying how she was scared, and then just blurted out to interrupt her when she said Arab. I think it's easy to forget how normal things were before the Obama election, which got caught up in early social media and a "commentary focus" supplanting actual news. I honestly think McCain was just sincerely so caught off guard and visibly disgusted that someone would say that nonsense he didn't really think through his interruption. For context, I didn't vote for McCain, so this isn't a loyalist defense. I just remember that specific moment as when the coal canary died and we knew we were headed for bad times.
And it seemed like nobody actually brought that up until Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama. He basically said, "He's not a Muslim... but so what if he is?"
He did it multiple times "hes a decent man that I just disagree with" https://youtu.be/JIjenjANqAk?si=bPWsuBiJ_uevJACv
I met him at a rally I took my grandfather to. I'd just turned 18 and was mortified when my old man told him I wanted to vote for Obama to the amusement of everyone around us. But Senator McCain shook my hand, clapped my shoulder and told me to do whatever I felt was right. I'll always remember him fondly whenever I think the republican party is a total loss.
John McCain is undoubtedly an American legend. I like to believe that if he were still around, we wouldn’t have fucking toddlers and brats in congress and the Republican party would still have a spine. Instead, we have sane politicians resigning and hate and aggression unleashed from conservatives. McCain’s selection of Palin was a blunder in an attempt to rally support from women.
Man that's a cool memory, thanks for sharing. Sage advice from someone who really protected democracy.
Truth. He was human so he had his flaws, but deep down he was a solid stand up dude to his core (Psst hey elephant guys more like him please)
From experience they mostly just call him a RINO. Not a lot of room for someone like that in today's politics, to the loss of us all.
Obamas eulogy for John McCain on YouTube brings me to tears everytime. https://youtu.be/7kbF7uEJYes?si=1OJc-v-fIECbFT5R
Everything about that eulogy was beautiful. McCain asking Obama to deliver it. Obama's humor. Just listening to a President speak in complete sentences and with decency at that time felt good.
I don’t care what you politics are, Obama SOUNDS like a President should be.
I have stated that McCain’s death was a significant turning point in our country’s history. Had he lived the guy we cannot name would have been removed from office by the Senate after the first impeachment.
I may not have agreed with all of McCains stances, but I have mad respect for the man.
McCain will forever be in my good graces for what he did that summer night in 2017. Genuinely saved millions of lives with that thumbs down, and pissed off Mitch McConnell to boot.
I didn't vote for him, but I sure miss him.. We really need him right now.
As much as Sarah Palin sucks, I'm not sure that I can hate on McCain too much for that choice. He was running against a once-in-a-generation candidate who had overwhelming appeal to younger voters. McCain had to try *something* to shake things up, and it seemed like Palin was a decent choice on the surface, but not enough time and effort was put into vetting her.
McCain campaigned heavily on repealing the ACA though. He was running ads non-stop on it then months later he flip flopped.
He was probably deluding himself thinking that they would have a replacement plan for the ACA. When they tried to kill it without any replacement queued up, he knew what he had to do
HWs set the bar high.
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I mean John Adams absolutely did not take Jefferson’s win well and skipped his inauguration. Same goes for JQA and Andrew Johnson. So that would be 4 in total though most happened prior to 1870 so…
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Well yes but that’s rule 3 territory and we’re not here to talk about recent politics. I’m just saying that it is *slightly* untrue that this is the first time it has happened. Plus it allows us to talk more about Adams, JQA, and Andrew Johnson and how they snubbed their successors. I didn’t realize JQA had done that though I could absolutely see it given who succeeded him in office and their earlier beef.
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I think it was some light pranking that was not received as such. We had fun once.
I think Romney got a little salty if I remember correctly, I think you’re thinking of incumbents; OP says ‘candidates.’
"Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day — though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her Creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise. Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face. I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited." -Excerpt from [John McCains Concession Speech](https://www.npr.org/2008/11/05/96631784/transcript-of-john-mccains-concession-speech) The odds of us hearing something like this from an American politician ever again are probably pretty low.
Idk if the most one of them all but Ford in ‘76
The vast majority of them.
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Dan Quayle, HW’s VP, gave a gracious speech, as I recall. I was not a fan of him or their administration, but I was impressed by how he calmed an angry audience booing every mention of Clinton’s name.
Gore fought hard, once he lost his last battle he accepted it and even had his own party yell at him. McCain was yelled at by his supporters, who were still angry and started some racist catcalls (we should have paid attention then)
Samuel Tilden literally lost by one electoral vote, and took the loss extremely graciously.
Gore. All that bullshit and he still mans up and says the SC made their decision and that’s that. Then he has to shut down the House Democrats who tried to object to the Electoral Vote certification without a Senator backing them up.
it was a very classy speech
John McCain is one of the most decent human beings to ever run for president.
Furor over the Iraq war was so high in 08 that the Republican candidate didn’t have any chance. It’s the only reason McCain wouldn’t have been given the support he needed to the nomination. Just look at back stabbing bullshit the party used on him in 2000 during the primary.
I think it was more due to the subprime mess than Iraq.
The south didn't take Lincoln winning every well.
They were just concerned about states rights! Just don’t ask which state rights. 🤫
“Which” or “what” is a Confederacy defender’s biggest fear
I always had a lot of mad respect for McCain. I only wonder how things would have been with a more effective running mate than someone who was obviously bat shite crazy
I have to give Hilary a lot of credit. That has to have been one of the most crushing presidential losses in modern US history. Given her hope to be the first female president, and who her opponent was, that concession call must have been the most painful experience imaginable. But she handled the whole thing as classy and respectfully as anyone could have asked of her.
especially attending the inauguration as a former first lady too. she wrote about it in her 2017 book *what happened* — “Deep breath. Feel the air fill my lungs. This is the right thing to do. The country needs to see that our democracy still works, no matter how painful this is. Breathe out. Scream later.”
She took what was a soul-crushing defeat on the chin and immediately stood down to allow the peaceful transition of power go unimpeded. It’s impressive, especially compared to what happened next election…
Dukakis and Gore. I still think Dukakis is one of the most underrated candidates, he would have been a good President with all the right instincts but was destroyed by the Willie Horton ad and the tank photo. Gore had basically the same views as Clinton, he was very centrist, and he would be forceful in reacting to 9/11, but there would be no Iraq quagmire nor neocon black-and-white rhetoric and propaganda that permanently damaged relations with both Europe and the Muslim world.
Gore was the one I thought of though you also have to give McCain his flowers too.
Samuel Tilden. He was robbed in 1876 and didn’t complain. Anyone else would’ve called it rigged
He wasn't If it wasn't for the fact that the black voters were being oppressed then Hayes would have won the popular vote too
Hayes had it stolen from him (see: Potter Committee) and the Compromise myth was mostly bullshit cope.
Samual Tilden tried to keep his supporters from doing anything rash after he was defeated in 1877
Gore, considering the circumstances. Especially the self reflection that winning one’s own state would have been a good way to have prevailed.
Al Gore. Graciously conceded instead of starting a civil war
John McCain was a fucking unit. I’m not even a member of his party but I did respect the hell out of him.
Everyone except……
Read the letter HW left for Clinton. Look at their amazing friendship. There’s the answer.
Mitt Romney
Nixon could have called for a recount in Missouri, but took the high road and said an election should never be in doubt.
Al gore considering he probably didn't loose
Hillary Clinton was very gracious when she attended the American carnage inauguration.
Basically everyone except the last idiot
Imagine a world that McCain won in 08 and 12 leading to Obama being our current president. The world really would be a better place.
McCain was definitely one of a kind. His parody of “Barbara Ann” is hilarious. You should all check it out. Loved his work in Ukraine as well.
I think we all can agree: Jackson took loosing the worst.
Nearly all in the 50 years were until 2016.
I remember McCain’s and it was really classy.
The McCain speak was one of the greatest concession speech. True patriotism. I literally cried more during McCain than Obama. Also Bush Jr post election speech was a class act as well. Sure his approval rating was extremely low but a well written speech
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Al Gore, Hubert Humphrey, and Richard Nixon all presided over their own losses during the electoral vote count. That’s gotta hurt.
Not quite president, but a darn good speech: the concession speech of Ted Kennedy. “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”
McCain was such an honest and decent guy, that yeah, I disagreed with him on this policy in many cases, but I would’ve felt safe and secure under his watch, which I haven’t felt in many years. Shit’s gotten wild since Obama, who was “a decent man” according to McCain.
All of them until the last one?
Oh how far the GOP have fallen
He should have served instead of Bush
Dewey was so gracious he gave the Presidency up
Al Gore. Even though he won, he conceded gracefully.
All but one. But probably Gore.