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Meghan McCain lost her father Sen. John McCain last night, and she wrote a poignant tribute to him on social media. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a parent will understand what she’s going through.
Her Twitter post said simply this:
“I love you forever — my beloved father.”
And here are portions of her statement:
“All that I am is thanks to him. Now that he is gone, the task of my lifetime is to live up to his example, his expectations, and his love. . .”
“My father is gone, and I miss him as only an adoring daughter can. But in this loss, and in this sorrow, I take comfort in this: John McCain, hero of the republic and to his little girl, wakes today to something more glorious than anything on this earth.”
Meghan McCain’s love for her father shines in this clip from The View, recorded in October of last year:
After McCain’s passing was announced, tributes poured in from across the internet.
President Trump, who had been McCain’s political nemesis, tweeted this:
My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2018
While the ever-refined Melania Trump also added her condolences:
Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy to the McCain Family. Thank you Senator McCain for your service to the nation.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 26, 2018
Former President Jimmy Carter, who has also battled cancer, issued a statement, which started with these words:
“John McCain was a man of honor, a true patriot in the best sense of the word.”
Finally, Sarah Palin, McCain’s former running mate, wrote her tribute to “a maverick:”
Today we lost an American original. Sen. John McCain was a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs. John never took the easy path in life – and through sacrifice and suffering he inspired others to serve something greater than self.
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) August 26, 2018
But, of course, there were those who just gotta troll, because, well — McCainTrumpRepublican — you name it — and because they’re total jerks to boot.
For example, the geniuses at Vox published a hit piece on McCain right at the time his passing was announced.
Nice.
McCain, they wrote, “sacrificed his values to win” by nominating Sarah Palin, thereby leading to Trump, or something. They quickly deleted it, of course, but the internet is forever.
Vox must have realized something was wrong with this hot take after McCain’s death was announced because it’s deleted now. #OvercomeByTDS pic.twitter.com/TlAg1JtNxM
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) August 26, 2018
And then there’s The Onion, which mocked Meghan McCain the day before she lost her father. They didn’t delete this insult, though, even after he died:
Meghan McCain Forced To Live Out Socialist Nightmare Of Empathy For Sick Person https://t.co/Cyxqt2Bm2D pic.twitter.com/UEboU4hf2Q
— The Onion (@TheOnion) August 24, 2018
And this is still up at their website, too:
Are you laughing yet? Yeah, not funny. I’m sure Meghan McCain and her family wouldn’t appreciate The Onion’s edgy humor about now, either.
Then there are the assorted a**holes who haunt website comments sections. Like this guy:
Click to enlarge.
Or these schmucks:
I wonder if those keyboard warriors would say those same words in person to Meghan McCain.
Which reminds me of something a co-worker told me a few years ago.
The woman, a sassy conservative Texan, admonished her teenage son to never ridicule prison inmates who face execution. She wasn’t opposed to the death penalty, mind you — as I said, she is from Texas, which hosts lots of executions. However, as she told her son, even if that person is the scum of the earth, he still has people who love him. Mothers, siblings, girlfriends — they’re all grieving. And when you cheer the death of an inmate, you strike at the heart of people who are in deep pain, people who had nothing to do with his crimes. Think of them, she told him.
And so it is with John McCain. Yes, he was cantankerous, irascible, and didn’t always support conservative causes. Moreover, he spent his final vote on the Senate floor to push back against Trump, which I’m sure was out of sheer cussedness. I totally get the anger towards Sen. John McCain.
But despite what Trump said during the primaries, Capt. John McCain was a war hero. And he also had a loving wife, Cindy, and seven children, including his daughter Meghan, who simply adored him. They’re all mourning his loss, even though there are many who aren’t. But dancing on graves doesn’t make anyone cool, or edgy. It only looks petty, cruel, and childish.
I don’t have anything good to say about John McCain, so I’ve been refraining from commenting until the “speak no ill of the dead” phase passes. However, I will say that just because someone died does not suddenly transform him into an admirable person.
Let the young lady grieve in peace.
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