A decent man

Today Senator John McCain passed away and I recalled this anecdote from a decade ago.

It was January of 2008; I was working for La Opinión newspaper, and I was asigned to cover part of that year’s electoral process, including the Presidential campaign. Starting on the first day of the year, I traveled to a few cities –some of them with a horrible tundra-like weather– to cover the caucuses and primaries, and after August, the official candidates.

Election Day came on November 4th, and I was sent to Phoenix, Arizona, to cover McCain’s election night party. It was an event in a fancy golf club, in a very exclusive residential area near Phoenix, with hundreds of guests: a lot of blonde ladies wearing elegant outfits, a lot of white men talking about business and joking about politics.

As the results arrived, people were directed to the stage, where McCain was ready to go up and talk to his guests. He started thanking everyone for their support, and then he conceded: the election winner was Barack Obama.

At this moment, some people started crying an booing Obama. McCain interrupted his speech and asked them in a very firm tone to stop doing that, and to be respectful “to the man who will be everyone’s president, the President of the United States”. It’s well known that McCain felt very uncomfortable with the tone set by his campaign strategists on attacking Obama; but whenever he had the chance, he would show the utmost respect for his opponent.

Two elections later, when people asked me about the threat of a Trump administration, I used to respond that despite their horrible candidate, the Republican Party still have some decent politicians, John McCain on top. And at that moment, that was a glimpse of hope.

Godspeed, Senator McCain.