# How would McCain, if elected, bring this country together? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 30, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283 "2008-10-30T18:12:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/21 "2008-10-30T20:14:23Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > I think it’s the perfect example of McCain actually _doing_ something bipartisan while Obama talked the talked, and then balked. I wonder how much of this has to do with being a first-term, junior senator. It is one thing to buck your own party when you are a third term senator and on various important committees. It is another to try and get all mavericky a year into your first term. If your party leans on you I expect most in that situation would defer to their party. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/22 "2008-10-30T20:15:16Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > _S. 2180_ was the Democrats partisan solution and had no Republican sponsors. McCain had already lined up Democrats, including Obama. Obama basically said. “I’m all for non-partisanship, as long as its done the way the Democrats want.” That’s not bipartisan. So if you have two bills, one partisan and one bipartisan, and the former is better than the latter, you should still vote for the latter? There’s being bipartisan, and then there’s just being silly. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/23 "2008-10-30T20:45:31Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > [http://obama.senate.gov/letter/060206-sen\_obama\_and\_sen\_mccain\_exchange\_letters\_on\_ethics\_reform/](http://obama.senate.gov/letter/060206-sen_obama_and_sen_mccain_exchange_letters_on_ethics_reform/) Thanks for that. Haha. Never thought I’d see it linked as an argument to support McCain, but hey, whatever floats your boat. I first read that near the start of this campaign, and at the time it struck me as the most childish behavior I had ever heard of from McCain. (By now its like 37th place on that list though.) I can understand your needing an example of his bipartisan work on some specific bill, but the tone of that letter really destroys any message he had, and consequently destroys your point too. “Here, look at him rudely berating one of his colleagues. See what a bipartisan hero he is! Such love for the Ds! How could they not want to work with this guy?” He spent more energy on the eloquent disdain than on the content of it. He was clearly enjoying it. McCain: > [@](#): > > ``` > As I noted, I initially believed you shared that goal. But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party's effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator. > > ``` “Oh don’t get me wrong, I respect your disingenuous, craven pandering, rookie! Cheers, my friend!” I would expect much the same if he is elected. The same condescending tone of voice that GWB has used for 8 years. Always talking to people like he is irritated that he even has to explain himself. How dare we not see how right he is?! Much like he has campaigned. Shodan: “jerk you can do business with,” indeed. I guess that suits America just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/24 "2008-10-31T15:54:29Z")
I think that McCain would unite all Americans of whatever political persuasion,no matter how extreme or obscure,of whatever race or religion without EVEN TRYING. They would unite in despeartely hoping that his health kept up until the end of his term because the chance of Palin becoming Commander in Chief would be too terrifying to even contemplate. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/25 "2008-10-31T16:10:08Z")
Out of curiosity, how many bipartisan bills did McCain write during his **first** term? How many bipartisan bills did he attempt during the “yer either with us or agin us” jingoistic first Bush term? How many bipartisan bills did Obama write in Illinois? Frankly, I think we have a case where one guy has the history of bipartisanship nevertheless running the most partisan campaign, and the guy with the history (some might claim) of sticking to his party running the more inclusive campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/26 "2008-10-31T16:16:17Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > McCain has promised to invite the best and brightest from both parties into his cabinet for another thing. Even the GOP would admit that they hope McCain isn’t looking any farther into the “best and brightest” of the Dems than Joe Lieberman. And I’d say they’re perfectly justified in that. The Dems would be rightly peeved too if a theoretical-president Obama named, say, Tom Tancredo or Kit Bond to his Cabinet. Naming your Cabinet is one of the most powerful weapons a President have, so why would you waste that on an ideological opponent? ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/27 "2008-10-31T16:19:31Z")
Whom could McCain name, though? At best he could hope to name a Democratic Senator in a Republican state in hopes of flipping a Senate seat, right… but are there are any vulnerable seats like that? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283/28 "2008-10-31T16:34:27Z")
url=http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9726955&highlight=marginalized+permanently#post9726955]As I’ve argued before, what America needs right now is a divider, **not** a uniter. But I’m not optimistic Obama will be the one to “tear this country apart” the way it needs to be torn apart. McCain just might be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-mccain-if-elected-bring-this-country-together/470283.md?page=1)