On taxes  John McCain puts his principles aside
John McCain
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)  only recently having been diagnosed with brain cancer  delivered dramatic remarks on the Senate floor in July  lamenting what has become of contemporary politics and the legislative process. CNN called it âa Washington moment for the ages.â
The same day  Roll Call told readers  âYears from now  when the history of the modern Congress is written   John McCain âs address to the Senate on July 25  2017  is likely to stand among the defining summations of the era.â
As we discussed at the time  the Arizona Republicanâs remarks were certainly compelling.  He  made a powerful case for a more constructive and more deliberative legislative process.  McCain  extoled the virtues of âregular order â substantive hearings  and bipartisan deliberations.
Two days later   he  killed  his  partyâs far-right health care overhaul  urging Republicans to do better.
With this in mind  many hoped  McCain   with  his  legacy very much on  his  mind  would stick to those same principles as  his  GOP brethren took steps to ram through a regressive tax plan â without the benefits of regular order  substantive hearings  and bipartisan deliberations. Those observers were disappointed to discover today that McCainâs commitment to those principles is fleeting.  His  statement this morning read in part:
The same statement said heâs âpleased that this important bill was considered through the normal legislative processes.â I know  McCain  knows better:  his  party has taken two weeks to rush through massive legislation without so much as a substantive committee hearing. The final text of the legislation the senator just endorsed hasnât even been released yet â and the vote is likely to happen tomorrow. Thereâs literally nothing ânormalâ about any of this.
Or put another way   McCain  is on record saying  he  wanted a tax plan that was bipartisan  the result of a careful and deliberative process filled with compromises  and wasnât tilted to favor the wealthiest of the wealthy. This bill is therefore the opposite of what  McCain  hoped to see  and  he âs voting for it anyway.
[TGT] only recently having been diagnosed with brain cancer  delivered dramatic remarks on the Senate floor in July  lamenting what has become of contemporary politics and the legislative process. CNN called it âa Washington moment for the ages.â
The same day  Roll Call told readers  âYears from now  when the history of the modern Congress is written   John McCain âs address to the Senate on July 25  2017  is likely to stand among the defining summations of the era.â
As we discussed at the time  the Arizona Republicanâs remarks were certainly compelling.  He  made a powerful case for a more constructive and more deliberative legislative process.   [TGT] extoled the virtues of âregular order â substantive hearings  and bipartisan deliberations.
Two days later   he  killed  his  partyâs far-right health care overhaul  urging Republicans to do better.
With this in mind  many hoped   [TGT]    with   [TGT]   legacy very much on   [TGT]   mind  would stick to those same principles as   [TGT]   GOP brethren took steps to ram through a regressive tax plan â without the benefits of regular order  substantive hearings  and bipartisan deliberations. Those observers were disappointed to discover today that McCainâs commitment to those principles is fleeting.  His  statement this morning read in part:
The same statement said heâs âpleased that this important bill was considered through the normal legislative processes.â I know  McCain  knows better:  his  party has taken two weeks to rush through massive legislation without so much as a substantive committee hearing. The final text of the legislation the senator just endorsed hasnât even been released yet â and the vote is likely to happen tomorrow. Thereâs literally nothing ânormalâ about any of this.
Or put another way   McCain  is on record saying  he  wanted a tax plan that was bipartisan  the result of a careful and deliberative process filled with compromises  and wasnât tilted to favor the wealthiest of the wealthy. This bill is therefore the opposite of what  McCain  hoped to see  and  he âs voting for it anyway.