John McCain will go down in the history books as one of the better US Senators of his time, a war hero, and an effective legislator. Donald Trump will likely be rich until the day he passes from this earth into whatever oblivion in the afterlife awaits him and those that bother to remember him will remember his failed presidential bid and what an ass he made of himself for a brief time in the Summer of 2015. Neither man will suffer any long term effects of Mr. Trump's moronic statements. The true damage of what Donald Trump said about war hero John McCain was to further reveal the true thoughts of the GOP rank and file.
This doesn't fade so easily. If John McCain were not such a distinguished Republican, one may easily chalk it up to his being "yesterday's news" and that failed candidates in the Genral usually enjoy no second act (see Mitt Romney and Al Gore for reference). The hard-right doesn't like McCain being a member of that "gang of eight" who sought to rise above politics and negotiate an immigration bill.
For a clue of why it is more than that, you can look at that bill and see one of it's other authors, Marco Rubio, suffers little in the way of hard right angst. So what is it about this episode that does so much damage? For the answer, consider Rubio. Rubio is a candidate for President whereas McCain is not this time around. Rubio still has the chance to thwart a presidential bid by Hillary Clinton so he cannot be cast asunder so quickly as McCain has been. And there inlies the problem. It isn't that what Trump says has any basis in reality. Any grown-up knows this is the case. Anyone who saw combat has taken heroic stances for their nation. Captured combat soldiers hold a special place of reverence for Americans of all political stripes. What Mr. Trump did was say something to get more TV cameras pointed in his direction. Ordinarily, such a brazen publicity grab would be greeted with cynnacism and ridicule. However, Trump still has the ability to cause the President some discomfort and peril for Clinton--the presumptive Democratic nominee. So, for the same reasons as Rubio, the rank and file suspend the counsel of the better angels of their nature and decide to applaud Trump because he can do some damage to the other side; maybe.
Republicans cannot pretend to just be "letting the process" play out when Donald Trump is topping polls. Nor can they deny they feel this way about McCain and Mexicans ("Likewise, tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border. The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts of the world.").
Hillary Clinton has a likability problem that she has worked hard to correct. She is not running a campaign based on enevitability or a presumption of such. She has learned from her mistakes. Still, she will need the votes of independents to become the next President. Independents are looking and they are seeing a Party that seems more interested in stoking the fires of bigotry, anger and hatred than steering the ship of State to any greater future. Trump could care less. The cameras are pointed at him and that is all he is interested in.
This doesn't fade so easily. If John McCain were not such a distinguished Republican, one may easily chalk it up to his being "yesterday's news" and that failed candidates in the Genral usually enjoy no second act (see Mitt Romney and Al Gore for reference). The hard-right doesn't like McCain being a member of that "gang of eight" who sought to rise above politics and negotiate an immigration bill.
For a clue of why it is more than that, you can look at that bill and see one of it's other authors, Marco Rubio, suffers little in the way of hard right angst. So what is it about this episode that does so much damage? For the answer, consider Rubio. Rubio is a candidate for President whereas McCain is not this time around. Rubio still has the chance to thwart a presidential bid by Hillary Clinton so he cannot be cast asunder so quickly as McCain has been. And there inlies the problem. It isn't that what Trump says has any basis in reality. Any grown-up knows this is the case. Anyone who saw combat has taken heroic stances for their nation. Captured combat soldiers hold a special place of reverence for Americans of all political stripes. What Mr. Trump did was say something to get more TV cameras pointed in his direction. Ordinarily, such a brazen publicity grab would be greeted with cynnacism and ridicule. However, Trump still has the ability to cause the President some discomfort and peril for Clinton--the presumptive Democratic nominee. So, for the same reasons as Rubio, the rank and file suspend the counsel of the better angels of their nature and decide to applaud Trump because he can do some damage to the other side; maybe.
Republicans cannot pretend to just be "letting the process" play out when Donald Trump is topping polls. Nor can they deny they feel this way about McCain and Mexicans ("Likewise, tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border. The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts of the world.").
Hillary Clinton has a likability problem that she has worked hard to correct. She is not running a campaign based on enevitability or a presumption of such. She has learned from her mistakes. Still, she will need the votes of independents to become the next President. Independents are looking and they are seeing a Party that seems more interested in stoking the fires of bigotry, anger and hatred than steering the ship of State to any greater future. Trump could care less. The cameras are pointed at him and that is all he is interested in.
