This series lists prominent Republicans, former Trump associates and veterans of previous Republican presidencies actively opposing Trump’s reelection. We show why.
This is episode 50. For earlier episodes, click on Alan Austin, above, and scroll down the page.
As we have done from time to time, we give this page to just one prominent Republican. Today we feature Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain who served Arizona in the US Congress for four years and in the US Senate for 31 years. He was Republican presidential candidate in 2008. John McCain died in August 2018.
Cindy McCain’s comments were made here with Seth Myer.
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“It [abandoning Trump] was gradual in some respects. I like everyone else had watched what was going on with this president and the actions the White House was taking on various issues. Like everyone I spent my day yelling at the TV while watching it.
“The final blow for me – not only the lack of empathy and compassion, the lack of character, the absolutely unbelievable issue of not working in a bipartisan fashion at all – but the final blow for me was when he called our troops ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’.
“I have three members of my family – two sons and a daughter-in-law – who are serving. At that point I said, I can sit here and yell at the TV or I can get up and do something. And that’s what I did. I decided to openly endorse him [Joe Biden].”
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“I am a Republican, though. And I’m going to remain a Republican.”
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“You know, I don’t agree with Joe [Biden] on everything. I believe Joe will work in a bipartisan fashion, though, to reach common ground and work on issues that are important for us.
“Most importantly, a large part of this is that Joe has a Covid plan. Unlike the White House and the rest of the [Republican] members, he believes it’s real. He believes and talks to the scientists involved. And now it’s time we put his plan into action.”
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“I’m tired of my president not having my back on things. And more importantly not having our country’s back internationally. We have left our allies behind. We have withdrawn from treaties, Our country is not well-respected overseas either in all this. There’s a lot at stake here.”
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“I know one thing for sure. John would be very disappointed in what is going on right now. This is not what he believed in, nor what he ever wanted to happen. I think the fact that he is taking up so much [of Trump’s] head space is kind of hilarious on occasion.”
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“Our sons both left at about the same time for Iraq. And so here [in 2008] Joe was running for vice-president and my husband was running for president. We both had two sons serving in Iraq at the same time.
“It’s not only a bonding experience for the families, it made both families – ours and, of course, the Biden family – understand what the families of troops go through when they deploy. It’s hard.
“So he [Joe Biden] has a different perspective [from Trump’s], and a good perspective, on what it means to have your family serve in the military, and the effect it has on families.”
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“My husband [in hospital] was still alert. Not too alert, but awake and he recognised Joe and could talk a little bit. And Joe had just been through this with Beau. I mean, he’d just been through it. And here he is, out in Arizona, joking like crazy with John. John was laughing as best he could. I mean, it was fun to watch and just the normal things ... We prayed together. And then he consoled our family.
“I don’t know that I could have had the strength having lost a son to have gone in and helped another family with the same problem that we had.
“This is a perfect example of how Joe gives. He just always gives and he cares so much about people.”
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The end.
This is the 50th episode in this series. We have quoted 319 Republicans and former Trump supporters who have abandoned the current president and explained why. So we shall leave it there.
Don’t forget to vote Tuesday!
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