Cindy And Meghan McCain Show Unprecedented Support For Biden On His Win
Once our long, long — okay, not 2000 Gore/Bush kind of long, but still pretty darn long — wait for a president-elect was over, our new POTUS-to-be sent out a tweet: "I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not." So will this bipartisan olive branch be accepted? Well, if the congratulatory tweets from the surviving family members of Biden's one-time political opponent are any predictor, then yes, our painfully divided nation actually does stand some chance of coming together once again.
Within an hour of Biden's acceptance tweet, his surprising champion Cindy McCain shared her joy at the election's outcome. McCain, a still-staunch Republican who nevertheless spoke on Biden's behalf at the DNC, tweeted: "Congratulations to my dear friend and President-elect @JoeBiden Vice-President-elect @KamalaHarris. It's time to move beyond politics and toward building a stronger america. I know Joe will unify the country toward a better future."
Why Cindy McCain chose to endorse Biden
As Cindy McCain tweeted back in September, she was putting the good of the nation ahead of party loyalty when it came to choosing a candidate in the 2020 election: "My husband John lived by a code: country first. We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There's only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is @JoeBiden." And, a one commenter posted, "Mrs. McCain not only chose patriotism over party, she chose, moral character & integrity over Donald J Trump."
Cindy McCain also went on the Today Show (via NBC News) to further explain her endorsement, saying : "Joe Biden represents to me the kinds of values and integrity and courage that we want in a president and someone who, I think, would have my back as a citizen ... I want to feel like my president cares about me and cares about this country and Joe Biden does."
Trump wasn't pleased by her endorsement
Donald Trump had shown nothing but disdain for John McCain, a Republican politician still very much loved in his home state of Arizona (and elsewhere). Politico notes several of Trump's more egregious McCain disses, such as saying, "I like people who weren't captured" (although he himself never served in the military) and refusing to have flags lowered at the news of McCain's 2018 death. Upon hearing of McCain's widow's decision to endorse Biden, a man who spoke at McCain's funeral of his love and respect for a man he considered almost a brother, Trump was apparently displeased and immediately took to his favorite platform to complain.
Via Twitter, Trump dismissed Cindy McCain as someone "I hardly know Cindy McCain other than having put her on a Committee at her husband's request." He then went on to attack the candidate, calling Biden "John McCain's lapdog." And then jumping to insinuations of "so many BAD decisions on Endless Wars & the V.A.," an institution he claims he "brought from a horror show to HIGH APPROVAL." Stating the obvious, he finished with: "Never a fan of John. Cindy can have Sleepy Joe!" Well, not only Cindy McCain, but the majority of the Arizona electorate, evidently decided to go with Biden, so it seems like hating on McCain and attacking his widow wasn't really the best plan for winning over that state.
John McCain's daughter shares her mom's high opinion of our next president
Cindy wasn't the only member of the McCain family to give a shout-out to the man whose running mate beat out John McCain in the 2008 election. Meghan, a rather untraditional Republican herself, tweeted: "Congratulations Mr. President! @JoeBiden — one of the truly decent and moral men I've ever had the privilege of knowing. Please lead our nation bravely towards healing and bipartisanship." She went on to add, "Only a very personal note — I am relieved and look forward to having a president who respects POW's who have been captured ... (*I had to say it)."
One man Meghan McCain has no sympathy for, however, is the current man in office, tweeting: "President Trump put so many Americans through completely unnecessary and sadistic emotional pain — time and time again for no other reason than he is a sick person. Now he wants to have a pity party because America is done with it? There's no crying in baseball, snowflakes!" After all, should Trump and his family members stage any public meltdowns in the days and weeks before he leaves office, remember that Meghan called it first.