In a final letter to his fellow American citizens, the late United States Senator John McCain wrote:

“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit, we never surrender, we never hide from history. We make history.”

John McCain never secured the highest office, despite running two presidential campaigns; losing in the Republican primary in 2000 before coming back to be his party’s nominee eight years later. Yet his life and his career were as full of iconic moments as those of any president past or present.

On Saturday, Washington’s elite – former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Secretaries of State, Senators, members of Congress and Ambassadors of all political walks of life – gathered at the National Cathedral for a state funeral worthy of a president. Eulogies were delivered by family and friends but, most notably, by the two men who beat him to the presidency – George W. Bush and Barack Obama. It was a refreshing moment of bipartisan appreciation and respect for a widely-admired statesman.

John McCain was a great American patriot who above all represented the ideals on which his nation was founded: democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality. These very ideals were woven into the tapestry of his commitment and service to America for over 60 years.

His politics – he would be the first to acknowledge – were not always everyone’s cup of tea. He was a devoted conservative: pro-military, pro-second amendment, fiscally conservative and most notably a foreign policy hawk, supporting military interventions that led to wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Like many of his fellow conservatives he favoured small and limited government, but he cared deeply for the institutions of government that shaped American life: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, separation of powers and the rule of law.

He believed passionately in freedom from oppression and devoted much of his career to spreading democratic ideals. He understood that there are values and principles that go beyond one’s devotion to a political party. Values and principles that are the pillars of a democracy that represent all Americans. He was always willing to sit down with his political opponents if he knew it could help reach a compromise. He once said: “I will work with anyone to get this country moving again. I will listen to any idea that is offered in good faith and intended to help solve our problems.”

His efforts to work towards principled compromise and bipartisanship earned him the respect of his political opponents. Barack Obama in his eulogy on Saturday said:

“(John McCain) did understand that some principles transcend politics. Some values transcend party. He considered it part of his duty to uphold those principles and uphold those values.”

And later in his speech, Obama noted: “For all of our differences, we shared a fidelity to the ideals for which generations of Americans have marched and fought and sacrificed and given their lives.”

In today’s current political climate, it is hard not to feel a strong sense of nostalgia for a time like this; a time not that long ago.

 

America at a crossroads

John McCain’s passing comes at a pivotal moment for American society. It is a country deeply divided – its fractures rooted in divisions over identity, class, culture and ideology. The political air is tense and the rhetoric vitriolic.

With a little over 60 days until American voters go to the polls in the midterm elections, Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing – this year’s contest will be one of the most consequential in American politics.

The stakes are high for both parties as they battle for control of political offices across the country at national and state levels. The political stakes are also high for a controversial president whose legislative agenda – and perhaps even his presidency itself – is dependent on Republicans keeping control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

While all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, 48 of these are expected to be highly competitive races. In the Senate, 35 seats are up for the taking – Democrats will need to defend the 26 seats they already hold as well as win two extra seats to take control of the chamber. Worryingly for President Trump, Democrats are fired up and can claim to have popular momentum on their side.

A battle is waging between polar opposite ideologies – the Trumpian right and the progressive left – as to which vision for America will triumph in November’s election. Policy issues such as immigration, healthcare, and voting rights have become weaponised in the war between political parties.

The Republican party under Trump has embraced policies that have intensified and entrenched racial, social and economic division. They’ve served as a catalyst for mobilising the President’s opponents – women, minority groups and younger voters in recent primaries have turned out in record numbers for more progressive candidates with more radical agendas.

Critics of Trump also see him waging war on the very values and principles that Senator McCain stood so gallantly for – the rule of law, democratic norms, institutions of government and the media. Trump, meanwhile, has gone so far as to suggest there might be violence if the Republicans lose in November.

 

A hero’s legacy

As America reflected this week on John McCain’s life, taking comfort from the hope, strength and courage that his legacy has come to symbolise, America also found herself mourning for the passing of a political era. His daughter Meghan McCain delivering one of the most powerful eulogies, and took a swipe at the individuals who have hijacked the current political discourse;

“We gather here,” she said, “to mourn the passing of American greatness — the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who lived lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served.”

Mocking the absent President’s favourite motto, she declared: “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.”

In this moment of deep political partisanship – were it has become the norm for politicians to use divisive rhetoric to further their self-interests – John McCain chose a style of politics that, for many, inspired. History will acknowledge his passing either as the end of an era or as a moment of American reckoning.

In his eulogy on Saturday, George W. Bush offered America a moment to pause, reflect and consider the future.

“If we are ever tempted to forget who we are, to grow weary of our cause, John’s voice will always come as a whisper over our shoulder – we are better than this, America is better than this.”