General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Who is the Democratic Party's version of John McCain? [View all]JHan
(10,173 posts)If by voting record, no one comes to mind who compares in any neat way.
If by military service, we've had democrats who served - McCain is special because he was a POW.
I'm seeing some references to Bill Clinton and Biden. Biden is perhaps the last third-way democrat around but even then I'd hesitate to make comparisons, especially with the way Biden has evolved.
Of course, people love to think bill clinton was republican, while ignoring that his presidency reflected the effects of 2 strong Reagan terms and how that impacted electoral dynamics. Analysis like this also completely ignores the context of 90's politics.
I can't even call bill "republican lite" . His court appointments were VERY liberal - Ginsburg and Breyer.
We also forget now how determined Gingrich was to destroy the Social Safety Net, the pushback against healthcare reform, and the insane bills the Republicans put on Clinton's desk, so much so he liberally used line-item veto ( now unconstitutional as far as I know) He had to constantly veto crazy from Gingrich's budgets. He even called the welfare bill a shit sandwich.
I really can't name anyone who is quite like McCain on our side, you'll need to define what McCain personifies for you and if you think he represents a political archetype where comparisons can be applied to other politicians.