McCain Rebukes Cruz: ‘Appeasers’ Remark a ‘Great Disservice to Brave Americans’
A very unhappy Senator John McCain (R-AZ) rebuked Senator Ted Cruz for accusing his GOP allies of being “appeasers” along the line of Neville Chamberlain’s Munich deal with Adolf Hitler in 1938.
“I resoundingly reject that allegation,” McCain said on the Senate floor. “That allegation, in my view, does a great disservice for those brave Americans and those who stood up and said what’s happening in Europe cannot stand…Amongst them were my father and grandfather.”
“I spoke to Senator Cruz about my dissatisfaction about his use of this language, and he said he only intended it to be applied to pundits and not to members of the Senate,” McCain said. “I find that a difference without a distinction. I find that something that I think I had to respond to…Because I have an open and honest disagreement with the process of not agreeing to move forward with legislation, which I agree with, which was passed through the House of Representatives, and comparing it those who were appeasers, is an inappropriate place for debate on the floor of the United State Senate.”
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McCain spoke after Cruz completed a 21 hour, 19 minute “extended oratory,” in McCain’s words. “I can’t call it a filibuster,” McCain said, “because a filibuster is intended to delay passage of legislation.”
Calling it a “hard fought and fair” debate, McCain told Cruz (who was already on his way to an appearance on the Rush Limbaugh Show) of all the time and words spent on ObamaCare in 2009, and of the resistance Republicans lawmakers had put up to it, including introducing hundreds of amendments. He also reminded Cruz that an election had been fought largely over ObamaCare, and that the GOP had lost.
“That doesn’t mean that we give up our efforts to try to replace and repair ObamaCare, but it does mean that elections have consequences,” McCain said. “And those elections were clear, in that a significant majority of the American people supported the President of the United States and renewed his stewardship of this country. I don’t like it. It’s not something that I wanted the outcome to be. But I think all of us should respect the outcome of elections which reflects the will of the people.”
Watch the full clip below, via C-SPAN:
[Image via screengrab]
