Well, looks like compromise isn’t dead after all, folks. In a stunning display of putting nation before party, American hero John McCain has broken from Republican orthodoxy and announced that he doesn’t support the tone of President Trump’s recently-introduced “Poor People Murder Night” bill.
The legislation, which would give anyone with a yearly income in the top 10% of the population full immunity for all crimes committed against anyone in the bottom 90%, has been criticized as “inhumane” and “deeply, deeply morally compromised” by various watchdog groups.
Yet the bill has nevertheless met widespread conservative support.
Senator McCain is the first Congressional Republican to reject the proposed law, citing its language as “contrary to this great country’s values.”
“America is a vibrant melting pot of diversity, where anyone can climb to the top,” McCain stated in a press conference Friday morning. “The wording that this bill uses to refer to lower-class citizens — ‘penniless slime pigs’ and ‘dirty grease gnomes’ — is fundamentally contrary to that dream.”
The senior Senator added, “I support the spirit and intent of the president’s draft, but I will not sign my name onto it until the language is changed significantly to better reflect our country’s respect for the financially-disinclined.”
In response to the pending legislation, McCain has introduced his own bill, entitled “The Poverty Elimination and Balanced Budget Reform Program.” Democratic leadership has applauded McCain’s crossing of party lines, calling him “brave” and “a symbol of dignity in the face of hate” for the move.
“You have to give credit where credit is due,” conceded Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
“I may not agree with John’s call for low-income Americans to be ‘quickly and respectfully euthanized,’ but I applaud my friend and colleague for taking a stand against the nasty, nasty rhetoric that has come to define his once-noble party.”
In a political climate where so many politicians are unwilling to call out President Trump for his bigotry, this truly is a win for bipartisan decency. We salute you, Senator McCain.
