April 9, 2023 | Issue #63

1 Quote. 1 Reflection. 1 Question.

1 Quote.

“I will not take the low road to the highest office in this land. I want the presidency in the best way, not the worst way.”

 -From: John McCain

-Source: February 19, 2000, Republican Primary Presidental Concession Speech

1 Reflection.

This quote comes from the late John McCain after conceding to George W. Bush in the race to be the Republican Presidential Nominee. This primary had negative ads from both sides but when it came down to the South Carolina Primary, things got nasty. 
 

According to reporting in The Nation magazine, a push poll (a ploy to disseminate information rather than collect it) called voters to ask, "Would you be more or less likely to vote for John McCain…if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?"

The push poll implied that John and Cindy McCain’s 9-year-old daughter Bridget, whom they adopted from an orphanage in Bangladesh, was actually the Arizona senator’s love child.

And that wasn’t all. Rumors also circulated that McCain was a traitor when he served in Vietnam and that his wife was a drug addict, according to The New Yorker magazine.

Because of the smearing, McCain lost the South Carolina Republican primary to George W. Bush, whose campaign denied being responsible for the rumors. Bush said at the time that he would fire anyone on his staff if he found out they were involved.


The takeaway of this story is that winning isn't everything, it's how you win that counts. Did George Bush know about these slimy tactics? I don't know, but if he did I bet it would eat at his conscience. 

You can sabotage your co-worker to get the promotion. 

You can blow off your daughter's soccer game to train one more time for your race.

You can cancel a long-anticipated date night to accept a speaking gig.

You can get the last word in a fight with your friend.

You can tell your dad you are "too busy" to lend him a hand this weekend. 


"Winning" like this leaves us lonely, and it brings down the people around us. True winners in life have the respect of others and make the people around them better. That was certainly the case for John McCain

At McCain's memorial in 2018, Barrack Obama had kind words for the former rival,

"President Bush and I are among the fortunate few who competed against John at the highest levels of politics. He made us better presidents just as he made the Senate better, just as he makes this country better,"

As for most things in life, it's about the process, not the outcome. 

1 Question.

What does winning in life look like to you?