USA Politics (redux)

[Karl Henning]

Meghan McCain Cuts Ties With Lindsey Graham: He's 'Not' a 'Member of My Family'

Justin Baragona

Media Reporter
Updated Oct. 27, 2021 12:49PM ET Published Oct. 27, 2021 12:25PM ET

Meghan McCain dramatically kicked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to the curb on Wednesday, publicly declaring that the man she once affectionately referred to as an "uncle" is not a "member of my family" and "hasn't been for a very long time."

For years now, Graham has tried to reconcile his close relationship with the late Sen. John McCain and his undying loyalty to disgraced former President Donald Trump, who notoriously attacked McCain and derided the Vietnam POW's war record—even in death.

While Meghan McCain previously said that she refuses to "talk crap" about Graham, despite his "questionable" actions, this week appeared to be the final straw for the former View host.

In her new audiobook memoir, titled Bad Republican, McCain revisited her feud with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, calling them "funeral crashers" for showing up at her father's 2018 ceremony. "As far as I knew, they had not been invited but they showed up anyway," she wrote of the ex-president's daughter and son-in-law, colloquially known as "Javanka."

Graham, however, told the Washington Post that McCain was mistaken and that the couple's "presence was approved." Adding that "nobody showed up uninvited," the South Carolina lawmaker said he understood "how stressful all this has been" for McCain and "those who attack her dad will never be forgiven by her."

It had also previously been reported that Graham "had cleared" the couple's funeral invitation with the late senator's widow, Cindy McCain. A source close to Javanka also told the Post that Cindy invited them via Graham. Funeral organizers were also aware that the couple, both senior White House aides at the time, would attend, according to an email reviewed by the Post.

But in response to the Post's report, a spokesperson for Meghan McCain said the conservative pundit "stands by the accuracy of her memoir" and that she "was unaware of any invitation to a member of the Trump family to her father's funeral."

And with Graham publicly siding with the Trump family, McCain then took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to cut ties with the longtime family friend.

"Lindsey Graham may consider himself a member of my family, but he is not and hasn't been for a very long time," she tweeted.

"He certainly doesn't speak for me or my life experiences. Full stop," McCain concluded. "The media should stop treating him like he is an expert on anything McCain related."

Graham did not immediately react to getting the public boot from the McCain family, but Javanka has already responded to the ex-View host's shots at them.

"Jared and Ivanka had about as much interest in attending the funeral as they did the half dozen or so dinner invitations that Ben and Meghan pestered them with after the funeral," a source close to the couple told The Post, referencing McCain and her husband Ben Domenech.

[Herman]

It's just a chill, old people retirement state.

Yeah, just chill, deeply corrupt turn-the-elections around state, where the governor is actively telling people to drop dead rather than take covid precautions.

Oh, and those chill old folks retirement homes collapse, and nobody cares.

[greg]

Yeah, just chill, deeply corrupt turn-the-elections around state, where the governor is actively telling people to drop dead rather than take covid precautions.

Oh, and those chill old folks retirement homes collapse, and nobody cares.

You could also judge a state in other ways besides whether it agrees with your political leanings or not.

[Mirror Image]

Meghan McCain Cuts Ties With Lindsey Graham: He's 'Not' a 'Member of My Family'

Justin Baragona

Media Reporter
Updated Oct. 27, 2021 12:49PM ET Published Oct. 27, 2021 12:25PM ET

Meghan McCain dramatically kicked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to the curb on Wednesday, publicly declaring that the man she once affectionately referred to as an "uncle" is not a "member of my family" and "hasn't been for a very long time."

For years now, Graham has tried to reconcile his close relationship with the late Sen. John McCain and his undying loyalty to disgraced former President Donald Trump, who notoriously attacked McCain and derided the Vietnam POW's war record—even in death.

While Meghan McCain previously said that she refuses to "talk crap" about Graham, despite his "questionable" actions, this week appeared to be the final straw for the former View host.

In her new audiobook memoir, titled Bad Republican, McCain revisited her feud with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, calling them "funeral crashers" for showing up at her father's 2018 ceremony. "As far as I knew, they had not been invited but they showed up anyway," she wrote of the ex-president's daughter and son-in-law, colloquially known as "Javanka."

Graham, however, told the Washington Post that McCain was mistaken and that the couple's "presence was approved." Adding that "nobody showed up uninvited," the South Carolina lawmaker said he understood "how stressful all this has been" for McCain and "those who attack her dad will never be forgiven by her."

It had also previously been reported that Graham "had cleared" the couple's funeral invitation with the late senator's widow, Cindy McCain. A source close to Javanka also told the Post that Cindy invited them via Graham. Funeral organizers were also aware that the couple, both senior White House aides at the time, would attend, according to an email reviewed by the Post.

But in response to the Post's report, a spokesperson for Meghan McCain said the conservative pundit "stands by the accuracy of her memoir" and that she "was unaware of any invitation to a member of the Trump family to her father's funeral."

And with Graham publicly siding with the Trump family, McCain then took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to cut ties with the longtime family friend.

"Lindsey Graham may consider himself a member of my family, but he is not and hasn't been for a very long time," she tweeted.

"He certainly doesn't speak for me or my life experiences. Full stop," McCain concluded. "The media should stop treating him like he is an expert on anything McCain related."

Graham did not immediately react to getting the public boot from the McCain family, but Javanka has already responded to the ex-View host's shots at them.

"Jared and Ivanka had about as much interest in attending the funeral as they did the half dozen or so dinner invitations that Ben and Meghan pestered them with after the funeral," a source close to the couple told The Post, referencing McCain and her husband Ben Domenech.

Meghan McCain is nothing in the world but another example of someone riding one of their parents' coattails. Anyway, while I certainly didn't always agree with her father, I'll say that he, at least, conducted himself in a way that was respectable. It seems that there's no denying that Trump has ruined the Republican Party and has turned their entire political and philosophical institution into a circus of distrust, misinformation and anti-intellectualism.

[SimonNZ]

Indeed, it you're going to criticize Moore's film, find the find the errors or hyperbole regarding Canada or Britain.  There there is no serious question of Canadian or British authorities deliberately lying to Moore or anyone.

OTOH, from my communications with American conservatives, I glean that they are subject to a great deal of disingenuous nonsense  the Canadian system in particular coming from the usual sort of unreliable sources.

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand. Are you defending Moore's credulous take on Cuba? And Moore as a documentarian more generally?


In case it got lost in the mix I posted that because 71 said upthread he admires Moore, and I'm sure the full extent of his "knowledge" of Cuba comes from a viewing of this.

[Daverz]

Meghan McCain is nothing in the world but another example of someone riding one of their parents' coattails. Anyway, while I certainly didn't always agree with her father, I'll say that he, at least, conducted himself in a way that was respectable. It seems that there's no denying that Trump has ruined the Republican Party and has turned their entire political and philosophical institution into a circus of distrust, misinformation and anti-intellectualism.

Meghan is a bad joke, but it's doubtful that John McCain would have gotten anywhere near the inside of a Navy jet if his father wasn't an admiral.  He was also an awful person (dumped his very loyal first wife for a younger woman), corrupt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five), and a warmonger.

[SimonNZ]

...and the precident-setting elevation of Sarah Palin, of course.

[JBS]

Your condescension towards Cubans is disturbing. They are "Florida's problem" because they are "ignorant" and vote Republican. Maybe you can accept that they are people who's political inclinations are colored by their past experience, under a brutal "socialist" dictatorship they they had to take desperate measures to escape. That Democrats have failed to attract Cubans is a failure of the Democratic Party.

Also remember that Florida was part of the Confederacy, and a large part of the state is very much a Southern state. We have cowboys and rodeos here. Years ago while in school at FSU (in Tallahassee, the state capitol, for non-Americans), I attended a Passover seder at a friend's family. His grandmother presided, including ringing the little silver bell to summon the Negro butler and maid to serve the food.
South Florida is heavily cosmopolitan, Orlando less so. The rest is either Jimmy Buffett style beaches or straight out Deep South.

[Mirror Image]

Meghan is a bad joke, but it's doubtful that John McCain would have gotten anywhere near the inside of a Navy jet if his father wasn't an admiral.  He was also an awful person (dumped his very loyal first wife for a younger woman), corrupt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five), and a warmonger.

And yet, he's a saint compared to Trump. 0:)

[LKB]

And yet, he's a saint compared to Trump. 0:)

My initial impulse was along the lines of, " Well, DUH. "

But after only a minute's reflection, l realized that as long as the GOP ( Greedy, Obsequious Pussies ) allows Trump the possibility of that party's nomination, there should be no letup in reminding Americans of his threat to our democracy.

So: +1, and apologies to MI for my hasty thoughts.

[Fëanor]

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand. Are you defending Moore's credulous take on Cuba? And Moore as a documentarian more generally?

In case it got lost in the mix I posted that because 71 said upthread he admires Moore, and I'm sure the full extent of his "knowledge" of Cuba comes from a viewing of this.

Well, I was only saying the Moore's message is likely more correct vis-à-vis Canada or the UK than Cuba if only because the formers' sources were less willing to mislead.

I'm not a huge admirer of Moore myself precisely because he himself is willing to be mislead and, in turn, oversimplify and pass on an unnuanced view to his viewers.

[Mirror Image]

My initial impulse was along the lines of, " Well, DUH. "

But after only a minute's reflection, l realized that as long as the GOP ( Greedy, Obsequious Pussies ) allows Trump the possibility of that party's nomination, there should be no letup in reminding Americans of his threat to our democracy.

So: +1, and apologies to MI for my hasty thoughts.

No worries. The Republican Party is hardly what it was say 20 or 30 years ago. Now that they have allowed Trump to dominate the party and do anything he wants whether it's fundamentally wrong or morally inhumane, I refuse to believe that there's even one decent Republican left.

[milk]

And yet, he's a saint compared to Trump. 0:)

Trump is dumber, less honest by far, has lower aspirations, has been much more threatening to our democracy; yet I can't calculate the damage McCain did over the years by his support for American interventions/wars - not that many Democrats aren't similar.

[André Le Nôtre]

Didja see Ted Cruz passionately, vehemently defending the right to do the Hitler salute? Gee, I wonder what the next step in the plan crazy thing will be!

[Herman]

Maybe Cruz will grow a little moustache?

[milk]

Maybe Cruz will grow a little moustache?

I disagree with those doing this and I hate Cruz but the context is that they were calling, I think, the school board Nazis and he was, of course, supportive of that. So it's not that they were expressing fascistic ideas. They're crackpots and it's in extremely bad taste. The context does add something though.

[LKB]

Maybe Cruz will grow a little moustache?

He'd be better off growing a pair. Might even become a man someday..

[André Le Nôtre]

Maybe Cruz will grow a little moustache?

No, I don't think he would dare usurp his lord and master.

Did you hear Trump is issuing commemorative medallions celebrating his impending 2024 presidential candidacy? They are inscribed with the words:

One People!
One Nation!
One Leader!

[SimonNZ]

Such is the state of things that I cant tell if that's true or not.

If so the "economic anxiety" crowd will pay whatever it costs along with all the Trump and Maga merch and all the rally tickets and all the campaign donations for every new bit offearmongering.

Economic anxiety....how spoilt do you have to be to use a term like that?

[André Le Nôtre]

It's a reference to the medallions the Nazis produced to commemorate the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938. These were inscribed with:

Ein Volk!
Ein Reich!
Ein Führer!

But yes, it is difficult to distinguish between fact and The Onion these days. I can see something like this happening though, because Trump is profoundly ignorant and stupid (and a worthless piece of shit), while certainly a subset of his followers clearly harbors Nazi inclinations.