Sending A Message

I was at work early last Friday, preparing for another day keeping the crayons in the lines and out of kids' mouths. I had a few moments of quiet before the short people would begin to demand my full attention, so I took a minute or two to consider what grownup priorities I might have missed or avoided in my rush to get ready for school.
What  about that healthcare bill? What  could be more responsible and grown up than taking the time to consider how I could affect the future of medical insurance in the United States?
I wrote to John McCain. I sent him an email. I told him how much I respected the way he had honored his convictions and those of his constituents. I said that I valued his calm appraisal of the effect of his vote, and that I hoped that he would continue to work to serve all the people of the United States. The short and the tall.
I knew that John McCain was one of the swing votes for the Graham-Cassidy bill that continues the seven year slog of "repeal and replace" that has been the rallying cry of the Republican Party ever since the Affordable Care Act was passed back in those bygone days of yore. I knew that, in spite of the fact that John McCain was a Republican and he had that little dalliance with Sarah Palin, he was a man of character. Good character. He understood his job as a public servant. 
That was the thing we had in common. So I wrote him and said that I hoped that he might consider putting the stake through the heart of Repeal and Replace. The current version, at least. 
Later that day, Senator John McCain announced, “I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried. Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will affect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it.” I caught this update around lunchtime, while I was standing out on the playground, watching kids play, resolving conflicts, passing out band aids.
It turns out that John McCain and I have a lot in common. I told my wife that she had me to thank for his No vote. At least that's the way it looks on my timeline.