This is Words Matter with Elise Jordan and Steve Schmidt.

Welcome to Words Matter. I'm Elise Jordan along with Steve Schmidt.

Our goal is to promote objective reality. As a wise man once said, everyone is entitled to their

own opinion, not their own facts. In this episode, we'll look at the legacy of Senator John McCain,

War Hero, Senator, and presidential candidate. We'll get Steve's thoughts and reflections on the

passing of an American statesman. And who, if anyone in the Republican Party, will take up

McCain's fight against racism, tribalism, and isolationism. John McCain spent more than six

decades in the service of his country. By his own admission, he was far from perfect,

but few fellow Americans have such a record of dedication. He tried to live up to the ideals of

duty, honor, and country. Steve, you had the honor and privilege to work on John McCain's 2008

presidential campaign. What's your favorite memory of John McCain? McCain had taken a calling

Mark McKinnon, one of the media strategists on the campaign. He assigned us ranks. We were

corporals, McKinnon, and Schmidt. And after the comeback and the win in New Hampshire, his son Doug

suggested that we be commissioned, that we'd be made officers, that we'd be given battlefield

commissions and promoted. And McKinn came back and said absolutely not those two are an officer

material, but did agree that we would be promoted to sergeant. And we, and that campaign went next

to Michigan, where we got crushed by Mitt Romney. First day in the state, McCain goes out and he

tells the auto workers in Detroit that their jobs aren't coming back. And it was, it was downhill

from there. And in the morning, believe we were in Traverse City, Michigan, it was snowing,

McCain looked at me and he said, I don't have a good feeling about this. I think turnout's going

to be low. I said, no, I said, these are hearty people up here. Don't worry about it. And we went

with the National Press in tow to a polling station on a deserted street. And there was one old lady

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