Vox Writer Faces Backlash for Trashing McCain Minutes After Death Announcement
In the moments when much of America was remembering John McCain for his service as an American warrior and a United States senator from Arizona, the website Vox chose to portray McCain as a man who, according to its story “sacrificed his values to win.”
“The party of Donald Trump began almost 10 years ago to the day, when John McCain tapped Sarah Palin to join his ticket,” Vox’s politics editor, Laura McGann, wrote in the piece, which was posted on Vox Saturday night.
“He proved willing to empower a demagogue when he thought doing so would improve his political fortunes, exactly the sin so many of his colleagues in the Republican Party have committed since Trump won their party’s nomination,” she said.
McCain plucked Palin from obscurity to become his 2008 presidential running mate. Palin’s emergence and fiery brand of conservatism sparked new life in many on the right wing of the political spectrum at the same time the election of former President Barack Obama appeared to have enshrined Democrats in the halls of power in Washington.
As noted by TheBlaze, Vox also promoted the story with a since-deleted tweet proclaiming, “You can draw a straight line from John McCain to Donald Trump — through Sarah Palin.”
Vox must have realized something was wrong with this hot take after McCain’s death was announced because it’s deleted now. #OvercomeByTDS pic.twitter.com/TlAg1JtNxM
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) August 26, 2018
Vox’s perspective, and above all its timing, drew attacks on Twitter.
A hit piece an hour after the man died. Very classy, @voxdotcom. https://t.co/2GFlbKh2kg
— Michael Hodapp (@michaelhodapp_) August 26, 2018
Vox should be ashamed for writing this political BS hours after John McCain died. He’s a war hero for this country! The disrespect from these journalist with their political agendas is unreal! pic.twitter.com/6xDG4IcEjl
— KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) August 26, 2018
In response, McGann claimed the reaction was unfair.
“Today, I’m told, we should pretend John McCain didn’t pick Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008,” she tweeted shortly after the story hit the internet.
Today, I’m told, we should pretend John McCain didn’t pick Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008.
— Laura McGann (@lkmcgann) August 26, 2018
Took 17 minutes to be called the c-word for pointing out that John McCain’s legacy includes empowering Sarah Palin.
— Laura McGann (@lkmcgann) August 26, 2018
But many social media users weren’t buying it.
You published a piece attacking him within an hour of his death being announced. You aren't the victim here.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) August 26, 2018
Having been burned in its efforts to smear McCain that way, Vox then focused on reshaping McCain as a defending of Obama, pointing out his vote to stop a GOP attempt to overhaul Obamacare and an incident at a 2008 rally where McCain upbraided a woman for calling Obama “an Arab.”
But that initial Twitter post is likely what many Americans will remember — especially on the right.
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