Flashback: McCain tells supporter Obama is 'a decent...
Why Hacker News recommends it
Used as an example of civil political conduct, contrasted with today's politics, and posted after McCain's death.
What it is
A CNN clip from an October 2008 rally where John McCain takes the microphone from a supporter and tells her Barack Obama is a decent family man.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2018 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Cites mehrdadn · 2018-08 · on “John McCain has died”
I've found 1 clip so far [1]; would you happen to have more? I'd love to be able to refer back to these in the future. [1] [this video]
Cites 27182818284 · 2018-08 · on “John McCain has died”
He tried to do the right thing. Sometimes it came out a bit awkward like the infamous "He is a decent human being" comment, but his heart was in the right place [this video]
Cites nebula8804 · 2025-05 · on “Trump administration halts Harvard's ability to enroll international students”
Somewhat yes [0]: [this video] But it was also that the great recession was a bit painful for enough of these people.
Cites ztetranz · 2025-10 · on “Meow.camera”
> I am not even American but I remember McCain more and more when I hear about this. he was so much better than this. Very true. [this video]
Cites pdpi · 2026-01 · on “Is the Constitution Broken”
We live in a world where the sitting president calls January 6 a day of love, and has pardoned the rioters, and then says that people protesting ICE are "domestic terrorists". We live in a world where federal prosecutors are choosing to quit rather than following his orders. Remember John McCain defending Obama[0]? Do you genuinely believe that the people heading the Republican Party today would ever do that? Contrast McCain's humility and grace in his concession speech[1] with Trump's constant refusal to accept that he lost 2020, and his insistence on exacting revenge on the people who "wronged" him. No, this is not a "vigorous political process" in action. It's something else entirely. 0.
Cites Imustaskforhelp · 2026-02 · on “Israel launches strike against Iran, declares state of emergency across country”
Extremely great post with detailed examples > So, without a generation of leaders able to recognize and understand the role of history and those traumas and empathize with the other sides we're trapped in those loops of aggression. The sad reality (imo) about this truth is that the qualities needed to be a leader aren't empathy. There was a vid about it which went more into detail but When you observe leaders, you find that they are extremely weird and sometimes psychopathic. To me it also feels like if a leader is emphatetic towards the other part, other leaders more extreme would spring up saying that he's an enemy from within or something equivalent to it. The empathy of the leader is one