“O God, help me to win, but in thy wisdom if thou willest me not to win, then O God, make me a good loser.” - Sir Robert Baden-Powell
I’m a Republican, but I haven’t been much of a fan of John McCain. Until this speech. For all of anything else you or I believe about him, he is a man who loves his country, and he proved his character in his reaction to defeat.
When he silences the crowd’s booing of Obama, there is no hint of pretense or hypocrisy.
This is what parents mean when they try to teach the importance of being a gracious loser. To see the other side, compare this with Hillary Clinton’s concession speech.
Which brings me to my final, inspiring thought: at this historic moment, whether you voted for John McCain or Barack Obama, at least 75% of Americans can and should come together and say: “At least it wasn’t Hillary.”
3 responses so far ↓
1 Karianne Salisbury // Nov 6, 2008 at 11:16 am
I agree! McCain never really screamed out to me but I definitely thought this speech was the highlight of what I’ve seen.
2 sunshine // Nov 6, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Thank you for posting this. I had heard about it, but had not heard it. John McCain is nothing if not a patriot in the truest sense of the word.
You won’t be surprised to know that it made me cry.
Sunshine
3 David J Garcia // Nov 13, 2008 at 2:43 am
Thanks for your comments! Apparently we’re not alone: I read a poll that said McCain’s approval rating jumped several points after the election.
Leave a Comment