Though John McCain was one of three Republicans who helped Democrats squash the legislation to repeal Obamacare, conservative media is homing in on the Arizona senator for spurning his party in the health care vote.
Here are some of today's headlines:
John McCain: Traitor to the conservative cause (Washington Times)
McCain, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, has been a staunch opponent of Obamacare, but in the end he could not support the so-called "skinny" repeal measure put forward by his colleagues in the Senate.
In this piece, Cheryl K. Chumley, jabs McCain for his vote.
"For American voters expecting their Republican-dominated House, Senate and White House to honor their years of repeal promises and actually, well, repeal Obamacare, McCain's thumbs-down was a face-slap moment that will be remembered in history as a textbook classic case of political betrayal," she writes.
McCain's odd definition of 'leading the fight to stop Obamacare' (National Review)
This article is simple _ it's a quick compare-and-contrast of McCain's recent comments versus his vote on Friday.
Last year, during a tough re-election, McCain's campaign ran a television ad that boasted the senator is "leading the fight to stop Obamacare."
But on Thursday night his office put out a statement noting the GOP Senate bill did not offer a "replacement to actually reform our health care system and deliver affordable, quality health care to our citizens."
The author of this piece, Jim Geraghty, concludes: "It's very difficult to characterize McCain's decision as 'leading the fight to stop Obamacare.' That's more like leading the fight to keep Obamacare in place while you continue to look for a replacement that you like better."
John McCain burns Mitch McConnell sides with Democrats (American Spectator)
When McConnell, the majority leader, stood on the Senate floor Friday after the bill's failure, he was clearly annoyed.
McCain's "no" vote had led to applause moments earlier from Democrats.
"In a move that's no surprise to anyone, John McCain voted against the embarrassingly named 'Skinny Repeal,' voted against his party (or is it his party?) and voted to keep Obamacare going as is," writes Melissa Mackenzie.
