They say a statesman will tell you what’s true even when it’s not popular. A politician will tell you what’s popular even when it’s not true. John McCain was a statesman who vigorously spoke for his beliefs and intelligently defended his actions. He rarely embraced fiction.

I did not agree with him on some things, but he challenged the status quo and took an independent stand for the truth when it mattered.

McCain understood that moderate politics and the middle path created the most opportunities in public policy. He saved Obamacare when most in his party wanted to get rid of it.

His views on immigration, campaign finance reform, and climate change also evolved after significant study. He adopted a child from Bangladesh and stood up for President Obama when history was being made.

Most importantly, he was a voracious reader according to the New York Times and actually wrote several books. McCain escaped the twilight zone of social media which has enraptured politics and stoked gullible hearts and minds. Voices like John McCain kept the world from becoming a dystopian Idiocracy, a comedic movie that is becoming a frightening reality.

McCain’s passing brings us much closer to this precipice.