“ This is smart politics, and it’s long overdue from Republicans. McCain may not win a lot of votes in Memphis as a result of this stop — I’d guess that he won’t win any at all — but at some point, the GOP has to pay some dues. McCain did that today, facing the feedback and eventually turning the boos into applause and a little bit of respect. Starting a dialogue isn’t easy and it doesn’t make for great sound bites, but it helps to lance a boil in politics that the Republicans have pretended doesn’t exist for too long. It’s a first step — and long overdue.