John McCain: The Return Of The Reformer

Politico: Ariz. Senator Once Again Embracing Campaign Finance Reform Credentials

(The Politico)  This story was written by By Kenneth P. Vogel.

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The Republican reformer is back.

After a primary in which John McCain sought to avoid talking about his fight to reduce the role of money in politics - an issue that put him at odds with many GOP activists - the Arizona senator is once again embracing his campaign finance reform credentials.

It’s a central part of McCain’s political identity, the genesis of his national profile as a reformer, a fact highlighted by the attacks he endured during the nomination fight over the sweeping 2002 campaign finance overhaul that bears his name. Many Republican activists and small-government conservatives revile the McCain-Feingold reforms as the epitome of big government infringement on free speech, and as a result they remain leery of McCain today.

But the McCain campaign believes that by carrying the reform mantle in the general election, he will appeal to independent voters - and potentially undercut presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s change theme.

The first sign of McCain’s return to reform came last month, when his campaign debuted a new slogan - “Reform - Prosperity - Peace” - that nodded to his leadership in the campaign finance movement. It’s a slogan that McCain himself coined last month, reportedly in an unscripted moment.

Then came the ad. Last week, McCain began an airing a biographical spot touting his leadership on campaign finance reform foremost among his legislative accomplishments, and he publicly embraced the groups that supported his efforts.

The television ad begins with his military service and his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. When he got home and entered Congress, the ad’s narrator intones, he put his love of country “before party, polls and self. A maverick. John McCain tackled campaign reform, military reform, spending reform. He took on presidents, partisans and popular opinion.”

He followed up in an interview last week with The New York Times, in which he identified reform-minded and activist-oriented former President Teddy Roosevelt as his “major role model … in the 20th century.”

When pressed about where, in his own record, he advocated an active government role to accomplish something “in a similar vein” to Roosevelt. McCain had a ready answer.

“Campaign finance reform - obviously he was a great reformer - is one of them,” McCain responded, according to a transcript on the Times website. “Climate change is another. He was a great environmentalist.”

McCain recently even managed to upstage Barack Obama, whose campaign is powered by his image as an agent of change. Last week, McCain’s campaign was the first to agree to volunteer more information about bundlers and small donors in response to a request from eight nonprofit groups that supported McCain-Feingold and other reforms championed by McCain.

“We would like to thank you for your organizations’ admirable efforts in promoting transparency and accountability in the election process,” McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, wrote in a letter to the groups explaining how McCain planned to step up his disclosure. “As you well know, John McCain has been a tireless crusader for campaign finance reform for many years. Our campaign has worked hard to embody Senator McCain’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the political process.”

Obama’s campaign subsequently agreed to match McCain’s recent disclosure of bundlers’ addresses, but not their employers and occupations - which McCain posted on his website in response to the reform groups’ requests.

The McCain campaign rejects the premise that he’s repositioning himself on campaign finance issues, insisting that the senator never dstanced himself from McCain-Feingold or his other efforts to tighten campaign rules.

“John McCain was attacked so much for it in the primary - how could he forget?” said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for McCain. He asserted McCain’s leadership on the issue would help him with independent voters inspired by the idea of a new politics that transcends partisan divisions.

“John McCain has always emphasized his long record of putting principle over party and politics to do what’s right for America,” Rogers said. “Campaign finance is a perfect example of this.”

Indeed, during the 2000 presidential primaries. McCain and fellow underdog Bill Bradley, a former New Jersey senator who was seeking the Democratic nomination, got surprising traction running on reform-oriented platforms.

Though both lost their respective nomination fights, the idea that special interest cash was corrupting Washington emerged as a prominent theme, which in turn provided momentum for McCain’s efforts in the Senate to ban huge, so-called soft money contributions.

Yet this time around, McCain’s rhetoric critical of special interests hasn’t been nearly as strident or prominent as in 2000, instead taking a back seat to his campaign’s focus on national security and the economy.

But in a general election in which polls suggest deep dissatisfaction with the president and Congress - not to mention the government’s handling of gas prices, the economy and the war in Iraq - reform rhetoric may resonate with independent and swing voters.

At the same time, there is also a degree of political risk.

Democrats have already filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that McCain violated public financing rules in the primary, and they are questioning his commitment to campaign finance reform.

Among the GOP base, it could further upset small government conservatives already queasy about his bona fides, said Kevin Madden, who was the spokesman for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s rival GOP presidential campaign.

“There is a risk, but the McCain campaign has calculated that the upside outweighs the downside as far as presenting him as a reformer who does the hard things for what he believes is the good of the country,” Madden said.

James Bopp, a leading conservative attorney and McCain-Feingold opponent who is nonetheless supporting McCain for president, seemed untroubled by McCain’s recent re-embrace of campaign finance reform.

“This is not a news flash that he supports campaign finance reform,” said Bopp, who has won four U.S. Supreme Court cases challenging campaign finance regulations, including one loosening part of McCain-Feingold. “He should emphasize whatever issues he believes will get him into the White House, because I want him in the White House. And it’s not because of McCain-Feingold. It’s because of other issues.”

[chrisl45]

What do we want, "RPP", Reform, Prosperity, and Peace! I am never hesitent to point out a good thing. Senator John McCain is the American story. He fought for our country, came home, and is leading the all American dream. What do we want, "RPP", Reform, Prosperity, and Peace!

[rgrxx175]

When Phil Gramm was running for president, it turned out he was an investor in the soft core porn movie.
wait is the same phil gramm, mcccain''s top economic advisor that called us a bunch of whiners?

[jongood65]

Racism over ones "color" or "ethnicity" there''s more to being human than walking upright and talking stupid.
Posted by liberalme at 04:29 PM : Jul 16, 2008
=================

Sorry sonny, there is some very recent scientific studies that pretty solidly conclude as to how all who walk upright with opposing thumbs, regardless of variable such as skin pigmentation, hair color, eye color etc. are all members of the one and only race. And that race is, human.

You must be getting these conclusions cornfused with the Bell Curve studies you NObama worshippers apparently adhere to??

[liberalme]

Are you telling us human beings who worship Sen. NObama hate other human beings for no other reason than because they''''re human?

After all, human is the only race, and to hate humans simply for being human would be the only legitimate reason for calling someone a "racist."
Posted by JonGood65 at 04:24 PM : Jul 16, 2008

Racism over ones "color" or "ethnicity" there''s more to being human than walking upright and talking stupid.

[jongood65]

I don''t know what to offer you sonny, other than, don''t let the door slap you in your bigoted behind on your way out.
Posted by JonGood65 at 03:09 PM : Jul 16, 2008

And more could be said for the Obama racists.
Posted by liberalme at 04:15 PM : Jul 16, 2008
====================

Are you telling us human beings who worship Sen. NObama hate other human beings for no other reason than because they''re human?

After all, human is the only race, and to hate humans simply for being human would be the only legitimate reason for calling someone a "racist."

[rgrxx175]

U.S. reverses course, will send envoy to talks with Iran, oh i don''t hear anything from the mccain camp?

[jongood65]

I can''t believe Americans would be THAT stupid.

Posted by noloyalisti at 03:39 PM : Jul 16, 2008
===============

You must be one of the foreigns who actually believes we real Americans give a big stinky shissa about what y''all think?

[liberalme]

Big news folks - it looks like our efforts in contacting those Superdelegates are starting to pay off, so keep on writing to them (ok, maybe Donna B''''s a waste of time). There are unconfirmed reports, based on phone banking efforts to reach out to Super Ds, that eight previously Obama SDs expressed that, given the opportunity, they would vote for Hillary at the convention.

Posted by Barocalto at 03:55 PM : Jul

You are so full of it---everything you have predicted up until now has been a wet dream of yours--

Get over it---YES WE CAN!!!

[liberalme]

I don''''t know what to offer you sonny, other than, don''''t let the door slap you in your bigoted behind on your way out.
Posted by JonGood65 at 03:09 PM : Jul 16, 2008

And more could be said for the Obama racists.

[barocalto]

Big news folks - it looks like our efforts in contacting those Superdelegates are starting to pay off, so keep on writing to them (ok, maybe Donna B''s a waste of time). There are unconfirmed reports, based on phone banking efforts to reach out to Super Ds, that eight previously Obama SDs expressed that, given the opportunity, they would vote for Hillary at the convention.

[barocalto]

He was registered under the name of Barry Soetoro, serial number 203. School documents list Barry Soetoro as an Indonesian citizen and his religion was listed as Islam.
His third grade teacher, Fermina Katarina Sinaga, now 67, asked her class to write an essay titled "My dream: What I want to be in the future." Obama wrote "I want to be a President," she said.

All Indonesian students are required to study religion at school and a young Barry Soetoro, being a Muslim, would have been required to study Islam daily in school.

He would have been taught to read and write Arabic, to recite his prayers properly, to read and recite from the Quran and to study the laws of Islam.

In his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama mentions studying the Quran and describes the public school as "a Muslim school."
The evidence seems to quite clearly show that both Ann Dunham and her husband Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo were in fact devout Muslims themselves and they raised their son as such."

Obama''''''''s half-sister, Maya, recalled that the family attended the mosque

[noloyalisti]

Is McSame still running or has he dropped out yet? Is there anyone in their right mind (no pun intended) who would vote for more of what we have but maybe worse?

I can''t believe Americans would be THAT stupid.

[jongood65]

Too bad there is a big chasm between what McCain says and what he does.
We need a Teddy Roosevelt president. One who will bring out the big hammer and smash the corporations into little pieces.
Posted by WDRussell1 at 01:18 PM : Jul 16, 2008
===================

From what I''ve seen you offer this board, that "big hammer" you speak of, is having an ultra-left wing pinko government formed up after the "CHANGE" Sen. NObama is promising us, nationalize all US corporations.

I can only assume because you hope that what they rob from the rich, they will give to you??

ROTFLMGTBO!!!!!

[jongood65]

I hate Amnesty Mccain! If he becomes president, i''''m moving overseas and will become an enemy to the what would then be called "United States of Mexico"!
...
Posted by TRBundro1277 at 02:38 PM : Jul 16, 2008

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It''s just a shame your mother didn''t wash your mouth out with soap for spewing this kind of language.

I don''t know what to offer you sonny, other than, don''t let the door slap you in your bigoted behind on your way out.

[trbundro1277]

I hate Amnesty Mccain! If he becomes president, i''m moving overseas and will become an enemy to the what would then be called "United States of Mexico"! You are all idiots if you vote for mccain! He wants to let over 12 million illegals get amnesty and be citizens! Without making them pay fines or learn how to speak English! You all must really love the spanish language, because that is what you will be speaking under Mccain!

[trbundro1277]

**He followed up in an interview last week with The New York Times, in which he identified reform-minded and activist-oriented former President Teddy Roosevelt as his %u201Cmajor role model %u2026 in the 20th century.%u201D**
Too bad there is a big chasm between what McCain says and what he does.
We need a Teddy Roosevelt president. One who will bring out the big hammer and smash the corporations into little pieces.
Posted by WDRussell1 at 01:18 PM : Jul 16, 2008
*** yeah, mccain is no teddy roosevelt! Obama is more like teddy than mccain! teddy roosevelt was the trust buster, and was out to smash big corporations. Mccain wants to give those big coporations a 10 percent tax break, so how is he trying to compare himself with Teddy Roosevelt??? If I was relation to Teddy Roosevelt, I would be suing Mccain and making him stop comparing himself with Teddy!

[trbundro1277]

I don''t care how conservative Mccain is on any issue except the amnesty for illegals topic! If he lets 12 million illegals get amnesty, that will take away alot of american jobs and give them to people that illegally came here in the first place. So reward lawbreakers with citizenship, and those people will take away jobs from hard working americans??? How is that for return of reformer? is keating 5 making a comeback???? Does everyone want to be forced to speak spanish over the next 2 years????

[shingles1]

McCain Voted with the Bush Administration 89 Percent of the Time. Since President Bush took office, McCain has supported Bush%u2019s positions 89 percent of the time. McCain%u2019s support of Bush%u2019s policies reached as high as 95 percent in 2007. [Congressional Quarterly Voting Study, 110th Congress]

[likeitis5050]

Too bad he''''s not going to "reform" the horribly failed policies of the Bush administration. Some "reformer," he voted WITH the Bush policies over 95% of the time.....


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Posted by raflin1

No he didn''t.

[shingles1]

It should read Return of the Flip Flopper:

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/flipflops