Moving forward with McCain-Feingold — without McCain

July 29, 2006

Sen. [tag]Russ Feingold[/tag] (D-Wis.) likes to joke that the campaign-finance reform measure that bears his name is so well-known that a large part of the country thinks his first name is “[tag]McCain[/tag].” As it turns out, that may not be a problem anymore.

The quartet of lawmakers behind every major federal campaign finance restriction in the past decade is suddenly missing one of its members.

The elided surnames of the four men, “[tag]McCain-Feingold[/tag]-Shays-Meehan,” have become synonymous with so-called campaign finance reform, but Senator McCain, a Republican of Arizona, is conspicuously absent from the latest effort.

On Wednesday, Senator Feingold, a Democrat of Wisconsin, Rep. Martin Meehan, a Democrat of Massachusetts, and Rep. Christopher Shays, a Republican of Connecticut, introduced a bill to revive the crumbling system for public financing of presidential campaigns.

The bill is largely identical to a measure all four men introduced in 2003, but this time around Mr. McCain is not on board.

When the New York Sun asked for an explanation, McCain’s office refused comment. But “several people involved in discussions about the legislation” said McCain will probably abandon the public-financing system during his 2008 campaign, so he had to give up on a measure he’s championed for years to avoid hypocrisy.

Kevin Drum responded, “Can we start keeping score on the number of positions that Mr. [tag]Straight Talk[/tag] has abandoned now that he thinks he has a serious shot at the presidency?” Good idea; I’ve started a list.

* McCain criticized TV preacher [tag]Jerry Falwell[/tag] as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but has since decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.

* McCain used to oppose Bush’s [tag]tax cuts[/tag] for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.

* In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

* McCain used to think that Grover Norquist was a crook and a corrupt shill for dictators. Then McCain got serious about running for president and began to reconcile with Norquist.

* McCain took a firm line in opposition to torture, and then caved to White House demands.

And now McCain has given up on his signature policy issue, [tag]campaign-finance reform[/tag], and won’t back the same provision he sponsored just a couple of years ago.

Just think, it’s only July 2006. He still has a year and a half to reverse course on any number of other issues he pretended to care about.

Thanks for laying it out like that, CB. It puts things in perspective.It seems like it’s politics-by-the-numbers and so obvious that no one would buy it. But Bush has shown that the most blatant lies have some success with the electorate.

  • While CB kept track and most of the nation/press remained oblivious, Mr. Straight Talk morphed into Mr. Bullshit. Whenever I see lists such this one by CB I hope someone in the Democratic Party is taking notes and thinking about 30-second ads which will drive the “You’re being lied to by the GOP” message home to voters. It would be very inexpensive. All they’d take to produce is a single cel or maybe a PowerPoint series of cels to convey the list, with a prominent voice-over repeating “You’re being lied to by the GOP” as many times as possible in 30 seconds. Call it “innoculative campaigning” (or, more simply, “pulling the rug out from under whomever the GOP puts up”).

  • if americans don’t get off their duffs and vote the democrats into control of the house or senate…we deserve what we’re getting…and will continue to get for years to come.

  • The thing about McCain is that, when confronted with his flip-flops, he rarely (never?) responds effectively. Jon Stewart does it to him, albeit more politely and deferentially than others will, every time McCain shows up on The Daily Show.

    I don’t think he can pull this off.

  • For the life of me I can’t fathom why anyone (especially Jon Stewart) gives John McCain the time of day, let alone TeeVee time. The man (?) is totally lacking in principle, is humorless, predictable. Well, I guess he knows his audience.

  • The “Straight Talk Express” has veered off the main road onto to the
    Forked Tongue Parkway!

  • Take all these causes that McCain has championed over the years, and throw them all back in his face every time he shows up at a campaign event. Bury the editorial department of every newspaper. Hound the switchboard of every radio and television station.

    Then…ask Mr. DoubleSpeak when he’s going to start badmouthing POWs—and praising his North Vietnamese captors. It’s really about the only thing left that he hasn’t flip-flopped on—and it would make his “transition to the Dark Side” complete….

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