Posted on 09/20/2005 6:26:24 PM PDT by wjersey
Angry over what he considers a breach of Senate courtesy by GOP leaders, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has teamed with Democrats and centrist Republicans to force the leaders to back down on an effort to undermine fundraising limits he helped make law in 2002.
With assurance from Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that he would have the Democrats’ support, McCain confronted GOP leaders in private yesterday at the Senate Republican Caucus luncheon.
At issue was a rider attached to the treasury-transportation spending bill that would have allowed lawmakers to transfer unlimited sums from their leadership political action committees to party coffers.
McCain brought his grievance with Republican leaders before his Republican colleagues and won, said a GOP lawmaker who attended the meeting. The leadership promised to give McCain a vote on stripping the rider.
The confrontation attests to McCain’s growing clout on Capitol Hill. By working with Democrats and winning the backing of a handful of Republicans, he has demonstrated that he can wrest the chamber’s agenda from the leaders. It also shows that McCain may be becoming more influential within his own caucus at a time when President Bush is struggling in the polls and the senator has emerged as a front-runner for the 2008 presidential race.
It was a dramatic turnaround from earlier in the week, when leaders decided to circumvent McCain by pulling the transportation-treasury bill from floor consideration. McCain suspected that the bill would be put into a “minibus” bill, preventing the rider from being stripped out in its own vote.
GOP leaders apparently realized yesterday that McCain had cobbled enough support to hand them an embarrassing defeat if the bill came up for consideration with the rider attached.
McCain told The Hill that he had brought the issue up at the Republican Conference meeting and was satisfied with the response, although he wouldn’t discuss details of the exchange.
“It’s the same people who have fought long against campaign-finance reform …” McCain said, “the same cast of characters.”
A GOP senator who attended yesterday’s luncheon said McCain told colleagues that he had not been given a floor vote on the campaign-finance rider, which he considered a serious discourtesy.
Campaign-finance reform was McCain’s signature issue before and shortly after running for president in 2000. He was upset that Senate leaders would try to amend one of the greatest achievements of his Senate career on an unrelated spending measure. He was irate that GOP leaders would use procedural tactics to deny him a chance to challenge the provision, said a GOP aide familiar with the matter.
“McCain was livid,” said the aide.
A spokesman for Senate Assistant Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has long opposed campaign-finance regulation and is suspected of masterminding the latest effort to water down fundraising limits, said the provision belonged to Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah). McConnell’s aide referred questions to their offices.
Bond, who is chairman of the transportation-treasury subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, confirmed that the spending bill had been pulled from the schedule. But Bond added that he did not know why.
He said that he hoped to have it scheduled for a Senate vote soon and that the matter was “something I have to talk about” with the leadership.
Bennett said he had written the rider in the Rules Committee and the provision had therefore “been approved by the authorizing committee.”
He said he had expected the transportation-treasury bill would be on the floor now. Instead, the Senate is considering the agriculture appropriations bill.
“We thought it was going before ag,” Bennett said. He added that he was not aware McCain had the votes to defeat his provision. “I haven’t taken a whip count,” he said. “I have no idea.”
Amy Call, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), said Republican leaders never made a decision on when to bring the transportation bill to the floor, despite Bennett’s understanding. She added that the bill could still make it before the end of the week.
McCain and his partner in campaign-finance reform, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), sent a letter to colleagues two weeks ago opposing the amendment.
“The bill would allow Leadership PACs controlled by Senators and Representatives to give an unlimited amount of their funds to a national party committee,” they wrote. “These funds could then be pumped back into that Member’s campaign — effectively subverting individual and PAC donor contribution limits. …
“This major change in campaign law would seriously undermine the effectiveness of longstanding contribution limits.”
Everybody say hello to our "conservative" nominee in 2008.
Sorry McCain your not getting my vote EVER!
You need to bow and curtsey in His Majesty's presence!
McCain -- the RATS lapdog.
Dole had a better chance than McCain ever will.
Still does, actually.
This is why Republicans don't get any more of my money and this Viet Vet will never vote for McLame.
Say hello to President Clinton.
McCain is a tyrant who hates the First Amendment.
I know I'm going to get flamed, but I'd rather give my vote to Clinton than McCain.
McCain is basically saying "It's MY law and I will NOT let anyone else touch it!"
Sort of like how Harry Blackmun referred to Roe v Wade as "his law" and wanted to preserve it at all cost.
Sad such egos rule our land.
I won't vote if it is McCain. I will not vote for Hillary.
I've been getting blasted on another tread because I have stated just how much I detest Sen. John McCain, if he is my party's nominee, I WILL stay home.
Did I say I detest this man, he is no hero in my eyes any longer.
He is nothing more than a cheap liberal shill hack.
I'd most likely vote third party.
IF McCain is so stupid to have not learned the Democrats do not reciprocate when you make deals with them He should never be President.That and the fact that hes and idiot precludes him from the office. Perhaps we can have a Constitutional ammendment outlawing idiots running for President?
He deserves all that he will get from the libs he's hanging with now. He needs to retire while he still has some dignity left.
I know I'm going to get flamed by the Zig Zag Zell worshipers, but I'd vote for McCain's 84% conservative rating over Miller's 56% conservative rating anyday. Seems some people on this board don't mind flip-flopping camera mugging media whores as long as they're in the RAT party causing trouble for that caucus.
Puleeeese, Mommy. Make this bad man go away!
He stripped a who-cares rider from a bill. So what? The media loves his guy a bit too much.
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