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McCain Should Run Against Stevens

Senator Ted Stevens' seven-count indictment looks like it couldn't have come at a worse time for the Republican Party, which is already in mid-soul search.

But in every crisis there is opportunity - and for John McCain this latest congressional Republican scandal offers an opportunity to revive his reputation as an independent reformer. It has the added advantage of being brand consistent.

John McCain has been a constant critic of the unprecedented levels of pork barrel spending that took hold of the Republican Congress during the Bush Administration. And there is no better symbol of that excess then Senator Ted Stevens' infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," the $398 million dollar boondoggle to an island in Alaska where less than 10,000 people lived.

McCain also took early aim at the culture corruption that emerged from all the overspending and lobbying by GOP-leaning special interests - holding early hearings into the Jack Abramoff scandals that ultimately engulfed House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Congressman Bob Ney and others. It didn't make him popular with RNC apparatchiks, but it did make him right.

The Republicans' rejection by the voters in 2006 was swift and vicious. But the war in Iraq was not - counter to conventional wisdom - the primary reason for the loss of their 12-year Congressional majority. Exit polls showed that voters were more disgusted by the corruption and ethics allegations - the steady stream of scandals from Duke Cunningham to Mark Foley. Fiscal conservative voters in particular felt a sense of betrayal - the Republican Party had somehow de linked fiscal conservatism with fiscal responsibility in a cynical and unsuccessful attempt to purchase a permanent majority. In the process, legislators got bought and sold by lobbyists, who almost by definition put self interest above the national interest. The Stevens' indictments are just the latest insult to their idealism.

Luckily for the GOP, John McCain is the perfect antidote to the excesses of the former Republican Congress. He's taken heat for his criticism of fellow Senate club members before - shining light on absurd appropriations and bucking ideological litmus tests - but those principled stands of independence are precisely what made McCain one of the most widely admired political leaders in America. It's hard for some professional Republican partisans to understand, but John McCain is competitive in this election because of his independence, not in spite of it.

Ironically, now polls show that McCain is being hurt by his association with the damaged Republican brand. One of the best ways to create daylight between himself and the Bush administration would be to revive his profile as a fearless reformer with a forceful new condemnation of the culture of corruption in Washington. He should hold out the examples Ted Stevens, Monica Goodling, Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff as counter examples of the direction in which he wants to lead his party and his nation. He can harness the anger toward Bush-era Republican excesses while pointing the way to a new McCain brand of the Republican Party.

This declaration of independence would be something like a Sister Souljah moment for McCain's campaign. Senator Stevens is, of course, entitled to a presumption of innocence - as a statement from McCain Communications Director Nicole Wallace made clear - and Senator McCain is an honorable man, even to frequent legislative opponents. But this is not the time for tip-toeing around the specific allegations or the general ethical environment for fear of offending a fellow Republican.

McCain has credibility on this front going back to the "Iron Triangle" speeches of his first presidential campaign - so this won't be greeted as a Johnny-come-lately "reformer with results" type of pose.

It will remind voters that McCain represents a return to the heroic reform Republicanism of Teddy Roosevelt - someone who believes in strong national security and embodies the virtue of personal courage. He is a fearless political reformer, willing to take on the special interests of his own party. And like TR, he is a "wise-use" environmentalist, with a belief that nature should be preserved for future generations but also used for humanity's benefit. McCain resonates with independents because he puts patriotism over partisanship and the national interest over special interests.

This is a message that the McCain campaign has been attempting to tap into with slogans -"Country First" - but surfing this news cycle with a principled stand will help do what the McCain campaign has been struggling to do over the past several weeks - reframe the terms of the debate, while recapturing the interest of reporters and the admiration of independents voters.

Most importantly, it will remind Republicans to have confidence in their nominee: John McCain just might be the change they have been waiting for.

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Related Topics: congress | election 2008 | ethics | mccain | steves |

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