ANALYSIS

McCain's Feuds Unlikely To Burn Him In Campaign

by Bill Swindell

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008


In his 26 years in Congress, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has feuded with many.

Such battles on a wide array of issues have helped burnish an image of a political maverick who is willing to buck his own party on occasion, a persona that he hopes to use to court crucial, independent swing voters who will decide the election.

As he accepts the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, some of those past battles could linger on the campaign trail with political repercussions. But in McCain's case, one stance in a high-profile fight will not cause significant electoral damage, while others will play more of marginal role.

One of the biggest battles McCain has had was with the National Rifle Association. He sponsored legislation requiring background checks at guns shows and a bill to tighten campaign finance laws, including restrictions on issue ads by third-party groups in the waning days of an election.

Those stances earned McCain a "C+" rating from the group in his 2004 re-election race after previously consistent 'A' grades in past races.

But in his race against Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, such positions are treated as mild aberrations rather than heresies against the Second Amendment by the NRA's nearly 3 million members. The simple reason is that the NRA considers Obama much, much worse on gun rights with an "F" rating.

"We have had two disagreements with John McCain on gun shows and campaign finance. However, we like to examine everyone's record in its entirety," said Andrew Arulanandam, an NRA spokesman.

"McCain has a solid pro-gun voting record. There are two disagreements. You contrast that with Barack Obama's record, which is a consistent record of voting against gun rights, hunting rights and even self defense," he said.

The NRA will endorse after the convention and it will be likely that much of its $40 million in campaign spending this cycle will be used to ensure that Obama is not elected president.

While McCain got back in the good graces of the NRA, it doesn't seem to work for the employees of Chicago-based Boeing Co. McCain was responsible for Boeing losing a $23 million deal to lease tankers to the Air Force that later triggered criminal convictions.

A tanker contract is still being fought out over by Boeing and the team of Northrop Grumman Corp. and the European consortium EADS as the Defense Department issued new proposals for tanker procurement earlier this month.

Of the $125,355 given by Boeing employees to all presidential candidates, McCain has received only $11,600. One contribution was by Tod Hullin, a company senior vice president. By contrast, Obama has received $36,377, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

"What he did is right. He uncovered a corrupt contract on both sides. Unfortunately, there are people here who would rather have a corrupt contract than no contract at all in this state," said former Republican Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington state, where Boeing was once headquartered and still has a large manufacturing presence.

"Will have it at least a mild, negative impact on the election here? It probably will. I don't think it will be significant," Gorton said.

Broadcasters were another sparring partner for McCain. In his tenure as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, McCain complained that broadcasters acquired new digital airwaves in a "spectrum heist" and referred to it as the "great American rip-off." McCain also urged stations to better fulfill their public interest obligations through free airtime for candidates.

On top of such criticism, he has singled out the influence of the National Association of Broadcasters, which did not comment for the story.

It seems like such criticism still stings. Broadcasters have given $199,700 during his presidential run. Obama has garnered $257,136, behind the $310,475 that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., raised in her unsuccessful presidential attempt.

But even while McCain was making enemies in the communications field, he could also find allies. A perfect example is Kyle McSlarrow, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

McCain angered the industry in 2006 when he sponsored a bill that would offer incentives for cable TV operators that offer per-channel pricing, which NCTA claims would raise prices and kill struggling channels. But McSlarrow is backing McCain as a result on his relationship with the senator from his days as a Capitol Hill aide and has given him $2,300. McSlarrow did not respond for a request for comment.

"John could be very aggravating to people when you are an opponent," conceded Gorton, who tussled with McCain over campaign finance legislation. "When you get down to the end of it after several years, you often have a very high degree of respect with people with whom you have differed when you think they have done it on the basis of principle.... He says what he believes. You have a very high respect for a person under those circumstances, even you disagree."

  •  
  •