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Shaken Republicans look to McCain as savior
2008-05-15
Soul searching Republicans are turning to an unlikely savior, one-time party heretic and now presumptive White House nominee John McCain, as they try to stave off an electoral disaster. Stung by the Democratic seizure of three staunch conservative seats in Congress, Republican lawmakers fear a shellacking in November's general election, after losing control of both chambers of Congress in 2006. The rise of McCain as their champion is not without irony, since the 71-year-old Arizona senator has quarreled with his own party for years on issues as diverse as immigration, campaign finance reform and global warming. But it is precisely that independent streak that is drawing Republicans to his coattails, hoping he can cleanse them of the stain of gridlocked Washington. Eric Cantor, Republican chief deputy whip in the House of Representatives, told reporters that the McCain brand was healthier than that of his party. "John McCain is a demonstrated vote getter among independents, and his message and what he will be able to do in this election is extremely important." House Republican minority leader John Boehner told Fox News that with McCain at the top of the ticket, his demoralized party might spring a surprise in November. "I think that we're going to do a lot better than people think," Boehner said. "John McCain appeals to almost all Republicans. He also appeals to a wide array of independents and conservative Democrats." Democrat Travis Childers on Tuesday won Mississippi's first congressional district, one of the safest Republican seats in the country, following his party's recent special election wins in Illinois and Louisiana. The win was another triumph for the strategy of matching socially conservative Democrats, who often oppose abortion and back gun rights, to conservative districts, where Republicans would normally ease to victory. As they surveyed the damage Wednesday, Republican House leaders rolled out the first elements of a new agenda, dubbed "The Change You Deserve," pinpointing the struggles of working families. Significantly, a key player in their press conference was Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief who is now one of McCain's most visible economic advisors. Democrats see their win streak as a referendum on the unpopular president and dream of an electoral landslide after a Washington Post/ABC poll this week found eight in ten Americans think the country is on the wrong track. Tom Cole, who heads Republican congressional campaign efforts, delivered an unusually stark warning, telling his party's candidates "to take stock of their campaigns and position themselves for challenging campaigns this fall." But Adam Putnam, chairman of the House Republican conference, suggested Republicans could prosper without their president up for reelection. "The President is not on the ballot," he said. Top Democrats will not let them creep silently out of Bush's shadow. "What happened in Mississippi was a day for reckoning for the failed policies of the Bush administration," said Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the House Democratic campaign committee. And he said McCain, who recorded a message for the defeated Republican candidate in Mississippi, had failed to save his party. "They thought he would be a life preserver, he wasn't -- he was an anchor." Democratic House majority leader Steny Hoyer meanwhile mocked the new Republican slogan, "The Change You Deserve," saying it had already been used to market an anti-depressant medicine. Democrats, who seized control of both chambers of Congress in 2006, are looking to expand their 37-seat majority in the House, and increase their tally in the 100-seat Senate from the current 51. Republicans are particularly bracing for losses in the Senate, since in what was already shaping up as a bad year they have 23 seats up for reelection compared to only 12 for the Democrats.
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