McCain Courts a Wary GOP

Now the GOP frontrunner, John McCain's working hard to come in from the outside edges of the Republican Party. The New York Times has the story:

He says he is not enough of a masochist to listen to Rush Limbaugh. He jokes at a Republican dinner about a looming foreign policy crisis: “I have a four-hour speech on the North Korean nuclear buildup that I know you’ve been waiting for.” And he still treats the media as his No. 1 constituency, plying them with nonstop talk and stories, like one about a date from his Navy days who cleaned her nails with a switchblade.

But now the money is rolling in, more than $7 million in January alone. The candidate jets around the country on a White House-like charter with security, baggage handlers and flowing food and drink. He is reveling in big-time Republican endorsements that may soon include, he hopes, support from the National Rifle Association.

Senator John McCain, Republican renegade, is making a head-spinning transition, seeking to win over the Republican establishment and harness all that comes with it. After winning the New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida primaries, a candidate whose campaign once consisted of a handful of unpaid aides suddenly has a shot on Tuesday at becoming the de facto leader of a party he has often defied and exasperated.

But in enveloping himself in the Republican cloak, Mr. McCain, his aides acknowledge, risks the outsider status that appeals to the independents and Democrats he might need to win in November.

Mr. McCain learned that the hard way: The maverick who ran against George W. Bush in 2000 headed into the 2008 race with all the expensive accouterments of the front-runner, only to lose some of his political identity when he embraced evangelicals and the Republican orthodoxy of tax cuts, not to mention an unpopular war. By last summer Mr. McCain’s campaign had all but collapsed and he was flying into New Hampshire alone to meet with small clutches of voters.

Now his goal is to stand with a foot on each side of the divide. He wants to maintain his role as an independent-minded candidate who offers endless access to reporters and “straight talk” to voters in intimate settings. But at the same time, he must mend the deep rifts within his own party, convince wary conservatives that he can be counted on when it comes to issues like judicial appointments and tax cuts, and run a national campaign aimed not just at the White House but at helping his party in Congress.

This is the big question, then: If McCain locks up the nomination with a sweep tomorrow, can the Arizona Senator win over the party's deep conservative foot soldiers (see here and here, for example)?

I've written extensively about this, for example, in my entry "What Conservative Crackup?"

See also some other posts on the fracturing GOP coalition, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Photo Credit: New York Times

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UPDATE: Elaine from Elaine's Place passed along this piece from the Washington Post, "GOP Senators Reassess Views About McCain":

John McCain once testified under oath that a Senate colleague inappropriately used tobacco corporation donations to sway votes on legislation. He cursed out another colleague in front of 20 senators and staff members, questioning the senator's grip on immigration legislation. And, on the Senate floor, McCain (R-Ariz.) accused another colleague of "egregious behavior" for helping a defense contractor in a move he said resembled "corporate scandals."

And those were just the Republicans.

In a chamber once known for cordiality if not outright gentility, McCain has battled his fellow senators for more than two decades in a fashion that has been forceful and sometimes personal. Now, with the conservative maverick on the brink of securing his party's presidential nomination, McCain's Republican colleagues are grappling with the idea of him at the top of their ticket.

"There would be a lot of people who would have to recalibrate their attitudes toward John," said Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah), a supporter of Mitt Romney's who has clashed with McCain.

Many Senate Republicans, even those who have jousted with McCain in the past, say their reassessment is underway. Sensing the increasing likelihood that he will be the nominee, GOP senators who have publicly fought with him are emphasizing his war-hero background and playing down past confrontations.

"I forgive him for whatever disagreements he has had with me. We can disagree on things, but I have great admiration for him," said Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee who has often argued with McCain over government spending.

But others have outright rejected the idea of a McCain nomination and presidency, warning that his tirades suggest a temperament unfit for the Oval Office.

"The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine," Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), also a senior member of the Appropriations panel, told the Boston Globe recently. "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."

A former colleague says McCain's abrasive nature would, at minimum, make his relations with Republicans on Capitol Hill uneasy if he were to become president. McCain could find himself the victim of Republicans who will not go the extra mile for him on legislative issues because of past grievances.

"John was very rough in the sandbox," said former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who is outspoken in his opposition to McCain's candidacy. "Everybody has a McCain story. If you work in the Senate for a while, you have a McCain story. . . . He hasn't built up a lot of goodwill."

Santorum was a fierce advocate for the GOP's social conservative wing -- a group particularly hostile to McCain because of his apostasy on immigration and same-sex marriage -- while Cochran is considered one of the more genteel senators. Both men back Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, for president.

To McCain's allies, his fiery personality is part of the "Straight Talk" lore, and a positive quality in a passionate fighter who will tell you to your face how much he dislikes an idea.

"When he's arguing about something he believes in, he's arguing about it," said Mark Salter, a top aide to McCain. "It's an admirable trait, the capacity to be outraged."

Voters have also expressed admiration for McCain's tough side, giving him higher marks on tough and tested leadership traits than any other candidate in the race.