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John McCain: Would-Be Democrat?
June 18, 2008 10:13 AM
In a little-noticed interview in October 2006, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-SD, talked a great deal about his recollections of negotiations with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to become a Democrat.
The conversation is interesting in light of McCain's shift to the right on some issues as he pursued the GOP presidential nomination, but also Daschle's praise for McCain as someone capable of real bipartisan cooperation.
Interestingly, both Daschle and the journalist doing the questioning -- Linda Douglass -- are now with the Obama campaign.
**
Douglass points out that the Senate was at the time "divided 50/50. And you were, both sides, both parties, trying to woo people from the other party to come over so that you one of you would have the majority. And ultimately you did succeed in-- Jim Jeffords, the Republican from Vermont did cross over and become and independent, which gave you the majority. You were talking at least at the staff level to John McCain in those days. How interested do you think he was in becoming a Democrat? Do you think he seriously considered it?"
DASCHLE: I do. Oh, it was more than -- we were talking to John, personally and very directly and privately on several occasions. And we thought that at one point that he would be the more likely of the three people. We were also talking to Lincoln Chaffee and Jim Jeffords, of course. And so Jim kind of surprised us one day when he called and asked us to meet him secretly at 6 o’clock in the morning in his hideaway to discuss how we might do this. We had open minds and quite a bit of communication with the other two. John McCain was very angry at George Bush for the way he was treated in the primary campaigns and his anger and his frustration with the Bush political machine was a big motivation. We talked a lot about his conservative views on abortion and on some of the social issues and how much of an impediment that would be. But he was very, very interested for awhile. And it was an interesting series of discussions and conversations with him.
DOUGLASS: So you think he came close to switching parties?
DASCHLE: I think so.
DOUGLASS: Even though there was a philosophical disagreement, you, and you think it was because of the way he was treated in the primary by the Bush people? Or do you think that there was a certain comfort level with the Democrats that would be sufficient for him to cross over? Did he communicate that to you?
DASCHLE: Well, John worked well with us. I mean there were so many occasions when we would work on legislation together. He would look for a prominent Democrat to work with on a number of things, whether it was campaign reform or, now its climate change.
But over the years, it was it was commonly understood that if you wanted a Republican partner, John was one of the people you could often times talk to. We all had a good friendship with him, so it transcended politics. It, he is truly somebody who could work both sides of the aisle and has great friends and relationships with people on both sides. So the personal relationships, I think, created the environment where you could actually talk about doing something professionally or politically. Then add to that the frustration that he had especially towards Bush and that first year following the presidential election and he had the right mix for at least the possibility of serious negotiations.
**
Read the whole thing HERE and watch the video HERE.
- jpt
June 18, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (44)
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The democratic party is a big joke
special this year.
They had the best change ever to capture the white house and gain lots of seats in the house and senate.
But they mess-up.They nominate a black
man with very slim change to win.
I was going to vote democrat this year
but I WON'T. Hussein Obama IS NOT the
right candidate,so i will vote
republican again.
DNC and the stupid party leaders are
destroying the democrats this year.
Everywhere i go, i hear the same thing:
"I WON'T VOTE FOR HUSSEIN OBAMA".....
in november........
Posted by: TEXAN | Jun 18, 2008 11:58:32 AM
Obama has been to all 57 states
Posted by: MyBell | Jun 18, 2008 11:58:18 AM
How can anyone -- especially someone who was tortured -- flip-flop on torture? Talk about selling one's soul....
Posted by: Lee_Usa | Jun 18, 2008 11:54:15 AM
I think ABC is'nt being that fair here. I mean this guy is old he probaly doesn't rember what he ate for dinner last night.LOL!!! You guys are seriuosly concidering voting for this guy LOL!! makes me laugh! Why isn't Mcsames interview with Kimmel up on your website I want to watch it agian it was funny!
Posted by: Joe | Jun 18, 2008 11:49:11 AM
This is Obama's time. The dirt on Stupid Rezko and stupid Reverand Wright won't stick to him. Gulity by association? Forget it. We all will be guilty by that measure. Obama will be a centrist. He is behaving a little to the left for political compulsion. You need the base.
Posted by: Al, San Francisco | Jun 18, 2008 11:44:10 AM
Cmon, Jake.
At least give some context as to what year they were talking about: It was 2000-2001. Let's do some real journalism here.
That is over 7 years ago now. Since then, McCain has become decidedly more conservative and has views that in many ways contradict his "maverick" views of the 2000-2001. (take his new view on offshore drilling for example.)
Posted by: RJ | Jun 18, 2008 11:39:30 AM
John McCain will do ANYTHING to get his hands on the White House before he passes in the next five to ten years. This guy won't even make it to a second term should by some miracle he even get ONE. He has reversed every single position he had when I and many like me worked to get him elected in 2000. His time has passed, and he can't even give you a straight answer on anything anymore. He doesn't even know the difference between Shia and Sunni, al-Quadea, and IRAN, or even the most basic facts of the insurgency, which ANY journalist whose been in Iraq can tell you. Forget the fact that he has NO interest in the economy, health care, has the WORST immigration policy imaginable that is a direct threat to our national security, and believs that we in America should go to war on the whim of the UN, instead of by a declaration. Hence these unlimited and perpetual wars against tactics, instead of Armies. Clearly staed he is not prpeared to be a cheif exectutive, and to ill-informed to be a competent commander in cheif. Therfor, why or how can ANYONE take him seriously as A President in light of these shortcomings. (Is it any coincedence that we now have TENT cities and squatters in our public parks thanks to the last President's weakness on the economy, what will happen to those ranks when McCain gets in office!!!!)
Posted by: heresy | Jun 18, 2008 11:38:29 AM
GO to the light mcsame go to the light! He must be trying to beat carrie as the flip flop of the decade!
Posted by: joe | Jun 18, 2008 11:31:35 AM
"len...no one has really looked into McCains personal history"
Really? How odd. One would think a man with that many years of public service would be pretty well documented.
I think you have McCain mixed up with the Democratic candidate. All politicians look alike from a distance.
Posted by: len | Jun 18, 2008 11:27:39 AM
The past McCain as a moderate:
*Against the Bush tax cuts
*Against drilling
*Against Torture
*Against the overturning of Roe vs. Wade
*Against the Confederate Flag
*Voted against a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage
*Pushed for a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors
McCain as a Flip-Flopper and Conservative
*McCain for the Bush Tax Cut
*For drilling as of YESTERDAY
*For torture as of a MONTH or 2 ago
*For the overturning of Roe vs. Wade
*For the Confederate Flag
*Against gay marriage and unions
*Against a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors
Posted by: Vanessa | Jun 18, 2008 11:25:10 AM
len...no one has really looked into McCains personal history yet. He is a real scum back personally. This is called character, which he doesn't have.
We'
ll see how he fairs when the REAL campaigning starts.
Posted by: militarymom | Jun 18, 2008 11:23:45 AM
A democratic is running as GW third term ?
Posted by: ted chyn | Jun 18, 2008 11:22:31 AM
Obama is best understood as a multi-contractor puppet with hardware from the Ford Foundation and software from the Rockefeller-Trilateral-Brzezinski circles
Posted by: Joe | Jun 18, 2008 11:19:43 AM
Had the last 2 years not happened, this might be compelling enough to take another look at McCain. As it is, what he's done in the last 2 years has been a substantial swing to the Bush party line and destroyed his maverick and independent credentials in the process.
I wonder if he ever stopped to think about what it would cost him by flip flopping his positions to show unity with a president whose popularity is plunging. Most political weasels when they flip flop it's to get on the majority bandwagon, but in McCain's case, he made a beeline for the losing bandwagon and it's going to cost him the election as a result. We don't need a pancake president.
Posted by: Benjamin | Jun 18, 2008 11:15:24 AM
Mccain looks like that guy in the Poltergist Moves.. Caroline go to the light!LOL!!! Did you guys see him threaten Kimmel last night...Knock it off with the old man jokes what an goon!
Posted by: Joe | Jun 18, 2008 11:08:13 AM
"McCain is well known as the Republican . . ."
Make that "McCain USED TO BE well known . . ."
McCain has swung FAR to the right in the last several years. He votes with Bush 95% of the time. There is nothing centrist or middle of the road about that.
Posted by: Kathleen | Jun 18, 2008 10:59:39 AM
McCain is a centrist. That's why he will win in November. The Republicans could not have put forth a better candidate to bring moderate Democrats and Independents into the Republican fold this election cycle.
Posted by: HoosierSue | Jun 18, 2008 10:56:31 AM
@vanessa:
And Obama sold his soul to Tony Rezko or was it the Devil? I'm not sure. These blogs are full of so much speculation on that topic.
McCain is well known as the Republican that could be counted on to do the right thing on legislation, to take a stand and if the time came to change his opinion, to do so positively and publicly.
Which is a lot more courageous than voting 'present' and brushing courage off the shoulders of a high-dollar empty suit.
Posted by: len | Jun 18, 2008 10:43:24 AM
The problem is he is not a real conservative and he fakes it poorly.
Posted by: 1percenter | Jun 18, 2008 10:43:21 AM
Breaking News:
Obama leading McCain in all of the key swing states. From Quinnipac:
June 18, 2008 - Obama Leads McCain In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds; Clinton On The Ticket Does Not Help Dems --- FLORIDA: Obama 47 - McCain 43; OHIO: Obama 48 - McCain 42; PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 52 - McCain 40
Posted by: geevil | Jun 18, 2008 10:43:15 AM
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