John McCain in Crashing the Party, by Ralph Nader


On Principles & Values: 2000: Decried "incumbency protection racket" then lost to it

In the 1999 primaries McCain had numerous appeals. Everyone noticed and appreciated his humility & sense of humor during crowded N.H. town meetings. His openness with the reporters left their mouths agape on his "Straight Talk Express" bus. But what made McCain stand out as a Republican were his repeated statements about dirty money in politics--what he called the "incumbency protection racket."

After McCain handily won the N.H. primary, money poured into his campaign-- $1 million in one peak day including matching funds. So why didn't he win the nomination? Because the GOP politicos, along with key Republican governors in key primary states, had already chosen Bush. Republican primary voters were not the representative sample of people to whom McCain's reformist language appealed. They view themselves more as conservatives than reformers.

When someone like McCain cannot upend the pols in his own party, it goes to show how extremely rigid the GOP can be.

Source: Crashing the Party, by Ralph Nader, p. 60-61 Oct 14, 2002

The above quotations are from Crashing the Party:
How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President
Taking on Corporate Governance in an Age of Surrender
, by Ralph Nader.
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Page last updated: Jul 04, 2012