Limbaugh to Specter: Take McCain Family, Too

Meghan calls pundit 'poster woman' for GOP extremism

(NEWSER) - John McCain's daughter Meghan has ripped into right-wing media harpy Ann Coulter as a hate-spewing "train wreck." "I straight up don't understand this woman or her popularity. I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing," wrote McCain, 24, in a Daily Beast column. She lashed Coulter as the "poster woman" for GOP extremists. More»

It's turning her off to politics

(NEWSER) - American political hate-mongering has reached such a fervor that for the "first time" in her life Meghan McCain is finding herself "disillusioned with the political process—something I swore would never happen to me," she writes in the Daily Beast . She's angry, too, about political decisions, but "I believe we can discuss our differences with respect," she adds. It's "almost as if to be taken seriously in politics, a certain level of anger and incivility is required." When she presses for compromise, she's attacked as an "Obama zombie," she complains. More»

Arizona senator's following 46 times greater than nearest rival

(NEWSER) - John McCain is leading the charge of tweeting lawmakers, with 46 times more Twitter followers—a cool 1.7 million —than his nearest competitor, Missouri Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill. McCain’s popularity also illustrates Republicans’ quick embrace of the social network; twice as many of them tweet, compared to Democrats. “I love it; it’s so interactive,” McCain tells Bloomberg . More»

Senator fills leadership void with donations, endorsements, advice

(NEWSER) - Less than a year ago John McCain still hoped to be president, but the Arizona senator has a new mission now: reshaping the Republican Party around his own brand of moderate, pragmatic conservatism. While previous unsuccessful candidates for the top job have withdrawn after defeat, McCain is offering endorsements to center-right figures in primaries, raising money, and even hitting the campaign trail. "This is John's way of staying in the game," Sen. Lindsey Graham tells Politico. More»

(NEWSER) - Arlen Specter, demoted to junior spots on Senate committees after switching to the Democratic Party, thought things would be different, he told CNN today. Majority Leader Harry Reid “said that I would maintain my committee assignments,” Specter said, “and that my seniority would be established as if I’d been elected in 1980 as a Democrat.” Specter’s demotion could hurt him on the campaign trail, where he’s touted his influence. More»