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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 ANALYSIS 
19

Unbowed by Loss, McCain Fights for Moderate GOP

Senator fills leadership void with donations, endorsements, advice

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(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 While previous unsuccessful candidates for the top job have withdrawn after defeat, McCain is offering endorsements to center-right figures in primaries, raising money, and even hitting the campaign trail.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.

Recently Rep. Mark Kirk, who's running for Barack Obama's old Illinois Senate seat, received encouragement from McCain and got his endorsement in the primary. Then McCain gave him far more: his donor database, advice from his strategist Steve Schmidt, and a cool $500,000 from a McCain-sponsored fundraiser. Kirk's delighted with his political godfather: "He told us that, with respect to my campaign for the Senate, what you need from us you will get."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. and actress January Jones meet on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, where Jones urged passage of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. and actress January Jones meet on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, where Jones urged passage of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009.   (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, accompanied by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., center, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, accompanied by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., center, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill.   (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., appears for an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., appears for an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.   (AP Photo/ABC News, Lauren Victoria Burke)
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John remains the titular head of the Republican Party and he will be until there’s a new nominee. Most of the people that ran and lost you never heard from again. He’s not going to be like Ed Muskie or Hubert Humphrey.
- John Weaver, GOP strategist

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19 comments
VIEWING:
 
Doctor_Zaius
Oct 2, 09 7:28 AM CDT
Had he run as a moderate he might have won. Instead he ran to the crazies and stoked the fires with inflamatory rhetoric. Reply
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+14
IN RESPONSE:
Doctor_Zaius
Oct 2, 09 7:36 AM CDT
The fires of fear and ignorance that is.
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+8
IN RESPONSE:
JaneMP
Oct 2, 09 7:41 AM CDT
But what is he doing in the Senate to show this? He's still a leader in the party of NO. He still makes comments against the policies of the president and votes against everything without presenting a plan of his own. I realize much of that is because he's so frtightened of a wingnut Rep. challenger in the pirmary--but what happened to the man of high morals? He's NOT talking or atcing like a moderate.
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+7
IN RESPONSE:
Snowleopard
Oct 2, 09 7:51 AM CDT
I liked the old McCain, before he started pandering to the religious right. He might of won if he didn't pick Palin.
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+8
IN RESPONSE:
LiberalJesus
Oct 2, 09 8:19 AM CDT
So true, so true and so sad because I once thought of him as 'moderate' compared to the nutbags now running the asylum known as the gop.
Vote up! Vote down!
+4

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