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Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), fresh off his disappointing bid for the White House, returned to a familiar role in the Senate on Wednesday, shaking up his own party and reaching across the aisle to Democrats.
In a span of hours, McCain told Republicans in a closed-door meeting they needed to tone down the party’s anti-immigration rhetoric, then appeared at a news conference with his old friend Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) to lead a bipartisan call to crack down on earmarks.
McCain also unveiled a new political action committee, Country First, a grassroots organization that borrows from his campaign slogan and promises to “strengthen our party [and] better define our Republican ideals and message,” according to a letter he sent to supporters. The group’s website went online Wednesday. It was a symbolic day for the senator who is often called a “maverick,” as McCain signaled that the direction he intends to take after suffering a major blow on the national stage is straight out of his old playbook.
“I am tickled pink to be here on stage with him,” said Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), who stood with McCain, Feingold and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to call for new transparency requirements for members seeking earmarks. McCaskill was a key supporter of President-elect Obama during his capaign against McCain. Prior to his presidential run, McCain had rattled many in his party by striking deals with Democrats on contentious matters. That included his work with Feingold on the landmark campaign finance law that bears their name, and a failed attempt with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) to pass legislation that would have put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
On the second day of the 111th Congress, McCain touched those raw nerves again while embarking on the next chapter in his well-documented political career.
At the all-day, private GOP meeting at the Library of Congress, McCain told colleagues their poor image among Hispanics, which he attributed to bitter intra-party squabbles over immigration reform, dealt his campaign a devastating blow.
“He talked about his own race and the devastating loss of Hispanic voters and how that arose on the rhetoric on immigration,” said a Senate Republican who attended the meeting.
A Republican senator who attended the meeting said that McCain emphasized the importance of healing the rift with Hispanics by talking about immigration reform in a “positive” way. McCain also discussed the importance of expanding the size of the party’s tent by appealing to young voters.
“So we’re not just the party of graying white men,” said the lawmaker.
McCain won the support of only 31 percent of Hispanics. President Bush won nearly 45 percent of that demographic in 2004.
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