Maverick Mambo

by digby

McCain positioning himself for ’08 is becoming quite an interesting pas de deux. It appears to me that he’s decided to kiss up the religious right and run against K Street, using his campaign finance reform cred. And he’s prepared to do battle with Grover Norquist to that end.

I suppose the first question that comes to my mind is whether this is all some sort of kabuki. Norquist is a movement darling and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to pick on him personally. And, make no mistake, they are picking on him personally. McCain’s campaign manager, John Weaver said:

“The one thing I admire about Grover is how hard he works to make himself relevant. But he’s not relevant. He never has been and never will be. He should go pick on some fourth-graders.”

On the other hand, Grover is tainted by his long association with Abramoff and Reed and the big money boys may have decided that he’s outlived his usefulness. There are a lot of strings yet to be pulled in the Washington corruption scandals and Norquist is one of the architects of the K Street Project and may end up being the Zelig of the corruption scandals. In fact, McCain’s staffers not so subtly indicate that there may be more to come:

“It’s simply ‘How did this scheme unfold?’” McCain’s chief of staff, Mark Salter, said of the report. “We didn’t invent this stuff. Grover’s got a hell of a lot more to rebut than what may or may not have been in the committee report.”

I’m not sure how well this really shores up McCain’s maverick reputation, however, if that is how he’s going to play it. The only people who know who Grover Norquist is are Republican players, insiders and political junkies. Maybe he can make hay out of it and redeem his maverick reputation, but from the public’s point of view it’s the ring kissing of Jerry Falwell that has the resonance. The ads with McCain’s disdainful words about Falwell and Robertson in the 2000 primary practically make themselves.

It’s interesting to watch this play out. McCain is the best positioned to run against the culture of corruption as a Republican. He’s also the guy who stands the best chance to disassociate himself from the Bush administration, even though he’s been kissing his ass like crazy for years now. (Beltway McCain lovers find his Bush ass kissing a further sign of his macho-maverickness, because we all know he doesn’t really mean it. Love is blind.)

Everyone believes that McCain will have trouble with the GOP base but I really doubt it. The old saying is true: Republicans fall into line, Democrats fall in love. The religious right will do as its told. They always have and they always will. At the end of the day I think McCain wins the nomination and the wingnut Christians support him.

If I were a Democratic strategist, I’d be looking toward the general election and plotting the destruction of his reputation as a man of integrity right now. Just as Ned Lamont is portraying Lieberman as a man who has tried to have it both ways for years, I think the way to go after these self-styled (self-serving) rebels is to call them on their vaunted integrity. They don’t care about anyone but themselves — they want to have it both ways — they have no loyalty and care nothing for the common good. If McCain becomes the GOP nominee, and I think there is an excellent chance he will, get your mirrors out to take to campaign events. McCain likes to look right in the eye of the constituent who matters most — himself.

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