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McCAIN NOT LEAVING GOP?
By Dorothy Anne Seese
[email protected]
6/5/2001
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz) has told the press that he isn't leaving the GOP here in Arizona. The party has left him, but he intends to hang on. He has announced that he won't switch parties and become an independent or go over to the Democrats. Perhaps he has Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) at his Sedona digs just for barbecue and some fun in the Arizona summer sun. Or perhaps he is explaining to Senator Daschle that if he leaves the Republican party, his goose is cooked in Arizona, because our Republican Party just might run Representative John Shadegg (R-Ariz), a constitutional lawyer, in the Republican Senate race in 2004.
I cannot even speculate on what else this darling duo of Democrats in Deed may be plotting. Normally, one doesn't come to Arizona in summer weather just to eat ribs from the grill. The fact that Daschle is in this state as the guest of our senior senator is a direct slap at hisRepublican Party leaders.
It's also safe to assume that Sen. McCain's "cabin" in the Sedona area isn't a typical vacation A-frame with a half acre around it. I don't run in senatorial circles, but McCain's wife is a brewery heiress, so their home is probably on the palatial side of the real estate ledger.
Right now, Senator McCain has every reason to fear that he will be ousted in 2004. Arizonans are furious with him, his disaffection, his petulance, and the company he keeps, not to mention his voting record, particularly against the tax cut. Arizonans elected a Republican and got a Democrat with a nasty temper and a grudge against the President. He is also pushing for quick passage of his Campaign Finance Reform bill with its 60-day gag law. It has been dubbed "The Incumbent Protection Law" and if any incumbent needed one, it's McCain.
The law will doubtless face a constitutional test if it passes. I hope it doesn't pass, but if it does, I really hope it's tossed out as unconstitutional. (Lawsy, where were term limits when we needed them?)
McCain knows that both Rep. John Shadegg and Rep. J. D. Hayworth are waiting in the wings, and Arizona is waiting for McCain to get out of office. He's done enough damage to Arizona. The next trick he might pull to please his enviro-nut pals is to go along with draining Lake Powell to deprive Arizona of the hydroelectric power it needs.
If McCain stays with the party label as a RINO (Republican in Name Only)then it is for one reason, McCain!
Do we send ambassadors to Nepal? They could use his help right about now. Okay, okay, that's a bit far-fetched. Maybe we could make him a special envoy to France's socialist leader, Lionel Jospin?
On the other hand, the Sedona area has become the section of Arizona (honestly) that has the largest enclave of witches, wiccans, crystal gazers, alleged satanic rites and other occult practices because of its scenic beauty and outstanding "vibes." No wonder McCain feels at home in the area. It's the vibes!
The Republicans of Arizona have some work to do. We need not only to get the litter off the highways but out of the Senate.
Oh yeah, happy vibes, Senator. May you feel them next election at about a Richter 8.
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