Straight Talk and Cold Cash

John McCain says he's a reformer, but his fundraising tactics tell a different story
By Edward T. Pound
U.S. News and World Report
Posted 5/20/07

"Our Democracy is not for sale." — Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican

Sen. John McCain has worked hard to cultivate an image as the straight-talking man. For years, he pressed for clean campaigns unsullied by the big-money influence of special-interest groups. He prevailed five years ago by helping to steer a historic campaign finance reform bill through Congress. The McCain-Feingold bill removed what McCain saw as a cancerous growth on the body politic-the huge unlimited "soft money" contributions that corporations, lobbyists, and labor unions gave to national political parties.

But now, as the former POW makes another run for the White House, he faces a question that strikes at the heart of his campaign: When it comes to money, just how straight-talking is he, really?

McCain has positioned himself as a die-hard opponent of special-interest influence. But a U.S. News analysis of his 25-year legislative career shows he has been an avid seeker of special-interest money to support his campaigns and initiatives. The pattern goes all the way back to his first House race in 1982. Moreover, as the boss or No. 2 member of the Senate Commerce Committee, he has drawn heavy support from PACs and individuals associated with industries overseen by that committee-especially telecommunications, media, and technology firms. Between 1997 and June 2006, he collected nearly $2.6 million from such interests, according to the Center for Public Integrity, an independent watchdog group in Washington. In some cases, the review showed, McCain's positions mirrored those of his biggest supporters. Big corporate donors also have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Reform Institute, a tax-exempt organization-once closely affiliated with McCain-that was established to promote campaign finance reform.

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