McCain Prepping 'Contract With America' Style Economic Plan

Sen. John McCain is putting together a major economic plan that will be structured, in some ways, off of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America.

In an email obtained by the Huffington Post, the Arizona Republican's chief of staff, Marc Buse, asked an outside adviser for help with a "ten principles" program that the senator could use as a "definitive" platform.

"We are looking for some guidance on a definitive plan (aka contract with america style) on the economy...principles," writes Buse. "Ten principles that JSM could point to on what MUST BE DONE to address the problems our nation faces."

Buse doesn't offer specific suggestions of his own, save "NO TAX INCREASES."

The email is interesting for a variety of reasons. Most obviously, it advances the notion that McCain is eager to remain a key national political figure and Republican Party leader. The Senator has, at times, been an ally of the current White House. But on economic matters (the stimulus and omnibus first and foremost), he has vocally opposed the Obama agenda.

The fact that he is going outside the Senate office for advice on a "definitive plan" modeled off of Gingrich's work suggests McCain is laying the groundwork for more comprehensive opposition. Gingrich and his Republican colleagues famously introduced their blueprint for a GOP renaissance six weeks before the 1994 midterm elections.

Whether McCain is hoping to spearhead a reenactment of the '94 effort in 2010 or simply put together new policies for the changed economic landscape was not detailed in Buse's note. An email to the chief of staff and a spokesperson asking for clarification went un-returned.

Comments

[baigge]

12:29 PM on 03/12/2009

McCain is clearly more capable on economic issues than Obama, contrary to the election propaganda­. I hope McCain will have success in plugging his new initiative­s and helping steer this country in a more sensible direction.

[hopefulinpa]

10:39 AM on 03/11/2009

Please Arizona ditch this twit.

[hopefulinpa]

10:35 AM on 03/11/2009

McCain is trying hard to come up with something to make the republican party relevant again. It will never happen. They need new vialble ideas and they are incapable of that. They keep going backward. He is hoping to get reelected again. I cannot imagine how Arizona has elected him over and over. I can only think that it is because so many people do not pay attention to what is going on and only elected him due to name recognitio­n. It sure wasn't due to abilty.

[hopefulinpa]

10:29 AM on 03/11/2009

How can McCain come up with 10 steps to fix the economy when he hasn't lived up to his promise of "making famous" people who put pork and earmarks in bills. Seems to me the republican­s have 40% of the pork in this budget which actually was done last year with the Rep. and Bush. On the other hand, he is saying Pres. Obama is doing too much and not spending enough time on the economy. but McCain wants Pres. Obama to clown around with going over line by line what he (McCain) and the Rep. have already made possible. I don't see McCain putting forth the names and "making famous" those Rep. that put 40% of the pork and earmarks in this budget. He runs his mouth but does not live up to his "promises.­" Just like he said he knew how to get Bin Ladin. Time for him to fade away. He is too self centered to leave center stage. The only elected officials I have yet to here utter "Do you know who I am" have been McCain and VItter. I only wish they would try saying that to me, and I would tell them exactly who they are.

[Denihilist]

10:27 AM on 03/11/2009

Didn't the Republican­s do this already? As a horrible, small-mind­ed, slow witted, facile ignoramus once said, "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

[den1953]

09:58 AM on 03/11/2009

This guy is a poster child for term limits!

[Luv2Purple]

09:35 AM on 03/11/2009

Why? Is one of his 9...er....­eleven....­houoses being foreclosed­? Is CIndy's $100 MILLION down to $90 million now? Did he get this ides from daughter MEgan's blog? Does he know that the fundementa­ls of the economy are not strong now? Is he being financed by the bloated contract of rushlimber­ger?

[Bude]

09:25 AM on 03/11/2009

I'm for mandatory retirement for politician­s. This old man needs to step aside and let the new leaders fix the mess that he helped create. He has become Mr. Irrelevant­. Let it go Sir, show some grace and do the right thing. Please, for the good of your country, retire.

[greatlardini]

08:53 AM on 03/11/2009

My friends, he will name names and make them famous. Like Gome.r Kyl, perhaps? My friends, he knows how to get Bin Laden. Time to put up or shu.t up, Senator.

[ExxonMcBushCo]

08:47 AM on 03/11/2009

.

I, for one, am very excited to see McCains new "economic plan"... in the garbage... where it belongs.
.

[montecarlo408]

08:36 AM on 03/11/2009

If he's hired someone to help him come up with a plan for America recently, what was his plan if he had been elected? Was he just going to wing it and "go with his gut" like Bush? This story is actually very frightenin­g. This man had no idea how to fix this country from the start.

[Liberalforsure]

08:21 AM on 03/11/2009

Not interested­.

[Colmore]

07:38 AM on 03/11/2009

So, someone has to come up with ideas? After almost 30 years in DC, McCain is STILL clueless about what REAL people want and need?? I guess if you marry a multi-mill­ionaire with more houses than he can count, trivial stuff does not concern you. Too bad he did not spend as much time at his job as he has at the craps tables and consorting with lobbyists, maybe it would have been a learning experience­. He must be FINALLY worried about losing his "no-work" job. He might have to spend time with his wife!!

[me again]

07:23 AM on 03/11/2009

Someone else is obviously driving the bus on this one, Mac doesn;t understand economics.

[AlphaDoc]

06:42 AM on 03/11/2009

>McCain is eager to remain a key national political figure and Republican Party leader<

Fat chance. McCain is as irrelevant as the rest of his party.