In 1989, Lincoln Savings and Loan Association collapsed. Five U.S. Senators (the Keating Five) were accused of accepting $1.3 million in campaign contributions to persuade the federal investigator to ease off his investigation of the bank and its chairman, Charles Keating.
Following the scandal that cost taxpayers over $3 billion, Congress made several attempts to change how federal elections were financed. Leading that charge was Senator John McCain, campaign finance reform's most influential voice.
So, when I set out to make my documentary on the influence of money in politics (Mr. Schneider Goes to Washington), Senator McCain was the logical hero for this important story.
You could image my surprise when, time and time again, the Senator and his staff avoided me at all costs. I kept asking myself, "Why doesn't he want to participate in a film that champions his core issue?"
Perhaps it was because Senator McCain was one of the Keating Five. That couldn't be it. True, this may be embarrassing; but it doesn't negate his subsequent commitment to campaign finance reform. After all, with out McCain there couldn't be McCain/Feingold, the most progressive reform since Watergate.
I continued to be baffled until I learned that Senator McCain would prefer to be called President McCain. In a Washington sort of way this made complete sense. You can stand up for what you believe in as long as it doesn't keep you from being elected.
In the ensuing months, not only did the Senator rescind his support for or remained silent on various election/lobbying reforms he once considered critical, but he also has enlisted more lobbyist-bundlers to raise money for his campaign (a former pet peeve of his) then any other candidate, Democrat or Republican.
In perhaps the most ironic twist of all, Senator McCain, who himself opted out of the Presidential Public Funding System in the primaries, recently criticized Senator Obama for hedging on his commitment to accept public funding for the general election.
In principle I absolutely agree. Every presidential candidate should participate in our public funding system for both the primary and general elections (especially if they claim support clean elections). But, given Senator Obama's enormous success in raising campaign contributions it seems obvious that Senator McCain's only real concern is not being able to raise as much money as Senator Obama (who, along with Senator Clinton, hasn't yet opted into the Presidential Public Financing System).
Senator McCain, at times like this don't you wish someone in Washington like yourself was selflessly fighting to change the way our elections are financed?