McCain's costly victory

USA TODAY OPINION

On a day of primary elections in three states that was bad news for long-serving Republicans, John McCain proved an exception.
The Vietnam War hero and 2008 GOP presidential candidate trounced former congressman J.D. Hayworth on Tuesday in his bid for a fifth term representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate.

Not as fortunate were McCain's Senate colleague Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was trailing "Tea Party" favorite Joe Miller in her bid to hold a seat she thought was safe, and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, whose bid for governor, and possibly his 30-year career in politics, was ended by wealthy political newcomer Rick Scott.

So this year's trend of Republicans — and, to a lesser degree, Democrats— turning against incumbents and establishment candidates remains intact.

But McCain's win is not necessarily an aberration. To pass muster with this year's angry GOP electorate, McCain — an incumbent with years of service, a record of accomplishment and bipartisan admiration — renounced much of what he has stood for in a valiant and remarkable career.

McCain has always been a conservative on core issues such as limited government, national defense and abortion. But to appease Republican primary voters, he retreated from his willingness to seek bipartisan consensus on issues such as immigration and climate change, while airing the same kind of attack ads that he once decried. The price of victory was more than the $20 million he spent to defeat Hayworth.

Assuming McCain is re-elected in November, it will be telling to see which way he tacks. Perhaps he will return to his maverick ways. We certainly hope so. We also hope that many of the anti-establishment candidates who are winning in Republican primaries this year are sincere about renouncing pork and controlling government spending. Alaskans' apparent discontent with Murkowski, who essentially ran on her ability to bring home the bacon, is encouraging.

The only solution to the nation's grave fiscal problems is for officeholders from both parties to prepare their constituents for shared sacrifice, while shielding each other from the inevitable backlash.

These lawmakers would be deeply patriotic and politically brave. They would be a lot like a senator from Arizona we used to know.

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