McCain Praises Bush at Shadow Convention

July 31, 2000 -- Saying that “Republicans still offer the best hope for change,” Sen. John McCain withstood jeers and catcalls while making a plug for his former campaign rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, at an alternative “shadow convention” in Philadelphia.

Republican leaders had been dubious about McCain’s decision to address the event on Sunday. But the Arizona senator stood by his party, making the case for his former primary rival.

“We didn’t agree on every issue,” McCain said at the event, meant as a counterpoint to the GOP fanfare that kicks off in the city today. “But we do agree on many more issues than we disagree on.” McCain cited education, welfare, and military policy as issues where Bush had shown a commitment to reform.

McCain Releases Delegates

At a rally later in the afternoon, an emotional McCain formally released the roughly 400 delegates he had accumulated during the campaign.

“I’ll never be able to thank you all,” the Arizona senator said, before becoming too choked up to continue.

McCain tried to go on, but had to halt two or three times before finally finishing. The event ended with the same kind of confetti shower McCain used during the primaries.

Because McCain does not want his name placed in nomination, his delegates will be automatically released tomorrow afternoon, when Bush’s name is formally put forward.

Pitching BushMcCain kept his cool during his speech, however, endorsing Bush and carrying on despite interruptions.

“I think it’s quite clear he’s the candidate who offers change, and the vice president is the candidate of the status quo,” added McCain, contrasting Bush with Democratic contender Al Gore.

McCain’s pitch for Bush drew shouts from many in the crowd, and prolonged heckling from at least one member of the audience.

“I do not need to continue,” McCain said at one point.

The senator stopped his speech at least three times, and Arianna Huffington, once a prominent GOP member and now an organizer of the shadow convention, intervened to ask for quiet.

Campaign Finance the Theme

After the heckling, McCain moved off the subject of Bush and spoke out on his pet issue, campaign-finance reform.

Calling the current system “nothing more than an elaborate influence-peddling scheme in which both parties conspire to stay in office,” McCain bemoaned the “special access to power” for the wealthy and large companies in the current system.

However, he also heralded the recent passage of legislation forcing non-profit soft-money groups — so-called ‘527’ organizations — to disclose their campaign contributions, and held out hope for future changes to the system.

“The opponents of reform will tell you Americans don’t care about this issue,” said McCain. “But Americans want to be part of the great enterprise of democracy.”

McCain’s Other Speech

McCain is also scheduled to deliver a foreign policy address Tuesday night at the actual Republican National Convention, after which he is expected to campaign with Bush in California.

Appearing Sunday morning on ABCNEWS This Week, said he would address campaign finance in his speech, “I think when you see the speech you’ll see that it clearly, clearly, makes an argument for campaign finance reform.”

But his spokesman Todd Harris said, “I’ve read the speech and there’s no clear and forceful advocacy of campaign finance reform in it… There’s no plan to as of right now, but we don’t know until Tuesday night.”

On Saturday , McCain made one last trip on the “Straight Talk Express,” the bus that became a symbol of his insurgent candidacy, traveling from Washington to Philadelphia.

Asked if his high-profile trip — McCain rented four buses and journeyed to Philadelphia with over 70 members of the media — would rub GOP leaders the wrong way, McCain said the trip was “not meant to offend.”

McCain was the keynote speaker at the shadow convention, a four-day event being held at the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania, which also features the Rev. Jesse Jackson and comedian Al Franken, both Democrats. According to Huffington, the event is intended to highlight issues not addressed by either the Republicans or the Democrats.

—ABCNEWS’ Vic Ratner contributed to this report.