Gramm softens the anger against McCain

Houston Chronicle:

The atmosphere was tense when former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm made a guest appearance at a closed-door meeting of House Republicans.

Just a few days before, former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a fellow Texan and a fellow conservative, had denounced Gramm's close friend John McCain before the same audience and said a McCain candidacy would be disastrous for the GOP.

Gramm tried to quell the insurrection by pointing out, in his Georgia-Texas drawl, that he was not in lock step with McCain. "I didn't agree with the guy on campaign finance reform," said Gramm. "I don't agree with him on global warming.

"But on the things that are important to us, he's with us," said Gramm, who then launched into a litany of McCain's conservative positions on issues such as spending, defense, free trade, abortion and judges.

Gramm's soliloquy changed the mood in the room, according to several who were there. And it's just one example of the mostly behind-the-scenes work the Texas GOP elder statesman has been doing for his longtime friend and political colleague.

...

Who gave McCain advice on his campaign's budget when he was broke and counted out by nearly every pundit in America?

Phil Gramm.

When former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney aggressively courted the GOP's influential economic conservative wing, who was there to help McCain craft a tax-cutting, pork-busting agenda that would appeal to Wall Street and Main Street conservatives alike?

Phil Gramm.

And when the economy, a weak link for McCain, became the dominant issue in the campaign, who did he turn to for tips on humanizing the debate?

Yup, Phil Gramm.

...

There is more. Conservatives trust Phil Gramm more than they trust McCain and that is why he has been so important for the McCain campaign. My favorite Phil Gramm moment came in the debate over Hillary's health care proposal when Michael Kingsley asked him if he wanted to be responsible for killing the health care bill. Gramm response was classic. "I will wear it like a badge of honor." Kingsley was expecting spin and excuses and got an honest answer which left him speechless.

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