McCain's pitch for Bush at 'shadow convention' draws boos

By Matt Smith/CNN

	VIDEO
Sen. John McCain addresses a gathering of GOP activists who support his campaign finance reform proposals Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain's calls for campaign finance reform were welcomed at a "shadow convention" in Philadelphia on Sunday, but his plug for the Republican presidential candidate drew a hostile response from a raucous crowd.

"I am obliged, not by party loyalty but by sincere conviction, to urge all Americans to support my party's nominee, Gov. George Bush of Texas," McCain said to a rising chorus of hisses. "I think it's quite clear that he's the candidate who offers change and that the vice president is the candidate of the status quo -- and, as many people know, I don't care much for the status quo."

Sen. John McCain spoke at a "shadow convention" Sunday in Philadelphia urging "all Americans to support" Gov. George W. Bush.

Heckled and hissed at on occasion, cheered wildly at others, the Arizona senator and former GOP presidential candidate at one point threatened to leave the stage amid catcalls from the audience. Convention host Arianna Huffington urged the audience to pipe down, and audience members met fresh hecklers with cries of "Shut up," and "Let him speak."

The shadow convention is a five-day affair, hosted by political columnist and activist Huffington and an umbrella group of mostly left-leaning organizations. McCain, who bucked his party leadership to advocate a ban on unlimited contributions to political parties, said he agreed with Bush on 95 percent of the issues. But he said the Republican tradition of Theodore Roosevelt was still alive, and that the party was still an effective vehicle for reform.

He said current laws governing campaigns reward incumbents who place their own interests ahead of the country's needs, and have bred a sense of cynicism and apathy among the public.

Political columnist and activist Arianna Huffington hosted the "shadow convention."

"We are the beneficiaries of a campaign finance system that is nothing more than an elaborate influence-peddling scheme in which both parties conspire to stay in office by selling the country to the highest bidder," McCain said.

Huffington, a former ally of ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said she understood McCain had to balance his advocacy with party responsibilities.

"John McCain is the most important reform figure within the system," Huffington said. "But he's within the system. It's a high-wire act."

Organizers plan a similar shadow gathering when the Democrats convene August 14 for their nominating convention in Los Angeles. Part lecture series, part theater, the shadow conventions are focusing on three issues -- campaign finance reform, the persistence of poverty and the war on drugs.

"Neither party has anything to say about this," Huffington said.

McCain was both cheered and heckled as he gave his speech.

The five-day event and other protests surrounding the GOP convention have drawn a wide array of people to Philadelphia. Drug decriminalization advocates, anti-poverty activists, students and academics roamed the halls of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center at the convention's opening.

While the most prominent Republican in the shadow conventions' lineup, McCain is not the only one: New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a critic of federal anti-drug efforts, is scheduled to speak Tuesday.

Also set to speak at the shadow convention are Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minnesota; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; authors Jonathan Kozol and William Greider; and comedians Al Franken and Harry Shearer. The events are taking place about four miles from the GOP convention hall on the University of Pennsylvania campus.