The Next Government: John McCain
Campaign Website
Government Management Proposals 1
Government Management Proposals 2
Speeches:
5/21/07: Government Reform
Oklahoma State Legislature
Candidate Proposal Analysis:
McCain does not list specific government management reform proposals on his campaign website, but does include the following on "Lobbying and Ethics Reform”:
- Seal the Pork Barrel
Fels Notes: McCain promises to veto pork barrel spending, which he sees as anathema to the principle of an ethical federal government.
- Stop the revolving door and restore ethics
Fels Notes: Advocates “transparency” for the official activities of lobbyists, and notes that he tried to legislate an independent ethics office to oversee the operation of the House and Senate. He also posts a “Government Spending” issues page which goes into slightly more depth about the importance of government transparency and of limiting earmarks.
On May 21, 2007, McCain gave a speech to the Oklahoma State Legislature, which called for reorganizing the federal bureaucracy and making federal employees subject to the pressures of the private sector. From Governing Magazine:
“Citing projections that 40 percent of the federal workforce is slated to retire in the next 10 years, McCain said, ‘This is an opportunity to reorganize the entire federal workforce. We can instill in the next generation of public servants higher aspirations and a greater sense of purpose. I'll devote the necessary resources to it. We can use this opportunity to make sure that government pay scales allow us to attract the finest public servants, equip them with the newest technologies, target replacements judiciously, and change government to make it smaller, less expensive, better skilled, and more dedicated to the national interest.’
“The candidate said a ‘new bargain’ with federal employees would include more speedy firings, as seen in the private sector. He described the civil service as a ‘no-accountability zone, where employment is treated as an entitlement, good performance as an option and accountability as someone else's problem.’”
-Governing Magazine, 5/21/07