Republicans defect to the Obama camp

[Placebo]

Source: London Times

DISILLUSIONED supporters of President George W Bush are defecting to Barack Obama, the Democratic senator for Illinois, as the White House candidate with the best chance of uniting a divided nation.

Tom Bernstein went to Yale University with Bush and co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team with him. In 2004 he donated the maximum $2,000 to the president’s reelection campaign and gave $50,000 to the Republican National Committee. This year he is switching his support to Obama. He is one of many former Bush admirers who find the Democrat newcomer appealing.

Matthew Dowd, Bush’s chief campaign strategist in 2004, announced last month that he was disillusioned with the war in Iraq and the president’s “my way or the highway” style of leadership – the first member of Bush’s inner circle to denounce the leader’s performance in office.

Although Dowd has yet to endorse a candidate, he said the only one he liked was Obama. “I think we should design campaigns that appeal, not to 51% of the people, but bring the country together as a whole,” Dowd said.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1752381.ece

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Interesting times!

[Xipe Totec]

1. Tell them to join the Joementum party

we don't need any weasels.

[CTLawGuy]

17. you know it IS possible that Republicans are truly disillusioned with Bush and their party

I mean the man does stand at 28% approval.

[drm604]

2. Why am I suspicious?

Is it possible that they're only supporting him in the primaries? Maybe they believe that a black man would be the least difficult to beat in the general election. They may be sincere but I'm suspicious.

[aquart]

3. A sincere Republican?

Unfortunately, we've been made to believe it's an oxymoron.

When they advocate repeal of the tax cuts, call me.

[SaveAmerica]

4. I'm with you, I think they're playing us, he'll have to win in the south

to become president and I'm betting Republicans don't believe the south is ready yet for a black president. So if they play him up in the primaries and he wins, they think their candidate will have a better chance. If things stay as they are, we can put Ronald McDonald in there and he'll win against the mess they've got going on.

[LibDemAlways]

8. "Republicans don't believe the south is ready yet for

a black president."

The other day someone posted a story on DU about a public high school in Georgia that holds two proms - one for white students the other for black students - for real.

If white people in the rural south won't attend an integrated school dance, it's a pretty safe bet they're not going to vote for a black guy for President.

[never cry wolf]

10. It's also a pretty safe bet that

those same folks won't vote for any Dem.

[melody]

14. Until they rid their party of Rove and his ilk, I will never trust this kind of thing

I think it's part of the GOP strategy -- back someone they think can't win.

[IronLionZion]

19. Virginia has had a black governor, and Florida has a cuban senator.

I don't think any of our Dems, not even Edwards, can win the solid south. A Dem really only needs Kerry's states plus Florida or Ohio.

How can we tell when "the south is ready". They didn't appear ready for an Irish Catholic with a Boston accent in 1960, but we still got JFK. I don't think the South is collectively as racist as people think they are. A lot of the Northeast population has migrated towards the south and west recently which probably has a profound effect on these things. The south and west have the lion's share of hispanic immigration. There are many liberals and moderates in the south now.

[Big Pappa]

5. This is true.

I true right winger would not just one day walk outside an say, hell I think I will support Senator Obama. I call bullshit.

[MADem]

16. Obama is not a screaming lefty on many issues. Clean coal is just one example.

Anyone who is heavily invested in the energy sector would like his views on that issue. He's removed the information about it from his website because the environmentalists pitched a fit, but he hasn't, near as I know, refuted his views on the issue--I think he has some substantial contributors from that sector, and it does also greatly benefit the southern sector of his home state (all politics is local, as always). Concise discussion here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/28/152156/760

He supports a guest worker program, which provides cheap labor for business, he doesn't have a problem with "Faith based initiatives" and so far, he comes out right on the line between moderate and left overall: http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Barack_Obama.htm



The guy is sharp. He knows exactly how to triangulate and to make his case in plainspoken fashion. Clinton got a lot of crossover voters too, simply because he spoke plainly and focused on tangible issues that were important to average Americans.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

6. kick

[snowbear]

7. Anyone but Hillary is okay by me...

C'mon over voters.. Support Richardson, Obama, Edwards or (if he runs) Clark.. and I'll be a happy camper with ANY of them!

[koopie57]

9. I think

that is the type of thinking the republicans are trying to use against us and that is why they are doing this. But that is just MHO.

[Magleetis]

11. Bernstein and Dowd

are just now realizing that * is the idiot son of an asshole? Most of us here knew he was bad news from the word go. I don't believe they are that stupid. I smell a rat.

[smalll]

12. So why doesn't this make Obama evil by association?

I have a feeling that would be the consensus here if this article was about Bushies joining up with Hillary!

[xultar]

13. This is what we need people. We need Republics to vote Dem. I 4 1 like this!

[hogwyld]

18. What we really need

Is to deport the (R)'s to North Korea...

[IronLionZion]

20. or Gitmo

I so want to see the Bush Administration taken away in handcuffs.

[Dumak]

15. They sound like dumb asses looking for a figurehead

I'm sure the MSM will be looking for ways to make Obama look un-cool, like taking words out of context.