Former (MI) governor backs away from McCain ("He is not the McCain I endorsed")

[sabra]

Source: The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- He endorsed John McCain in the presidential primary, but now former Republican Gov. William Milliken is expressing doubts about his party's nominee.

"He is not the McCain I endorsed," said Milliken, reached at his Traverse City home Thursday. "He keeps saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me.

"I'm disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues."

Milliken, a lifelong Republican, is among some past leaders from the party's moderate wing voicing reservations and, in some cases, opposition to McCain's candidacy.

Read more: http://www.mlive.com/elections/index.ssf/2008/10/former_governor_milliken_backs.html

[speedoo]

1. Rethugs are running away from McCain in droves. nt

[Xipe Totec]

13. Instead of a maverick they got a loose cannon nt

[TwilightGardener]

2. WOW!! Thank you, Governor--some decent Repubs are really hating the tone of this campaign.

Edit to add: Powell, Hagel, Lugar--where are you? We've heard from Chafee.

[BootinUp]

This is fun to watch/read. nt

[Eugenian]

42. It was fun for me last week.

This week it's just ugly. The more backed into the corner McCain, Palin and their crazy right-wing supporters get, the more vicious they get. I'm afraid that if their GOP colleagues don't rein in the campaign, some of these people are going to get violent.

[BootinUp]

3. This is fun to watch/read. nt

[napi21]

4. Wasn't Miliken also involved in the Keating 5? I know I saw a name either

like his or almost the same.

[JNelson6563]

9. No, not Gov. Milliken

BTW Milliken is a class act. He endorsed Kerry in 04.

Julie

[LeftishBrit]

16. There was a corrupt financier in the 1980s called Michael Milken

Possibly you're thinking of him.

[MichiganVote]

46. Asolutely not. Miliken was and is a stand up guy.

[prolesunited]

5. I think we have a new campaign commercial

Show contrasting statements made by McCain and then have this guy ask "Who is John McCain?" It would be cool to get more high-profile people who have shifted their view to repeat the line.

[livetohike]

6. This may be the start of smart Republicans backing away to

preserve what might be left of the Republican party. The "conservative base" has became a refuge for religious wing nuts - extremists. I'm sure many conservatives are not happy with that.

[lisa58]

7. I love honest people - they give me sanity.

[gratuitous]

8. Think Milliken will get some prime time love on the cable shows?

They really like to showcase the three or four black people who aren't voting for Obama. "Man bites dog" unusual, gotta show it. Now they have a real surprise to show folks, a life-long Republican, former high officeholder, withdrawing his endorsement of McCain. How many shows will have Milliken on as their featured guest?

Answer: Not a damn one.

[Hope And Change]

10. K & R!

[noonwitch]

11. William Milliken is one of the last of the liberal republicans

Since his retirement, his main issue is environmentalism. His wife always endorses democrats, because her main cause is reproductive freedom. My grandpa, who is a conservative republican, actually likes Milliken because he knows him personally. He is seen in public in Traverse City a lot.

As Governor, Milliken was as pro-choice as a politician can get. He was more effective in dealing with labor than most repubs, and he had a strong bipartisan working friendship with the late, great Coleman Young. He unfortunately bore the voter's wrath for the first auto industry crisis in the late 70s/early 80s, but was replaced by a good dem governor, Jim Blanchard.

At Coleman's funeral, which was broadcast in Detroit, Milliken had the most moving speech. After all the glorifying speeches (which was okay, but not what I think Coleman would have wanted), Milliken talked about how much he was going miss his friend.

[Faygo Kid]

15. Bill Milliken is a class act. Michigan's longest-serving governor.

He is a genuinely decent and thoughtful guy with liberal views, in the most classic sense. He was George Romney's lieutenant governor.

In other words, he would have no place in today's Republican Party.

Hard to believe he's now 86.

P.S. Traverse City is the best.

[thunderchicken]

22. T.C. is the best

My dad was born in Suttons Bay. I go up there every chance I get.

[zipplewrath]

24. Life comes full circle

I was coming of voting age when Milliken was govenor. As such, I tended towards being a republican. I voted for Ford (who was also from Michigan). Then the whole Reagan Revolution came around, Ronnie told me to "get out of his party" because I was a "member" of the ACLU. I did and I've been a democrat ever since. Well, here we are at the functional end of the "Reagan Revolution". We're pretty much going to bury this whole "the government IS the problem" crap. And once again I find myself on the same side as Gov. Milliken. I probably would have always ended up as a democrat. But I wonder if it would have been harder if there were more Milliken's in the GOP today instead of the Bush/Armey/Rove bunch.

[fascisthunter]

12. wow... when your own support ditches you...

you know you are running a bad campaign. GOOD!

[Greyskye]

14. "This isn't the President we're looking for"

........Move along!........

[Swagman]

17. it's a robot John McCain and the wires have got crossed

[karynnj]

18. Wow - this is incredible

I have never seen a prominent politician (even a former one) break with the Presidential nominee of his party AFTER endorsing him

[jb5150]

19. The rats realize

the ship is sinking.

[scytherius]

20. There are no Republicans left in the Republican party

The Republicans have purged their party based solely on social issues. Read any "conservative" blog to see. Noby is left but rabid evangelicals and "Armageddon" types. They despise anything that smacks of intelligence. Can you imagine the republicans of the Reagan Era nominating a Sarah Palin or embracing a Shawn Hannity as a primary spokesperson for the Party? Look at their leaders, McConnell, Inohof, etc. Global warming deniers and believers in a 6k year old Earth. And before you laugh at Dan Quayle, I think we would all agree that, hands down, we would prefer Quayle as President than Palin. Again, there is just no one left in their party but an anti-intellectual mob.

[amandabeech]

48. I think that Quayle would be preferable to Palin because Marilyn Quayle,

the power behind the thrown, is very smart and at least somewhat reasonable, Todd Palin is a very limited individual with questionable ethics (not that I think that he is a real power behind the egotistical Sarah throne.)

[happygoluckytoyou]

21. must be difficult at a Republican hoe-down to avoid photo ops with McCain, Bush & Cheney-wear a wig!

I hate to give credit to REPUBLICANS for anything..... but figuring out that you have nominated SHITHEAD McCain and HIS DAUGHTER is a GOOD THING.

Can the GOP get a DO-OVER? They really want one ! ! ! They promise to nominate someone from WITHIN the human race...

If Obama and Biden lose..............
I'll probably go back on the booze==================

If their campaign gets the chills..............
I know I'll be back on the pills==================

Should their message start to get brokain.............
I'm sure I find some old cocain===============

If they make a single fatal goof...............
I'll hang myself from the roof=================

If our numbers go into the red...........
PLEASE put 2 shots in the back of my head

[BrklynLiberal]

23. I wonder how McSame sleeps at night. He must see his world crashing around him.

I am always pleasantly surprised nowadays to find a Republican among the repukes..

It is interesting to compare the Republicans who have moved away from McSame/endorsing Obama, to those "Democrats" that are endorsing McSame.

[MagicKenny]

25. This Gives Me Hope That Not ALL Right Wingers Are Insane

Seriously - after watching some vid of those Ohio voters calling Barack a "terrorist" and "Muslim," this is like a breath of fresh air.

[llmart]

47. Again....

Governor Milliken was not a right-winger. In fact, years ago there really wasn't as much of a difference between the two parties. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of the end for the right-wingers and the hate-radio jerks who have made this country so polar.

[Willo]

26. Anyone (especially politicians), with a shred of decency should be speaking out.

McCain and Palin have totally crossed over to the dark side.

There is no way to approve of their actions. They are now over the top disgusting.

The media (aiding and abetting), is just as disgusting for covering their rallys but refusing to call them out on it.

Throughout the entire campaign, McCain has NEVER considered what tomorrow may bring...talking without thinking.

Now we are witnessness of the potential dangers (locally and abroad) under a McCain adminstration.

They should be exiled.

[doublethink]

27. K&R.

:kick:

[jaysunb]

28. This, is the repudiation of Rove

by the old GOPers.

I just wish they would have acted before the tide changed...but better late than never, I guess.

[kick-ass-bob]

29. Rats from a sinking ship

:rofl:

[Waiting For Everyman]

30. Good for Milliken, it's the right thing to do.

It's encouraging to see those with some character among them, refuse to go along with these tactics in politics. Should've been done years ago.

[Doodler71]

31. This is just the beginning of the rats leaving the ship

John McCain and Sarah Palin aren't just tanking their own campaign but soon other republicans running for office (or those that hope to keep their elected positions) will be distancing themselves from this stinker of a ticket.

[Strawman]

32. Milliken is like a protest Republican these days

He was a good government, fiscal conservative, socially moderate Republican who was pretty popular among Republicans and Democrats in Michigan. He has long been at odds with the direction his party has been heading in. He endorsed Granholm and Kerry. He may have even endorsed Gore and Clinton. Most of the time you hear from him it is to speak out against the far-right culture warrior nuts in his party. I wonder if his hopes that the Republicans will ever return to sanity and moderation are finally going to flicker out sometime soon and he will just formally switch his affiliation.

[gatorboy]

33. Ouch!

I can hear McCain's teeth grinding from here!

[Sequoia]

34. Some one showed me a video of the VP debate

where at the end McCain didn't even shake Obama's extended hand! I didn't see that on TV but this was a zoom in I saw. I could not believe it! My soul felt like a cold hand had squeezed it. Horrid, horrid! I'm glad to see some Republicans are backing away from this creep.

[blueskiis]

35. Gov. Milliken was a decent Gov..& has always made sense. As a Michigander, I am so glad to see him

As a Michigander, I am so glad to see him tell the truth. Seems he's always been an okay guy..Think he just proved it again.

[Buzz Clik]

36. "He is not the McCain I endorsed". No shit. Jon Steward must feel the same way.

McCain was a favorite of the Daily Show, but Stewart has been watching in awe and disgust as McCain has evolved.

Back in 2000, I was so hopeful that McCain would beat Bush in the GOP primaries so that we'd have two viable candidates. I'm assuming that McCain would have morphed the same then as he's done in 2008.

:puke:

[hisownpetard]

37. K&R!

[muntrv]

38. Milliken would be considered a Democrat by today's repubs. He

used to get flack from conservatives for working with former Detroit mayor Coleman Young.

[butterfly77]

39. As a Democrat..

Milliken is the only republican that I have voted for in my life,and I did it more than once..He is was sensible and fair.

[KansDem]

40. Man!!! How obvious can it get??? (nt)

[MrScorpio]

41. I've always had nothing but the utmost respect for Gov. Milliken

Still, he is truly a good and decent man.

[vanboggie]

43. I don't remember Milliken so fondly

Maybe that's because I was around when he helped cover up the PBB incident.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914191,00.html
Along with other Michigan residents who consumed those poisons, PBB is probably still in my body.

It is good he's disgusted with McCain's campaign though.

[knitter4democracy]

44. Milliken's always been a good moderate.

He and his wife are still very much respected and liked here. I've never heard anyone not liking them.

[catgirl]

45. This may be a trend in waiting

There were conservative republicans on Larry King last night denouncing McCain and Palin.

[Kablooie]

49. The rats are running so someone who will take charge of the financial mess. That's what's happening