Obama Camp to Court Republicans - Jim Leach endorsing Obama

[Pirate Smile]

Obama Camp to Court Republicans

The Illinois Senator’s campaign plans to launch its Republicans for Obama campaign Tuesday with a morning media call hosted by former GOP Rep. Jim Leach.
Call will also feature “other Republicans who are crossing the divide of old politics to support” Obama.
Plus: Radio Iowa has the details on Leach’s decision to buck his party and endorse Obama over McCain.

http://thepage.time.com/2008/08/12/calling-all-obamacans/

Jim Leach endorsing Obama

According to a source in the Obama campaign, former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach -- a Republican -- will be endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama this morning. Leach, as you may recall, lost his bid for re-election in 2006 after three decades representing portions of eastern Iowa in congress. Leach was considered a "moderate" Republican and was a backer of campaign finance reform. Leach did not accept campaign contributions from political action committees.

Leach became a professor at his alma mater -- Princeton -- and then was asked to be the interim director of the Kennedy School at Harvard for this past spring semester when its director left to run for the U.S. Senate. Leach's wife has contributed the maximum amount allowed to Obama's campaign.

http://learfield.typepad.com/radioiowa/2008/08/jim-leach-endor.html

[TooBigaTent]

1. Obviously, the danger is them bringing their right-wing views with them and influencing the policies

of an Obama administration.

If they would just vote for him and then crawl back into their holes, I would accept that. But you know that they are going to want something in return for their support.

Thus, the center-right stances of Obama will go even further right.

Not what we need.

[Pirate Smile]

5. Leach really isn't RW. He is actually much more liberal then a lot of the Democrats. He got

beat in 2006 because the most important vote any Representative makes is for control of the House. He was against the Iraq War from the start.

He lost so Dems could take back control of the House. I'm glad my district is smart enough to figure that out and vote accordingly. :)

[olkaz]

15. Seriously, if that is our biggest problem, we're in good shape.

Let's get the son of a gun elected first.

[Happyhippychick]

2. I think it's a good thing. Hearing other opinons keeps us open-minded

and humble. I trust Obama to hear all sides and make the best decision even if it not the most progressive one.

[blm]

3. Leach is also one of the FEW Republicans to speak AGAINST the GOPs alliance with RevMoon

over the years.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

4. He also voted against the IWR

Which is more than you can say for many Democrats.

He's not your typical Republican

[nevergiveup]

6. For a Republican Jim Leach is a good guy

Endorsements from Republicans like Leach are a good thing. Even though he lost a re-election bid he is well respected among Independents in Iowa and Obama will need votes from these folks to win and it is especially true in battleground states like Iowa.

[MadHound]

7. In this year, when the 'Pugs have put up a sacrificial goat for their candidate

When all things Republican are being shunned, when the vast majority of people are calling for change, why in the hell is Obama going for this dive to the right? Not just in words, but in positions taken, the FISA vote, the increased funding for faith based charities, now this.

We could have put up virtually anybody, including Kucinich, and would have won. This is the time and place for pushing through programs like single payer UHC, or publicly funded elections, or a ton of other liberal programs. Instead, Obama and the Democratic party are doing the same ol' same ol', diving to the right in the vain hope of picking up Republicans.

The moderate 'Pugs are going to go Democratic anyway, however if Obama continues this dive to the right, he's risking alienating the left. Hopefully at some point he'll throw us a bone, but somehow I doubt it.

[Inuca]

9. Enough already with this us vs. them

the extreme right vs. the extreme left. Don't you understand that the HUGE majority of people out there are neither DU nor FreeRepublic? Do you think it is right to impose the views of a small minority on the vast majority just because the small minority thinks they have all the right answers even if the stupid multitude does not understand it? I have been a liberal all my life, but grew up in an East European country and I know how that works and how that feels. Kucinich would have won? COME ON! He barely garnered a few democratic votes!

[MadHound]

11. I'm not talking about even the extreme left

C'mon, protecting the Fourth Amendment is now being on the "extreme left"? See, even you're attitude shows how badly this country has slid to the right.

It used to be in this country, sixty, seventy years ago, that the various groups in the Democratic coalition would get their own little legislative rewards. No more, now the left, even the moderate left, is supposed to just get in line and vote for the Democratic candidate. Now apparently the only ones who are getting the rewards are those on the right, not the Democratic right, but the political right. FISA, faith based funding, are these really Democratic values? Hell, in my opinion they're not even American values!

And frankly single payer UHC is not something that is "far left". A large minority, if not a majority support it. Same thing with publicly funded elections(hell, four states already have it for state wide races). Though these positions have been painted as "far left", they're really in the mainstream of political thought and opinion, thank you very much.

Even FDR was wise enough to court the "far left". When the Socialist party looked like it was going to play a serious spoiler role, FDR nicked a couple of their platform planks and made them his own. Good thing he did too, otherwise we wouldn't have those "far left" programs of Social Security and Unemployment Insurance.

Yes, this is the year of the sacrificial Republican goat, and yes, virtually any Democratic candidate could have won this year. But instead of campaigning from a position of strength, the Democrats are campaigning like it's 1999, running for the center, and even the right, in a vain effort to pick up votes. And once again, our political landscape, win or lose, is going to move to the right. Hell, I'm not looking for a "far left" platform anymore, I'd just be happy with a Democratic one, one that upholds the Constitution. But apparently I'm to be disappointed with that also, since that's now considered "far left":eyes:

[seaglass]

13. I don't get it MadHound. The sentiment of "let's all get along"

seems to be more prevalent than "let's stand for something and fight for it." The last 8 months have been illuminating to say the least - I don't even know if I want to remain a Democrat, the big tent has become the-party-that-stands-for-nothing.

Do I need the I-am-voting-for-Obama disclaimer here?

[MadHound]

14. It is the problem that has been plaguing our electoral system for decades now

Corporate America has figured out that they can buy both sides in an election, and thus their interests will be represented no matter who wins. Thus we see supposedly liberal candidates taking on Republican positions, while Republicans take on batshit crazy RW positions, and thus moving the political system further and further to the right.

Forty, fifty years ago Bill Clinton would have been a moderate Republican, and judging from his rhetoric and positions he's taken, Obama could very well fit that description also. However our political system has moved so far to the right that Republicans can, with a straight face, say that Obama's some nutty liberal, even though many of his positions are somewhere between Barry Goldwater's and Ike's

We really do need publicly financed campaigns in this country, get corporate money out of politics and our government. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen, and we'll continue down the road of ruin with the two party/same corporate master system of government.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Leach of Whitewater fame.

He who sanctimoniously lead the impeachment rush against the last Democractic executive. Yeah, just a great guy. As a Democrat, I detest him.

[DU9598]

10. University of Iowa

I think this has a lot to do with Jim Leach wanting to be president at the U of I. He was passed over when they hired Sally Mason a year or so ago. Her tenure has been one scandal after another and there is a lot of talk that she could be on her way out sooner rather than later. Endorsing Obama would look favorable to the heavily Democratic board of regents.

[book_worm]

12. Good, now I wish Sen. Hagel from NE would endorse him.

[Inuca]

16. Same here, but

I am not at all sure it's going to happen. Not officially at least. Unofficially, he already did.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

17. Bush Just Lost Iowa

Leach is a moderate Republican, and he just gave other moderate Republicans cover to support Obama if they're so inclined. Game Over in the Hawkeye State. Next Stop: Nebraska.