Republican Trio Crosses Party Lines to Back Obama

[Hissyspit]

Source: Wall Street Journal

August 14th, 2008 8:18 pm
Republican Trio Crosses Party Lines To Back Obama

By Elizabeth Holmes and Amy Chozick / Wall Street Journal

A trio of Republicans have defected from their party's likely presidential nominee and kicked off an effort to garner support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The group, called Republicans for Obama, is led by two moderate Republicans -- James Leach, a former U.S. representative from Iowa, and Lincoln Chafee, a former U.S. senator from Rhode Island -- along with Rita Hauser, a prominent fund-raiser for President George W. Bush.

Their reasons for crossing party lines are diverse, ranging from the war in Iraq to overspending in Washington, and signal unhappiness not just with the candidacy of Republican Sen. John McCain, but with the Republican Party as a whole.

"Thousands of other Republicans are going to be picking country over party in this election," predicted Mr. Leach, who served for three decades before losing his re-election bid in 2006. One prominent moderate Republican not joining the group: Chuck Hagel, the senator from Nebraska. A representative for Sen. Hagel said he will not be joining the group, endorsing a candidate or attending either convention. Republicans responded by stressing Sen. McCain's bipartisan accomplishments. "Obama can roll out whoever he wants," said McCain adviser Nicolle Wallace. But for Sen. McCain, compromise "is in his DNA. It's who he is." Yet the departure underscores the GOP's struggle to define itself in the shadow of an unpopular president and in the wake of defeat in the 2006 midterm election.

Republicans for Obama plans to launch a Web site outlining the policy differences between the two candidates. Beyond that, it isn't clear what role Republicans for Obama will have in the general election. An Obama spokesman declined to comment on whether the three founding members would be attending the Democratic National Convention.

Read more: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?...

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[BrklynLiberal]

1. Rachel reported tonight that at least 10 of the 49 repuke Senators in Congress will NOT be going

to the RNC Convention. There are a few more who have "not decided" yet..

[cynatnite]

3. Five of those stated that they have to wash their hair that night...

[Xipe Totec]

7. And their hands...

[Catch22Dem]

2. Not exactly LBN, but good news anyway

It's been in the news for about a week and a half though.

[iamthebandfanman]

4. itd be nice if one spoke at the convention

kinda some payback for ole zell and LIEberman

[ginnyinWI]

5. This is so satisfying!

To see the RNC get its come-uppance at last. Shadenfreude. After all we've been through, our time is coming. That rising sun on Obama's icon says it all!

[davidinalameda]

6. Chaffee hasn't been a repug for a while now

He left the party after he lost his senate seat

[Waiting For Everyman]

8. K&R This is a bigger story than it seems.

I wouldn't underestimate Leach and Chafee. And they would know where some "bodies are buried" from the Gingrich years. As the saying goes, they were "there at the creation" of this monster.

I wonder what Bob Smith (of NH) thinks of this? Or Dornan (of CA)?

[cshldoc]

9. Double standard

When these guys back the opposite-party candidate, they're lauded as heroes on DU, but when Lieberman does it, he's called every name in the book. Could it be that he's acting in what he believes are the best interests of the country?

[maddezmom]

10. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...