who is zell miller?

[southernleftylady]

i keep hearing his name come up .. could you give me the cliff note version? tia

[donco6]

1. Zell Miller

"Conservative Democrat"

Usually the one turned to by the media to give a RW Dem position statement.

[Zeke]

10. It's A Wonderful Life...

"(He's) a warped, frustrated, old man!" --- George Bailey

[Endangered Specie]

2. You mean Zell Miller - D(supposedly) GA, US Senate

Hes speaking at the Repo Natl Convention and officially endorses Bush for 2004. Kinda an old fashioned conservative Dixie-Crat.

That enough?

[southernleftylady]

4. Why are the righties so excited about having him? n/t

[Endangered Specie]

8. Because he IS one of them!

He thinks the Dem party is Faaaaarr to liberal and needs to go back to its conservative roots.

The Repo's like him because hes like a puppet, they use him to try to split the Democrats (or, point out/make it appear that the Dems are split).

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

9. Basically it is a propaganda point for them, to have a "Dem" who endorses

shrubya and has betrayed his original party to the point of speaking at the Repub convention. Even though it is really transparent--Zell functions purely as a Repub but maintains his Dem party affiliation.

If Zell was truly disappointed with the Dems the way he says (he has published a book bashing the Democratic Party, "A National Party No More"--you get the idea), the natural step would be of course to switch parties like Jim Jeffords of Vermont did.

But he provides more propaganda value to the Repubs by whoring himself out to them in this way during his last year or so in politics (he is retiring out of the Senate and not running again for his seat).

It is really disgraceful. I don't know much about Georgia politics but I guess Zell was actually a promising Dem at one point, and gave the introduction to ?Clinton? at the national convention once?

[SoCalDem]

14. He and a few others are their "beards".. The repubes just LOVE

to have these "turncoats" in their pictures, and on their stages with them.. The repubes then go on and on about their "bipartisan support" and how the "other" bad dems are OBSTRUCTIONIST...not like their dear friend Zell and his little "conservative pals".........

They then parade them around and go on tv with them, while the moderators goad the dem (Zell and pals) to say bad things about their democratic colleagues..

They make us look bad, because they are so ready to kiss * ass, and yet wear their "D" on their sleeve..

They are like the kid who reminds the teacher , on Friday...as the bell is ringing... that she forgot to assign homework for the weekend

[leftist.]

13. PS - Does anyone know ...

... if the DNC can kick him out of the party?

[Endangered Specie]

I have no idea how that works...

he's retiring this term I believe anyhow.

[Orangepeel]

3. the Senior Senator from Georgia

He used to be a moderate Democrat. He was elected as a Democrat and still calls himself one. Nominated Bill Clinton at one of his conventions. After 9/11, he went a little nuts (he might have been nuts before that be it didn't have as much of a chance to show).

He wrote a book trashing the Democratic party, has officially endorsed bush and will speak at the republican convention.

[Rebellious Republican]

15. Hey orangepeel68, have'nt seen you around for awhile, good to

know your still kickin around. Man er ManEt I should say, do you feel the energy down here in Florida. Its very electric here in St. Pete, I think Jeb and George are in for a surprise this year. Hows things in your neck of the woods?

[Orangepeel]

23. It's looking good, I think

Nice to see you, too, RR

I'm hopeful, but not counting my chickens. I'm seeing Kerry ads every 1/2 hour and I think they are really effective compared to bush's mean spirited ones.

!

[CBHagman]

5. Former governor of Georgia (D)

He came to the Senate to fill Senator Paul Coverdell's (R) seat when the latter died in office.

Miller has since proved to be a DINO, Democrat in name only, siding with the Bush administration on most policy issues and harshly criticizing his own party as being out of touch with the country ("A National Party No More" is Miller's recent book).

However, even Miller can't countenance some of the slimier activities of the GOP, such as the truly vicious attacks on Max Cleland, who was defeated in a bid for reelection to the Senate in 2002. Cleland's opponent, then-Rep. Saxby Chambliss, ran ads questioning Cleland's patriotism. The reason? Cleland didn't support the Bush administration's preferred bill for the creation of a Department of Homeland Security. Mind you, Bush had openly OPPOSED the creation of DHS at first, then insisted that its employees have less power (e.g., collective bargaining and the like) than other federal employees.

On edit: I forgot to mention that Cleland was a decorated veteran who had lost three limbs in an accident in Vietnam. Chambliss, hawkish as a politician, received deferments and did not serve.

Miller did make an ad for Cleland to rebut Chambliss's attacks, but the latter still won the race, though in such a manner that he's surely won his own personal ring of hell as well. (Sizzle and fry, Saxby)

Anyway, Miller is planning to retire from the Senate, so I have no sense that he even slightly has his finger on the political pulse of the country. He's earned a lot of enemies in the Democratic Party, at any rate, for having bought into the Bush line on nearly everything.

[johnfunk]

6. Who WAS Zell Miller

Former loyal Democrat turned DINO. A has-been. Soon to retire.

[LibertyorDeath]

7. Look under Shit Weasel in the Dictionary

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. The ultimate DLC'r

[MikeG]

12. I know of no such person. You must be mistaken.

[charlie105]

16. It's good to know that you don't know him. If an 'enlightened'

person such as yourself does not know who he is, I doubt if the common person would. And that's good because Zell speaking at the Repug convention means nothing to the average Joe.
I call you enlightened because you are out here on DU and that puts you in the top percentile of people with political awareness.

[southernleftylady]

18. Well thank you! :) n/t

[SoCalDem]

17. a picture of zell

[charlie105]

20. LOL!!

[Rebellious Republican]

19. Zell is a Republican Senator from Georgia, he just forgot to switch

parties! He is on is way out of politics anyway (retiring), so the Dem's do not bother to censure, don't let the door hit in you the ass on the way out Zell!

[AndyTiedye]

21. Zell Miller - The Short Answer

[Loki]

22. Someone who consorts with the enemy

and stabs you in the back will here and forever more be known as a
"Zellout". Typical southern dixiecrat who forgot to convert his racist self to republican.

[LiberalTechie1337]

24. Zell Miller

The Republican with a "D" next to his name