Repukes defect to the Obama camp (TimesOnline)

[jefferson_dem]

Republicans defect to the Obama camp
Sarah Baxter, Washington

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.

<SNIP>

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

[David Dunham]

1. Hillary's regained a clear lead and Obama's fading, third in NH and IA

[Connie_Corleone]

2. Thanks for staying on topic.

:eyes:

[Double T]

3. But Obama is the clear choice for some disgruntled rethugs............

sure he is.

[pocoloco]

4. Oh No! The repukes get another wet dream tonight?

[BeyondGeography]

5. Hillary is down by almost 33% in IA and Obama's gaining round

hate to play stupid poll games, but you leave no option.

<On the Democratic side, something's clearly not working for Clinton in Iowa. She's lost a third of her support in a month, falling from 34 percent to 23 percent in the poll.

This drop may reflect Democratic concerns about her electability in the general election or the faux rural accent she's been heard to use around heartland audiences.>

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/OPINION01/705030352/1035/opinion

[Tellurian]

8. Yep, this is exactly what I predicted..

The Republicans do not have an electable candidate in 08' so they are taking over Obama's campaign...It isn't any secret Obama has been groomed by one Republican Senator Dick Luger since he entered politics. Now have a good look at the players taking over Obama's camp and see if you notice how coincidental the flow of neocons- All are hard core strategists. These people aren't "defecting" as said in the OP...They are absorbing Obama as their own...and apparently HE has already embraced it:

A Founder of PNAC????

But last week a surprising new name joined the chorus of praise for the antiwar Obama – that of Robert Kagan, a leading neoconservative and co-founder of the Project for the New American Century in the late 1990s, which called for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Kagan is an informal foreign policy adviser to the Republican senator John McCain, who remains the favoured neoconservative choice for the White House because of his backing for the troops in Iraq.

(...)

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.

(...)

In his speech, Obama called for an increase in defense spending and an extra 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 marines to “stay on the offense” against terrorism and ensure America had “the strongest, best-equipped military in the world”. He talked about building democracies, stopping weapons of mass destruction and the right to take unilateral action to protect US “vital interests” if necessary, as well as the importance of building alliances.

“Personally, I liked it,” Kagan wrote.

(...)

Financiers have also been oiling Obama’s campaign. In Chicago, his home town, John Canning, a “Bush pioneer” and investment banker who pledged to raise $100,000 for the president in 2004, has given up on the Republicans. “I know lots of my friends in this business are disenchanted and are definitely looking for something different,” he said.

(...)


I'm not interested in getting into a food fight with anyone here, so please don't even think about starting one with me. This is todays unbiased news/evidence staring you in the face and alls I'm saying is recognize it for what it is!

This is another strategic move the Republicans are executing right under our very noses, in the light of day, flaunting how they plan on taking the White House from us once again. It's another variation of what they notoriously do so well- LIE, CHEAT AND STEAL!

So, whats to be done about it? Don't say 'nothing' or 'wait and see'...because if you do, we'll lose again. You all have to take a step back, shut down the emotion and passion this contest is going to generate and start using your intellect instead of emotions, ego, contrariness just because you can, to deal with this.

What really amazes me, is the outright brazenness of the Republicans to think we're either blind or stupid or both and that there is no hope for us possibly getting ourselves out of this boondoggle. Because as someone mentioned in another thread, we will self-destruct because the Left Wing and the Right Wing are so similar, these radicals will control (to our detriment) the course of events to prevent us from succeeding to elect yet again a democratic candidate in the WH. I can tell you this. We cannot survive much longer with the government the way it has been perverted.

Someone also mentioned in another thread. This new president will inherit all the power Bush created by the shredding of the Constitution, thereby increasing the flow of power to the Executive Branch. That thought had also occurred to me long ago. Well, now you see that is not going to happen. The PNAC players already have Obama and are pretending they are disillusioned with the Republicans until after they've won the election under Obama's so-called Democratic Flag...

How do I know this? Look back to the 5th paragraph from the top..where it starts with: "In his speech, Obama called for an increase in defense spending".. Kagen said he likes it because Republicans are all for a militaristic government and Kagan was a co-writer of the PNAC Plan. Which also means, Obama had struck a deal with the NEOCONS before the Democratic debates.

I also mentioned last week in another thread, Obama would be the Republican's Trojan House if he gets to the WhiteHouse. I didn't know how I would or could convince anyone of what I know. I am quite pleased the Republicans have helped me convince you sooner rather than later we are in great peril if we are not aligned and unified in our beliefs and one goal.

Defeat the Republicans and give our country back to the people.

We are a hairs breath away from the Republicans declaring a unitary government under authoritarian rule.

I welcome suggestions of how this problem should be dealt with-

[AtomicKitten]

10. I think this is more of a natural trend

Some of the donations reflect the natural tendency of those with power to shift to the likely White House winner.

[Tellurian]

14. I knew this was going to be hard...and I guess it's going to be even more difficult

than I thought. So, I'll just leave it for now, and see if anyone else sees what I see without getting into a ruckus over it.
This whole scenario is no surprise to me at all. I've seen it coming since Obama declared. I'd just have glimpses of things that were out of the conventional order of how things normally are done. And I've kept track of those things and they don't compute.

[BeyondGeography]

11. These people have no role whatsoever in Obama's campaign

they like him because a) they see him as a unifier and b) they don't see him as an appeaser.

Plus, it's not as if your candidate isn't welcoming support from the same quarters. From the same article:

<Not to be outdone, Hillary Clinton has many Republican defectors of her own, including John Mack, chief executive of Morgan Stanley, who helped raise $200,000 for the president’s reelection, qualifying him as a “Bush ranger”. He said last week that he was impressed by Clinton’s expertise. “I know we’re associated mainly with the Republicans but we’ve always gone for the individual,” Mack said.>

If I were to play the same game as you, I would extend that to mean that HRC's campaign is being infiltrated by Republicans. But that would be false and absurd, just as everything you have written in your post is false and absurd

[Tellurian]

15. I'm not playing and it's no game...and it's not about Hillary

so please do not bring her name up to me in this thread..

This is about Obama. If you do not care to discuss what I've written
then fine..leave it at that!

[BeyondGeography]

16. She is referenced in the same article that you are using to defame Obama

and she is referenced in exactly the same manner, a Democrat with Republican supporters.

Your post is one of the most hysterical things I have seen written on this board, which is saying a lot. I am hoping that you will see the error of your thinking by noting that Hillary enjoys support from some of the same kinds of people who you are using to frame Obama as a PNAC tool. If you don't see how foolish you're being, I'm sure just about everyone else will.

[Tellurian]

19. I'm not defaming Obama- I'm discussing what is written in that article and the ramifications

thereof- so please refrain from scurrilous accusations that are not true.

Hillary would never and has never hired PNAC People or Bush Strategists..so don't fall back on projection..

Ok- apparently you have little or no respect for my wishes...so I will not respond to your posts.

[BeyondGeography]

22. Again, these people don't work for Obama

Stick to the article, Tellurian. You won't find your claims anywhere in the text. Kagan "liked" a speech. Dowd says the "only candidate he liked is Obama," Where does it say that Kagan or Dowd or any PNAC'er have been hired by Obama? Some Navy guy started a website on his own and other Pubs with money have contributed, as they have to Hillary. That's all it says, fer chrissakes.

[Odin2005]

28. Take off the tin foil hat.

[ripple]

41. Republicans are not *taking over* Obama's campaign

It's not at all unusual for power brokers to hedge their bets when it comes to presidential candidates:

‘Some of the donations reflect the natural tendency of those with power to shift to the likely White House winner. Penny Pritzker, the staggeringly successful head of fundraising for Obama, voted for John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic candidate, but also donated that year to Bush. As she was a head of the family-run Hyatt hotel chain, it was considered a prudent move….’

And despite your desire to portray this crossover support as part of the neocon agenda, there are other reasons some rethugs like Obama:

‘Bernstein is a champion of human rights, who admires Obama’s call for action on Darfur, while Dowd’s opposition to the war has been sharpened by the expected deployment to Iraq of his son, an Arabic-speaking Army intelligence specialist….’

In fact, some are impressed with him despite his anti-war stance, rather than because of it:

‘Disagreements on the war have not stopped John Martin, a Navy reservist and founder of the website Republicans for Obama, from supporting the antiwar senator. He joined the military after the Iraq war and is about to be deployed to Afghanistan.

“I disagree with Obama on the war but I don’t think it is a test of his patriotism,” Martin says. “Obama has a message of hope for the country.”…’

And of course, Hillary has her own share of defectors:

‘Not to be outdone, Hillary Clinton has many Republican defectors of her own, including John Mack, chief executive of Morgan Stanley, who helped raise $200,000 for the president’s reelection, qualifying him as a “Bush ranger”. He said last week that he was impressed by Clinton’s expertise. “I know we’re associated mainly with the Republicans but we’ve always gone for the individual,” Mack said…’

To sum it up, most of this is part of the never-ending game of political chess that occurs every election cycle. And some of it is attributable to Obama's unique ability to promote progressive ideas in a manner that most people can relate to and support.

[snowbear]

13. Dunham has strayed into the wrong thread it seems..

Good luck finding the thread you meant to post in David!

LOL!

[Kahuna]

30. That leads is meaningless at this point.

nt

[zulchzulu]

35. Bananas are now almost a dollar a piece...oh, and did you know green is the new black

Just staying on topic like Mr. Dunham has done...

:sarcasm:

[w4rma]

6. They'll be "crossing over" right until the Democratic candidate is locked in then they'll cross back

to the Republican candidate. That newspaper is a right-wing paper. They focus on stories like this to push their right-wing agenda. I don't think Obama can win (he's an *extremely* easy target) and the owners of this newspaper don't either.

[AtomicKitten]

7. Obama has real crossover appeal.

I think people like what he has to say. His demeanor is reassuring.

[Tellurian]

9. The thing is Neocons aren't people..

They are responsible for what is wrong with our country...

The New World Order, The PNAC Agreement, Global Economy-

This is a wide open Republican takeover.

[AtomicKitten]

12. I agree the PNAC boys are dangerously demented.

But since Rs are throwing money at the Dems generally, apparently no one in particular, I see this as more of a trend, a shift in power politics, as I noted above and captioned from the article. It is creepy but not necessarily nefarious.

Some of the donations reflect the natural tendency of those with power to shift to the likely White House winner.

[Tellurian]

17. Yes, I appreciate your objectivity..but I prefer to err on the side of caution..

if nothing else. Think about what you know.. Can you trust a Republican?

Sure, if this were Joe down the street, a long time Republican, never voted for a Democrat in his life and says..I'm voting for Obama because I can't abide by what the Republicans have done to the country and our people. I can agree with that crossover..

But Look at the team that just so happened to crossover to Obama's camp. Bush's strategist from his last campaign, One of the Founders of the PNAC agreement, one of McCain's assistant strategists..look at them all. They're all NEOCONS! This isn't an ordinary crossover scenario...this is a takeover of a potential candidate with his permission. There wasn't any public announcement to Obama's supporters..This news was reported in a British newspaper..not here. This should be public knowledge.

This is what I know- DEMOCRATS do not run with Republicans- They may be civil to each other on the surface but they are mortal enemys beneath. Obama has just welcomed into his camp, the Kingpins who orchestrated and assisted the loss of the Gore and Kerry Campaigns elections.

[AtomicKitten]

18. well, this info has definitely made my skin crawl

Which usually means I need to look into this more.

[Tellurian]

20. The method is simple..Bear in mind what YOU already know about Republicans..

that is all-

[AtomicKitten]

21. that's the scary part

:thumbsup:

[Cameron27]

29. I agree AK,

this isn't something I like to see happening, and it needs looking into. I'm not going to make any judgments until I have the whole story.

[illinoisprogressive]

27. Like Hillary isn't all smoozy with Murdoch and the Fox Family.

[Ethelk2044]

33. Not only is he supporting her

but she also is receiving money from organizations. Which means they will own her and she will have to pay up once the election is all over with. Just like she paid the guy in South Carolina to support her $10,000. You should not have to buy support. The person should see you as a good person and want to vote for you no matter what. Her lists keeps getting bigger.

[Ethelk2044]

32. this is a bunch

of BS. We need people sticking together to win the election. I would be happy if people vote for him. As long as he wins. No one will have conrol over him. He is not taking money from PAC he has denounced money. Has your person done the same. The person who takes money from organizations will in the end will have to pay up after the election. For my knowledge she has not done so.

[jefferson_dem]

25. Oh, please give us a fucking break! The one you support gave Chimp and his war-mongering

Neocon cronies the keys to the war machine with her IWR vote. Now you want to pin the guilt by association shit on Obama?! No way. Isn't it obvious why Dowd and other Repukes who may be disgruntled with Iraq are looking at Obama, and not Hillary? His hands are not bloody...

[Name removed]

40. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jefferson_dem]

23. So true. Obama is a reasonable statesman - leader for a new generation of citizens who have had

enough with the same old tired political game. I'm proud of his broad and growing appeal, and welcome all supporters, provided he remains true to key principles.

It amazes me that Obama gets lambasted by those who celebrate one of the most divisive politicos of the day, who remains virtually un-electable in the General.

[AtomicKitten]

24. this guy hasn't disappointed me yet

He has stepped in and filled the vacuum of the tremendous hype about him, and that is no small feat.

He could be a contender.

And I love his relationship with his wife. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[illinoisprogressive]

26. The person with the crossover appeal is the one that wins. Looks like obama has the crossover.

[jefferson_dem]

34. Don't let 'em fool ya. The Hillary camp would love it if this story was about her and not Obama.

n/t

[Tellurian]

36. I'd leave Hillary's camp in a minute if it was-

n/t

[jefferson_dem]

38. So the more support your candidate has, the more likely he/she is to win, the

less likely you'll support him/her?

...

No suprise you support who you do... ;-).

[Tellurian]

39. The Devil is in the details friend-

you run with dogs (repukes) you come home with fleas!

[SOS]

42. In a minute?

"Clinton Says Some G.I.'s in Iraq Would Remain if She Took Office"

"The (Clinton) idea of repositioning American forces to minimize American casualties, discourage Iranian, Syrian and Turkish intervention, and forestall the Kurds' declaring independence is not a new one. It has been advocated by Dov S. Zakheim, who served as the Pentagon's comptroller under former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld."

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E6DB1E31F936A25750C0A9619C8B63

Zakheim is a PNACer, just like Kagen.

[Forkboy]

44. Looks like Hillary might need a flea collar.

[elizm]

31. Republicans in my family have said they'd vote for Obama!

Obama's cross over appeal is something some people here just don't want to believe or accept.

[PresidentObama]

37. I'm glad some Republican voters, at least, are waking up and smelling the coffee.

I remember in 2000 and 2004 when a lot of good people I know made the mistake of voting for Bush. They all, every last one of them, regret it now. If Obama can gain the independent vote, and gain some moderate Republicans, he wins by a huge margin. Kudos Obama!!

[Countdown_3_2_1]

43. Re-pukes defecting to Obamma. A Fantasy or a Warning?

OK, I'm a pessimist.

I have a hard time seeing this. America is way too polarized.

But the devil's advocate in me has to say:
If its too good to be true, it generally is.

If a high falutin GOP official 'defects' is it for real?
Is this an attempt to get Obamma to sell out to Corporate Control?
or
Is this an attempt to paint Obamma as selling out?

I can't help but see this thru a lens tainted by political dirty tricks.
I just keep trying to read between the lines.

There has to be something more to this story.

[Forkboy]

45. "There has to be something more to this story."

It would be wise to include that at the end of every post here on DU. :)