(Former Calif. congressman) McCloskey leaves Republican Party

[Newsjock]

Source: Contra Costa Times

Lifelong Republican, Marine veteran and former congressman Pete McCloskey has left the GOP and registered with the Democratic Party.

McCloskey says he is disgusted with the "succession of ethical scandals, congressmen taking bribes and abuse of power by both the Republican House leadership and the highest appointees of the White House."

"A pox on (Republicans) and their values," he wrote.

As a Republican, McCloskey served in the House of Representatives from a San Mateo County congressional district from 1967- to 1983. He was a brief presidential hopeful when he ran on an anti-war platform against Richard Nixon in 1972.


Read more: http://www.cctextra.com/blogs/politicsblog/2007/04/mccloskey_leaves_republican_pa.html

[TommyO]

1. Now, if we could only get some current

House and Senate members to do the same!

[robinlynne]

4. yep.

[TwilightGardener]

13. Who's ripe for the pickin'?

[TwilightGardener]

2. Welcome, Pete! Glad to have ya!

[Horse with no Name]

3. So is he REALLY converted or just another rat abandoning ship?

If he is doing this to make it easier to get elected, then shame on him.

[brentspeak]

10. McCloskey has long been an excellent public servant

Easily one of the most sane and honest Republicans for a while.

[GregD]

11. no, he is likely quite sincere

fairly moderate guy according to my wife who has followed him

[flyingfysh]

12. he's really converted

He was always one of the good guys.

[cyclezealot]

15. McCloskey sponsored the War Powers act.

He was enough to make me think I might enroll as a Repuke , for just one GOP primary vote.

[cyclezealot]

18. we need welcome him into the party .

Maybe some kind of role within the DNC or Calif. state Dem. party. His advice could be pivital to encourage other disgusted Repukes to abandon ship.

[Kolesar]

20. Well, that is surely notable! ... eom

[RiverStone]

55. Any issues in particular where he jibes with DEMS already?

Other then a mutual disgust for rethug abuse of powers on the Hill and in the White House...

[caligirl]

17. I have had first hand experience with Pete, he is an outstanding person

who deserves your utmost respect. He is truly a good man, you can take that to the bank. Thank god for men like him.

[CreekDog]

22. McCloskey has been one of the good guys, before and after

"McCloskey was the first Republican Congressman to publicly call for the impeachment of Former President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal and the Saturday Night Massacre. An opponent of the Iraq War,<1> McCloskey broke party ranks in 2004 to endorse John Kerry in his bid to unseat George W. Bush as President of the United States."
(source Wikipedia)

In 2006, McCloskey ran against Richard Pombo for the Republican nomination in the 11th district of CA.

[AnneD]

54. Good people....

are good people. McCloskey has always had my respect because he earned it. He is a good and descent man. This had to be the last straw for him to go this far. There are many others that are too this point. This is the time when impeachment starts to become a reality.

[Patchuli]

59. He's for real!

Saw him at a fundraiser for Congressman Mike Thompson the other night. My husband lived in his district. He's a good guy. He ran against a dirty Richard Pombo just to get Pombo out during the primary last year. And he wasn't afraid to speak out against the Viet Nam war.

[tiptoe]

60. IIRC, he advocated Republicans vote Democratic last 2006 election. nt

[xchrom]

5. ya know that almost brings tears to my eyes.

when dem heavy weights wouldn't help mcnerny beat pombo -- pete did.

:woohoo:

[Robbien]

24. He was what was good about the old GOP

and what some people think the GOP still is.

We need him to do this and the remaining half dozen or so others also. The GOPer voters need to wake up. The GOP isn't the same Grand old Party they use to know.

[TwilightGardener]

26. The old GOP is dead. The Neocons and Evangelicals killed it,

and they're chasing out the last few good ones (the RINO's--Republicans who show occasional bursts of sanity or aren't total partisans).

[xchrom]

27. lol -- i remember everet dirkson...

[Robbien]

31. A billion here, a billion there . . .

Ha! Never a dull moment with Dirksen in the room.

[xchrom]

32. lol -- oh my god -- were we even at those amounts then?

ya know i remember the country BEFORE pat robertson, foulwell and the whole modern born again movement -- don't you wonder what old timers like that would think?

[AnneD]

56. I had a soft spot in my heart for

Goldwater. He was no nonsense like Truman in many ways. And sharp as a tack. He would have crushed Rove and the like. They would be grease spots under his boot heel. I grew to appreciate him later in life. He was a statesman and straight shooter.

I can disagree with someone and still do business with them and respect them. This current batch of GOP 'leaders' are nothing but walking cockroaches (with apologies to cockroaches everywhere). They do not deserve my respect.

Bet the latest developments in Iraq tipped the scales. Every ex military I know is seething about it.

[cyclezealot]

58. his manor

along with Paul Douglas. Illinois was blessed. how come Illinois always brings forth politicians with intellect.

[aquart]

6. He never belonged there.

[Bucky]

35. There once was a decent, moderate Republican party.

There was a party of Earl Warren, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Chafee. Yes, that party is dead. But once upon a time they were worthy adversaries. Once upon a time most of them put the national interest ahead of the party's interest.

[MN ChimpH8R]

42. Once upon a time, there was.

Minnesota produced some fine Repub public servants, like Congressman Bill Frenzel, Senator Dave Durenberger (who was a constant thorn in Reagan's side during the illegal Central American wars of the 1980s) and former Governors Arne Carlson (1990s) and Elmer L. Anderson (early 1960s), both of whom very publicly endorsed John Kerry in 2004. All were moderate, solid, thoughtful politicians and dedicated to serving all of the people.

Then the crazies came to the party in the 1980s and 1990s, banging their bibles and waving their pitchforks. They forced the sensible moderates out of the party, and most of the sensible moderates said good riddance and switched to Independents who voted for Dems more often than not.

An attorney I used to work with came from a long line of moderate, (literally) country-club Republicans. A couple of years ago, the subject of politics came up and he volunteered that he'd been voting Dem at the national level since 2000. I asked him why. He responded by saying, in essence, that he did not want his kids growing up in a country dominated by religious crazies and greedheads and added something about the blivet being dumber than a brick. I told him that we were glad to have him on our side. He didn't leave the Repigs, the Repigs left him.

[Judi Lynn]

48. He has always seemed too decent to be a Republican. n/t

[babylonsister]

7. Good for him! I hope he starts a trend! nt

[Greeby]

8. Nice to have him

Anyone who exposes Pat Robertson as a chickenhawk is alright by me

[Joe for Clark]

9. The guy was always a good guy.

This is good to see.

I am glad.

Joe

[whistle]

14. That's encouraging, welcome to the "Light" Senator McCloskey

....now that you have turned away from the dark side.

<snip>
Orthodox Jedi code
There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no chaos; there is harmony.
There is no death; there is the force.


<snip>
Dark Side Sith Code
Peace is a lie; there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.

[IChing]

16. He already changed parties in March I thought.

Paul Norton "Pete" McCloskey Jr. (born September 29, 1927) is a Democratic politician from California, USA. He served in the U.S. Congress House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983 as a Republican, before switching parties in March of 2007.

He ran on an anti-war platform for the Republican nomination for President in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent President Richard Nixon. Also in 1972, his book Truth and Untruth: Political Deceit in America was published. One of Pete McCloskey's enduring legacies is his co-authorship of the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_McCloskey

[Jim Lane]

50. No, that was an error in Wikipedia article, which someone has since corrected

If you follow your link now, you'll see that it says "April".

Given enough eyeballs, all errors are shallow. That's the basis of the .

[progressoid]

19. WOW! Some good news today.

I was about to drown my sorrows at dinner tonight. Maybe there's hope.

[Kurovski]

21. K&R. (nt)

[Old and In the Way]

23. I've always admired Pete.

He's always the one I point to when someone asks, "What Republican do you like?" I'm glad to see that he gets it....this is no longer a political party with a legitimate agenda for this country. I hope he brings 100,000 or so wavering Republicans with him.

[Cha]

25. Pete McCloskey registered Dem

not Indie!! Welcome to the Par-ty, Congressman McCloskey, and I hope you're not one of those dlc dems but I have a feeling you're not ..you sound too real.

[Gregorian]

28. He was always a Dem to me.

I met him many years ago, in a small market. He drove off in an old beat up Volkswagen.

He just struck me as a good man. I never thought of him a republican.

[Cha]

29. Lucky you and Lucky

him!

[JuniperLea]

30. Come into the light! All are welcome! All are welcome!!! n/t

[Raine]

33. Cheers to McCloskey

we certainly can use his help now more than ever.

[YDogg]

34. trying to get right with god?

[kurth]

36. McCloskey is a good guy

and a good American.

I have met him.

[candice]

37. Welcome, Pete, you are one of the best!

[FloridaJudy]

38. Only Republican I've Ever Voted For

Back in the sixties.

Pete: what took you so long?

[Doctor_J]

39. I am surprised it took him so long

he is (was) one of the last few repukes with any honor at all. Welcome, Congressman.

[evworldeditor]

40. Just Spoke with Him in Anaheim

Pete McCloskey was one of four keynote speakers at the AFVi conference and expo in Anaheim. I spoke briefly with him and will be doing a write up of his address. I took a photo of him speaking with T. Boone Pickens...

http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1220

[Gregorian]

46. Thanks. And thanks for that link.

It's about time we're hearing this kind of discussion. There were a few important bits in it.

I'm just starting to look into electric cars. I look forward to the EV review link.

[bananas]

57. Good article, thanks. nt

[anitar1]

41. Welcome, Pete. You were always a good guy. n/t

[UncleSepp]

43. Way to go, cousin

:-) Atta boy!

[mcscajun]

44. Wow. His e-mail statement is quite a read. Serious stuff.

I registered Republican in 1948 after reaching the age of 21. We were the party of civil rights, of free choice for women and fiscal responsibility. Since Teddy Roosevelt, we had favored environmental protection, and most of all we stood for fiscal responsibility, honesty, ethics and limited government intrusion into our personal lives and choices. We accepted that one the duties of wealth was to pay a higher rate of income tax, and that the estates of the wealthy should contribute to the national treasury in reasonable measure.

-snip-

The Justice Department, guardian of of our rule of law, has been compromised. Its third ranking official, a graduate of Pat Robertson's dubious law school, has taken the 5th Amendment.

-snip-

I finally concluded that it was a fraud for me to remain a member of this modern Republican Party, that there were only a few like Chuck Hegel, Jack Warner, Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins I could respect.

Two of the best, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, and Jim Leach of Iowa, after years of battling for balance and sanity, were defeated last November, and it seems that every Republican presidential candidate is now vying for the support of the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells rather than talking about a return to the values of the party I joined nearly 59 years ago. My favorite spokesmen have become Senators Jim Webb and Barack Obama.

[Hekate]

45. Mi casa es su casa, Mr. McClosky. Welcome to the Party.

:wow: That is a stunner.
From his email:

> McCloskeys have been Republicans in California since 1859,
> the year before Lincoln's election. My great grandfather,
> John Henry McCloskey, orphaned in the great Irish potato famine
> of 1843, came to California in 1853 as a boy of 16, and joined
> the party just before the Civil War. ...
>
> I registered Republican in 1948 after reaching the age of 21.
> We were the party of civil rights, of free choice for women
> and fiscal responsibility. Since Teddy Roosevelt, we had favored
> environmental protection, and most of all we stood for fiscal
> responsibility, honesty, ethics and limited government intrusion
> into our personal lives and choices. We accepted that one the duties
> of wealth was to pay a higher rate of income tax, and that the
> estates of the wealthy should contribute to the national treasury
> in reasonable measure. ...

Honorable Republicans like Pete McClosky must literally weep at the evil that has befallen their party -- and the country. How many have remained silent out of a mixture of shock and loyalty? The fact that McClosky not only re-registered but went very public with it bespeaks a measure of sheer outrage -- and courage.

We should welcome him with open arms.

Hekate

[eridani]

47. An almost extinct breed of West Coast Republican

I'll bet Tom McCall (former governor of Oregon) would have gotten out if he were still with us.

[Xithras]

49. Maybe we can get him to run against McNerney in the primary.

The 11th is a Republican majority district, and McNerney won because people were voting AGAINST Pombo. Since then, I've heard lots of complaining that McNerney is almost non-existant. We never see him in-district, he hasn't done a thing for the people who live there, and aside from some posts to his website, it's almost like he's dropped off the face of the earth. If the Republicans put up a decent candidate in the next election, this seat WILL go back to them. It's not a seat we can hold with our minority vote (traditionally, Democrats don't score over the mid 30% range in elections).

McCloskey is a good candidate for us to run in the next election to replace McNerney. He appeals to Democrats, and also appeals to the middle-of-the-road moderate Republicans who control the voting rolls around here.

[mitchtv]

52. Pete is kind of old isn't he?

sounds like a recipe for losing by turning on a one term Dem who WON the district and has been in for only 100 days.

[Xithras]

53. McNerney didn't win. Pombo lost.

There is a subtle but important difference. This is a Republican district. It was gerrymandered to give the Republicans a numeric advantage and become a safe seat for them. In the previous election, Pombo pulled over 60% of the vote...it wasn't even close. Pombo fucked up though. He became corrupt, pissed off his base, and blew his own built in advantage. Many people around here had been Pombo supporters for many elections, but they finally gave up on him. By the time the 2006 election rolled around, Fidel Castro could have run for the seat and won it. McNerney wasn't embraced by the voters, Pombo was rejected.

The problem is that McNerney has done absolutely nothing since election to try and change his image. He's generally seen as a Bay Area carpetbagger and an anti-farming treehugger. He's ignored the bulk of his district, and some well known and politically respected (locally) Republicans are already setting their sights on the seat. If something doesn't change, and quickly, the 11th is going to shift back to the Republicans in the next election.

You're probably right that this guy is too old for the seat, but if McNerney doesn't change gears quickly, SOMEONE needs to step up and run against him.

[proud2BlibKansan]

51. Great!

[barb162]

61. that's good news!