Republicans For Obama

The Nation: "Obamicans" Are Throwbacks To The Days Of Traditional Republicanism

(The Nation)  This column was written by Ari Berman.

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In June the McCain campaign released a list of "prominent Democrats and Independents" supporting John McCain. Few of the names were prominent, and a review by the Huffington Post found that more than half of the list had "either obvious ties to the Republican Party or are regularly touted by GOP politicians as Democratic defectors."

The newly announced group of "Republicans for Obama" hope to have a more lasting impact. They certainly have a higher profile than McCain's Democratic defectors (other than top surrogate and possible veep Joe Lieberman). Organizers on a conference call this morning included former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee and Rita Hauser, a member of President Bush's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. The Republican Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska also endorsed Barack Obama today. (There's an already existing Republicans for Obama website founded by John Martin, a Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan and lives in The Bronx.)

These so-called "Obamicans" -- throwbacks to the days of traditional Republicanism -- are disgusted by the Bush Administration's militant foreign policy, reckless spending and cronyism at home, and America's plummeting reputation in the world. In John McCain, they no longer see a maverick, but a continuation of the Bush-Cheney era.

"From my perspective, this is simply not a time for politics as usual," said Jim Leach, one of the smartest and most decent members of the House of Representatives, who represented eastern Iowa for three decades until 2006 and was one of only six House Republicans to presciently oppose the war in Iraq. "The case for inspiring, new political leadership and a social ethic has seldom been more self-evident."

Adds Leach: "Barack Obama's platform is a call for change. But the change that he is so gracefully articulating is more renewal than departure. While a break from the ideological policies of the moment, it is rooted in very old American values that are as much a part of the Republican as the Democratic tradition. There's an emphasis on individual rights, fairness and balance at home, and progressive internationalism."

Says Rita Hauser, "It is not traditional Republicanism to make war on everybody who disagree with you." The longtime foreign policy hand called McCain's response to the Russia-Georgia conflict "bellicose [and] threatening."

Like Leach, Lincoln Chafee is a reminder of the days when moderates could find a home in the Republican Party as advocates for fiscal responsibility, environmental protection and restraint in foreign policy. Chafee left the Republican Party in March to vote for Obama in Rhode Island's Democratic primary. He was the first Democrat Chafee had ever voted for.

Chafee served alongside McCain in the Senate; they were the only two Senate Republicans to oppose the Bush tax cuts in 2001. Chafee has since watched McCain adopt the very policies he once denounced. "Seeing the two different John McCain's is a fracture in his credibility," Chafee says.

How big of an impact this group will have remains to be seen. Obama performed well in traditionally Republican areas in the Democratic primary and attracted legions of "Obamicans" in swing areas like Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Yet partisanship has hardened since the primary has ended (usually the opposite occurs), with both Obama and McCain now drawing 90 percent support from self-identified members of their parties.

Both candidates have attempted to encroach on the other party's turf. McCain has made a bid for disaffected Clintonites, and elderly and blue-collar Democrats. Obama has courted moderate and suburban Republicans in swing states like Virginia and libertarians out West. It only takes a few points here or there to alter the election.

Hauser says the "Republicans for Obama" website will be online tomorrow and will include "a couple of hundred thousand names. We hope it will grow exponentially as we go through the campaign."

[veteran188]

Republicons for Obama? After the last eight years of Idiocy who would want four more of MCSAME?

Only the mindless christian right and loyal bushies will
be voting for this anti american loser,

rejected by the republicon party just a few years ago, they now tell us that mcsame is the best man for president?

what a crock!

[sanfelz]

Obama has carefully positioned himself as a cautious thoughtful moderate. Similarly positioned moderate Republicans are moving away from a blustering and increasingly extreme rightwing McCain. Like Bush, McCain is not moderate; they are mediocre.

[old300d]

That is how we stopped Hitler. We shut off his oil supply and they ran out of gas !

If we did not have this deal with the devil going on we could win the war on terror is a couple of days.

Bomb their oil fields !

[old300d]

We blew our chances to catch Bin Laden.

He is now a big hero in the middle east. How many billions of dollars and lives have to be wasted on this game ?

We need to cut off their source of funding ! ! ! US buying middle east oil ! ! !

[old300d]

Obama has made it clear he wants to send more troops into war in Afganastan and attack Pakistan.

He says he wants to catch Bin Laden.

Alot of people think he might be dead.

Is he going to shock and awe Pakistan only to not find Bin Laden ?

Then we will have to repay to rebuild Pakistan ?

If Bin Laden is in Pakistan and we attack won''t he just go somewhere else while the people of Pakistan get the heck bombed out of them ?

Bin Laden is safe in many parts of the middle east !

Obama = Bush

[grumpas]

yes,there are some defections of disgrutled gop over to the dnc. i''''''''m a disgruntled conservative democrate fed up how our party was hyjacked by george soros & the far left. many democrats will be switching or not voting this election. defections goes both ways.

Posted by rkimball3

GOOD!!!! I am sick to death of fascist conservatives. If I have wanted to be a conservative I would have stayed in the Republican party 20 years ago. But, I left because they became to vile and obnoxious for my tastes. As far as I am concerned conservative has become a dirty word! Under no circumstances will I vote for one!

[mcvet-1]

Hillary lost all credibility when she quit and backed obama.

Posted by patriot12436 at 04:27 AM : Aug 14, 2008

Why is that? That''s a very strange point of view considering that there can ONLY be ONE winner! Someone had to quit. You sound like someone who wants the Democrats divided and thus giving a very inferior person the office of President. That tired OLD Man the Republican''s have put out there certainly isn''t the answer to our futures that''s easy to see. Sieg Heil McSlime

[mcvet-1]

I note that of the names quoted that only one is currently holding a political office, the Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska, a pretty obscure position.

At every election there are people that cross the political divide. There was even a Democrats for Nixon group.

Posted by ausus at 08:02 PM : Aug 13, 2008

Anyone who thinks today''s Republican Party is anything but a shell of what it was is dreaming. The Republican Party that I grew up in had MANY different views and beliefs in that party. Today? If you aren''t fascist and do not hold to the views of the Party Leaders, you don''t exist!!

[mcvet-1]

yes,there are some defections of disgrutled gop over to the dnc. i''''m a disgruntled conservative democrate fed up how our party was hyjacked by george soros & the far left. many democrats will be switching or not voting this election. defections goes both ways.

Posted by rkimball3 at 07:13 AM : Aug 14, 2008

So in other words because there are people in the Party who do not hold to your views you will not vote for the better man? Makes all the sense in the world... to a fascist. Yes my friend THAT is what you are if you believe as you say you do. There is room in the Party and the Country for all views and beliefs. That is why Republican''s are switching here. There ONCE was room in that party as well. NOW? There is only room for Southern Fascist and Religious NUTS who do NOT want compromise and common ground!! Sieg Heil McSlime

[rkimball3]

yes,there are some defections of disgrutled gop over to the dnc. i''m a disgruntled conservative democrate fed up how our party was hyjacked by george soros & the far left. many democrats will be switching or not voting this election. defections goes both ways.

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by patriot12436 at 04:27 AM

Says someone with absolutely no credibility.

[patriot12436]

magnatrack
Hillary lost all credibility when she quit and backed obama.

[patriot12436]

linymo
Yes i have seen how blacks stick together. That is why more blacks are killed by blacks than any othger race.

[abmitus]

magnetrack,

You are stuck on stupid.

[ausus-2009]

linymo,

If you have inside information, I am impressed. If you are wrong I expect you to crawl into your hole until the day after election day.

[ausus-2009]

On foreign policy, the only traditional Republican foreign policy these defectors are following is that of Senators Borah and Lodge senior about 80 years ago that left America ill-prepared for World War II and allowed Hitler to launch his invasions.

I note that of the names quoted that only one is currently holding a political office, the Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska, a pretty obscure position.

At every election there are people that cross the political divide. There was even a Democrats for Nixon group.

[mcvet-1]

republicans had their shrub; an idiot puppet, and now dems have their idiot puppet backed by big money from crooked chicago politics.

Way to go dems! I thought I was in better company; imagine how I felt watching the entire RBC meeting that Saturday a couple of months ago.

DISILLUSIONED.

PUMA

Posted by destardi1 at 06:31 PM : Aug 13, 2008

LOL Now Sparky I don''t know HOW you can get any more Corrupt than George W. Bush... How is that POSSIBLE? You might also try to keep up with the times. Chicago hasn''t been run by the Machine for DECADES and DECADES! Why are the Uneducated and just flat out Stupid People always the ones who pretend to know things?? Sieg Heil McSlime

[mcvet-1]

This IS hilarious. Even the republican party has its number of baboons. At least they are bailing to the zoo.

Posted by scottyusa at 06:49 PM : Aug 13, 2008

You don''t get out much do you?? Right now the Republican Party that is being run by Southern Fascist IS NOT the Party I knew and sometimes supported. They are truly, as the German People recently said, FASCIST through and through! In some states outside the Fascist South, the Party can''t pay it''s bills and their rolls have fallen FAR behind Democrats and Independents. Sieg Heil McSlime

[broadwayphi]

As far as I am concerned, there no longer is a Republican Party. I see only a collection of big-corporate, big government neo-cons with a spending problem.

McCain, sadly, seems to have fallen in line with them.

Too bad, but he won''t get my vote.

[broadwayphi]

Posted by magnetrack at 06:59 PM

Well, PUMA, looks like you were stampeded by a herd of RINOs.

OBAMA 08