Another Republican Endorses Obama

By TChris, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 04:17:50 PM EST
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Update: Add Scott McClellan to the list of Republican Obama-endorsers. The video is here.

MCCLELLAN - From the very beginning I've said I'm going to support the candidate who has the best chance of changing the way Washington works and getting things done. I will be voting for Barack Obama.

original post:

The latest Republican to abandon ship, after finally noticing that John McCain's GOP is not just out-of-touch but downright nasty, is former Minnesota governor Arne Carlson.[more ...]

Former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama today, saying Obama represented the best hope for an America facing an economic crisis and criticizing Republicans for waging a mean-spirited campaign that has "been going down all these side roads."

We can thank Rep. Michele Bachmann's rant about "anti-American" legislators for Carlson's decision.

Carlson also took aim at Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, saying that her controversial remarks of the past week, suggesting Obama may have anti-American views, had led him to endorse the Democratic nominee. ...
At one point, Carlson compared Bachmann's statements to the tactics of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator during the 1950s who helped define an era when the patriotism of many Americans was publicly questioned.

"I don't want Minnesota to continue to be seen in the national picture as some sort of a land that has these rather strange views -- we don't," he said.

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Another Republican Endorses Obama | 45 comments (45 topical)

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Let's also remember (5.00 / 0) (#3)
by scribe on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 04:32:19 PM EST

that Goldwater's grandchildren are endorsing and/or voting for Obama.

That's gotta sting.

I still remember the TV ads put up in 1972 by Democrats for Nixon.

Conservative principles at their very best (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by MyLeftMind on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 04:46:38 PM EST

Something to think about as we try to find common ground with the many people now supporting our candidate.


Let's not forget (none / 0) (#8)
by landjjames on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 04:44:59 PM EST

the other children/grandchildren of Republican iconoclasts who have switched to supporting Obama. Christopher Buckley (son of William F.), and Susan Eisenhower (granddaughter of Ike). I don't know if Stephanie Miller of Air America counts. Despite being the daughter of Goldwater's Veep candidate, I think she's been a Dem for a long time. I've been looking for a list online of famous Republicans who have switched sides for this election, but can't find one.


: I suspect you mean "Icons" (5.00 / 0) (#10)
by scribe on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 04:49:52 PM EST

and not "Iconoclasts", the latter term more appropriately describing the kids breaking with their parents' orthodoxies....

: Google obamacon (none / 0) (#11)
by MyLeftMind on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 04:50:35 PM EST

or Conservatives for Obama
Huge selection of blogs and articles.

It seems there is an Eisenhower Republican (5.00 / 3) (#14)
by samtaylor2 on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 05:02:01 PM EST

Revolt going on. I would love to see two strong parties (maybe more) in this country. It is through strong intellectual debate that we get our best ideas. The problem now is that we have a wimpy Democratic party, and a bizarre ideologically fascist Republican party

Because Obama is an Eisenhower (5.00 / 1) (#44)
by ThatOneVoter on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 08:23:32 PM EST

Republican! I've said this for months.


: Bill Clinton governed just this way. n/t (none / 0) (#53)
by sallywally on Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 08:38:18 PM EST

That's EXACTLY what's (none / 0) (#15)
by CaptainAmerica08 on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 05:09:23 PM EST

going on here imo. As many have said, notably (and eloquently) Joe Klein, Obama seems to be growing more into the leadership role that was more natural (imo) to the Clintons before so maybe that will bear more fruit throughout the party. With the ideological fall of McCain, and the rise of Palin, I see no hope of the repubs "righting" their ship at the moment.


also (5.00 / 0) (#23)
by connecticut yankee on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 05:44:30 PM EST

Scott McClellan has endorsed Obama as well. There was as blurb in the washington post today.

Scott McClellan just endorsed Obama. (5.00 / 1) (#24)
by vml68 on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 05:45:48 PM EST

Doesn't that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling!

SAY WHAT? (none / 0) (#29)
by cal1942 on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:08:02 PM EST

McClellan?

For that I might just read his book.


: that's his evil plan. (none / 0) (#34)
by coigue on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:49:00 PM EST

he could not care less about anything else.

: I did read his book (none / 0) (#39)
by zyx on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 07:46:32 PM EST

I kind of liked it, because I thought he was pretty sincere.
And you should read it to see how badly people like him are/were treated in that administration. It ain't purty.

Says in the article (none / 0) (#45)
by WS on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 08:28:29 PM EST

that McClellan was toying with the idea of becoming a Democrat.

Is he a Rockefeller type? Do we have to make room for Rockefeller Republicans in the Party now?


Rockefeller Republicans (5.00 / 1) (#28)
by caseyOR on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:03:40 PM EST

Actually, this split in the GOP started with Goldwater who was not a Rockefeller Republican. Nixon was a transitional Republican, not a Rockefeller guy and definitely setting the stage for today's GOP. Ford was in the Rockefeller camp, and Reagan was not. The Goldwater wing of the party hit paydirt with Reagan.

Hard as it might be to believe, at one time Republicans were the party of civil rights. And the Democrats, led by southern Senators like Richard Russell, were not. The passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Goldwater's campaign switched the parties' positions.

Oddly, in his later years, Barry Goldwater became an advocate for LGBT rights.

TChris, what happened to my comment (none / 0) (#47)
by Cream City on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 09:11:52 PM EST

on Rockefeller Republicans, to which this comment is replying?
Actually, a couple of my comments have disappeared with no explanation (as I found out in another thread, where a commenter had to ask me to give info again, after my comment disappeared here).

Is there a change to the comment policy under which the host notes when a comment has been removed and why?


: I don't remember the comment. (none / 0) (#50)
by TChris on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 11:38:28 PM EST

I deleted a thread of comments that had strayed far off topic. If I missed a comment in that thread, it should have been deleted too.
I don't know whether Jeralyn invariably notes her reason for removing comments. I usually don't.

This is good (and bad) (5.00 / 1) (#30)
by Manuel on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:09:30 PM EST

There will a break from the Bush policies to a new set of policies that are not well defined. I worry that Obama's support will be a mile wide but an inch deep. Such an environment decreases the chances for bold action because of the need to listen to everyone and the fear of offending some supporter. We lost the chance in this election to draw sharp philosophical differences between the parties. To the extent that issues have not been discussed seriously in this campaign, it can be claimed that a vote for Obama is simply a vote against incompetence and not a vote in favor of Obama's governing philosophy (whatever that might be).

If you do not believe (5.00 / 1) (#33)
by TChris on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:38:40 PM EST

that sharp philosophical differences have been drawn in this election, you are watching a completely different election. On issue after issue, from tax policy to health care to diplomatic engagement with other countries, Obama and McCain have taken very different positions.


: I agree with this... (5.00 / 1) (#36)
by Tom Hilton on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 07:07:50 PM EST

...and more to the point, I think Obama has been making the case (since 2004) for basic liberal principles as well as just making policy arguments.

: No, I have been watching closely (5.00 / 3) (#42)
by Manuel on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 08:09:59 PM EST

If you look closely, you'll see that the differences are more a matter of details than of philosophy.
On foreign affairs, I see Obama drifting towards a "pragmatic", more internationalist position not too dissimilar from Bush I. It isn't a coincidence that he has earned Powell's support and that Lugar is mentioned prominently for a post in his cabinet. Like I said, more competence but nothing game changing.
On the economy, I am afraid he will continue the new democrat line of using the debt and the deficit as an excuse for not making the permanent investments that would bring about fundamental change. This would continue the bipartisan "consensus" line of economic thought of the last thirty years.
On all issues (FISA, death penalty, gay rights, abortion), Obama has signaled his willingness to compromise and to accomodate all sides.
I hope I am wrong but this all foretells marginal changes not fundamental breaks.
We'll see. Obama has said he would like to be a Reagan of the left. It will be interesting to see how he spends his political capital.

A lot of what you say is true, especially (none / 0) (#31)
by CaptainAmerica08 on Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:21:17 PM EST

the last line. This is why I find it odd O encourages such strong reaction from people. Hopefully we are wrong and my first instincts from an ideological standpoint will be proven right.
