I keep reading in The Dish about GOPers endorsing Obama, so I went searching for a list. This is amazing. Note: They're not all endorsements and some are a bit ridiculous (BIll Kristol) but for the most part the list is pretty amazing.
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Scott McClellan (Thu Oct 23):
Scott McClellan, former Bush aide and Bush press secretary, announced that he will be voting for Barack Obama.
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Alison Goldwater (Thu Oct 23):
Alison
Goldwater, granddaughter of Arizonan and Republican presidential
candidate Barry Goldwater, early voted for Barack Obama, saying of John
McCain, "I don't have respect for him." (John McCain has frequently
called himself a "Barry Goldwater" Republican.)
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National Republican Senatorial Committee (Thu Oct 23):
The
National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is advertising on
behalf of Republican senate candidates across the country, is now
running ads that presume that McCain will lose. Their argument is that
voters should pick Republican senate candidates because otherwise Obama
will "get a blank check."
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Arne Carlson (Thu Oct 23):
Arne
Carlson, former Republican Governor of Minnesota, endorsed Obama for
president, saying "He has laid out for this nation a vision for a
national purpose."
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Ken Adelman (Mon Oct 20):
Donald
Rumsfeld's right hand man, Ken Adelman, is the last Republican you'd
think would jump ship. His reasons? Temperament and judgment. He
says about Sarah Palin: "Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being
acceptable in high office--I would not have hired her for even a
mid-level post in the arms-control agency."
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Florida GOP (Sun Oct 19):
The
Florida GOP is planning to withhold about $2 million that it was
planning on spending to help John McCain win the state. Instead,
"Florida Republicans already are looking ahead to 2010 when Crist runs
for re-election."
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Colin Powell (Sun Oct 19):
Colin
Powell, former 4-star general, Reagan national security adviser, Bush
Sr. chairman of the joint chiefs, and secretary of state, gave a full
throated endorsement of Barack Obama and indictment of the McCain
campaign and the Republican party.
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Frank Luntz (Sat Oct 18):
Frank
Luntz, GOP pollster and language expert, states bluntly: "I think
Barack Obama is going to be the next president of the United States."
He adds: "John McCain cannot communicate. Stevie Wonder reads a
teleprompter better than John McCain."
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Susan Collins (Fri Oct 17):
Embattled
Republican Sen. Susan Collins is calling on John McCain to stop paying
for automated phone calls which describe Barack Obama as having "worked
closely" with "domestic terrorist Bill Ayers". "These kind of tactics
have no place in Maine politics," said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley.
"Sen. Collins urges the McCain campaign to stop these calls
immediately."
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Michael Smerconish (Fri Oct 17):
On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
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Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (Fri Oct 17):
For
the first time in the 161 year history of the Chicago Tribune, the
paper has endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee: Barack Obama.
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Peter Spaulding (Fri Oct 17):
McCain's New Hampshire state chairman slams the campaign's tactic of launching robocalls accusing Obama of links to terrorists.
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Kathleen Parker (Fri Oct 17):
National
Review writer Kathleen Parker takes another big step away from the GOP,
declaring that Republicans "do not, in fact, deserve to win this time,
and someone [Chris Buckley] had to remind them why."
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Richard Lugar (Wed Oct 15):
Richard
Lugar, the seniormost Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, came close to a full endorsement of Obama by endorsing his
approach to foreign policy - specifically, his emphasis on diplomacy.
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RNC (in Wisconsin) (Wed Oct 15):
The
RNC is giving up on McCain in Wisconsin. TV stations report that
they've stopped airing ads attacking Obama, and won't comment on the
pullout.
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Rush Limbaugh (Tue Oct 14):
Rush
Limbaugh all but accepted the fact that John McCain had lost this
election, asking Sarah Palin "have you even thought about a political
future beyond this campaign?" Obviously, if Limbaugh thought McCain
could win...her political future would be as Vice President.
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Heather Mac Donald (Tue Oct 14):
Conservative
pundit Heather Mac Donald systematically disassembles McCain's VP pick
and concludes that "conservatives should not sacrifice standards for
political advantage."
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Matthew Dowd (Tue Oct 14):
Matthew
Dowd, a former Bush strategist, let the cat out of the bag: "They
didn't let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as
VP...[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on
the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that
is something he will have to live with... He put somebody unqualified
on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that."
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Dennis Hopper (Mon Oct 13):
Loyal
Republican actor-director Dennis Hopper is giving up on his party, at
least for this election, complaining of the "lies" of the current
administration and saying "I voted for Bush, father and son, but this
time I'll vote for Obama."
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Mickey Edwards (Mon Oct 13):
Republican
Mickey Edwards, formerly a congressman from Oklahoma, distances himself
from McCain, saying "today, thanks to a campaign apparently managed by
Moe, Curly, and Larry, he comes across as erratic (Obama's word, but it
fits), impulsive, befuddled, and ill-tempered, and apparently unable to
utter any words other than 'surge' and 'earmarks.'" Edwards also plays
the blame game very explicitly: "If Obama gets a big win, it will be
McCain himself, and the Three Stooges calling the shots at his
headquarters who will deserve whatever blame is attached for
transforming a viable and energetic Obama campaign into a steamroller
grinding the Republican Party into the ground."
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David Frum (Mon Oct 13):
David
"axis of evil" Frum gets his "I told you so" ready at the National
Review and rebukes his critics who complain that he isn't cheerleading
for McCain enough. He concludes: "Perhaps it is our job at NRO is tell
our readers only what they want to hear, without much regard to whether
it is true. Perhaps it is our duty just to keep smiling and to insist
that everything is dandy - that John McCain's economic policies make
sense, that his selection of Sarah Palin was an act of statesmanship,
that she herself is the second coming of Anna Schwartz, and that nobody
but an over-educated snob would ever suggest otherwise."
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Ray LaHood (Mon Oct 13):
Rep.
LaHood, who has represented Illinois' 18th district for seven terms and
is retiring in January, told WBBM Radio that Palin should control the
racially-charged heckling at her rallies: "Look it. This doesn't befit
the office that she's running for. And frankly, people don't like it."
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Michelle Malkin (Mon Oct 13):
Michelle
Malkin expresses her disappointment in McCain after learning that "John
McCain had no problem calling ACORN members his friends during his
ill-fated illegal alien shamnesty crusade." She concludes, "We're
Screwed '08."
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Erick Erickson (Mon Oct 13):
Erick
Erickson, "editor in chief" of RedState.com, is giving up on McCain:
"With only a few weeks left until election day, let's be blunt:
McCain-Palin '08 does not seem to be making headway against the
polling." He suggests that McCain needs to choose between himself and
senate/house Republicans, and suggests that his readers focus on
downballot races: "The Republican numbers in the House and Senate can
be salvaged, but in the next few weeks there must be a realistic
assessment from the McCain campaign regarding winning his own race
versus helping Congressional Republicans mitigate their losses."
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Ed Rollins (Mon Oct 13):
Rollins,
who managed Reagan's 1984 campaign: "And while chaos and disarray
reigned supreme in Sen. Barack Obama's opponents' campaigns, the
steady, disciplined and strategically driven Obama campaign marches
forward toward likely victory."
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Bill Kristol (Mon Oct 13):
Kristol:
"It's time for John McCain to fire his campaign. He has nothing to
lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama's."
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Lee Terry (Mon Oct 13):
In
Nebraska, a Republican representative, Lee Terry, ran a newspaper ad
featuring support from a woman who called herself an "Obama-Terry
voter."
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Linda Smith (Sun Oct 12):
Linda
Smith, Republican chairwoman in Clark County, Ohio. "I have to blame
the McCain camp for not pushing it hard enough," added Smith, whose
rural county lies between Dayton and Columbus. "It's so ingrained in
people's minds that Republicans are good on national security, but
Democrats are good on the economy, and it's very hard to counter that."
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Tom Ellis (Sun Oct 12):
Tom
Ellis, GOP chairman in Butler County, Ohio, a key Republican stronghold
in 2004, said there had been "some slippage" for McCain in recent
weeks. He said Republicans were finding it "hard to penetrate" the
torrent of bad economic news and deliver an effective pitch to
independents. And the Arizona senator's attacks on Obama's past links
to former radical William Ayers, he said, "do not garner him any
advantage" with swing voters. "There's a sense of frustration at this
point," Ellis said. "What I hear is people are expecting more of the
Republican ticket. They've got to speak directly to the economic
issues. People want to hear specific solutions from Sen. McCain."
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Roger Stone (Sun Oct 12):
Roger
Stone, a longtime McCain supporter, said the state party and the
national campaign bear almost equal blame.
''This effort lacks coordination and a cooperative spirit and it's
showing,'' Stone said. "But it's more than mechanics. The campaign has
no consistent message.''
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George LeMieux (Sun Oct 12):
George LeMieux, Crist's former campaign manager and staff chief, said McCain erred in not choosing Crist as running mate.
''If Gov. Crist was the vice presidential nominee, John McCain would be winning Florida,'' he said.
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Charlie Crist (Sun Oct 12):
"Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World."
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Bill Kristol (Sun Oct 12):
On FOX News Sunday, Kristol said the McCain campaign was "stupid...pathetic...flailing."
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Patrick Ruffini (Sat Oct 11):
Conservative
columnist Patrick Ruffini argues that the RNC needs to give up on
McCain and try to save Republican house and senate seats, and that
"McCain should start explicitly making the argument for divided
government, with him as the only hope of preserving it. This is
unlikely to be a voting issue at the Presidential level, but we need to
get the idea percolating that we are about to elect Obama with
unchecked, unlimited power." That is, Ruffini wants to sacrifice
McCain to save congressional Republicans.
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Mitt Romney (Sat Oct 11):
Mitt
Romney said McCain, who has offered scattershot proposals on the
economy, should present a broad vision of how he would lead the country
through the economic crisis. "I'm talking about standing above the
tactical alternatives that are being considered," Romney said, "and
establish an economic vision that is able to convince the American
people that he really knows how to strengthen the economy."
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Robert A. Gleason Jr. (Sat Oct 11):
Robert
A. Gleason Jr., the Republican chairman in Pennsylvania, said he was
concerned that Mr. McCain's increasingly aggressive tone was not
working with moderate voters and women in the important southeastern
part of a state that is at the top of Mr. McCain's must-win list.
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Tommy Thompson (Sat Oct 11):
Former
Republican Governor of Wisconsin, said it would be difficult for Mr.
McCain to win in his state but not impossible, particularly if he
campaigned in conservative Democratic parts of the state. Asked if he
was happy with Mr. McCain's campaign, Mr. Thompson replied, "No," and
he added, "I don't know who is."
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Saul Anuzis (Sat Oct 11):
Saul
Anuzis, the Republican chairman in Michigan, said "I think you're
seeing a turning point, you're starting to feel real frustration
because we are running out of time. Our message, the campaign's
message, isn't connecting."
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Norm Coleman (Fri Oct 10):
Coleman
bails on McCain rally: "[Norm] Coleman told reporters that he would not
be appearing at a planned rally with McCain this afternoon. Could it be
McCain's sliding polling numbers in Minnesota? His attacks on Obama?"
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Christopher Buckley (Fri Oct 10):
Christopher
Buckley, son of National Review founder William F. Buckley, and
columnist for the National Review himself, endorsed Barack Obama,
saying "this campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him
inauthentic."
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Bob Eleveld (Fri Oct 10):
Bob
Eleveld, former Kent County Republican chairman who led McCain's West
Michigan campaign in 2000, said: "I'm not supporting either of them
[McCain or Obama] at this point. I think the straight talk is gone."
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William Milliken (Fri Oct 10):
Former
Republican Governor of Michigan William Milliken, who endorsed McCain
during the primaries, said: "He is not the McCain I endorsed; he keeps
saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John
McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me.
I'm disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of
the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues."
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Ed Rollins (Fri Oct 10):
Ed
Rollins ran Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1984, so he knows
a thing or two about landslides -- and he's predicting one for Barack
Obama. At this point, he says the only question left to answer is
whether John McCain will take the Republican Party down with him.
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Joshua Trevino (Fri Oct 10):
Joshua
Trevino, co-founder of RedState.com, wrote on his blog: "In the end, I
couldn't do it...I opened it fully intending to vote for John
McCain...Do I believe in John McCain? Not as much as I used to. Do I
believe in Sarah Palin? Despite my early enthusiasm for her, now not at
all. Do I believe in the national Republican Party? Not in the
slightest -- even though I see no meaningful alternative to it. So, my
choice for President in 2008, scrawled in my ballot as an act of futile
protest, is Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana."
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Matt Lewis (Fri Oct 10):
Matt
Lewis, a contributing writer for the conservative Web site
Townhall.com, told CNN the plan only further riles conservatives upset
with McCain's backing of the massive government bailout plan passed
last week.
"Fundamentally, the problem is John McCain accepts a lot of liberal
notions, unfortunately. There is somewhat of a populist streak," he
said. "Most conservatives really did not like the bailout to begin
with, and this was really kind of picking at the scab."
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Michelle Laxalt (Thu Oct 9):
Republican Laxalt slams the McCain campaign's tactics.
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Michigan GOP (Thu Oct 9):
The
Michigan GOP is in disarray, and said the following about those jumping
ship in an email they sent to local supporters: "In the meantime, there
have been several individuals, including some disgruntled former
employees, who have tried to take advantage of the situation by
stealing cell phones, and other electronic equipment, as well as
substantial amounts of collateral materials. In at least one instance
there was an employee who vandalized their victory center on the way
out the door."
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National Review Editorial Board (Thu Oct 9):
"We
never thought we would defend the Frank-Dodd legislation, which we
bitterly opposed last summer. But it looks downright prudent compared
to what McCain has proposed. McCain's plan is a full bailout for
lenders."
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Perry Diaz (Wed Oct 8):
Perry
Diaz, chairman of the National Federation of Filipino-American
Republicans, resigned from his post and withdrew his endorsement,
saying "I endorsed McCain before the California primary believing that
he was the right man for the job. I was wrong. His selection of Sarah
Palin as his running mate and his decision a few days ago to resort to
personal attacks on Obama's character and integrity run counter to my
personal beliefs and core values. I have lost my respect for McCain
and I believe that a McCain/Palin administration would only worsen the
economic situation in the country."
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David Brooks (Wed Oct 8):
David Brooks rips apart McCain's pick for VP, saying "Sarah Palin represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party."
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George Will (Wed Oct 8):
George
Will laments McCain's campaign and quotes an Orioles manager: "Are you
going to get any better or is this it?" His takeaway? "Obama in a
romp in November? Don't be surprised"
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Lilibet Hagel (Tue Oct 7):
Lilibet
Hagel, wife of Republican senator Chuck Hagel, appeared with Susan
Eisenhower to endorse Barack Obama, saying that this election is "not
about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander
machine. Most importantly it is not about distracting the public - you
and me - with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick."
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Michelle Malkin (Tue Oct 7):
Malkin is outraged by McCain's new mortgage giveway plan.
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Jack Waldvogel (Sun Oct 5):
Jack
Waldvogel, GOP chairman for Emmet County, Michigan, is furious that
McCain and Palin announced their intention to pull out of Michigan,
saying "Just don't formally announce that you are 'pulling out' of
Michigan, and then come back two days later asking the base core of
support to 'keep working.' What a slap in the face to all the thousands
of people who have been energized by the addition of Sarah Palin to the
ticket. I've been involved in County Party politics and organization
for 40 years, and this is the biggest dumbass stunt I have ever seen."
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Kathleen Parker (Fri Sep 26):
Conservative
columnist Kathleen Parker wrote in the National Review that Sarah Palin
is "out of her league" and should step down for the good of her country.
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Wick Allison (Mon Sep 22):
Wick
Allison, former publisher of the National Review and current
editor-in-chief of D magazine, endorses Obama and writes "I made the
maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was
still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is
almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history."
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George Will (Sun Sep 21):
"I
suppose the McCain campaign's hope is that when there's a big crisis,
people will go for age and experience," said Will. "The question is,
who in this crisis looked more presidential, calm and un-flustered? It
wasn't John McCain who, as usual, substituting vehemence for coherence,
said 'let's fire somebody.' And picked one of the most experienced and
conservative people in the administration, Chris Cox, and for no
apparent reason... It was un-presidential behavior by a presidential
candidate."
-
WSJ Editorial Board (Fri Sep 19):
In a
crisis, voters want steady, calm leadership, not easy, misleading
answers that will do nothing to help. Mr. McCain is sounding like a
candidate searching for a political foil rather than a genuine
solution. He'll never beat Mr. Obama by running as an angry populist
like Al Gore, circa 2000.
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Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy (Wed Sep 3):
Noonan
and Murphy get caught on an open mic griping about the choice of Sarah
Palin. Noonan says "The most qualified? No. I think they went for
this, excuse me, political bullsh** about narratives. Every time the
Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and that's not
what they're good at, they blow it." Murphy adds that the choice was
"cynical" and "gimmicky."
Re: XP: List of GOPers who have jumped ship
I am honestly shocked at how many "regular" people have switched too. I talked to several people this past weekend who are in their 50s or older and have NEVER voted for a dem for President...yet are this election for one reason: Palin.
I about fainted from shock when some of these people admited it. This whole election is mind boggling.
Some of these are pretty funny...and some of the people are on there 2x!!
:-P
Charlie Crist is my fave - "Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World."
He must be voting with Shosh.
"Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office--I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency."
Classic!