Reagan
Democrats. This was the term given to the
normally reliable Democratic Party voters who turned to modern
Republicanism'
favorite son in the the massive electoral victories in the 1980's.
A generation later, Barack
Hussein Obama rides a
tsunami of change created in the aftermath of the historically low popularity of the
George Walker Bush Presidency and one of the most successful grass roots political campaigns in living history.
The term Obama Republicans, or the
Obamacon, may be become an often used meme in the years ahead.
If Obama wins in a landslide next Tuesday as many are
beginning to predict, he would have done it with the help of many voters who chose to side with the Republican party in both 2000 and 2004.
In the last few weeks a number of conservatives and Republicans have chosen to vote for or openly endorse Barack
Hussein Obama, many will vote Democrat for the first time ever. Here are some of
the thoughts of newly found Obama Republicans, the
Obamacons.
Former Republcian Senator Larry Pressler from the Conservative state of South Dakota."I just got the feeling that Obama will be able to handle this financial crisis better, and I like his financial team of [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin and [former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul] Volcker better," he said. By contrast, John McCain's "handling of the financial crisis made me feel nervous."
Former Reagan Solicitor General, conservative thinker and former McCain supporter, Charles Fried wrote in a letter that the selection of Sarah Palin as Vice Presidential candidate by McCain tipped the scales.
He said that chief among the reasons for his decision "is the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis."
Former Bush Whitehouse Press Secretary Scott McClellan.
"From the very beginning I have said I am going to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done and I will be voting for Barack Obama and clapping," McClellan told new CNN Host D.L. Hughley.
Former Republican Governor of Massachusetts William Weld
"It's not often you get a guy with his combination of qualities, chief among which I would say is the deep sense of calm he displays, and I think that's a product of his equally deep intelligence," he said in a phone interview.
Former George w. Bush Secretary of State, George H.W Bush Chairman of Joint Chiefs, Reagan National Security Advisor, General Colin Powell.
"I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities--and we have to take that into account--as well as his substance--he has both style and substance--he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world--onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."
- Former Republican governor in Minnesota, Arne Carlson
"Regardless of our party, regardless of our partisan inclinations, there is no interest more compelling than the interest in the well-being of the United States," Carlson said at a gathering of Obama supporters at the state Capitol.
Carlson added, "He has laid out for this nation a vision for a national purpose."
Former President Ford, Ronald Reagan official, lifelong Conservative Republican, Ken Adelman
"When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.
Second is judgment. That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. 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. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick."
Son of the Godfather of modern day Republican conservatism, Christopher Buckley."Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy “We are the people we have been waiting for” silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for.
So, I wish him all the best. We are all in this together. Necessity is the mother of bipartisanship. And so, for the first time in my life, I’ll be pulling the Democratic lever in November. As the saying goes, God save the United States of America."
