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Deborah White's US Liberal Politics BlogSupported by Republicans, Obama Takes Lead in Presidential RaceReported the Angus-Reid Global Monitor: "At least 46 per cent of respondents would support the Illinois senator in head-to-head contests against four prospective Republican nominees. The reason for Sen. Obama's dominance against potential Republican 2008 contenders for the White House? Republicans themselves. Republicans for Obama In fact, one of the fastest growing campaign websites is Republicans for Obama, which presently counts chapters in 11 states, including Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania and Colorado. And now comes word that Republican Colin Powell may join the Obama for President groundswell. The retired 4-star Army General and beleaguered Secretary of State under George W. Bush revealed that he's quietly been providing Sen. Obama with advice on foreign affairs. When asked yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press if he will support the Republican candidate in 2008, Powell cagily replied: "I’m going to support the best person that I can find who will lead this country for the eight years beginning in January 2009." Reagan Democrats, Obama Republicans "Obama has the potential to appeal to Republican voters the way Reagan appealed to Democrats, and that the emergence of a group like Republicans for Obama... should be taken 'as a real signal, and not aberrational.' The London Times reported last month that a number of Bush supporters in 2004 have defected to the Obama camp for 2008. "Tom Bernstein went to Yale University with Bush and co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team with him. In 2004 he donated the maximum $2,000 to the president’s reelection campaign and gave $50,000 to the Republican National Committee. And on June 6, 2007, Newsweek's political blog reported: "Mark McKinnon, a senior media adviser to McCain--who led George W. Bush's ad efforts in 2000 and 2004, and remains one of the sitting president's closest friends--has told the McCain campaign that he would quit if Obama wins the Democratic nomination. " Fresh Thinking, Civility, Bipartisanship Last December, one of their friends spied the senator, sitting alone, lunching in a sub sandwich shop in Honolulu. They gingerly approached him, and said he was quite nice, a low-key "normal" guy. In particular, that's what generations X and Y want: normal, accessible, common sense. All without the baby-boomer-style animosity and regality of the Clinton and Bush 2 administrations. They, and many of their friends in the 25-to-35-year-old age bracket, are attracted to Obama's fresh thinking, and his cool civility and unwillingness to indulge in attack-dog political warfare as usual. The GOP hasn't (yet?) offered such a candidate for 2008, and cigar-chomping, slow-drawling actor Fred Thompson certainly won't fit the "fresh" profile. Commented 29-year-old Republican John Martin, a Navy reservist, to the New York Post: "I see Obama as representing a different kind of politician... Don't Snicker, Democrats It just may be the winning formula for putting a Democrat back in charge of the White House. Related Reading Sunday June 10, 2007 | comments (5) Display Latest Headlines | powered by WordPress |
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