Republican Switchers

Endorsements as of 10/30: Kerry leads 186 to 151, including 42 Switcher papers (compared to Bush's 6).

In its daily tally, Editor & Publisher reports that "Kerry also holds a wide lead in circulation of supporting papers, by about 19 million to almost 13 million." You you will find links to some of the other Switcher papers at Dkosopedia . (The most current list of Switcher papers can be found at the Editor and Publisher link, above. Look for all the Kerry endorsements marked with a B, denoting that they endorsed Bush in 2000 before switching to Kerry in 2004.)

CO: Daily Camera (Boulder): 10/17

CT: The Day (New London): 9/26

FL: Bradenton Herald: 10/18

FL: The Orlando Sentinel: 10/24

GA: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution : 10/9
(In 2000, The Atlanta Journal endorsed Bush; the Constitution endorsed Gore.)

IL: Chicago Sun-Times: 10/24

IL: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights): 10/17

ME: Bangor Daily News: 10/23

MI: Flint Journal: 10/24

MI: The Muskegon Chronicle: 10/17

MO: Columbia Daily Tribune: 10/17

NM: The Albuquerque Tribune: 10/12

OR: The Oregonian (Portland): 10/10

TX: The Lone Star Iconoclast (Crawford): 9/26

WA: Seattle Post-Intelligencer: 10/10

WA: The Seattle Times: 9/9

WI: Wausau Daily Herald: 10/23

Editor of the American Conservative endorses Kerry.

"George W. Bush has come to embody a politics that is antithetical to almost any kind of thoughtful conservatism, " says Scott McConnell. Read more here.

Quick list of Republican Switchers for Kerry

As Kerry gains more momentum, and as more people discover this blog, many kind readers are sending ideas for entries--more than I have time to post as a mom with full-time employment outside the home. Thankfully, Dkospedia has a an entire section listing and linking to conservatives and Republicans supporting Kerry. Dkosopedia is a Wiki published by Daily Kos. This is a great example of how, as a group effort, a Wiki can be a very efficient way to collect and share knowledge. Brilliant!

Ordinary Republican Switchers redux

These Errol Morris ads, featuring ordinary people who are Republican Switchers, inspired this blog; I've linked to them previously via moveon.org. At Morris's site, however, you'll find the television ads organized by topic. He's searching for a 527 nonprofit to pay to broadcast them. He also has two different sizes of the print ad that you can photocopy and post or distribute. Those would be great for canvassers to photocopy and pass out in the days ahead.

Swing State Switchers: In Arizona, Republican officials cross over; in Colorado, a Halliburton (yes, that Halliburton) seems likely to vote for Kerry.

Please send a link to this story to every moderate you know in Arizona and Colorado, two key battleground states, and ask them to pass it on to other moderates.
In this fascinating story from the Guardian newspaper in Britain, three strong Republican women protest Bush's policies toward women. Two -- Linda Binder, a Republican State Senator, and Judith Allen, a lifelong Republican and former Superior Court clerk -- are from Arizona. Mary Lou Halliburton, a Colorado Republican, is a retired lawyer who worked in the Nixon White House. Her family founded the company that Dick Cheney headed. So frustrated was she that she started a group called Republicans Who Want Their Party Back. According to the article, Halliburton won't say whom she is voting for but many think it will be Kerry.

And then there's Steve May, a Republican former state legislator from Arizona. A Kerry supporter, he says, "Contrary to the man he promised to be in 2000, he has become a fiscal liberal and a social conservative.....Those of us who care about the Republican Party must repudiate this administration and this campaign. Bush has not governed as a Republican should govern on issues of freedom, family and fiscal responsibility." Learn more here.

Republicans switch in key Swing State: Ohio.

Please forward to all voters you know in Ohio--and ask them to forward it to others in the state. "Often people vote from habit or party loyalty. I believe that in this election of 2004 there are greater considerations and all voters should ask themselves: Are we better off than four years ago? Are we safer? Is our economy stronger? To me the answers are clear. That is why I support John Kerry for president." So says Republican former General Assemblyman of Ohio John A. Galbraith. And then there's Retired Republican judge Robert L. Black, who will support Kerry because "The record of this incumbent president is a history not only of repeated violations of the key principles underlying our democracy, but of the core values of the Christian faith to which he claims commitment." (Thanks to the folks at www.democraticunderground.com for notice of this Switcher.)

Reaganite: "Why Conservatives must not vote for Bush."

On Salon.com: "A Reaganite argues that Bush is a dangerous, profligate, moralizing radical -- and that his reelection would be catastrophic both for the right and for America." The author is Doug Bandow, former advisor to Reagan and a fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute.

Former Bush-backing business leaders switch to Kerry-Edwards.

Robert Trigaux, business columnist for the St. Petersburg Times writes about business leaders switching to Kerry. An excerpt: "Consider wealthy corporate Texas financier David Bonderman, who founded and runs the Texas Pacific Group investment firm in Fort Worth, and who backed Bush both when he ran for president in 2000 and earlier for Texas governor. Now he's supporting Kerry - and he's not shy about saying so...'
He's turning out to be the worst president since Millard Fillmore - and that's probably an insult to Millard Fillmore.'"

Why Conservative Jews should support Kerry.

In The Jerusalem Report, Gershom Gorenberg, associate editor, explains why Jews supporting Bush because of his stance on Israel would be better off switching: "Bush's supposed support for Israel is an illusion. The real Bush record on Israel consists of missed chances and neglect. Four more years of the same is unthinkable. Everything in Bush's record shows he has neither understanding of diplomacy nor interest in it....John Kerry's approach to foreign policy is fundamentally different from Bush's. Kerry is obviously eager to plunge into diplomacy, and to create confidence in agreed solutions." You can download a PDF of the opinion here . I couldn't find it online. Please share this article with Jewish voters on your e-mail list, especially those in Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, and other swing states.

Former Bush-backer Iacocca will vote for Kerry: "We need a leader who is really dedicated to creating millions of high-paying jobs all across the country."

Business leader Lee Iacocca backed Bush in 2000 but he's "changing sides." CNN.com said that Iaccoca is "attracted to Kerry's economic plan, including his job creation proposals. He also said the presumptive Democratic nominee both understands change and will 'level' with the American people about how to adapt to that change."