Yellow highlights indicate new additions or revisions to this site on 11/4/08.
Welcome. Perhaps you're reading this because a friend or loved one sent you a link. We're glad we've met! We think you will be interested to learn about the growing number of Republicans, conservatives, and former Bush voters and endorsers who have switched to support Barack Obama.
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If you're connecting with undecided or traditionally conservative voters, ask them to consider why many conservatives are supporting Barack Obama. If you're connecting with Obama supporters, ask them to pass a link to this site on to others. Thanks!
THE LATEST LIST OF CONSERVATIVE + REPUBLICAN CITIZENS AND LEADERS WHO SUPPORT BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT
Much of this list was excerpted from the blog of John Martin, founder of RepublicansforObama.org. I thank him for his work in assembling this impressive list and encourage you to visit his site, via the link above. Other entries were taken from a Wikipedia article on conservative support for Obama.
Note: I haven't had time to keep up with all the Switchers -- I've been too busy telephoning for Obama the last couple of days. But please see this post from a blog called the Jed Report for another list of Switchers and almost Switchers (e.g., conservative critics of McCain). There are several who are not listed below.
American Citizens:
People in the Middle for Obama
A wonderful, short (about a minute and a half) video by the brilliant Errol Morris in which independents, moderates, and conservatives explain why Obama gets their vote.
Conservatives for Change
Another very good video with real testimonials.
A 58-year-old Republican Who Thinks Palin was a Bad VP Choice
Public Servants:
Colin Powell, Secretary of State, President George W. Bush
"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 state, onto the
American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack
Obama."
Scott McClellan, Former Press Secretary to President George W. Bush
"From
the 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."
Douglas Kmiec, Head of the Office of Legal Counsel, President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush
"I
was first attracted to government by Ronald Reagan, who lives in our
national memory as a great leader and an inspiring communicator.
Senator Obama has these gifts as well, but of course, more rhetorical
flourish without substance would be worth little. Is there more to
Senator Obama? I believe there is."
Charles Fried, Solicitor General of the United States, President Reagan
"I
admire Senator McCain and was glad to help in his campaign, and to be
listed as doing so; but when I concluded that I must vote for Obama for
the reason states in my letter, I felt it wrong to appear to be
recommending to others a vote that I was not prepared to cast myself."
Jackson M. Andrews, Republican Counsel to the U.S. Senate
"Barack
Obama
is a thoughtful visionary leader who as President will end the decline
of American law, liberty, and fiscal responsibility that are the
hallmarks of the extremist policies of the current Administration, now
adopted by John McCain."
Francis Fukuyama, Adviser to President Reagan
"I’m voting for Barack Obama this November for a very
simple reason. It is hard to imagine a more disastrous presidency than
that of George W. Bush. ... As a general rule, democracies don’t work well if voters
do not hold political parties accountable for failure. While John
McCain is trying desperately to pretend that he never had anything to
do with the Republican Party, I think it would a travesty to reward the
Republicans for failure on such a grand scale."
Rita Hauser, Former White House Intelligence Adviser to President George W. Bush
"McCain will continue the wrong-headed foreign policy decisions of Bush, while Obama will take us in a new direction."
Larry Hunter, Policy Adviser to President Reagan
"I
suspect Obama is more free-market friendly than he lets on. He taught
at the University of Chicago, a hotbed of right-of-center thought. His
economic advisers, notably Austan Goolsbee, recognize that ordinary
citizens stand to gain more from open markets than from government
meddling."
Bill Ruckelshaus, Served in the Administrations of Presidents Nixon and Reagan
"I'm not against McCain, I'm for Obama."
Ken Adelman, Served in the Administration of President Ford
"The
most
important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding
on a running mate. That decision showed appalling lack of judgment...
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."
Lilibet Hagel, Wife of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
"This election is not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a
top-notch slander machine. Most important, it is not about distracting
the public-- you and me-- with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick."
David Ruder, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, President Reagan
William Donaldson, Former Chairman of the Securities & Exchange Commission, President George W. Bush
Rear Admiral John Hutson, USN (ret.), Former Judge Advocate General of the Navy and Current Dean and President of Franklin Pierce Law Center
Paul O'Neill, United States Secretary of the Treasury, President George W. Bush
Tricia Mosley, Former Staffer to Senator Strom Thurmond
Dr. Samuel Lin, Assistant Surgeon General and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush
As a longtime Asian American Republican, ....It was not easy to separate from my party's nominee for president. ... I have become very dissatisfied and distrustful of our reigning national Republican leadership these past eight years because of its continued missteps. ...[which has] allowed us to fall into an economic morass, partly due to the home mortgage debacle and partly due to the incredulous expenditures for a mistaken war in Iraq. ... I want a president who is truly committed to the good of this country. ... And that is one who shows this commitment through the selection of his best qualified successor in the event of his demise or incapacitation." (Thanks to this blogger for the link.)
Ken Duberstein, Former Chief of Staff, President Reagan
"I think Colin Powell's decision is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama."
Elected Officials (Current and Former):
Jim Leach, Former Congressman from Iowa
"For
me, the national interest comes before party concerns, particularly
internationally. We do need a new direction in American policy, and
Obama has a sense of that."
Lincoln Chafee, Former United States Senator from Rhode Island
"As
I look at the candidates in order who to vote for, certainly my kind of
conservatism was reflected with Senator Obama, and those points are
that we're fiscally conservative, we care about revenues matching
expenditures, we also care about the environment, I think it's a
traditional conservative value to care about clean air and clean water."
William Weld, Former Governor of Massachusetts
"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."
Arne Carlson, Former Governor of Minnesota
"I
think we have in Barack Obama the clear possibility of a truly great
president. I would contend that it's the most important election of my
lifetime."
Wayne Gilchrest, Congressman from Maryland
"We can't use four more years of the same kind of policy that's somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness."
Richard Riordan, Former Mayor of Los Angeles
"I'm still a Republican, but I still will always vote for the person who I think will do the best job."
Lowell Weicker, Former Governor and Senator from Connecticut
"At
issue is not the partisan politics of two parties, rather the image we
have of ourselves as Americans. Senator Obama brings wisdom, kindness,
and common sense to what is both his and our quest for a better
America."
Jim Whitaker, Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor
"If
we are as a nation concerned with energy, then our consideration should
be a national energy policy that is not predicated on crude oil 50
years into the future. We need to get to it, and I think Barack Obama
is very clear in that regard."
Linwood Holton, Former Governor of Virginia and Father-in-law of Current Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA)
"Obama has a brain, and he isn't afraid to use it."
Charles Mathias, Jr., Former Maryland Senator
"In
1860, my great-grandfather ran for the Maryland Senate from Frederick
on the anti-slavery Republican ticket. At the top of that ticket was
Abraham Lincoln. In 1912, my grandfather rallied to Theodore Roosevelt
and the Bull Moose. Most of the Mathias family has voted Republican
ever since. ... I
publicly endorse the Democratic candidate for president with a sense of
the historic significance of the choice before us all."
Larry Pressler, Former South Dakota Senator
Lou Thieblemont, Mayor of Camp Hill, Penn.
Thieblemont switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat so that he could vote for Obama in the Pennsylvania primary.
Journalists, Authors, and Academics:
Jeffrey Hart, Senior Editor of the National Review
"It
turns out that these political parties are not always either liberal or
conservative, Democratic or Republican. The Democrat, under certain
conditions, can be the conservative."
Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University
"For conservatives, Obama represents a sliver of hope. McCain represents none at all. The choice turns out to be an easy one."
David Friedman, Economist and Son of Milton Friedman, Conservative Economist
"I
hope Obama wins. President Bush has clearly been a disaster from the
standpoint of libertarians and conservatives because he has presided
over an astonishing rise in government spending."
Christopher Buckley, Former Columnist for the National Review (NR) and Son of William F. Buckley, Founder of the National Review
"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."
Andrew Sullivan, Columnist for The Atlantic
"Obama's
legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign
reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an
intelligent pragmatism. Prudence is a word that is not inappropriate
to him."
Wick Alison, Former Publisher of the National Review
"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."
Michael Smerconish, Columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer
"...an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe."
Dorothy King, Archeologist, Author, and Blogger
Michael Smerconish, Radio Host
Christopher Hitchens, Author and Essayist Loosely Affiliated with Neo-conservative Foreign Policy
Dorothy King, Archaeologist, Author, and Blogger
Frank Schaeffer, Pro-life Advocate and Son of Evangelist Francis Schaeffer
Ronald Reagan, son of President Reagan and radio talk show host
Other Prominent People
"Nothing about the Republican tickets offers the hope America needs to regain its standing in the world, that's why we're going to support Barack Obama.
Susan Eisenhower, Granddaughter of President Eisenhower
"Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Daughter of President Nixon and Granddaughter-in-law of President Eisenhower
Jack Antaramian, Florida Real Estate Developer and Bush Fundraiser
Dennis Hopper, Actor and Former Bush Supporter
LATEST NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENTS:
273 ENDORSE OBAMA; ONLY 142 ENDORSE MCCAIN
50 NEWSPAPERS SWITCH, ENDORSING OBAMA
AFTER ENDORSING BUSH IN '04
Find the most current and complete list of newspaper endorsements at Editor & Publisher. If you want to know which ones switched from endorsing Bush (Republican) in 2004 to Obama (Democrat) in 2008, look for the letter B next to the name of the paper. The letter N indicates that the paper endorsed no one in 2004. The letter K indicates that the paper endorsed John Kerry (Democrat) in 2004.
Think about it: Why are so many conservatives and newspapers switching? They know Obama is the best candidate for a stronger country and a safer world! (Photo by Shane Vigil)
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