I often lament what has happened to the Republican Party - the party I grew up in and supported for many years. Apparently, I am not the only one that feels the party left them instead of vice versa. The far right
Washington Times of all outlets is carrying coverage on the move towards Obama by some Republicans who simply cannot be a part of the extremism and Kool-Aid drinking that defines today's GOP. Here are some excerpts:
John Martin loves the GOP and wants to remain a Republican. But
the party he grew up supporting has changed, he said, and Mitt Romney is doing nothing to keep his
loyalty.
The Republican presidential nominee lacks the will or desire to stand up to
“extremists” who have gained a sturdy foothold in the party, Mr. Martin said, and President Obama is far from
the socialist demon portrayed by GOP
leaders.
For that, the politically active New Jersey resident said, he will vote for
Mr. Obama.
“I’m just very unhappy with the state of today’s party,” said Mr. Martin, who heads a group and website called
Republicans for Obama. “Although Gov. Romney
would have been a great candidate, the Mitt Romney we see today is too beholden
to the party’s [conservative] base and to the hard right.”
[S]some [Republican voters] say they will back Mr. Obama because of the GOP push to the political right. Lowell Weicker endorsed
Mr. Obama despite serving three terms in the
Senate and a stint in the House as a Republican from
1969 to 1989. Now an independent, he quit the
Republican Party soon after leaving Capitol
Hill — not because he had changed politically or ideologically, he said, but
because the
party had.
The Republican Party increasingly has
turned its back on the inner cities and minorities while pandering to religious
conservatives, rural communities and the middle and upper classes,
he said, and he doesn’t see a swing back to the political center anytime
soon.
“The Republican Party has changed
from being a party of fiscal conservatism and social moderation [to] become a
‘praise the Lord and pass the ammunition’ party,” he said. . .
Other Republicans turned independents who have endorsed Mr. Obama’s presidency include former Florida
Gov. Charlie Crist and current Rhode Island
Gov. Lincoln Chafee. Both have been given
speaking spots at the Democratic National Convention this week in Charlotte,
N.C.
Teresa Sayward, a Republican New York Assembly member who was first elected
in 2002, said she
will vote for Mr. Obama
because Mr. Romney — and all of the other
Republican presidential candidates this year — proposed what she considers
anti-women policies.
“People don’t realize that 4 million Republicans voted for
Obama in 2008, and moderate Republicans — those
who aren’t in the hard right and most vocal parts of the
party — a lot of times people forgot about
us,” he [Mr. Martin] said.
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