George W. Bush's Daughter Attends Clinton Fundraiser

Barbara Bush center above

I continue to hold George W. Bush in the lowest of regard and believe that his 8 years of incompetent rule did inestimable damage to the nation, not the least of which was allowing the 9-11 attacks to occur.  That said, some of his family members are showing that they do have some level of standards and decency.  Especially when it comes to refusing to endorse and/or support a vulgar, ill-tempered narcissist like Donald Trump.   The latest to show such inclinations is Barbara Bush, the daughter of George W. Bush.  CNN looks at her attendance at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser.  Here are highlights:

Barbara Bush, a daughter of former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush, attended a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in Paris Saturday night, according a source familiar with the event.

Bush posed for a picture with Huma Abedin, the longtime Clinton aide who was hosting the fundraiser with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

The photo was then posted by multiple event attendees, including Lauren Santo Domingo, co-founder of the online fashion website Moda Operandi, who included the hashtag "#imwithher."

A spokesman for the former president did not respond to request for comment. Clinton aides also did not immediately respond to requests.

Barbara Bush is the latest member of Republican family to tip their hand toward Clinton over Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Last month, former President George H.W. Bush told former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend that he intends to vote for Clinton, during a receiving line for board members of the bipartisan Points of Light Foundation. The remark was overheard by others in the room, and Kennedy Townsend, a member of America's most famous Democratic political family, announced it on Facebook. CNN confirmed that the former president made the statement.

President George W. Bush has yet to endorse Trump. And ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has said he won't vote for his former GOP primary rival or Clinton.

Former first lady Laura Bush, Barbara Bush's mother, hinted earlier this year that she may be open to voting for Clinton over Trump.

"I want our next president -- whoever he or she might be -- to be somebody who is interested in women in Afghanistan and who will continue US policies ... that we continue to do what we're committed to do as a country," Laura Bush said at an event on foreign policy and women leaders.

Former Senator John Warner To Endorse Clinton

Back in my days as a Republican activist, Republican City Committee member and precinct captain I got to meet former Senator John Warner on numerous occasions and worked with his staff on a number of campaigns.   Warner always put his principles first and put the best interests of America ahead of partisanship - something in rare supply nowadays as too many in the GOP have cast principle and decency aside to support a narcissistic demagogue for the presidency.  A case in point from the past is Warner's refusal to support Oliver North when he ran for the U.S. Senate.  Yes, North was charismatic (I knew him as well and two of my children liked him for the attention he gave them at political events), but he was not fit for office.  Continuing this trend, Warner is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at Warner's decision.  Here are excerpts:

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will score another high-powered Republican endorsement on Wednesday, according to a campaign aide: retired senator John Warner of Virginia, a popular GOP maverick with renowned military credentials.

Warner’s decision not to support his party’s nominee, Donald Trump, is intended to send a signal in the five-term senator’s battleground home state and beyond that mainstream, security-minded Republicans should side with Clinton.

Virginia is an important, military-rich state that both candidates see as essential to winning the White House as the race tightens nationally. Clinton is making a pitch across the country that she is the more seasoned and responsible candidate on military and national security issues.

Perhaps best known by some for marrying actress Elizabeth Taylor, Warner, 89, is also known for bucking his party. A World War II veteran, former U.S. Navy secretary and former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Warner famously opposed the Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork, as well as the 1994 Senate candidacy of Oliver North of Iran-contra notoriety. He endorsed Democrat Mark R. Warner over Republican Jim Gilmore to fill his own seat in the U.S. Senate.

John Warner’s ability to withstand the Republican criticism he endured for those decisions stemmed largely from the gravitas he had built over a lengthy Senate career in which he mastered national security issues and diligently delivered for the state’s military bases and defense contractors.

He has never before endorsed a Democrat for president.

“For 30 years, Virginians trusted John Warner in the Senate, and for good reason: He has dedicated his life to defending our country, from serving in the Navy in World War II to chairing the Senate Armed Services Committee, where I had the honor of working with him to support our men and women in uniform and their families,” Clinton wrote in a statement provided to The Washington Post. “I am proud to have John’s support, and to know that someone with his decades of experience would trust me with the weighty responsibility of being Commander in Chief.”

Warner retired in 2009, leaving office with approval ratings that any politician would covet. A Washington Post poll conducted a little more than a year before his retirement found that 72 percent of likely voters approved of the job he was doing.

In military-heavy Virginia, more voters think Clinton would make a better commander in chief than Trump, 50 percent to 40 percent, with female voters saying so by a 2-to-1 margin. 

Warner will become perhaps the most high-profile former GOP elected official whom Clinton has trotted out in recent weeks to try to make the case that she is the superior candidate on foreign affairs, in particular.

Other names well known in the foreign affairs establishment include John Negroponte, who held high-level positions in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush; Brent Scowcroft, a national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; and Richard Armitage, a deputy secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration.

Warner’s pick could also bolster the standing of the Democratic ticket in Virginia at a time when Republicans are trying to keep the state competitive. 

With Kaine on the ticket this year, Clinton has maintained a lead that suggests a long-term realignment. As Trump has risen in the polls nationally, the race in Virginia has grown somewhat tighter, but the Democrats still enjoy a nearly 7 percentage point lead, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.

Other former elected Republican officeholders who have endorsed Clinton include: Michael Bloomberg, a mayor of New York; Arne Carlson, a governor of Minnesota; David Durenberger, a senator from Minnesota; Constance A. Morella, a congresswoman from Maryland; Larry Pressler, a senator and congressman from South Dakota; Christopher Shays, a congressman from Connecticut; and John J.H. Schwarz, a congressman from Michigan.

What is Wrong With "Sane" Republicans?

As Donald Trump continues to spin out of control and what had been whispers about his mental stability become open conversations, one has to wonder what is wrong with allegedly sane Republicans who are seemingly not motivated by racial hatred and/or religious extremism.  How do they justify to themselves supporting a man who, in my view, is nothing short of a clear and present danger to America?  Are they simply so used to voting Republican that they are like robotic zombies?  Are they not paying attention to Trump's increasingly obvious mental instability?  Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman looks at this question in a column in the New York Times.  Here are some column excerpts:

Donald Trump said some more disgusting things over the weekend. If this surprises you, you haven’t been paying attention. Also, don’t be surprised if a majority of Republicans approve of his attack on the parents of a dead war hero. After all, a YouGov survey found that 61 percent of Republicans support his call for Russian hacking of Hillary Clinton.

But this isn’t a column about Mr. Trump and the people who are O.K. with anything he says or does. It is, instead, about Republicans — probably a minority within the party, but a substantial one — who aren’t like that. These are people who aren’t racists, respect patriots even if they’re Muslim, believe that America should honor its international commitments, and in general sound like normal members of a normal political party.

Yet the great majority of these not-crazy Republicans are still supporting Mr. Trump for president. And we have a right to ask why.

True, a Clinton victory would mean a continuation of the center-left governance we’ve had under Barack Obama, which would be a big disappointment for those who want a turn to the right. And many people have convinced themselves that ideology aside, Mrs. Clinton would be a bad president. . . . But never mind: even if you’re a conservative who really dislikes the Democratic candidate, how can you justify choosing Donald Trump?
Put it this way: Is there any reason to believe that a Clinton victory would lead to irretrievable disaster? Because that’s the question you should be asking yourself.

[E]ven if you think the Obama economy should have been better, the fact is that we’ve added 11 million private-sector jobs; stocks are way up; inflation and interest rates have stayed low; the budget deficit has withered away.

So it’s not a disaster, and there’s no reason to believe that a Clinton economy would be a disaster either. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is talking about wildly irresponsible tax cuts, renegotiating debt, and ripping up trade agreements.

Moving up the scale of importance, what about national security? . . . . there’s just no way to paint Mrs. Clinton — who has the support of many retired military leaders — as some kind of pushover for terrorists and foreign aggressors. Meanwhile, her opponent talks about abandoning NATO allies if they don’t pay up and seems fine with Russian adventurism in Ukraine.

Most important of all is the question of democracy at home. . . . anyone watching her opponent has to be very, very worried about his authoritarian streak.

The bottom line is that even if you don’t like Mrs. Clinton or what she stands for, it’s hard to see how you could view her possible victory with horror. And it’s hard to see how you could view Mr. Trump’s possible victory any other way.

How, then, can rational Republicans justify supporting Mr. Trump, or even remaining neutral, which is in effect giving him half a vote?

[W]hatever one may say about ordinary voters, the real sinners here are Republican leaders — people like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell — who are actively supporting a candidate they know poses a danger to the nation.

It’s not hard to see why they’re doing this. Opposing their party’s nominee, no matter how awful he is, would probably end up being a career killer.

But there are times when you’re supposed to put such considerations aside. The willingness of some people who know better to support Donald Trump is understandable; it’s also despicable.

West Virginia GOP Senate to Kill Effort to Ban LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections

Senator Carmichael

Wow!  The spittle must be flying in massive sheets in the offices of "family values" hate groups and many local GOP committees controlled by the Christofascists.  The culture war must be shifting in favor of gays faster than I imagined if a West Virginia Republican is willing to stand in the way of consideration of a Christofascist backed bill that would rescind non-discrimination protections for LGBT West Virginians.  I can just imagine the shrieking and failing coming from NOM's headquarters.  WOWK TV 13 has details on the pronouncement by West Virginia Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael(R).  Here are excerpts:

Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael says there's "no way" the Senate will consider a proposal to nullify local ordinances that protect gay and transgender people from housing and employment discrimination.

The Jackson County Republican made the remarks Thursday to the AP.

The West Virginia Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act would prohibit any local nondiscrimination ordinances stricter than state law. West Virginia doesn't include gay and transgender housing and employment protections.

A House committee cleared the bill Wednesday.

Five cities, including Charleston, have similar nondiscrimination ordinances.

Republican bill sponsor Del. Lynne Arvon said rules should be uniform and predictable.
Democratic Del. Stephen Skinner, the only openly gay state lawmaker, said it's "legislative gay bashing."

Who would have expected this in West Virginia!  Kudos to Carmichael. 

Virginia Beach GOP Mayor Endorses Mark Warner for Senate

As the race for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat nears a close we are again seeing moderate Republicans jump ship and endorse the Democrat candidate Mark Warner.  Why?  Because the GOP challenger is an extremist and carries huge amounts of negative baggage - including lobbying for Enron and foreign governments - and sane Republicans want no part of him.  Some of those endorsing Warner are Republicans I knew years ago in my GOP activist days who seem to realize that today's Republican Party of Virginia has become something toxic.  Blue Virginia looks at Mayor Sessoms endorsement of Mark Warner:

ALEXANDRIA - Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, a Republican, today announced his endorsement of Senator Mark Warner for re-election. Mayor Sessoms joins former U.S. Senator John Warner, former Suffolk Sen. Fred Quayle, former Virginia Beach Del. Bob Tata, and many other Virginia Republican elected officials and business leaders in endorsing Mark Warner's re-election. John Warner, Fred Quayle and Bob Tata have never endorsed a Democrat before.

In his endorsement, Mayor Sessoms cited Mark Warner's bipartisan approach to finding commonsense solutions for Virginians and focus on implementing policies that help Virginia Beach. 

"Mark Warner knows the Virginia Way. And when he takes that to Washington, D.C. he will put it to good use and get people to work together for the betterment of this great country," said Mayor Sessoms. "In addition, he knows the needs of the military. He sees their sacrifice daily and he will stand up for them and fight for them and make sure they get what they need to be successful. That's why I'm supporting Mark Warner for re-election to the United States Senate."

"Will Sessoms is one of Virginia's great leaders and I am proud to have earned his support for my re-election," said Senator Warner. "I will continue to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, to repeal sequestration, to support our military men and women and veterans, and to find creative solutions to strengthen the economy of Hampton Roads and Virginia."

Expect rants over at Bearing Drift and other far rights outlets!!

Numerous Republicans Endorse McAuliffe inVirginia Governor Race

While I remain concerned about turnout for the 2013 Virgina elections this coming November - minorities, gays and women need to be made to understand that their votes in November, 2013 are as important, if not more important, than the votes they cast in November, 2012, - the GOP news is that saner Republicans appear to be jumping ship and endorsing Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia.  One can only hope that as Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli's extremism is exposed and his conflicts of interest and ethically challenged behavior becomes more widely known, the exodus from the GOP will continue.  Here are highlights from the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star on the latest GOP endorsements of McAuliffe:

Republican former state Sen. John Chichester says he’d love to back a gubernatorial candidate with “mainstream Republican thinking.”  That, he said, is why he’s supporting Democrat Terry McAuliffe over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in this year’s governor’s race.

Chichester and several other Republicans formally endorsed McAuliffe at a morning press conference in Richmond today.

They join other Republicans who are outspoken about their belief that Cuccinelli is too far to the right, and feel they’re becoming the GOP’s moderates as the party becomes more conservative.

“I’m looking forward to the time our party nominates someone I can support that is in mainstream Republican thinking,” Chichester said.

He was joined at the press conference by Republican former delegates Vince Callahan and Katherine Waddell, and by Judy Ford Wason, who backed Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell in 2009. Former Sen. Russ Potts and former Del. Jim Dillard are also part of the “Virginians for McAuliffe” group.

Chichester said he and McAuliffe had a “heart to heart” talk, and that McAuliffe “gets it.”

“It,” for Chichester, the former Senate Finance chairman, is an understanding that a governor has only four years to govern but those four years include two budget cycles with “horizons that go much beyond those four years.”