Former GOP Senator, Veteran Endorses Obama

Politico:

Former Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), who was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in the United States Senate, is the latest Republican to back Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Politico learned Sunday.

Pressler, who said that in addition to casting an absentee ballot for Obama he'd donated $500 to the Illinois senator's campaign, cited the Democrat's response to the financial crisis as the primary reason for his decision.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[bonchesva]

Yee-hah! Another "true maverick" endorsing Obama, standing up to his republican party and endorsing the candidate who is right for America!

[jsgaetano]

I would be very, VERY hesitant about embracing these rats fleeing the burning ship.

Bravery would have been endorsing Obama months ago, when he didn't appear to be a clear winner. All these Repubs coming out in droves the past few weeks are simply political opportunists going where the winds of public opinion and changing fortunes blow.

The proper reply is, "thanks for the endorsement... but we are still getting you kicked out of office".

[AllenD]

Thank you Larry Pressler. Best of luck to you and the other thinking Republicans in your efforts to regain control of your party from the current unholy alliance of neocons, supply siders, and religious extremists.

[kait52]

Hippy, you are so right!!!! Kudos to the Senator and to every American who checks in with their heart this election day. Barack inspires each of us to live in dignity and calm assurance. Such a gift to our ailing planet. We are all Americans, not Parties, and the best of us is what unites us and in turn, inspires the world.

[TheHippy]

While we're patting ourselves on the back for another Republican endorsement, let's not lose sight of the courage of Senator Pressler and all the others. These are people who are truly putting country first. I completely get the Senator's disappointment at "having" to vote for a Democrat which makes it all the more important that we acknowledge him and the others as true patriots. They are, with no small amount of angst, setting aside life long party and personal affiliations to do what they see as the right thing.

So while we wonder at the inability of the far right to see through their ideaology or be swayed by the facts, let's rejoice in the people at the top of the opposition party who are setting aside life long relationships to vote for the person they think best qualified to lead.

Well done Senator.

[zurcl]

hear hear.

[FanofPaine]

I totally agree.

[JayeSF]

A few weeks ago journalist Seymour Hersh predicted that Obama would likely name some republican politicians to his cabinet....

at he time, I thought that was just a groundless hypothesis...

but with the list of such backers growing on a daily basis....who knows ?

[Mikelawyr2]

Pressler's the one ABSCAM senator who essentially said to the FBI stingers: "Are you trying to bribe me? Get the hell out of here and if you ever contact me again I'll call the Feds!"

[MissKaren]

I have said this over and over again. Obama's cool, deliberate style trumps race because it shows a person who will consult with experts and make decisions based on pragmatism, not ideology. My guess is that the liberal will be replaced by the centrist. Above all else, Obama is intelligent and people sense that this intelligence is what's needed after eight years aboard a ship of fools.

[LeftLeanWing]

It's like having Mr. Spock and Tuvok at the helm after 8 years of Scotty and Bones followed by McCain as a Ferengi and Palin a psychotic Tribble.

[Smirk]

"[P]sychotic Tribble"--Thanks for the laugh.

[mervr1]

This is so funny. McCain always touts the Maverick image with the saying "I've gone up against my party on a number of issues and many didn't like it".

Well it looks like many Republicans are showing who the real mavericks are, going against McCain and his nonsense proving what they don't like. McCain and Palin

[ClevelandTom]

I have to believe that there has never been such a large number of GOP pols who have broken ranks to endorse the Democratic candidate as have endorsed Obama. I think Palin is simply too much for them to swallow.

[GranE]

I applaud the Senator's decision if in fact he has done what he said. He is totally correct when he says that the party has to be cleaned out. The radical right has ruined it by taking control and using the party to attain personal goals and one-issue ideas. Party leaders, if there are any left, will have to rebuild; restate; and re-boot the whole organization. This will take some time and muscle, so they are likely to be in the wilderness for some years, maybe forever if Obama does a good job. Our world is not the same as it was even 1 year ago. Re-tooling the minds of fear and hate is a hard task to accomplish. The party broke it and they will have to fix it, if it can be fixed.

[TheHippy]

Maybe we're finally getting that third party, only not on the left. The Republican party is going to be left with the radical right while the moderate Republicans are moving to the Democratic party. Does that make room for a Progressive party on the left?

In either case, none of this will matter if the Democrats don't seize the moment and create solutions that work for the entire country rather than the top 1%. If they fall into the same glutenous, corrupt and avaricious ways the Republican employed we'll be worse off then we are now.

Remember, the election is just the first step towards returning this country to a healthy state. We are going to need to be as vigilant and purposeful after the election as we have been before. Obama can chart the course, and I believe he will, but the congress will still have to do the right things over and over against a gale of opposition by the right side of the political aisle.

[seenitall]

Sarah Palin touts their maverick status every chance she gets. Now, when republicans are deciding to break with their party and vote for Obama, they are disappointed in the "new" mavericks. I guess once you leave the big republican tent that has room for everyone, it's goodbye and good riddance!!!

[jaslyn]

If you allow everyone else to be mavericky, it waters down your own maverickeness!

[seenitall]

you betcha..

[Sassys]

Faux news called Obama a "Marxist" yesterday...Now even the conservatives are running from the McCain camp in droves because they smell a sinking ship and they do not want any part of it. The mud slinging is reaching fever pitch and it is not the Democrats that are slinging....McCain stands to lose far more than the White House here...he stands to lose his respect and his dignity and every time he throws crap at Obama he chips away at what little respect and dignity he has left. He will lose this election as will many other Republicans due to their utter disdain for the public they are supposed to serve. Tuesday the fourth can't come quickly enough for me.

[CastleBravo1]

I rolled my eyes in the primaries when Giuliani called universal health care "socialised medicine" - 50 years later all they have are McCarthyite-Bircher buzz words? Pitiful.

[Barackaroo]

Bucker Tounds is blabberin at David Shuster. I hear his voice . "The reason we're competitive in this race .............?????" Bucker says .. Delusional

But, David chuckled a 'Yeah, right' chuckle in response.

Maybe a better name would be Chucklehead Bounds or Knucklehead Bounds.

[grizhead63]

David can barely keep from bursting out laughing and even Tucker is having a hard time not laughing at his lines at the end. Poor old Bagdad Bob.

[youngat80]

Ridiculing T Boone Pickens and his ideas for a greener world should have no part in a decision to back Obama for president. The republicans are not going to disappear on November 5.

Boone says he is investing several billion dollars to build a wind farm. He expects it will be successful and he expects to make money on his investment. Sounds to me like that's the kind of help and support President Obama will need.

[ClevelandTom]

Are you saying the Obama has ridiculed Pickens' plan? Reference?

[SailFree]

Pickens is looking to create less dependence upon foreign oil. This is quite independent from "a greener world." Certainly conserving resources is a good idea, but an indepedent one from "greener." The global warming hoax is collapsing as more data becomes available and as the computer modelers are revealed as suckups looking for grant money and claiming prescience for models which have been remarkably inaccurate.

[NationalTreasure]

Calm down folks there is work to be done.

Do not trust the polls.

Do not forget that more than 60% of the county election officials are republicans.

We have to get out the vote.

The Obama/Biden 2008 campaign needs folks to volunteer for them or to volunteer for their down ballot candidates.

Get out and vote if you live in an early voting state and then go volunteer thate are seven days for the republicans to give McCain a win.