Kasich speaking strictly the DNC convention is rather extraordinary isn't it?

[AkFemDem]

Has this happened in the past- a speaker from the other party crossing lines to endorse the candidate at the actual convention?

[meow2u3]

1. Zell Miller endorsed Bush II in 2004

He also spoke at the Republican National Convention then.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. "Zig Zag Zell"

[meow2u3]

9. Exactly! nt

[dem4decades]

2. I was thinking the Bush family should make an appearance too.

Did Lieberman speak at the GOP convention?

[JHB]

3. Joe Lieberman spoke at the 2008 GOP convention...

...giving his full support to the McCain-Palin ticket.

[Botany]

5. Kasich is very slimy

He sold the State of Ohio 300 or 400 million $s of "junk paper" from Lehman Brothers
and sold all the profits from state liquor sales for about 5 million (borrowed against the
back end of the deal) to his Wall Street buddies and that was worth > $25 million.

In person he is very nice.

[True Blue American]

16. Not to mention

Robbing public schools to fund his charter schools. Leaving behins a string of scandals.

How much scandal does it take to wake the Ohio Republicans?

[CrispyQ]

6. It's a bad move, IMO.

When Kasich announces his run for president in 2024 his first ad will be of his speech at our convention, touting what a great bipartisan guy he is & how he can bring the country together. What a slap in the face to all the young, dems who would love an opportunity to speak & get some national exposure. An anti-choice republican deserves no place at our convention. Let him make a commercial for Biden. Let him host a town hall. But don't give him a coveted spot at our convention.

[lark]

12. I totally agree and think it's a total bone headed move to give credence to a repug opponent.

Stupid to elevate the person who will be running against Joe or more likely Joe's VP in 2024, IMO. Dems need to get better at long term messaging.

[Hotler]

14. I don't like it either. Repugs that have a change my color moment

should be kept at a distance. I don't trust them.

[Midnight Writer]

20. I agree. Why give this POS a platform and make him out to be a unity figure?

[Squinch]

7. I think it's genius.

[obamanut2012]

8. He is a RW creep -- I wish it had been Laura Bush and her daughters

[DFW]

10. Frequently, actually

Both parties like to display token opposition members to show how unpopular the other candidate is in their own ranks.

Jim Brady, who was shot in the attempted Reagan assassination, spoke at the Democratic Convention because Republicans refuse to do anything about gun Control. Georgia Senator Zell Miller spoke as keynote (!!) speaker at the 2004 Republican convention. When I was at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, an Indiana Republican who had never voted for a Democrat in his life was chosen to speak just because of his name. He said he wanted a president who cared more about Barney Smith than Smith Barney. His name, of course, was Barney Smith.

The difference here is while Miller was a Senator, he always voted right wing, and really had shaky credentials as a Democrat. Kasich, on the other hand, has VERY strong Republican credentials, and no one is under any illusion that he will switch parties. He is a solid Republican, whose appearance at the DNC to exhort people to vote for Biden is directed strictly at his fellow Republicans, not as a token who *wink, wink* really is "one of us." He's not, and won't pretend to be. THAT is why his appearance at the DNC is a huge departure from the usual crossover speaker.

[OnDoutside]

19. True, and he is signing his GOP death warrant by speaking at the Dem Convention. He's taking as much

of a gamble (if not bigger) as Democrats allowing him speak. I think some here fear that the Republican disease will spread to Democrats on contact, but as you say, he has no interest in being a Democrat, but in this moment he has the joint aim to get rid of Trump. If that results in turning some Ohio voters off voting Republican, it's a good thing.

[Wounded Bear]

11. If it will swing any votes in Ohio, I can live with it...

[True Blue American]

15. So am I!

Maybe Kasich will go full tilt. Do the right thing! Become a Democrat!

[Wounded Bear]

17. Ok, that got a chuckle...

We both know that ain't happening.

[Bluethroughu]

13. I think it is a terrible idea, he is divisive

And he's another anti-union conman giving away working class taxes to his buddies and corporations.

All this does is make the fight against, "they're all the same", that much harder. Every person I have a conversation with, will say see, they even had him speak at your convention.

False equivalency will prevail.

[Demsrule86]

18. Yes

zell Miller