They're Republican red, and true blue to Obama--Los Angeles Times

[Demagitator]

February 24, 2008



GOP renegades seeking a candidate capable of ending the Washington partisanship are surfacing in the senator's campaign in surprising numbers. 'Obamicans,' he calls them.

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Chatter bounces off the bare walls and checkered linoleum floor as Josh Pedaline and other Barack Obama supporters burn through their call sheets.

A map of Delaware County splays across a tabletop. Another is laden with cookies, pretzels and other snacks. Volunteers seated elbow-to-elbow peck at cell phones and pitch the Democratic Illinois senator in advance of Ohio's March 4 primary.

The scene is a typical campaign boiler room, except that four of the 13 dialing away are lifelong Republicans, including Pedaline, who reveres former President Reagan and twice voted for President Bush.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gopobama25dec12,1,5278818.story

[Medusa]

1. The LA Times has certainly demonstrated their willingness

to whore for Hillary, eager to throw out garbage like this, the "Obama supporters are all Republican" shit.

[Demagitator]

4. The public opinion enginners only plan....

is who do they have a better chance of winning against; a black person or a woman. Obviously, the Repukes think they have a better chance of winning if the Dems run Obama.

I support Hillary.

[TexasObserver]

7. Incorrect. Republicans to a person want to run against Hillary.

Hillary is the only person in America who can excite and motivate the Republican party.

Obama is who they fear most, and for good reason. He'll lead a big victory against them.

[Cha]

23. Well, thanks for posting a positive

article on Obama even though you support hilary, Demoagitator.

[Pirate Smile]

5. Read the article. It was good. 13 phone-bankers - 4 of which are now Obamacans.

"Obama's two autobiographies sold Pedaline on the Democrat. After reading them last summer, he was convinced Obama possessed the desire and a singular capacity to unite Americans. "Maybe it's just a fairytale," Pedaline says said, "but maybe we can at least get back to a point where people can listen and respect each other."

He committed to the Obama campaign six nights a week through the March 4 primary and hopes to volunteer in the fall, when Ohio will be a top target of both major parties. His day job, which requires the occasional cold-call, helps in phone canvassing. Two hours into his boilerroom shift, Pedaline sounds as relentlessly cheery -- "Hi, this is Josh, from Sen. Obama's presidential campaign!" -- as he did starting out.

Seated nearby is Royal Morse, 56, a small-business owner and another lifelong Republican. He too hungers for more civility and productivity in Washington: "I've never been as passionate about any presidential candidate in my 35 years of voting. Never."

The two dial, chat, dial, chat, each in his own conversation until Morse gets some grief from one household. He glances at Pedaline. "Another one of those stuffy Republicans," he says.

The two smile, and keep dialing."

[Cha]

22. I know...I just want to

pinch that one's cheeks and say thank you!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. LA Times is owned by Murdoch, honey... that is the Fox News Murdoch.

[scheming daemons]

37. You mean the same Murdoch that supported and donated to HILLARY'S campaign?

lol...

[cali]

45. Link please.

I believe you're wrong that Hilly's dear pal Rupert owns the L.A. Times.

[Voice for Peace]

42. ? did you read the article? nt

[workinforalivin]

2. I thought Obama was trying to reach out to Republicans

and ALL Americans...So, this would be a good thing, right?

[lligrd]

3. Bbbut I Thought It Was Hillary That Coulld Reach Across

the aisle with all that experience. All of a sudden, getting Repugs on board is a bad thing?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

15. put down that pipe and step back

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Well since crossover voters and independents often decide an election,

I would say this is a good thing.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. AHAHAHAHA

[Redstone]

8. Fuck anyone who calls him- or herself an "Obamican." Hey, assholes: if you're gong to vote for

a Democratic candidate, well, you're not much if an "anykindof-ican" are you?

Thanks for the votes, now shut up and go away.

Redstone

[BeyondGeography]

10. And then we can win by one vote, declare victory and celebrate gridlock for four years

Asinine.

[KAZ]

24. I think you miss RS's point.

[BeyondGeography]

25. Musta been because it was so well made

[KAZ]

28. I agree, it required some "RS history" to get. I've been guilty

of that a hundred times. It sounds so good when I'm typing it. :)

[The Ghost]

11. wow

n/t

[Straight Shooter]

21. Someone in the Obama campaign tried to get the term "Omerican" going.

I don't know who thought it up, I don't know where it began, but there was a thread on DU about it. And they were proud of it.

Doesn't it make you tingle all over that you can distinguish yourself from the ordinary American by being an Omerican?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. But, they won't be in November....think about it folks

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. How do you know that?

I live in a red state and we have had a lot of republicans cross over and join our Democratic party. I also met quite a few at our caucus. They are angry and want change. And I welcome them. Sure there may be a few playing games but the majority of the ones I am meeting seem very sincere.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

18. The GOP thanks you very much

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Tell them I said they are welcome

:crazy:

[lligrd]

26. Wrong! Most Repugs Don't Want To Pay For !00 Year War

They will cross over in droves. And you really have your nerve using Einstein in your post although it is a really cute gif.

[Recursion]

30. Elsewhere, I really have to call you on that BS

This guy is volunteering at a frigging phone bank, but you think he won't bother to vote?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

32. are you privy to what exactly he is saying on that phone?

[Recursion]

34. I imagine the ROOMFUL OF PEOPLE near him are

and that if he were saying "please vote for Obama now but vote for McCain in November", maybe one of the other 30 people in the room would hear that.

[Hippo_Tron]

36. If they're volunteering for Obama I think they will vote for him in November

Human beings are far too lazy to volunteer for a candidate that they don't want to win.

[ErnestoG]

13. If Obama can CHANGE RETHUG MINDS..is that a bad thing?

I always thought that the power of persuasion to change minds was a good thing.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. you can't spin this, cicada.

[Straight Shooter]

19. Reveres rat bastard Reagan, voted twice for idiot bush, now supports Obama.

Yup. The man likes what he sees in Obama. It's exactly the same thing I see when I look at him, except I don't like it one bit.

[smalll]

27. If Obama wins, he's owes Dems NOTHING --

If Hillary wins, the Democrats have a nominee. If Obama wins, he has a nomination. Big difference. If the Barockstar wins, he owes the Repub cross-overs, he owes the "independents," he owes the kids who've never voted before, he owes Axelrod, he owes Oprah -- but he owes US nothing.

If we nominate Obama, we nominate a meteor, we nominate a phenomenon, we take a leap into the dark. I'm just flummoxed by the fact that this year, when we have the advantage, we're so willing to throw our choice away on a hopped-up crypto-caesarist imaginary hip black friend. :shrug:

[Colobo]

31. If we nominate Obama, we nominate a man that will change this country

for the better. A man that will take this country out of the hole it's in.

[blogslut]

29. This isn't a story about repubs trying to pervert our primary

This is a story about people who are sincerely fed up with the Republican party. They have been betrayed like the rest of the nation. I welcome the converts as should we all.

This isn't crossover voting, this is a phenomenon. GWB has succeeded in one thing, uniting the country against him and everything he stands for.

Look at the voter turnout. staggering amounts of Democratic voters vs. anemic showings for repubs.

It's gonna be a freaking Democratic landslide, come November.

[LisaL]

33. You only going to find out how "true" they are in GE.

[Cha]

35. Of course and the OP,

being a hilary supporter, thinks it's a derogatory story on Obama when it's just the opposite.

[Demagitator]

38. It was this story that made me a Hillary supporter....

because I never believe anything I read in the press...and the Republicans are starting to master the craft of double talk; which was started by the Nazis, and I generally, conclude that anything that has popular support among Republicans is a raw deal for liberals. I seen this same ad (excuse me I mean infomercial tabloid news) during the Nader campaign in 2000.

Republicans came out in droves -- voting for Nader -- in swing states (knowing it would lead to a Bush victory in 2000).

No on ever even checks to see if thy are paid Republican operatives anymore. Hell, in 2000 the Republican party actually funded the Nader campaign.

[Cha]

39. Good luck with all..

[reformedrepub]

40. I'm a former republican supporting Obama

I used to be a Republican. I believed in the Republican Party ideals. I didnt believe in nation building and getting involved in foreign entanglments. Then Bush invaded Iraq. I believed in smaller government, then the Bush Administration brought us the Patriot Act and warrantless wiretapping. I believed in the Constitution, then they brought us nonsense like the Defense of Marriage act, and tried to amend the constitution, for the first time, to actually try to deny civil rights to taxpaying americans. I believed in the states having the right to decide some things for themselves, then the Republican administration went after Californians, who used medical marijuana allowed by state law and arrested them. I believed in buying American, then the Republicans brought us NAFTA and GATT. There is alot for us former and some current Republicans to be angry about. I will vote for the Dem nominee in November.

[ravencalling]

44. grew up republican

when republican did not mean giving up our rights and catering to religious extremism. I grew up in what used to be considered conservative ideals. Don't get me wrong, I never completely agreed with these ideals as I was always liberal at heart, but the ideals were not whacko either and they really didn't create the gap we have now between red and blue, and it was something you could actually debate with something called intelligence.

My dad stopped voting a long time ago, when all this changed you know? He was enraged at how the Republican party was taken over by extremists who were not at all conservative. He would never dare be associated with what the Republican's seem to stand for now.

[Zorra]

41. Let's get real here: How fucking totally stupid do you have to be to vote for George W. Bu*h?

One thing that should be clear to any reasonable person is that republicans are deceitful, batshit crazy, and dangerous to all forms of life.

That article made this yellowdog Democrat want to take a long hot shower and get checked for parasites.

I hope, with every fiber of my being, that either Al Gore decides to run for President, or that Obama is totally bullshitting everybody about his naive, regressive bipartisan intentions, and is actually a common sense progressive.

The last thing I want, aside from another republican in the WH, is a Democratic President that further destroys the Democratic Party and America by capitulating to the desires of heartless, ignorant fascist thugs.

[KittyWampus]

48. get educated. Obama's campaign is training Democratic activists across the country.

He is furthering the movement to rebuild our party from the ground up.

[Recursion]

49. Wow

republicans are deceitful, batshit crazy, and dangerous to all forms of life.

Yeah, that attitude is going to win us elections

:eyes:

These are not some evil form of alien parasite. They're roughly half of the country. They're our families, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, and as a party we've mostly been treating them with contempt for 30 years and, although not entirely, at least partially earning our reputation as elitist coastal know-it-alls.

We've been tut-tutting since 1994 and saying "how can these poor rubes vote against their interests like they are"? Well, the chickens are coming home to roost, though the "interests" argument has been missing the point. They've been voting on perceived values because Republicans have been the candidates who have seemed to stand for them. Now Obama is actually doing it, and showing them that their values and ours aren't as far apart as Republican (and to a lesser extent, Democratic) politicians have made it seem.

Gut-check time: do we want their support or not?

[earth mom]

43. So freepers are supporting Obama! That's what's happened to DU! Freepers have invaded!

I'm been saying that Obama would sell his soul and do anything to get elected!

Obama's pro Reagan remarks were disgusting. But you know how much the rethuglicans & freepers loved it! That and the fundie shit Obama spews!

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[yellowcanine]

47. Freepers? Somehow I doubt these guys are freepers. Of course if you have any evidence that they

are we would love to see it.

[earth mom]

50. Make NO mistake, right wingers are supporting Obama here on DU. Check out this thread:

:puke: :puke: :puke:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4751787

[Lilith Velkor]

46. "True blue," my pasty white ass

It's all a scam.

If I'm wrong, it will be a very pleasant surprise.