Texas Republicans cross over to vote for Obama

[journalist3072]

Texas Republicans cross over to vote for Obama
True support combines with stop-Clinton sentiment in next week’s primary

By Alex Johnson
Reporter
MSNBC
updated 7:01 p.m. ET, Thurs., Feb. 28, 2008
One of Sen. Barack Obama’s surest applause lines comes about halfway into his standard stump speech. It goes like this:

“They whisper to me. They say, ‘Barack, I’m a Republican, but I support you.’ And I say, ‘Thank you. Why are we whispering?’”

-snip-

Stop-Clinton movement takes root
“Obamacans,” as the campaign likes to call its Republican supporters, offer a variety of reasons for turning out for Obama, not the least of them a lack of interest in the Republican primary now that Sen. John McCain of Arizona has all but wrapped up his party’s nomination. Others say they genuinely think Obama is the best candidate for change.

But a significant proportion say they are temporarily backing Obama for strategic reasons. They plan to vote Republican in November, but for now, their goal is to try to make sure Clinton cannot win.

Although he said he sincerely supported Obama, Rau acknowledged that “Hillary kind of represents the antithesis of a lot of Republican values.”

Baselice, the Texas pollster, said some Republicans were calculating: “What do we need to do to draw the contrast between the Republican nominee and whoever the Democratic nominee will be post-Labor Day?”

Which makes it impossible, he said, to know how much Republican support Obama actually enjoys.

“That’s the $64,000 question,” he said.


Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23394070/


So in other words....a bunch of GOPers are going to try to influence the Democratic race, all in the hopes of keeping Hillary Rodham Clinton out of the White House.

Their support of Obama is not about Obama...it's about Sen. Clinton.

I believe this is why the Democratic party needs to hold CLOSED primaries. I don't believe the Democratic Party should allow anyone except Democrats to vote in the primaries....otherwise, you end up with this.

And we all get screwed.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Double T]

2. Crooked primaries AND crooked elections.

Welcome to American neocon democracy supported by BOTH major parties. The LW and the RW sure make STRANGE bedfellows.

[MadBadger]

3. Good, I hope they do. Lets end this already.

[jgraz]

4. So, by your logic, we should be voting for the candidate that everyone wants to vote AGAINST?

That makes sense. :crazy:

[FrenchieCat]

10. They don't care about "sense"......

they just want you to feel like you should vote for the candidate that you don't prefer in fear that if you vote for the candidate you don't prefer, you win! LOL!

[kid a]

5. she's baaaaaack :(

with feida5 soon to follow

[Window]

19. LOL!

:rofl:

[scheming daemons]

6. Yes... we should all vote for the candidate that gets ZERO crossover votes......

...that will work well in the GE.

:eyes:

Even if only half of the Republicans that are voting for him now plan to vote for him in November, that's still more than Hillary will get.


...and the bottom line is not even the crossovers.... it is the INDEPENDENTS. Obama blows Hillary away among Indies, and Indies are likely NOT crossing over for "strategic purposes".


Hillary is a GE nightmare. 48% of the populace will NEVER vote for her under any circumstance... which means she would need to get just about EVERYONE of the other 52% to vote for her. You can't win with negatives that high... nobody has, and she certainly wouldn't.

[SoxFan]

7. Ah, jeez

[journalist3072]

8. Don't deal well with the truth now, do you? Get help. eom

[jgraz]

12. Many of us are dealing with your version of the "truth"

Funny how you only respond to the obligatory snark post.

[loveangelc]

13. And so what if he does get the republican vote?

a lot of people don't like hillary and may vote against her but that's not obama's problem, I haven't seen him canvassing actively for it...

[democrattotheend]

9. I've seen other stories about Republicans being encouraged to vote for Clinton

Because they consider her a weaker opponent in the general. So it cuts both ways. I agree with closing off the primary to registered Republicans, but not to independents.

[bluestateguy]

11. This is fine with me

I'm for closed primaries too, but the law is the law, until it's changed.

If these Republicans like Obama, then let them vote for him. If they are so blinded by Hillary-hatred that they want to vote her out now, then that is fine. Better for them to do that, rather than to vote FOR Hillary in the primary to make it easier for McCain. Fact is that Hillary is the weaker opponent to Jack McCain. She unites them into fits of batshit, foam-at-the mouth mobilization. He does not have the same effect on his opponents.

[journalist3072]

15. I love the Obama apologists. You all are nothing if creative. eom

[loveangelc]

16. THANKS GIRL!

[jgraz]

18. Yes, they really need to apologize for those 11 straight wins

It was just ... rude!

[Renew Deal]

14. Better now than in November.

Hillary would be a catastrophe down ballot in November.

[barb162]

17. I know Republicans who live in heavy Dem. districts who pick up Dem

ballots for primaries. They all voted Obama to make it look like they're Democrats. When the GE comes, they'll vote straight GOP. They all say it will be easier to beat Obama than Clinton in November. A fair number of people do this; I know Democrats who pick up GOP ballots and vote for the weakest GOP candidate so they can then get a weak GOPer against a strong Democrat in a GE. I've done it myself.

It works both ways against and for both parties. If you close primaries, what to do with independents?

[cali]

20. And what about states like mine where there is no party

registration?