Ex Minnesota Republican governor switches to Kerry

[techweenie]

Elmer L. Andersen: Why this Republican ex-governor will be voting for Kerry

Elmer L. Andersen
October 13, 2004 ANDERSEN1013

Throughout my tenure and beyond as the 30th governor of this state, I have been steadfastly aligned -- and until recently, proudly so -- with the Minnesota Republican Party.

It dismays me, therefore, to have to publicly disagree with the national Republican agenda and the national Republican candidate but, this year, I must.

The two "Say No to Bush" signs in my yard say it all.

The present Republican president has led us into an unjustified war -- based on misguided and blatantly false misrepresentations of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The terror seat was Afghanistan. Iraq had no connection to these acts of terror and was not a serious threat to the United States, as this president claimed, and there was no relation, it's now obvious, to any serious weaponry. Although Saddam Hussein is a frightful tyrant, he posed no threat to the United States when we entered the war. George W. Bush's arrogant actions to jump into Iraq when he had no plan how to get out have alienated the United States from our most trusted allies and weakened us immeasurably around the world.

Also, if there as well had been proper and careful coordination of services and intelligence on Sept. 11, 2001, that horrific disaster might also have been averted. But it was a separate event from this brutal mess of a war, and the disingenuous linking of the wholly unrelated situation in Iraq to 9/11 by this administration is not supported by the facts.

Sen. John Kerry was correct when he said that seemingly it is only Bush and Dick Cheney who still believe their own spin. Both men spew outright untruths with evangelistic fervor. For Bush -- a man who chose to have his father help him duck service in the military during the Vietnam War -- to disparage and cast doubt on the medals Kerry won bravely and legitimately in the conflict of battle is a travesty.

For Cheney to tell the hand-picked, like-minded Republican crowds in Des Moines last month that to vote for John Kerry could mean another attack like that of 9/11 is reprehensible. Moreover, such false statements encourage more terrorist attacks rather than prevent them.

A far smaller transgression, but one typical of his stop-at-nothing tactics, was Cheney's assertion in last Wednesday's vice-presidential debate that he'd never met Sen. John Edwards until that night. The next day -- and the media must stay ever-vigilant at fact-checking the lies of this ticket -- news reports, to the contrary, showed four video clips of Edwards and Cheney sitting next to each other during the past five years.

In both presidential debates, Kerry has shown himself to be of far superior intellect and character than Bush. He speaks honestly to the American people, his ethics are unimpeachable and, clearly, with 20 respected years in the Senate, he has far better credentials to lead the country than did Bush when he was elected four years ago. And a far greater depth of understanding of domestic and foreign affairs to do it now.

Not that the sitting president has ever really been at the helm.

I am more fearful for the state of this nation than I have ever been -- because this country is in the hands of an evil man: Dick Cheney. It is eminently clear that it is he who is running the country, not George W. Bush.


Bush's phony posturing as cocksure leader of the free world -- symbolized by his victory symbol on the aircraft carrier and "mission accomplished" statement -- leave me speechless. The mission had barely been started, let alone finished, and 18 months later it still rages on. His ongoing "no-regrets," no-mistakes stance and untruths on the war -- as well as on the floundering economy and Bush administration joblessness -- also disappoint and worry me.


Liberal Republicans of my era and mind-set used to have a humane and reasonable platform. We advocated the importance of higher education, health care for all, programs for children at risk, energy conservation and environmental protection. Today, Bush and Cheney give us clever public relations names for programs -- need I say "No Child Left Behind? -- but a lack of funding to support them. Early childhood education programs and overall health care are woefully underfunded. We have not only the largest number ever of medically uninsured in this nation, our infant mortality rates, once among the lowest in the world, have worsened to 27th.

As taxes for the wealthy are being cut, jobs are being outsourced if not lost and children are homeless and uninsured, this administration is running up the biggest deficit in U.S. history -- bound to be a terrible burden for future generations.

This imperialistic, stubborn adherence to wrongful policies and known untruths by the Cheney-Bush administration -- and that's the accurate order -- has simply become more than I can stand.

Although I am a longtime Republican, it is time to make a statement, and it is this: Vote for Kerry-Edwards, I implore you, on Nov. 2.

Elmer L. Andersen was Minnesota's governor from 1961 to 1963.

[dtw]

It's the '04 political draft!

You lefties take this guy, we'll take Zell Miller.

[304065]

No WONDER former Governor Elmer Andersen is HONKED about the Prez!

He's PROJECTING!

"The 1962 election was held November 6, 1962, but the results were not known until March 21st, 1963. With almost 1.3 million votes cast for governor, Karl Fritjof Rolvaag won by 91 votes after he was granted a recount. Rolvaag won by a margin of .0007, which was the closest gubernatorial election ever in Minnesota."

http://www.fact-index.com/e/el/elmer_lee_andersen.html

"Re-Count!"

[chibone_914]

Elmer Fudd for Kerry.............

[juanbenae]

has baryan arrived to this party yet?

[cool_chick]

New endorsement: former Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire

And more Republicans who have endorsed Kerry:
Elmer L. Andersen, former Republican Governor of Minnesota (1961-63) -- Oct. 13
Tim Ashby, director, Office of Mexico and the Caribbean, U.S. Commerce Department under Reagan and Bush I -- Oct. 14
Jack Bogle Founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund.
David Catania, Republican (now Independent) Councilman from Washington, D.C. -- Sept. 29
Steve Chapman, conservative syndicated columnist, Chicago Tribune -- Oct. 24
Mike Cobb, former Republican Mayor of Palo Alto, California -- Sept. 8
George Comstock, Mayor of Portola Valley, California -- Sept. 1
Marlow Cook, former Republican Senator from Kentucky (1968-74) -- Oct. 20
David Durenberger, former Senator from Minnesota (1978-95) -- Oct. 27 (endorsing Kerry health plan over Bush's)
John Eisenhower, son of former Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- Sept. 9
John A. Galbraith, former Republican Ohio General Assemblyman -- Sept. 28
Peter Gillette, former Republican Commissioner of Trade for Minnesota (1991-95) -- Oct. 20
Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler Chairman -- June 25
Anne Morton Kimberly, widow of Rogers C.B. Morton, former Republican Representative from Maryland -- Oct. 14
Steve May, former Republican state legislator from Arizona -- Sept. 10
Pete McCloskey, former Republican Representative from California -- Sept. 8
Ballard Morton, son of Thruston Morton, former Republican Senator from Kentucky -- Oct. 14
Clay Myers, Republican Secretary of State (1967-77) and State Treasurer (1977-84) for Oregon -- Sept. 1
Clyde Prestowitz, counselor to Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Commerce -- Oct. 6
Rick Russman, former Republican State Senator from New Hampshire -- Oct. 7
William Milliken, former Republican Governor of Michigan (1969-82) -- Oct. 18
Charley Reese, conservative columnist/journalist, Orlando Sentinel (1971-2001) -- May 17
Bill Rutherford, former Treasurer of Oregon and Chair of the Oregon Investment Council -- Sept. 1
Richard Schmalensee, former Council of Economic Advisers member for President George H. W. Bush -- Oct. 12
Jon Silver, former Republican Mayor of Portola Valley, California -- Sept. 24
Gail Slocum, former Republican Mayor of Menlo Park, California -- Sept. '04
Bob Smith, retired Republican Senator from New Hampshire -- Oct 28
Andrew Sullivan, conservative columnist, former editor of The New Republic -- Oct. 26 (on Jul. 25 he announced he wouldn't vote for Bush)
Russell E. Train, (interview) EPA chief under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford -- Jul. '04
Jude Wanniski, former associate editor of The Wall Street Journal, coined term "supply side economics" -- Oct. 27
Marshall Wittmann, former communications director to Arizona Republican Senator John McCain -- Oct. 7


No elmer fudds here.....

[Bleyseng]

The GOP can have and parade Zell around like he's Bobbit on stage.
Well written article and of course the neo cons spit out their little quips because they can't refute the truth!


Geoff

[cegerer]

Sounds like ex-Mich governor Willliam Milliken. Another 60's era governor. He's been supporting Democratic candidates for years now. He turned many years ago due to his strong belief in aborting babies. Then he turned into an environmental-whacko. With every election he comes out with the same tired mantra: "As a life-long Republican, I'm compelled to support the Democratic candidate blah, blah, blah." It's all getting a bit long in the tooth and he's become laughable in Mich..

[fintstone]

Amazing how many losers and has-beens are being paraded out as Kerry supporters. How sad...the Dems must truly be desperate.

[real550A]

Jesse Ventura endorses Kerry.

If that doesn't put final nail in his campaign coffin, nothing will!

[speeder]

Originally posted by real550A
Jesse Ventura endorses Kerry.

If that doesn't put final nail in his campaign coffin, nothing will!

Yeah, in MN. at least. But MN. looks to be going Bush anyways.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by fintstone
Amazing how many losers and has-beens are being paraded out as Kerry supporters. How sad...the Dems must truly be desperate.

Hardly. The 'Dems' aren't 'dragging them out.' They are trying to get some press for themselves.

But once the Bushies dug up Zell Miller, they set the bar below ground level. It wasn't until last week when the Mullahs of Iran endorsed Bush that the Republicans came up with something even lower.

[fintstone]

Big diff weenie...Zell Miller is a sitting, elected, democratic Senator who is still the most popular politician in his home state....your guys are has-been losers looking for a little publicity...at any cost. They would reinvent themselves or go dragqueen to make the news. Only Losers backed a loser like Gore in 2000 or Kerry now. Note how the Clintons (as close to winners as the Dems have) keep their distance as much as possible.

[cool_chick]

Clinton had heart surgery and then went on the campaign trail with Kerry. hmmmmm....what distance, huh?

Now all these people are losers? HAHA You're truly afraid, aren't you?

[fintstone]

Originally posted by cool_chick
Clinton had heart surgery and then went on the campaign trail with Kerry. hmmmmm....what distance, huh?
....

Both Clintons have done very little campaigning for Kerry...only the token amount necessary to stay in the public eye. I have seen Clinton work harder to get a Big Mac.

[bryanthompson]

The Clintons are working just hard enough to take credit for a Kerry win, but not hard enough to get blamed for his loss.

These repub/democrat governors who switch and vote for Kerry/Bush don't matter.