As of right now, Republican Gordon Smith, Elizabeth Dole, Ted Stevens, Bob Schaffer and Susan Collins are all skipping the GOP convention. Has this ever happened? We’ve had recent defectors like Zell “duel challenger” Miller, but have we ever had numerous incumbents skip out on honoring their party in such a public fashion?
Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley
What’s their excuse for skipping the GOP convention? They have to campaign of course! Republican Gordon Smith’s spokesperson Lindsay Gilbride had this to say about Smith needing to spend the time in Oregon:
“Senator Smith 100 percent supports John McCain’s candidacy for president and will take the opportunity of a week when the Senate is not in session to focus on his own campaign,” she said.
Since Smith supports McCain 100%, will he start airing ads with John McCain rather than airing ads touting his “work” with Obama and Kerry? Just curious.
Gordon Smith did attend the 2000 and 2004 GOP conventions. A staunch Bush/Cheney supporter, here’s what Gordon Smith had to say back at the 2000 convention about their party:
“If you don’t have a backbone, if you don’t stand for anything, if you’re only a weather vane that turns with the last night’s poll, frankly that’s not what America needs,” Smith told the delegates, drawing whoops and applause. “We can’t be that. That’s what they are.”
If that’s not what America needs, why is Gordon Smith changing with the political wind and trying to fool his constituents to believing he is something different than what he truly is? Stand up Gordon! Stand up for the failed Iraq policy you continue to support! Stand up for the tax breaks to big oil you believe so strongly in!
We all know these Republican incumbents are trying to run from a political climate that’s very unfavorable to them but…..still. They’re willing to throw their own party under the bus to keep their seat of power and influence. The saddest reality of all is that no matter how far they run from the Republican brand, if they return to Congress, they’ll support the same harmful policies that have gotten our country into the mess we’re in. They’ll continue to fund the war in Iraq and they’ll continue to support tax breaks we can’t afford for the wealthy and big oil. They’ll continue to disregard the constitution and not honor the privacy rights of Americans. They’ll go right back to favoring policies that hurt working families and favor big corporations. That’s what they do best.
Senators like Gordon Smith and Elizabeth Dole are Republicans through and through. No matter how many ads Republican Gordon Smith airs cozying up to Obama, he’ll oppose a future President Obama’s platform. That’s the truth. So, even if it gives us some comfort and a laugh or two to see Republicans running scared from their own party, this is not a good thing. They’re just trying to fool their constituents into believing that they’re not who they really are.
Since these Republicans are trying to avoid having their picture taken with fellow Gop’ers, please use this thread to post pictures of Gordon Smith, Ted Stevens, Elizabeth Dole, Bob Schaffer, and Susan Collins with the likes of McCain, Bush and Cheney. I’ll start, here’s a picture of Republican Gordon Smith and Bush:
Here’s another great pic of Gordon Smith and Dick Cheney:
Now it’s your turn!
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of any of the candidates skipping the convention with rightwingers? If so, post them!
from not only the GOP Convention, but from every person they run into on the street, everywhere they go, at all times. A lot of them should be fugitives from the law, or in prison by now.
And they would be, if for the past year everytime a Democratic congressional or presidential candidate knocked on a door or made a phone call looking for support for the 2008 elections they had been told forcefully, clearly and unequivocally that they were guaranteed the votes the want and need in November 2008.
IF and only if they did certain things first, and not otherwise. Such as defund and end the Iraq occupation, repeal the MCA, shelve any thought of telecom immunity, use inherent contempt to enforce congressional subpoenas, uphold laws against torture and illegal invasions, impeach Bush and Cheney, lay war crimes charges and prosecute where indicated.
Maybe it’ll start to happen next year re the 2012 elections? Or will the majority of the democratic base whine and say “if they don’t fix things by 2012 then we’ll hold their feet to the fire again – after we give away all leverage and vote them in again“?