Is there any way to force Zell Miller out of the Democratic Party?

[MessiahRp]

Every time I see a vote there's always one Democrat that votes against us and votes with the Republicans... the same guy also is endorsing Bush for 2004! (read below)

Is there some way to start a letter writing campaign to get Miller to switch sides? It's not like he votes with us anyways and he is in no form a Democrat. I would just rather not have it appear that ANY Democrats support Bush in this next election when, 1) you know no Republicans will support the Democrat, 2) Miller's retiring in the near future, and 3) the guy isn't really one of us anyways!!!

What do you guys think we should do?

Rp


http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/309nqnas.asp


Zell Miller Endorses Bush
The Democratic senator from Georgia comes out swinging for the president.
by Fred Barnes
10/29/2003 3:25:00 PM


Fred Barnes, executive editor



SENATOR ZELL MILLER OF GEORGIA, the nation's most prominent conservative Democrat, said today he will endorse President Bush for re-election in 2004 and campaign for him if Bush wishes him to. Miller said Bush is "the right man at the right time" to govern the country.

The next five years "will determine the kind of world my children and grandchildren will live in," Miller said in an interview. And he wouldn't "trust" any of the nine Democratic presidential candidates with governing during "that crucial period," he said. "This Democrat will vote for President Bush in 2004."

Miller, who is retiring from the Senate next year, has often expressed his admiration for Bush. He was a co-sponsor of the president's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. The two got to know each other in the 1990s when both were governors.

The senator's endorsement is important for several reasons. With Miller on board, Bush will have a head start on forming a Democrats for Bush group in 2004. Such a group would woo crossover votes from conservative or otherwise disgruntled Democrats next year. In 2000, an effort by the Bush campaign to form a Democrats for Bush organization fizzled.

Since he came to the Senate in 2000, Miller has become increasingly critical of Senate Democrats and the national Democratic party. He recently published a new book, "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat," in which he criticizes the party for being too liberal, too elitist, and subservient to liberal interest groups. In the book, Miller singles out Democratic presidential frontrunner Howard Dean, whom he knew as governor of Vermont, for being shallow.

[DrFunkenstein]

1. Hell No

I don't think we have to be the party of unanimity. We should be trying to bring people in, not drive them out. We can't - and shouldn't - kick out everyone we disagree with. Even backstabbing pricks like Zell Miller.

[MessiahRp]

2. What's the point?

I don't think we'll ever all agree on everything but when Miller disagrees with EVERY SINGLE THING we do, then he is not one of us anyways and is using the name to tarnish what we stand for, and the crap he's pulling now with the Bushies is proof. We can include people, but when those people never vote with us they aren't one of us anyways...

Rp

[fujiyama]

3. We have NINE people..

to choose from. Out of that nine, he didn't find a single person to endorse? I have my disagreements with Lieberman, but what Zell did is an absolute disgrace. Especially if I were Lieberman, Edwards, or Kerry, I'd be absolutely irate, being Senate coleagues. And his insulting of Dean has made me sick. He has no RIGHT to be a democrat. It's one thing to be a democratic mayor and support a republican governor for that state, or be a democratic governor and support a republican sec. of state for that state, etc...but we're talking about national politics here.

[MessiahRp]

4. Or a "Democratic Ex-Mayor"?

"one thing to be a democratic mayor and support a republican governor for that state"

That reminds me Former NYC Mayor Koch (a Dem.) said he will vote for Bush as well. And being that NYC was victim to 9/11 and some New Yorkers may be emotionally skewed to the flag waving cowboy attitude Bush brought to give the victims some solace and raise his poll numbers, I'd let him fly...

Miller on the other hand... this has been a struggle for years with this guy and it's gotten out of hand.

Rp

[Classical_Liberal]

17. NYC will not vote for Bush

Koch was a Reagan voter too.

[Liberal Veteran]

8. I disagree....

There are some people that are a cancer on our party that we really don't need. When we have so-called democrats like him endorsing Bush over nine very fine candidates including some fairly conservative choices, I say fuck him. We don't need him.

[Geppy]

5. Zell Miller

I don't get the guy - is there ANY issue he goes along with the Democrats - judges? taxes? the war? Anything? He's as far as I can see as conservative as possible. What issue is he liberal? What's his deal? Did he start out liberal or something and change?

[Doomsayer13]

6. 1 issue

he voted for Campaign Finance reform. He even said he didn't think it went far enough. As I recall, that's the last issue he sided with the Democrats on.

[onebigbadwulf]

7. I dunno

but GA needs to run a real Democrat in his place. Immediately.

[Doomsayer13]

9. And he was pro-education

He funded a scholarship when Georgia governor that made him immensely popular in the state. He was always conservative on taxes, and repealed the sales tax in Georgia. He was a blue dog but a good friend of Jimmy Carter's, but who knew he'd make a hard right once elected to the Senate.

[MessiahRp]

10. Campaign Finance Reform

Yeah but even that was a centrist themed deal that McCain and Rogue Democrat Russ Feingold wrote up... and it has been said that it hurts Dems in the long run because most of what Bush gets are personal contributions of $2000 or more.

(The link below actually breaks down where the money is coming from for the 2003 campaign)

Whereas apparently Dems get most of their money from PACs or Corporations, strangely though they must be liberal ones. I would think stereotypically most of the Dems personal supporters are Middle Class or lower and financially can't give what the Bushies give so that might explain that more, and of course why we're always crushed in the money race.

So in closing, maybe Miller knew that and was voting to hurt the party...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/elections/email/campaign_email_automoneyrace.htm?referrer=email#

[newyawker99]

19. Hi Geppy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[dolstein]

11. No, but he could be kicked out of the caucus

I think the Democrats did something similar to Phil Gramm back in the early 80s. He ended up switching parties. I'm sure the Republicans would welcome him into their caucus with open arms.

[Doomsayer13]

12. we also did it to Jim Traficant

after that DINO voted for Hastert as speaker. We stripped him of his committeships and kicked him out of the caucus. Good thing he was replaced by a real Dem.

[jafap]

13. I think he should be committed, or forced to take a drug test

Insanity or drugs, that is the only way I could see someone saying:
"He recently published a new book, "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat," in which he criticizes the party for being too liberal, too elitist, and subservient to liberal interest groups."
The party is too liberal now? Is Daschle more liberal than former SD Senator McGovern? Was Clinton more liberal than Jackson, Dukakis, Humphrey, or Mondale? Is Dean more liberal than Jerry Brown? If Dean becomes the Democratic candidate it will not be because the party has become "too liberal" - it should be because a majority of registered Democrats support him.
Is he too blind to see that Bush is well to the right of his dad? Is he unaware of the lies told to support Bush's tax cuts? He needs to read Corn's book. How can he trust anyone less than the consummate liar Bush? Take your pick, Miller either has no integrity, no intelligence, or no awareness.

[w4rma]

14. He may be lying through his teeth to make buckets of money on his book

that he is promoting.

[Liberal Veteran]

15. I'll rush right out buy it....

...along with a copy of Treason, Slander, Let Freedom Ring, and whatever the hell that stupid O'Really book is called.

Then I'll gargle razor blades for fun.

[0rganism]

16. So negative! Let's just invite him to join the republicans

Seriously. Send him one of those nice embossed invitations with the ribbon, once a week. It would say something like
"Zell! You're invited to a party"
(overleaf) "the Republican party."

And maybe it would include a gold-leaf impression with the elephant-sodomizing-donkey symbol.

Very classy, very chic, very upbeat.

[kcordell]

18. He Is Leaving The Party

Instead of spending any energy trying to get Senator Miller to switch parties, maybe the Democrats should try to find someone to run for his seat next year.