Republican voters interested in Kerry

[Stuckinthebush]

Full disclosure - I'm a Dean supporter.

I had a conversation today with my very Republican father in law from South Carolina. He started to give me hell about Dean, and I told him that I still liked him, etc.

I said, "I like Kerry too. Any one of our guys is better than Bush."

He surprised me by saying, "I really like Kerry also."

I was floored.

We talked further, and he said that what he really liked about Kerry was his strong military background and his history of standing up for veterans. He liked his ideas about insurance and said if Kerry won, he could support him. I asked if he thought that other Southerners would support him, and he said, "No. Not unless he has a balanced ticket with Edwards."

He said there was no way he could support any of the others - especially that Dean guy. I let him have it about that and told him that he was being played by the GOP and the media. But, the important thing is that he was interested in Kerry.

Good news for us seeing how Kerry is coming on strong.

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

1. Kerry/Edwards ticket is unbeatable

Kerry/Graham would also work.

Dean would be the obvious kiss of death.

[cavebat2000]

2. Dead wrong

I completely disagree with you biscuit

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. In line at the post office

I was watching CNN, and I said, "I've decided who I'm voting for." The woman in front said, "Yes, I'm voting for our President."
I said, "I'm voting Democrat. Bush's reckless tax cuts have threatened the security of our country. Too many foreign nations hold the money. We can't be sure we're going to have the funds we need if we have another terrorist attack."

She was taken aback. Then she said, very slowly, "I hear Kerry is a pretty good Senator. And he was a veteran."


I, too, am a Dean supporter. Just found this exchange interesting. Have any of the candidates brought up the fact that the huge deficit is a threat to our national security?

[CalProf]

4. I know several have

I don't have a link, but I know Kucinich, Dean, Kerry, and Clark have talked about it. They've all said we should be financing our own first responders here before we go building fire stations in Iraq.

[mitchum]

5. Second best thing I 've heard out of South Carolina today

(the first was my mother's voice)

Knock 'em out, John!

[PVnRT]

6. Kerry, Clark, and Dean

would all pull in some Republicans that are disaffected with Bush, based on what I've heard. More than a few have said that they would definitely vote for Clark, simply because he's a former general.

This is a good thing, folks.

[jpgray]

7. No kidding! All those you mentioned have some crossover appeal (nt)

[PVnRT]

8. And what's more

They have appeal to the further left that feels abandoned by the party anymore - Clark has Michael Moore's stamp, lots of Greens flocked to Dean's early anti-war stance, and Kerry has a very solid liberal voting record.

I think those three are our best chance, not knowing how the feeling is about Edwards amongst disaffected Republicans.

[salinen]

9. There surely must be a

lackey at Faux that reads this and reports to someone else and finally gets to Brit "pig fucker" Hume so he can eviscerate whomever we seem to be favoring. So start talking good about Lieberman!

[Lady President]

10. Did you dial the wrong number?

I think you must have accidentally called Ohio and talked to my dad. Seriously, I had the same conversation with my Republican father last weekend and his rationale was the same as your dad's.

I've talked to many Republicans who at will at lease admit that 'Kerry's not terrible.' I see any of these conversations as a sign that people are becoming willing to seriously look at the Dems.

[rockymountaindem]

11. I too know a guy

who was (and is) a conservative but who thinks Bush is asleep at the wheel. He's all but guaranteed me that he'll vote for the Democrat. The one reservation he has is that "the Democrats need a candidate who will move America forward, not just spend all their time un-doing Bush's policies. I know that's important, but I don't want to waste four more years". I think all our candidates would appeal to my friend in that case.

[Stuckinthebush]

12. What's funny about that

is that to move America forward, a considerable amount of time must be spent undoing Bush's damage.

[rockymountaindem]

13. No kidding!

[Kipepeo]

14. Kerry: Boo in the South

Stuckinthebush: My dad is a hard-core Republican in SC and he liked Kerry & Lieberman too (for the *primary*) because apparently what he is hearing from other Republicans and Bushco. is that these are "top notch" candidates and "worthy" to race against Bush and that they have a chance of beating Bush....

blah blah blah

I think it's all misdirection initiated by Republicans to make us think that they are actually *afraid* of Lieberman or Kerry....when in actuality they wouldn't know how to campaign against someone like Dean or Clark. I think they are scared to death that Dean or Clark will win.

People like my dad would never vote for Kerry or Lieberman in the end when they could just vote for Bush and get the original. Candidates like Dean, Clark & Edwards offer them an alternative and that is the only way to win....be it among conservatives who are pissed at bush, democrats, or people who have never/stopped voted or have always voted third party.

My 2 cents.