It's Thanksgiving and for the tenth consecutive year due to scheduling and mostly administrative hassles, I will be away from home (US home).
A few months ago, when I thought about this year's Thanksgiving, I dreamed that I would be home. I would lie in bed and watching the Macy's Parade on NBC instead of on poor feeds the webcams setup along the parade route. (NBC live programming is not available via the internet outside the US.) I thought that I would be facing a dinner that I would require me to take breaks between periods of gorging, a long weekend of leftovers, glasses of Alka-Seltzer accompanied by bowls of apple cake à la mode, corny old movies, and shopping. I also dreamed that Barack Obama would be President-elect and I could relax in the cozy comfort of knowing that things for America would soon get better.
I won't be trying to make a Thanksgiving dinner here and inviting my close friends as I have before (none of which are American). They never can quite make it on the Thursday so I carry the dinner over to Friday. The specialness of Thanksgiving losses its charm when you have to explain that it is nothing more than a harvest festival--common in most cultures; why the Pilgrims kill the Native Americans after they had thought them how to survive; and if it is not a religious holiday to whom are you giving thanks?
The announcement by Freenet that the northern German telecom company Talkline in Elmshorn will be closed-down has been a shock for the region. After about 20 years this may, but should not, be the end of this successful and profitable enterprise! It is encouraging that both the town and the politics are working on a solution for the highly skilled employees. Let us hope that there will be a future for these people!
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Dunia SENDWEEmail : dunia@sendwe.beBlog : cdfafrique.afrikblog.comFaceBook : Dunia SENDWE
Well, it's been ten days since Barack Hussein Obama was elected President of the US of A.
Barack Obama is MY President-elect.
As I walk past the press kiosks I see enlarged magazine covers with My New President-elect smiling. I sillily smile back like a baby.
I have recieved acknowledgements from everyone I know --from the veteran of a war for independance, to the doctoral candidate, to the supermarket cashier. None of them American but all of them hopeful that change in America will also mean change in the world.
Already the transition team has stated that there will be criminal trials for Guantanamo POWs/criminals/ detainees. Other priorities include unblocking research on stem cells, stopping the drilling for oil in some environmentally sensitive areas, and allowing the state of California to tighten vehicle emission regulations.
....And it's only been ten days.
This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com. Comments and photos not included here.
Dateline: ParisNo, make that Dateline: Obama Soiree. The fetes for Barack Obama spilled out of American restaurants and onto cobblestone rues, the town hall of the 3rd Arrondissement (where they were showing American movies all night), and the enormous Palais de Congres! O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma! And this was early in the evening before we knew for sure that Democrat Obama won the presidency, though the vibe had steadily been coming and growing. The Obama vibe had been laying a solid foundation in the months leading up to our man's big electoral bang.
Crossposted at the HuffingtonPost.com. To see the original with the video, please go to HuffPost. (Sorry, I couldn't seem to embed the video here.)
Dateline: ParisNovember 4, 2008In partnership with the French Committee of Support for Barack Obama, French and European citizens came together with Americans and other nationalities last night on the Esplanade of Trocadéro to release a red, white, and blue barrage of balloons in support of the election of Barack Obama.The Eiffel Tower sparkled in the background as a special show for Obama. The French capital is abuzz with this American election.
Beth Arnold lives and writes in Paris, where she voted an absentee ballot. To see more of her work, go to www.betharnold.com.
....reports CNN, of the enormous numbers showing up for early voting. Many states report that their turn out last week had already exceeded voter turn out for 2004.
Voters in all early voting states are reporting excessively long waits, with 4, 5, even 6 hours or more not uncommon.
Not all states keep track of party affiliation, but of those that do, 58% of early voters are Democrats and 42% are Republicans.
AND
CNN's international news edition reports the world is dumbstruck that the most powerful nation on earth is incapable of conducting an election which permits citizens to easily vote.
Using the Federal Emergency Ballot (FWAB)
Still Waiting for Your Ballot?
In 1976, Democrats Abroad member David Froelich waited. His ballot finally turned up after Election Day. Frustrated over being disenfranchised by mail delays, he secured his congressman's support so that when the same thing happened again in 1980, his write-in ballot was validated in court. But Dave did not stop there. He worked with several congressmen on bipartisan legislation ensuring that the right to a write-in ballot would be extended to all registered U.S. voters living abroad, without a court battle.
Dave's hard work finally paid off in 1986, when Ronald Reagan signed legislation making the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) available to all overseas voters who have properly applied for their ballots.
This write-in ballot, or FWAB, is your ticket to voting despite delays over which you have no control.
Wondering where your ballot is? Think about how good or bad the mails are where you live. If you have any doubt about whether your state-issued ballot would reach your local voting official back in the U.S. if you wait another day, wait no longer. Thank Dave Froelich (former chair of DA-Israel and activist extraordinaire) and use the FWAB!
Using the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot
The FWAB is a back-up ballot that you can vote TODAY. If you subsequently receive your state ballot, vote that, too. The FWAB is only counted if your state ballot is not received by your state by the ballot return deadline. Click here for deadlines.
1. Get the FWAB: Go to www.VoteFromAbroad.org. Simply answer the six screens of questions and download and print the nine page document. You will receive (1) Instructions (where you will find the address to send the FWAB), (2) Electronic Transmission Sheet and Federal Postcard Application (which you do NOT need); (3) The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, which includes a Voter's Declaration/Affirmation, the Ballot and Instructions.
2. Sign and Date the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation: When you usewww.VoteFromAbroad.org, the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation will be filled in based upon your voting state's requirements and the information you provided. You just need to review the information, sign and date it. Check the following list to see if you need a witness or additional documentation.
· Alabama: 2 witnesses OR Notary (must be over the age of 18)
· Alaska: 1 witness (dated and signed)
· Arizona: Proof of Citizenship (copy of passport or birth certificate)
· Louisiana: 2 witnesses (sign on voter's declaration form)
· Minnesota: Self Certification by putting passport number or last 4 digits of SSN on ballot return envelope
· North Carolina: 2 witnesses (must be over 18 sign and include address)
· South Carolina: 1 witness (sign on the voter's declaration form)
· Virginia: 1 witness (sign on the voter's declaration form)
· Wisconsin: 1 witness (both voter and witness must sign security envelope; witness must be a U.S. Citizen, over 18)
3. Vote the FWAB: You can either write in the candidate's name or the word Democrat. (It is unlikely that you will need the second page of the ballot). To find out who the Democratic candidates are for House and Senate, please click here. To find your Congressional District, click here, enter your voting zip code, and then click on "current election."
4. Seal the Ballot Envelope: Put your voted FWAB ONLY in a plain white envelope and seal it. Write on the outside of the envelope "Security Envelope."
5. In the Mailing Envelope: Put the sealed "Security Envelope" and the Signed and Dated Voter's Declaration/Affirmation in a mailing envelope.
6. Enter Return Address: Write your name and current mailing address in the upper left hand corner of the mailing envelope.
7. Address the Envelope: Write the address of your Local Election Office on the mailing envelope. The address of your Local Election Office is provided on your customized information sheet.
8. Double Check: Double check that you have completed everything.
9. Ensure evidence of mailing from outside the US:
· Foreign Postmark: Affix the appropriate postage. All states will accept a foreign postmark as evidence of submission from outside the U.S.
· Consular Stamp: All states have been informed by the U.S. State Department that they should accept a consular stamp as evidence of submission from outside the U.S. Using the consular service results in your mailing envelope being placed in the US postal system. Affix a $0.42 U.S. Postage Stamp.
· Commercial Courier: Some states will also accept a commercial courier service waybill as evidence of submission from outside the U.S. Using a courier service should be a last resort.Alabama explicitly refuses to accept materials sent to them by commercial couriers, such as Federal Express and DHL. If using a courier, please staple a copy of the air waybill to the ballot envelope prior to sealing the courier envelope.
10. Seal the addressed envelope - and Mail your FWAB Today!
More questions? Contact our experts at votercentral@democratsabroad.org.
What are you waiting for? Do the FWAB today!
Mailing Ballots and FWABs
Foreign Postmark: All states will accept a foreign postmark as evidence of submission from outside the U.S.
Consular Stamp: All states have been informed by the U.S. State Department that they should accept a consular stamp as evidence of submission from outside the U.S. Find your nearest US consulate or embassy.
Commercial Courier: Some states will also accept a commercial courier service waybill as evidence of submission from outside the U.S. Using a courier service should be a last resort. Alabama explicitly refuses to accept materials sent to them by commercial couriers, such as Federal Express and DHL. Consider Federal Express' reduced fee courier service for ballots at Express Your Vote.
Don't forget the postage!! Note that even if the envelope says "postage paid," this is NOT the case when you are mailing outside of the US. Make sure you add sufficient postage! Take your ballot to the post office. They can give you proof of posting for free, weigh the ballot to assure correct postage, and stamp it with a post mark, which is required in some states. Always get proof of posting!
Ashley Todd is a 23-year-old college Republican field representative who claims that she was attacked by an Obama supporter after he saw her McC/SP bumper sticker. Ironic that this would happen right in highly-contested region of Western Pennsylvania. The alleged attacker was a 6'4", 200 lb black man. He was wearing a tank top, at night, in Pittsburgh, in October.
During the attack, Miss Todd's cheek was marked with the letter "B" evident in the photos. In order to appreciate the perfect penmanship of the attacker's "B" delicately pressed onto her cheek, one must hold a mirror up to the photo. The "B" is supposed to be for "Barack" and not a word referring to Miss Todd, which also begins with a "B". She is also sporting a black eye in the eyeshadow shade of 'Black Tie' from the CoverGirl Queen Collection.
Questions: Aren't we using all using last name initials? Shouldn't the "B" be an "O"? Also, the last time I had a black eye, it took about 36hrs to appear and it was never truly black but purple. Miss Todd's black eye is just as black as her attacker.
OMG!!! Look at this. (http://lifeinthefield.com/users/ashley-todd) The lying little BLANK blogs the minutes leading up to her attack (If it is missing I have the screenshots, just ask). She says that she is looking for a Bank of America in order to avoid ATM fees but it was a Citizens Bank ATM where she claims to police that the incident occurred. -- What about those ATM fees?
This is so "Birth of a Nation". The only thing missing from her lie is the sexual aspect. She seems to have forgotten to add that her phony attacker forced his big black thing into her wee white one. Perhaps she left out that part because she watches CSI. She knows that, had she agreed to medical treatment, forensics would have been sorting through all the DNA found until long after Election Day.
McC/SP both have personally called Miss Todd and her family to offer their support. This is tantamount to an endorsement. Why didn't the campaign wait a few hours to find out if her story were true, before having the candidates their offer condolences. Now McC and SP have backed someone who seemingly has filed a false police report and made terrible racially divisive accusations.
I have mentioned before that there is an obvious brain drain on the Republican side. I am really amazed that the intelligence of a candidate's supporters can be so generally low that it effects the candidate's campaign. I will ask again. Who in the hell is running the Republican campaign? Who does the checks? Who vets the VP candidates? Who advises them not to use free e-mail accounts? Who checks out the plumbers before loading them up with false scenarios and putting them in the Democratic crowds? Who organizes the fake attacks on their supporters? Who decides that the candidates should make personal calls of support to victims of fishy stories?
The Republican campaign needs serious help. Humanitarian help. The DNC (because Democrats are kind people with bleeding hearts) needs to send some of their people to help out the RNC--on November 5th.
From my interview with Bernard-Henri Lévy for Salon.com:
I think that if Obama is elected, it will be a revolution in the United States.In a way, you can understand it like this. I am in favor of that myself. I hope, if I could pray I would pray, for Obama being elected.Why do Europeans love Obama?I don’t know. I can’t tell you why. I don’t love him, by the way. I wish him to be elected. It’s not a question of love or hate ... This is not the best way to make politics.
Get the FWAB: Go to www.VoteFromAbroad.org. Simply answer the six screens of questions and download and print the nine page document. You will receive (1) Instructions (where you will find the address to send the FWAB), (2) Electronic Transmission Sheet and Federal Postcard Application which you do NOT need; (3) The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot which includes a Voter's Declaration/Affirmation, the Ballot and Instructions. Sign and Date the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation: When you use VoteFromAbroad.org, the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation will be filled in based upon your voting state's requirements and the information you provided. You just need to review the information, sign and date it. Check the following list to see if you need a witness or additional documentation.
Vote the FWAB: You can either write in the candidate's name or the word Democrat. (It is unlikely that you will need the second page of the ballot).
To find out who the Democratic candidates are for House and Senate, please click here. To find your Congressional District, click here, enter your voting zip code and then click on "current election." Seal the Ballot Envelope: Put your voted FWAB ONLY in a plain white envelope and seal it. Write on the outside of the envelope "Security Envelope." In the Mailing Envelope: Put the sealed "Security Envelope" and the Signed and Dated Voter's Declaration/Affirmation in a mailing envelope.
Enter Return Address: Write your name and current mailing address in the upper left hand corner of the mailing envelope. Address the Envelope: Write the address of your Local Election Office on the mailing envelope. The address of your Local Election Office is provided on your customized information sheet. Double Check: Double check that you have completed everything. Ensure evidence of mailing from outside the US:
Seal the addressed envelope – and Mail your FWAB Today! For Questions: help@votefromabroad.org
WOW!!
Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama!
That's just absolutely wonderful!
It is so nice that General Powell had the luxury to sit back and watch months of Democratic and Republican Party infighting during the primaries...and not make an endorsement. That he could know who the prospective Democratic and Republican Presidential nominees selected as their running-mates...and not make an endorsement. To see delegates at the different conventions nominate their Presidential candidates and hear those candidates' acceptance speeches...and not make an endorsement. To see the public's enthusiasm and fervor for a candidate like none other before...and not make an endorsement. To lean back all comfy and watch all of the Presidential and vice-Presidential debates...and not make an endorsement. To be able to follow the daily/weekly polls showing a certain candidate maintaining the top position over a period of months...and not make an endorsement, until 2 weeks before the election.
Perhaps one shouldn't be so hard on Colin Powell. Perhaps this is an attempt at atonement for choosing to go before the world, at the UN, where he was trusted and respected to present bogus intelligence information as a motive for a war, rather than resigning. A war which has so far killed 4,629 Americans (http://www.antiwar.com/casualties) and 1,273,378 Iraqis (http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html). Perhaps he now wants to do something on the side of humanity by supporting Senator Obama who was opposed to the war from the start.
Let me clearly state that I in no way am representing the opinions of the Obama/Biden campaign. Senator Obama is one who is truly blessed to be humble and appreciative in all circumstances. He is quoted as saying that he is “ ...beyond honored and deeply humbled to have the support of General Colin Powell” Unfortunately, I am not as blessed as the Senator. I say, go home General Powell. Go home and piddle around with your classic Volvos. Your eleventh hour endorsement is not needed. I doubt if anyone is impressed that you, a Republican, have 'turned' against your party and endorsed a Democrat. Many dedicated Republicans put aside partisan politics long-ago and chose to support Senator Obama. We, the supporters of Senator Obama, are comprised of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and 'Others'. That union beyond party lines is one of the greatest strengths of this campaign.
Most Obama supporters are not former Secretaries of State nor are we all retired four-star generals. However, we have shown true bravery during this Presidential campaign. We made our endorsements with only hope on our side, not probability. We have risked out jobs our property, and in some our cases safety to openly show our support for Senator Obama. Supporters overcame fear and shyness to knock on the doors of strangers and cold call thousands of potential voters.
We are real people facing real issues who needed to choose the candidate that we believe can improve our lives and improve our country. We had to get behind that candidate, Senator Obama, when it made a difference. Few of us have public name recognition or access to the media nevertheless, we endorsed Senator Obama to our friends, family, neighbors, and even to total strangers. We took time from our jobs and families, scrimped to donate money that we really didn't have, and gave it to the campaign in the knowledge that through our efforts we might be able to change America for the better. We supported Senator Obama when a successful candidacy seemed like an impossible dream. We did it because it was right not because it was convenient.
So General Powell, remember that the only way Senator Obama could get to the point where it is now in your best interest to bestow him with your endorsement is because millions before you have already given him theirs.
Republican 2008 election season tactics have sought to cash in on the notion that Senator Barack Obama might somehow not be American, Christian, or patriotic enough.
From Fox News to Sarah Palin rallies, these themes have hauled the snide and nasty spirit of McCarthyism into the 21st century. Let’s send it back to the days of poodle skirts, where it belongs.
It’s worth confronting the Orwellian abuse of language behind the snearing, and finger-pointing, to examine a fundamental issue at the very heart of American democracy: the right to vote.
How patriotic is it to undermine American democracy?
Chest-thumping Republican patriots in battleground states have announced that they plan to impede American democracy and seek to disenfranchise voters at the polls—by contending that anyone who has lost a home to mortgage foreclosure has forfeited their residency status.
They are betting of course, that those folks who have lost their homes to mortgage foreclosure aren't Republicans. For anyone who really wants to talk about "anti-American" behavior, let’s suggest this might be a mighty fine place to start.
In tonight’s final debate, John McCain should be challenged on this point, and asked whether he is prepared to publicly call back his party thugs from attacking Americans who seek to exercise their right to vote.
Unfortunately: that won’t happen.
So please: it is imperative that we all summon the best of American neighborhood spirit to combat these tactics aimed at subverting democracy.
Use this website’s Speak Out tool, and write to your local newspaper:
Insist that the struggling folks who have lost their homes should not lose their right to vote as well.
----------------
Here is an excerpt from a New York Times editorial on the subject, with the link to the full article below:
The foreclosure crisis could do considerable damage to the nation’s voting system. More than a million people have lost their homes in the past two years. And because voter registration is based on people’s residences, they could face politically motivated challenges at the polls.
The problem may be especially acute in the presidential battleground states. In Ohio, more than 5 percent of home mortgages are seriously delinquent or in the foreclosure process, and there were more than 67,000 foreclosure actions in the first half of 2008. Michigan and Florida have also been hard hit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/opinion/05sun2.html
Essential reading appeared in yesterday’s New York Times about Andy Martin, one of the key figures behind the smear campaign against Senator Obama.
Among other things, Martin is a radical and virulent anti-Semite. A motion he filed in a 1983 bankruptcy case called the judge “a crooked, slimy Jew who has a history of lying and thieving common to members of his race.” In another motion, filed in 1983, Mr. Martin wrote, “I am able to understand how the Holocaust took place, and with every passing day feel less and less sorry that it did.”
Brace yourself, because here comes the clincher, and the ugliness of it strains credulity, even for Fox TV:
Last week, in "an appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government."
What is our responsibility as people who honor and respect Barack Obama, and are outraged (but unfortunately, not surprised) by what qualifies as “news” on Fox TV? Let’s take the following steps in response:
1) If anyone you know watches Fox, send them the link below—or better yet, print out a copy of the article and put it into their hands.
2) Use this site’s “Speak Out” tool to protest and reject Andy Martin’s smear campaign—and to challenge the unethical behavior of Fox TV in allowing this radical slander to be perpetuated in the name of “news.”
Andy Martin's rantings do not constitute journalism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/us/politics/13martin.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Today, Khalid Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, published a moving, powerfully eloquent commentary in The Washington Post in response to the racism that has tainted the McCain/Palin campaign.
His article, “McCain and Palin Are Playing With Fire” (10/12/08, B05) constitutes essential reading for Democrats and Republicans alike. An excerpt is attached below, with the link to the complete article. Please pass it on to friends, family, and acquaintances:
"I prefer to discuss politics through my novels, but I am truly dismayed these days. Twice last week alone, speakers at McCain-Palin rallies have referred to Sen. Barack Obama, with unveiled scorn, as Barack Hussein Obama. [....] The real affront is the lack of firm response from either McCain or Palin. Neither has had the moral courage, when taking the stage, to grasp the microphone, turn to the presenter and, right then and there, denounce the use of Obama's middle name as an insult. Instead, they have simply delivered their stump speeches, lacing into Obama as if nothing out-of-bounds had just happened. The McCain-Palin ticket has given toxic speeches accusing Obama of being a friend of terrorists, then released short, meek repudiations of some of the rough stuff, including McCain's call Friday to "be respectful." Back in February, the Arizona senator apologized for the "disparaging remarks" from a talk-radio host who sneered repeatedly about "Barack Hussein Obama" before a McCain rally. "We will have a respectful debate," McCain insisted afterward. But pretending to douse flames that you are busy fanning does not qualify as straight talk.
What I find most unconscionable is the refusal of the McCain-Palin tandem to publicly condemn the cries of "traitor," "liar," "terrorist" and (worst of all) "kill him!" that could be heard at recent rallies. McCain is perfectly capable of telling hecklers off. But not once did he or his running mate bother to admonish the people yelling these obscene -- and potentially dangerous -- words.
They may not have been able to hear the slurs at the rallies, but surely they have had ample time since to get on camera and warn that this sort of ugliness has no place in an election season. But they have not. Simply calling Obama "a decent person" is not enough.
Is inaction tantamount to consent?"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101002456.html?referrer=facebook
Longtime Michigan Gov. William Milliken (b. 1922), a Republican, held office for fourteen years while I was growing up in the state. He loomed large as a political figure who earned appreciation and support on both side of the partisan aisle. My parents, who were ardent, lifelong Democrats, always voiced their respect for Milliken—and it was a mighty rare occasion for them to speak well of a Republican leader, especially in the era of Nixon and Watergate.
I had not heard Milliken speak out in years, until this morning, when a Michigan friend sent me the article below. The former governor has clearly maintained his ability to think beyond political boundaries. Although he originally endorsed John McCain, he backed away from his endorsement this month after McCain's campaign began attacking Barack Obama.
Milliken told The Grand Rapids Press: "He is not the John McCain I endorsed."
It's interesting to note Milliken's closing sentence in the article: "Increasingly, the party is moving toward rigidity, and I don't like that. I think Gerald Ford would hold generally the same view I'm holding on the direction of the Republican Party."
More prominent Republicans elsewhere are voicing the feeling that their party has been hijacked—above all, when McCain/Palin rallies spout venom and hatred, calling Senator Obama a terrorist because his name is not "Smith”—and McCain himself fails to come forward to unequivocally challenge and reject these events.
A further example of this disconcertion within McCain’s own party occurred when Republican Sen. Paul Laxalt’s daughter, Fox political commentator Michelle Laxalt, spoke out with great passion on Larry King Live about her disgust with the McCain smear campaign.
On her left in this interview, incidentally, is fellow Republican, Kathleen Parker, who wrote the National Review article, calling on Palin to step down as VP nominee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQRBZGVagcQ&eurl=http://www.thoughttheater.com/2008/10/
As a Democrat, I reach out today to such Republicans, and thank them for their integrity, in rejecting the political thuggery of smears and innuendo heavy with jingoism and racism.
I encourage both Democrats and Republicans among my friends and relatives to join me in what must be a cross-partisan effort to honor the political process of this election, without inciting hatred.
As financial markets and institutions collapse around the world, our armed forces continue to die in Iraq, and unemployment and mortgage foreclosures rise—this country needs to mobilize across all boundaries of race, religion, and partisanship for our recovery.
Please reach beyond your comfort zone today, and initiate this handshake to someone who does not match your own demographic or partisan profile. As Milliken says, we "ought to be talking about the issues." He has earned my handshake.
=======================
Former governor Milliken backs away from McCain
by Pat Shellenbarger | The Grand Rapids Press
Friday October 10, 2008, 6:57 AM
GRAND RAPIDS -- He endorsed John McCain in the presidential primary, but now former Republican Gov. William Milliken is expressing doubts about his party's nominee.
"He is not the McCain I endorsed," said Milliken, reached at his Traverse City home Thursday. "He keeps saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me.
"I'm disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues."
Milliken, a lifelong Republican, is among some past leaders from the party's moderate wing voicing reservations and, in some cases, opposition to McCain's candidacy.
During a stop in Grand Rapids on Thursday, Lincoln Chafee, a former Republican U.S. senator from Rhode Island, said he's voting for Obama and urging others to do likewise.
McCain campaigned for Chafee's unsuccessful re-election bid in 2006, but Chafee said he is concerned McCain has swung to the right, a divisive strategy that could make it difficult for him to govern.
"That's not my kind of Republicanism," said Chafee, who now calls himself an independent. "I saw what Bush and Cheney did. They came in with a (budget) surplus and a stable world, and look what's happened now. In eight short years they've taken one peaceful and prosperous world, and they've torn it into tatters."
As for McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his running mate, "there's no question she's totally unqualified," Chafee said.
He had similar reservations about Obama's lack of experience, but said the Democrat's handling of the campaign convinced him he's ready to lead.
Chafee said he has spoken with several other moderate Republican leaders, and "there are a whole lot of us deserting."
One of them is Phil Arthurhultz, a former Republican state senator from Whitehall, who was traveling the state with Chafee to drum up support for Obama.
Bob Eleveld is a former Kent County Republican chairman who led McCain's West Michigan campaign in 2000. This year, he has remained mum unless asked.
"I'm not supporting either of them at this point," he said. "Suffice it to say there are a number of people who have been strong Republicans in the past, including party chairs, who feel as I do." He declined to name them.
In the past, McCain was more of a moderate known for his straight talk, Eleveld said.
"I think the straight talk is gone," he said, describing himself as a member of the party's moderate wing. "I think he's pandering to the Christian right. That's some straight talk from me."
Whether they represent a widespread movement or a few disenchanted members in the Republican Party is unclear.
"I don't think for one minute John McCain has violated the trust we put in him," said Marge Byington Potter, a former chairwoman of the Kent County Commission, who calls herself a moderate Republican. "I think McCain understands people are in a situation that people are hurting terribly."
Milliken stopped short of saying he will vote for Obama, but said he differs with McCain on the Iraq war and his choice of Palin.
"I know John McCain is 72. In my book, that's quite young," said Milliken, 86, Michigan's longest-serving governor. But he added, "What if she were to become president of the United States? The idea, to me, is quite disturbing, if not appalling.
"Increasingly, the party is moving toward rigidity, and I don't like that. I think Gerald Ford would hold generally the same view I'm holding on the direction of the Republican Party."
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
Voltaire, Author and Philosopher1694-1778
Ever since Barack Obama became the Democratic candidate, John McCain has been desperate. He must have been shaking in his shoes while Obama rocked our political world with his tidal wave of 21st -Century leadership, which was not directed at tearing us down individually and collectively as has been the case in the sad and terrible Bush years. I can see why McCain might be darkly afraid of losing his last chance at the presidency, because Obama's call to leadership truly echoed our deepest fundamental values which had seemed irretrievably lost during McCain's party's governance. John McCain and his fellow Republicans proudly led us to the valley of the shadow of death and told us this is where we now lived so put on your armor, while Obama lifted us up and told us he could see the way back to an America that worked for us, individually and collectively, and that by coming together we could make it there.
