Zell Miller Endorses Bush

The Weekly Standard ^ | 10/29/2003 | Fred Barnes

[HarleyD]

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.

[lainde]

great interview last night!

[Pippin]

Zell Miller:

The only Democrat I'd consider voting for if he were to run for President (but not agianst GWB)

[dansangel]

Saw this on Brit Hume's show last night. My response was pretty much the same as yours - "Whoa!" - LOL!

[FreedomPoster]

Isn't there a Part II of the interview on H&C tonight? Did I get that right?

[evad]

AIDS, abortion, euthanasia - don't liberals just kill ya?
Yeah, OK,...Not sure where you're coming from,

In my case I took the tag line to be things "caused" by libs and libs definitely cause war.

[Warrior Nurse]

You have to respect a man that has the intelectual honesty to go against his party and support his President. Zell Miller is a real MAN that stands for what he believes even though it will make him a marked man with the Dem. He is not like those feckless quislings that are trying to run for President. Have you ever seen such a misguided bunch of hedonistic liars and syncophants? Thank you Bill and Hitlery for giving us this bunch of idiots. My hat is off to Sen Miller. I hope to see you guys at CPAC in January.

[Conservative til I die]

Why didn't he do this 2 years ago and spared the Senate being Dassholedized.

Because there was no Presidential election in 2001.

[dansangel]

I'm not sure about a part II - I hate to admit it, but because we get up so early to go to work (around 4:30 am) we hardly ever make it to H&C.

The short clip they showed on Brit Hume's show just tickled me to death. Miller is defiant, yet so correct. Speculation from the panel was that he might be looking for a cabinet appointment. Who cares? I just hope he keeps telling it like it is.

[Gringo1]

You can go sit and drink haterade then.

[Gringo1]

I always like it when they try to reassure each other how they are the only smart people on the planet and everyone that disagrees with them must be some kind of inbred,brain-damaged hillbilly.

[NarniaSC]

I don't know were you got the strange notion that Sen.Ben Nelson is a DINO but you are incorrect.

Ben Nelson's ACU rating is 55-56, about the same as Zell's. In addition to supporting Bush on the war, he's pro-life. We would consider a Republican with a 45 rating to be a RINO, no?

[Celtic Conservative]

wow, people with Karl marx avatars at DU. Not even trying to hide it anymore, are they?.

Most of these people need several years of serious counseling, mostly in anger management. If we could harness the anger at DU and convert it into petroleum We could completely eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.

schaudenfreude bump

CC

[dpa5923]

These are incredible stats. Please post the source as I would love to shove this in the face of, err, umm, I mean show this to some of my co-workers.

[Coop]

I wish you hadn't posted those DU excerpts. I'm afraid now that I'll be abandoning my long-time friends here at FR in order cyberwalk with the intellectual heavyweights at DU. I bid you all a fond "Adieu!"

[petercooper]

not exactly the same stats, but here

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/259yvdec.asp

[Charlie OK]

You just ruined my day. I went over to visit the DUmp at your link, and someone over there had a OU Sooner avatar in their post. Makes me sick to associate my favorite thing with something so disgusting.

[cwb]

You can find these stats at:

http://prorev.com/legacy.htm

www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/8/11/190221

The 1st one I believe is the figures as of 1998, while the Newsmax article is from Aug. 12, 2000. You can also search for the article from Rich Galen in which he breaks-down the exodus since Clinton and Gore "were elected the poster boys of their party." A Google search under "439 Democrats" will also reveal more sources.

[Grampa Dave]

You posted: "Eventually, the Democrats will represent only the inner cities and border towns."

Sounds like California, Oregon and Washington with the exception of the border towns.

[jragan2001]

....and he never misses an opportunity to tell EVERYONE
that fact whenever there is a microphone nearby...

[jragan2001]

I like to see George Putnam have Sen. Miller on his LA
talk show (KPLS) since Mr. Putnam is also a Democrat in
a more conservative sense.