Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Disenchanted Bush Voters Consider Crossing Over (Independent joins GOP in just two weeks time!)
NY Times ^ | 2.22.04

Posted on 02/21/2004 5:07:32 PM PST by ambrose

Disenchanted Bush Voters Consider Crossing Over By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: February 22, 2004

BEACHWOOD, Ohio - In the 2000 presidential election, Bill Flanagan a semiretired newspaper worker, happily voted for George W. Bush. But now, shaking his head, he vows, "Never again."

"The combination of lies and boys coming home in body bags is just too awful," Mr. Flanagan said, drinking coffee and reading newspapers at the local mall. "I could vote for Kerry. I could vote for any Democrat unless he's a real dummy."

Mr. Flanagan is hardly alone, even though polls show that the overwhelming majority of Republicans who supported Mr. Bush in 2000 will do so again in November. In dozens of random interviews around the country, independents and Republicans who said they voted for Mr. Bush in 2000 say they intend to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate this year. Some polls are beginning to bolster the idea of those kind of stirrings among Republicans and independents.

That could change, of course, once the Bush campaign begins pumping millions of dollars into advertising and making the case for his re-election.

But even as Democratic and Republican strategists and pollsters warned that a shift could be transitory, they also said it could prove to be extraordinarily consequential in a year when each side is focused on turning out its most loyal voters.

"The strong Republicans are with him," a senior aide to Senator John Kerry said of Mr. Bush. "But there are independent-minded Republicans among whom he is having serious problems."

"With the nation so polarized," he added, "the defections of a few can make a big difference."

In the interviews, many of those potential "crossover" voters said they supported the invasion of Iraq but had come to see the continuing involvement there as too costly and without clear objectives.

Many also said they believed that the Bush administration had not been honest about its reasons for invading Iraq and were concerned about the failure to find unconventional weapons. Some of these people described themselves as fiscal conservatives who were alarmed by deficit spending, combined with job losses at home. Many are shocked to find themselves switching sides.

While sharing a sandwich at the stylish Beachwood Mall in this Cleveland suburb, one older couple ? a judge and a teacher ? reluctantly divulged their secret: though they are stalwarts in the local Republican Party, they are planning to vote Democratic this year.

"I feel like a complete traitor, and if you'd asked me four months ago, the answer would have been different," said the judge, after assurances of anonymity. "But we are really disgusted. It's the lies, the war, the economy. We have very good friends who are staunch Republicans, who don't even want to hear the name George Bush anymore."

In 2000, Mr. Bush won here in Ohio with 50 percent of the popular vote, as against 46.5 percent for Al Gore.

George Meagher, a Republican who founded and now runs the American Military Museum in Charleston, S.C., said he threw his "heart and soul" into the Bush campaign four years ago. He organized veterans to attend campaign events, including the campaign's kickoff speech at the Citadel. He even has photographs of himself and his wife with Mr. Bush.

"Given the outcome and how dissatisfied I am with the administration, it's hard to think about now," he said. "People like me, we're all choking a bit at not supporting the president. But when I think about 500 people killed and what we've done to Iraq. And what we've done to our country. I mean, we're already $2 trillion in debt again."

A nationwide CBS News poll released Feb. 16 found that 11 percent of people who voted for Mr. Bush in 2000 now say they will vote for the Democratic candidate this fall. But there was some falloff among those who voted against him as well. Five percent of people who said they voted for Mr. Gore in 2000 say this time they will back Mr. Bush.

On individual issues, the poll found some discontent among Republicans but substantial discontent among independents. For instance, on handling the nation's economy, 19 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents said they disapproved of the job Mr. Bush was doing.

"As the president's job rating has fallen, his Democratic supporters have pulled away first, then the independents and now we're starting to see a bit of erosion among the Republicans, who used to support him pretty unanimously," said Evans Witt, the chief executive of Princeton Survey Research Associates. "If 10 to 15 percent of Republicans do not support him anymore, that is not trivial for Bush's re-election."

But Matthew Dowd, the Bush campaign's chief strategist, suggested that no one in the White House was worried about Mr. Bush's losing much of his base. He said polls continued to show that the president was enjoying the support of 90 percent of Republicans.

Many of those interviewed said that they had experienced a growing disenchantment with the conflict in Iraq over many months, but that only recently had they decided to change their votes.

A number said they had been deeply disturbed by recent statements of David A. Kay, the former United Nations weapons inspector, who said he was skeptical about administration claims that Iraq possessed unconventional weapons.

"The lack of evidence on Iraq has really hurt him, and the economy here is bad ? there's a lot of unemployment in the mills," said Phyllis Pierce, who is in the steel business in Cleveland and recently decided not to vote for Mr. Bush again.

John Scarnado, a sales manager from Austin, Tex., who voted for Mr. Bush in 2000, said he would vote for Mr. Kerry if the senator won the Democratic nomination.

"I'm upset about Iraq and the vice president and his affiliation with Halliburton," said Mr. Scarnado, a registered Republican who said that he had not always voted along party lines. "I think the Bush administration is coming out to look like old boy politics, and I don't have a good feel about that."

Many of those wavering in their loyalty to Mr. Bush were middle-class voters who said that his tax relief programs had disproportionately helped the wealthy.

"I voted for him, but it seems like he's just taking care of his rich buddies now," said Mike Cross, a farmer from Londonderry, N.H., adding, "I'm not a great fan of John Kerry, but I've had enough of President Bush."


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: billflanagan; bogus; deceit; fabrications; flanagan; georgemeagher; georgemeahger; gregpacker; gwb2004; kerry; kerrycampaign; meager; meagher; mediabias; myths; nyt; nytimes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 241-257 next last
To: longtermmemmory
Check out:

http://www.nytco.com/company-othersites.html

The largest newspaper owned by the NYT Company is the Boston Globe, but they own a total of 16 nationwide.
81 posted on 02/21/2004 6:12:10 PM PST by jackbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: Triple Word Score
we only 'bash Bush' because we want him to stand up and be conservative and more actively so. There isn't anyone else to vote for but there should and must be pressure to move him to the right.
82 posted on 02/21/2004 6:12:29 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.ArmorforCongress.com......................Send a Freeper to Congress!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: section9
Yeah, but there's a younger, more innocent crowd now in place to vote. A lot of them agree with what they read in Newsday and other monopolistic press organizations in most cities. Yes, it's all on line, but they are not paying attention, because they're working and have children to tend to, not read blogs!

Even the blowhard O'Reilley is against Bush now, if they are. We have no public voice except for Rush, who's severely damaged, and Hannity, who never had much influence anyway. The Conservative word is not getting out there enough to the sheeple. I'm concerned that we may lose this election, and I think we'd better get our story straight and soon.

83 posted on 02/21/2004 6:13:48 PM PST by Dec31,1999 (PR is everything.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
I wonder how many of them are our fine "conservative" FReepers, who would rather vote for Kerry, than Bush, while running around telling everyone that Bush isn't conservative enough for them, but apparently Kerry is.
84 posted on 02/21/2004 6:14:39 PM PST by FairOpinion (If you are not voting for Bush, you are voting for the terrorists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
I have seen no conservative FReepers supporting Kerry
85 posted on 02/21/2004 6:15:55 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.ArmorforCongress.com......................Send a Freeper to Congress!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
Your observation made it on Instapundit.

Look here: http://www.instapundit.com/archives/014280.php

: )

BCrago66
86 posted on 02/21/2004 6:16:13 PM PST by BCrago66
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Neets
BTTT, nice link, looks like those folks believe conservative principles not.
87 posted on 02/21/2004 6:16:44 PM PST by neverdem (Xin loi min oi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
Is that a joke????? It must be!!!!

They aren't Republicans!!!!

"We think that spending cuts in vital services like AIDS spending is putting our nation at risk".

As a rural community, we have been hit hard by massive cuts in farm supports" said Billy Joel, another member of the Council who serves as Communications Director. "This indidious hate-filled crackdown on innocent muslims in our country should be considered an international crime".

Farmer Mike Moore agrees that it is hightime that the President faces reality: "Giving me a tax cut doesn't put money into my pocket".

"The time has come for the American people to make a choice between fighting the terrorists or living in peace with them".

"Just because Bush is a miserable failure doesn't mean we should abandon our party"

It must be a joke. These are socialists!
88 posted on 02/21/2004 6:17:54 PM PST by Triple Word Score
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
"I have seen no conservative FReepers supporting Kerry"

==

I didn't say that conservative FReepers support Kerry, I said FReepers who CLAIM to be conservatives are supporting Kerry.

Some of them said so in their posts -- the "anonymous ones" only voted for Kerry in the FR poll. So far 181.

If it's Kerry vs Bush how will you vote?

Bush
3,701 votes - 78%

Kerry
181 votes - 3%

89 posted on 02/21/2004 6:18:00 PM PST by FairOpinion (If you are not voting for Bush, you are voting for the terrorists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
Bwahaha.
90 posted on 02/21/2004 6:18:24 PM PST by ambrose ("John Kerry has blood of American soldiers on his hands" - Lt. Col. Oliver North)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Triple Word Score
Of course its a joke.

I'm just trying to think like the NY Times.

91 posted on 02/21/2004 6:18:48 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.ArmorforCongress.com......................Send a Freeper to Congress!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 88 | View Replies]

To: ambrose; Jim Robinson
Congratualtions on the find at your post #1.

This sort of documentation is just what this site has been about. Hey Jim! See #1

92 posted on 02/21/2004 6:19:06 PM PST by KC Burke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
All right, but if you'll kindly hand back that leg, I would like to put it back on now.
93 posted on 02/21/2004 6:19:49 PM PST by Triple Word Score
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
hhhmmmmmm...

Gotta be some leftist lurkers and others... how many lurkers are liberals who are keeping an eye on us?? DU types??

94 posted on 02/21/2004 6:19:59 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.ArmorforCongress.com......................Send a Freeper to Congress!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
Thanks for pointing this out. I knew cbs's dan blather was using the same trick, interviewing the same old b*tch against Bush (claim she was a Bush supporter but no longer) in different news clips on different days..

sorta reminds me the looting of Baghdad last April - remember the guy carrying the large vase out of the building - over and over and over again in different segments - lol
95 posted on 02/21/2004 6:20:36 PM PST by FRgal4u
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Triple Word Score
wait... do you mean there actually are liberals in Wyoming??
96 posted on 02/21/2004 6:20:56 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.ArmorforCongress.com......................Send a Freeper to Congress!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies]

To: ambrose

George Meagher (left), the director of the American Military Museum in the basement of the IMAX theater, receives military medals and prints donated Friday by John Ragsdale of Florida. (WADE SPEES/STAFF)

97 posted on 02/21/2004 6:21:13 PM PST by tgslTakoma (Why call it ANSWER? It's Workers World Party! BUGGING OUT OF DC on March 20, 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
All I know about Wyoming I learned from MY FRIEND FLICKA.
98 posted on 02/21/2004 6:21:43 PM PST by Triple Word Score
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies]

To: BCrago66
Maybe Rush will pick up on this.

These clowns at the NY Times have no shame whatsoever.
99 posted on 02/21/2004 6:21:46 PM PST by ambrose ("John Kerry has blood of American soldiers on his hands" - Lt. Col. Oliver North)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
hmmmm indeed..

I watched that poll on an almost hourly basis...by about the 3rd day, after folks had seen the poll and started really talking about it..it was running ~81% in favor of the President....then all of a sudden...in a 24 hr period...the Kerry/CP numbers shot way up.
100 posted on 02/21/2004 6:22:43 PM PST by Neets (Complainers change their complaints, but they never reduce the amount of time spent in complaining.~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 241-257 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson