Senator says his party out of touch

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 9/5/03 | Melanie Eversly

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Zell Miller soon may have a detailed comeback for fellow Democrats who have questioned why he frequently votes with Senate Republicans.

The Georgian has written a book titled "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat" for publication this fall.

According to Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, which is handling publicity for Miller about the book, the senator outlines in it his perception that the Democratic Party is no longer tapped into the concerns and hopes of Americans.

[alloysteel]

Zell Miller has set himself up for the most drastic action the Democrats are capable of mounting against one of their own - shunning. Sen. Miller had better make sure that no possibility exists that a criminal indictment against him could be brought on even the flimsiest of grounds. Look what happened to Jim Traficant. And Traficant wasn't trying to espouse an even vaguely conservative line. He just DISAGREED with some of the power Democrats in the House.

It is a tight union, and discipline is firm. Insurrections will not be tolerated. Josef Stalin would envy the control exerted by today's Democrats.

[RushLake]

It is a tight union, and discipline is firm. Insurrections will not be tolerated. Josef Stalin would envy the control exerted by today's Democrats.

I agree with you as far as it goes. Another huge problem is the atrophied balls that may or may not be attached to the Republicans in the senate. They have their problems with the N.E. liberal twit alleged Republicans like Snowe and Chaffee, but they are still in positions of power, and they have really let us down over and over again. Everyone of them should have be out grabbing face time on the judicial nominees. The withdrawal of Estrada is shameful.

[putupon]

The withdrawal of Estrada is shameful.

The blame for that can't be laid at the feet of the N.E. RINOs. Frist is pushing socialized medicine as hard as he can while leaving true conservative ideals die, as seen with the Estrada withdrawl.

Frist promises to deliver Medicare bill

I tell you, our party has been hijacked by closet socialists and I haven't a clue how to get it back.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Polictics aside, Zell Miller is a good man. The majority of us in Georgia who disagree with his politics, respect him ("Zig-Zag Zell" notwithstanding).

The majority of Democrats in Georgia believe he would be next in line to walk on water.

If the democratic leadership decided to go after him, they would be hard pressed to find an ethics or criminal issue on which to build/fabricate a case. Any attempt would be seen for what it was and would end up biting them in the butt. Big Time.

Being from Georgia, it would be easy for the dems to pull out the old, tired race card, but that would also backfire.

To borrow from President Bush, I say "bring it on." There is more to Georgia than Atlanta and the liberal Atlanta democrats (i.e. Cynthia McKinney & crowd) do not represent the mainstream Georgia Democrats.

Next stop in my morning surf---Amazon.

[PigRigger]

"Polictics aside, Zell Miller is a good man"

Couldn't agree more. He is head and shoulders above all the Dem's and most of the Repub's. It seems he actually puts the interests of this country before his own.

I'll never forget his speech before the Senate when he basically scolded his fellow democrats for not supporting the President. A very eloquent and moving delivery; very heartfelt as well. He is a man of true conviction and character.

[tiamat]

How old is Zell Miller anyway?

Seems like the few good ones are always kind of long in the tooth.....

Tia

[Marauder]

How old is Zell Miller anyway?

Not sure, but I think late 70s or so, and he's planning to retire sometime soon, last I heard.

Miller's one of very few honorable democRats left. Another was the late Bob Bullock, former Lt. Gov of Texas, but I can't think of any others, particularly in Texas, after their despicable flight to avoid responsiblity to Oklahoma and New Mexico.

[DM1]

"despicable flight to avoid responsiblity to Oklahoma and New Mexico." Speaking of that situation how is that playing out in Texas?
Are the Dems going to suffer or the Repubs?

[Aeronaut]

How old is Zell Miller anyway?

From his bio: he was born in 1932.

[DM1]

"Estrada withdrawl."
I heard that this will be a new rallying cry for the conservatives in this election and as a way to cultivate more hispanic voters to the GOP.
Whether it will work or not is beyond me but that is the strategy.

[tkathy]

I can relate. It's kind of how us moderate, tolerant Republicans are treated.

[ought-six]

"It is a tight union, and discipline is firm. Insurrections will not be tolerated. Josef Stalin would envy the control exerted by today's Democrats."

Actually, he'd be flattered instead, because the Dims are employing Stalinist practices at every turn. They learned well at the knee of their master.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Mid to late 70's & his seat is up for grabs in 2004. He is retiring.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

What many of you seem unaware of is that the Republican Party has only recently, Reagan in the '80s, become the home of most conservatives. Although Goldwater blazed the path in the '60s he was buried by an avalanche of dirty tricks by LBJ, a true lefty. Nixon was a wash philosophically, doing some liberal and some conservative things. At that time, most conservatives like Zell Miller were Democrats. Another good conservative from Georgia, Sam Nunn, got out of politics rather than switch and rather than support what had become a liberal Democrat Party.

The heart of the Republican Party, and this is still true of New England, was the Rockefeller Republicans who were liberals. To think that the Republican Party is deserting the conservatives is to not know history. The Republican Party has been liberal for most of its existence.

There are still some conservative Democrats who are so anti-Republican because of the party's history, they would never switch parties. Some of those are voters who vote the opposite of their interest because they simply can't bring themselves to vote Republican.

Most Republicans are now conservative and most conservatives are now Republican, but that is relatively recent. Conservatives don't have a lock on anything, yet.

[Tribune7]

There is not a hint of shadyness about Miller that I know of. We can't say the same about Traficant.

[putupon]

but that is the strategy

I'm not buying it. They could have made an issue out of it all along and still used at election time, probably even more effectively since the great unwashed who pay no attention to politics untill two weeks before an election (and greatly outnumber us political junkies of either party) won't have a clue what they are talking about if they do bring it up next year.

The 'RATs have given the GOP plenty of ammo over the years, including unabashed treason, and the GOP never uses any of it.

When is the last time one of them uttered a word about selling misiles to China? When is the last time one of them anything about illegal Chinese money contributions? How come none of them are saying squat about how North Korea got the nukes it is pointing at the neighbors and marketing to terrorist nations right now?

And if the strategy story were true, what does it say about the character of a party that would string a man along for two years of his life on a bogus job offer just to generate a political prop?

[DM1]

Easy lol just telling you what i read this morning, didnt say i signed on to the committee :)
the impression i got from the article wasnt that Estradas nomination was for him to get shot down and use it as ammo but that since it was filibustered they would use it hence forth
that being said i agree that there are many wusses in the GOP that are not confrontational enough although to be fair during the Clinton ChinaGate brouhaha no one paid any attention to it. The few voices that railed against this were whistling in the dark. That was part of the whole "where's the outrage" syndrome that was synonomous with the times.
Take care
DM1

[putupon]

Easy

Sorry if my reply implied you were a co-conspirator, I had no such impression. I've read and heard the same stuff since Estrada bailed yesterday.

Our leaders really have me POed over this and the free pill entitlement, been ranting over similar threads all morning.

I know I'm a bit agitated now. I forgot my medication, and I may not be sounding quite rational right now.

If I can just find a fun thread about Hillary's thighs with funny pics or something, I may be able to calm down.

[DM1]

"If I can just find a fun thread about Hillary's thighs with funny pics or something, I may be able to calm down.
"
lol though i dont really see anything fun about Hildebeasts thighs...shiver more like a horror movie