Democrats Desert Kerry for Bush

Democrats Desert Kerry for Bush
Posted March 26, 2004
By Peter Roff - UPI

The Bush-Cheney re-election campaign fired a shot across Sen. John F. Kerry's bow with the release of the list of some 100 people making up the core of what the campaign calls "Democrats for Bush."

The group will be led by retiring Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia, who committed to support President George W. Bush's re-election bid even before the Democrats had a sense of who their nominee would be.

"I was born a Democrat and I expect I'll be a Democrat until the day I leave this earth," Miller said, "but right now this president is the guy I support."

Miller, a two-term former Georgia governor who spent a total of 24 years as a statewide elected official before being appointed to the Senate, had some strong words for his own party at the group's kickoff.

"The direction the Democrats are headed is not based on what is good for America but what is good for the party, and at historic times like these, Americans deserve more," Miller said.

Other Democrats participating in events Wednesday on Bush's behalf included former Florida Lt. Gov. Wayne Mixson, who served under Bob Graham, and Ken Trentham, a former Bollinger, Mo., county commissioner.

The effort, which campaign officials say is one of many coalitions that will be assembled for the campaign, is further evidence that the Democrats' once powerful national majority, grounded in its control of state and local offices, is disintegrating. The number of Democrats crossing the aisle in presidential campaigns made a dramatic upswing during the Reagan years, especially in the South. The number of elected Democrats re-registering as Republicans averaged one per week over the eight years of the Clinton-Gore administration.

The group's charter members include a few party notables, such as former Democratic National Committee Executive Director Brian Lunde, former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell, former Kentucky state Democratic Chairman Larry Townsend, and former Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Bill Brewster. Most, however, are not nationally known but include several former statewide elected officials, several former U.S. representatives, a handful of local party leaders and close to two score current and former state legislators.

The Massachusetts senator's campaign downplayed the significance of the event, saying through a spokesman, "Miller's new leadership role will be a lonely post." Calling Miller "Zigzag Zell," the campaign released a set of talking points asserting that Kerry, a 19-year veteran of the Senate, and Miller, who was appointed to his seat in July 2000 after the death of Republican Sen. Paul Coverdell, have similar voting records on defense and national security issues.

The senator's campaign also released a series of quotes attributed to Miller that lauded Kerry's leadership, including one in which he called him, "one of this nation's authentic heroes."

During a conference call after the announcement, Miller pledged to carry forward his efforts to bring Democrats into the Bush camp. "Each of us knows fellow Democrats, whether they are family, friends or colleagues, that are of a like mind on the need to have a president that is firm in his beliefs," he said.

A letter Miller will send to the other charter members of the coalition asks each of them to recruit five Democrats who will continue the chain.

Writing to "Dear Fellow Democrat," Miller said, "We each have our own reasons for taking this position. Whether you support President Bush for the leadership he has provided in the war on terror, reducing the tax burden for families and businesses, or standing firm to strengthen American families, we agree that the times demand a president that provides steady leadership."

Calling on them to reflect on the party's roots, Miller said, "President Bush is acting on the ideals we have supported for years: promoting prosperity and equal opportunity; helping Americans most in need; defending America's security and promoting freedom. National Democratic leaders have lost sight of this fact in their raw desire to defeat George W. Bush."

Miller's letter includes a description of what he believes will be Kerry's initial public policy initiatives should he win the election: "Just consider what the first 100 days of a Kerry administration would look like: massive spending increases, immediate tax increase for families and businesses, dismantling our efforts to fight terror at home and overseas, and lost jobs due to excessive regulation."

The campaign hopes that Miller's active participation in the president's re-election campaign, while helping convince Democrats that Bush deserves a second term, may also help offset pro-Kerry comments coming from Republican U.S. Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, both of whom have recently contested the Bush campaign's use of Kerry's voting record on national security and defense issues.

Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Chairman Marc Racicot, a former governor of Montana, called the Democrats for Bush event an illustration of "the tremendous depth of support President Bush enjoys throughout the country. This president's steady leadership in times of change appeals to all voters, regardless of their political affiliation."
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Peter Roff is a senior political analyst for UPI, a sister news organization of Insight.