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SD Vet, former senator (R)

fff

Well-known member
Former GOP senator, vet backs Obama

Former Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), who was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in the United States Senate, is the latest Republican to back Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Politico learned Sunday.

Pressler, who said that in addition to casting an absentee ballot for Obama he'd donated $500 to the Illinois senator's campaign, cited the Democrat's response to the financial crisis as the primary reason for his decision.

"I just got the feeling that Obama will be able to handle this financial crisis better, and I like his financial team of [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin and [former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul] Volcker better," he said. By contrast, John McCain's "handling of the financial crisis made me feel nervous."

The former senator added that he hoped the next president would help place restraints on executive pay, and said: "I don't think [McCain] will take action in that area, or he's as likely to."

Pressler, who said that he had never voted for a Democrat for president before, added, "I feel really badly. I just hate to go against someone I served with in the Senate. I voted and I got it mailed and I dropped it in the mailbox, and it tore at me to do that."

Currently an adjunct professor at Baruch College in New York, Pressler served in the Senate from 1979 through 1997, and prior to that spent two terms in the House of Representatives.

During the 104th Congress, from 1995 to 1997, Pressler chaired the Senate Commerce Committee. When Pressler was defeated for reelection in 1996, McCain took over his chairmanship.

After leaving office, Pressler formed a legal and lobbying firm, The Pressler Group, and in 2002 unsuccessfully sought election to South Dakota's sole seat in the House of Representatives.

He joins a growing list of Republicans who have thrown their support to Obama in recent days. Last Sunday former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Obama on NBC's "Meet the Press." On Thursday Obama picked up the support of former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, who was joined on Friday by former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld.

Like some of Obama's other Republican supporters, Pressler said he had concerns about his party's fiscal policy, particularly the war in Iraq, that went beyond the presidential campaign.

"We have to be a moderate party. We can't be for all these foreign military adventures. We have to stop spending so much money. My God, the deficit is so high!" he said. "The Republican Party I knew in the 1970s is just all gone."

Despite his support for Obama, however, Pressler emphasized that he intended to stay in the GOP and described himself as a "moderate conservative."

"I'm not leaving the Republican Party. We're going to reform it," he said, but added: "In the general election, if you have disagreements, you should not vote the party line."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14963.html

It broke his heart to support Obama, but he's a patriot and didn't let race or party affiliation stand in the way of voting for the man best suited to take this country through the difficult times Bush and the Republican Party have left us facing.
 

fff

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
This changes the fact that Obama is a Socialist how?

Are you saying this lifelong Republican, Vietnam vet, elected to the US House, then the Senate by the people of SD would vote for a Socialist! Shocking. Shocking, I say. :lol:
 

don

Well-known member
it's just that as the campaign wears on sandhusker has nothing else to say. he's an expert on socialism you know.
 

Texan

Well-known member
Currently an adjunct professor at Baruch College in New York...

After leaving office, Pressler formed a legal and lobbying firm, The Pressler Group...

Imagine that - a liberal northeastern college professor/lawyer/lobbyist endorses Obama. Shocking. Shocking, I say. :lol:
 

Yanuck

Well-known member
don said:
it's just that as the campaign wears on sandhusker has nothing else to say. he's an expert on socialism you know.


Don,perhaps you can start a topic with points for us on what to expect since you've lived it with the NDP gov't for all those years?
 

don

Well-known member
yanuck you don't know how hilarious that is. i lived in alberta for forty-some years. yes the ndp is a disaster but do you honestly believe obama is that far to the left? most of the people here who are crying socialism have never been to a truly socialist country. oh, and by the way, alberta with conservative govt.'s (that i voted for all along) isn't perfect either. just about every country has a mixed economy and it's just where it is along the scale from left to right that is different.
 

Mrs.Greg

Well-known member
Yanuck said:
don said:
it's just that as the campaign wears on sandhusker has nothing else to say. he's an expert on socialism you know.


Don,perhaps you can start a topic with points for us on what to expect since you've lived it with the NDP gov't for all those years?
:???: I thought don was a transplanted Albertan?


edit...guess don cleared that up himself..... :D
 

fff

Well-known member
TexasBred said:
Really doesn't matter who it is....they "legally" get only "ONE" vote.

Of course it matters "who" they are. This is a man who the people of SD thought enough of to elect first to the House, then to the US Senate. A soldier, a Vietnam vet. He's a Republican. He doesn't plan to become a Democrat. He plans to work for the Republican Party, to get it back on track. Yet, this year he's voting for Obama for President. He doesn't like it, but he put party and race aside and voted for the man he felt would be the best person to guide us through the next four tough years. Spin all you want, but this is important. SD should be proud of him.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
kolanuraven said:
don said:
it's just that as the campaign wears on sandhusker has nothing else to say. he's an expert on socialism you know.


Yeah, it's rampant in Valentine NE :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Sandy's just upset because with it looking like an Obama win he won't get to use all his Chinese language lessons when the Communist Chinese foreclose on his Bank like the Bush/McCain policy has been pushing... :wink:

Think of the idea- having a Leader that believes in actually paying for what you spend- and not mortgaging your kids and grandkids futures to the whims of communist countries... :???: :wink: :D :D
 

Yanuck

Well-known member
don said:
yanuck you don't know how hilarious that is. i lived in alberta for forty-some years. yes the ndp is a disaster but do you honestly believe obama is that far to the left? most of the people here who are crying socialism have never been to a truly socialist country. oh, and by the way, alberta with conservative govt.'s (that i voted for all along) isn't perfect either. just about every country has a mixed economy and it's just where it is along the scale from left to right that is different.

Don... have you listened to Obama/Biden speak? there was this little conversation with a guy named Joe in Ohio who's a plumber, did you watch it? have you gone to the website and read what they want to do if elected? Are you telling me that when they say and write those things that they really don't mean them and that none of them lean towards socialism?
Mike posted this....did you listen to it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck
I posted this.. did you watch? Obama himself said he wasn't ready
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2encXLmPDo

In answer to your question...yes I think Obama leans that far to the left...and I agree with you that no gov't is perfect even Alberta's (God's Country :D, you moved on your own free will to Sask.??!!! :shock: ), I was around until '96, and voted for Ralphie every time.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
The man speaks the truth- its just that some of the cultists have drank so much of the KoolAid they can't see it.....Can't see how the neocons and the extremists have taken over the party- and made it a party I have a tough time associating with anymore....

"We have to be a moderate party. We can't be for all these foreign military adventures. We have to stop spending so much money. My God, the deficit is so high!" he said. "The Republican Party I knew in the 1970s is just all gone."

"I'm not leaving the Republican Party. We're going to reform it," he said, but added: "In the general election, if you have disagreements, you should not vote the party line."
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
kolanuraven said:
don said:
it's just that as the campaign wears on sandhusker has nothing else to say. he's an expert on socialism you know.


Yeah, it's rampant in Valentine NE :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Sandy's just upset because with it looking like an Obama win he won't get to use all his Chinese language lessons when the Communist Chinese foreclose on his Bank like the Bush/McCain policy has been pushing... :wink:

Think of the idea- having a Leader that believes in actually paying for what you spend- and not mortgaging your kids and grandkids futures to the whims of communist countries... :???: :wink: :D :D


Wow now that's the overstatement of the year. Obama hasn't presented a plan to pay for anything. just spend spend spend, besides there are plenty of rich people out there to tax" to quote Barney Franks one more time. Oh and Oldtimer...explain to me how anyone can foreclose on a bank?? You need to brush up some on business lingo.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
fff said:
Sandhusker said:
This changes the fact that Obama is a Socialist how?

Are you saying this lifelong Republican, Vietnam vet, elected to the US House, then the Senate by the people of SD would vote for a Socialist! Shocking. Shocking, I say. :lol:

Obama is a Socialist. If you vote for him, no matter who you are, you're voting for a Socialist. I realize that you libs have a hard time grasping the basics, but I thought this was pretty elementary.
 

don

Well-known member
yanuck you might want to check the best before date on those videos! every tax system is a way of setting prioirities and distributing wealth. are you infavor of medicaid, government funded pensions or public roads? should you buy your own army or school? how is a country supposed to work. the usa is not a pure capitalist country and i think you will still recognize it if obama is elected. i can't get over the fearmongering by both sides. how much and how quickly could things change unless you give the elected president absolute power?
 

don

Well-known member
government is inevitable a method of redistributing wealth as soon as you have an income or property tax system. lol. go back to your constitutional studies!
 
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