Charles Barkley: “I was a Republican - until they lost their minds”

[eleny]

From a piece on him at Crooks and Liars. http://www.crooksandliars.com/

I don't now anything about Barkley or how much he's moved over to the left. But I just loved his down to earth assertion. I can take that sentiment and use it on my Republican acquaintances - "You Republicans have lost your minds!" How can they respond or defend themselves and their Party? They haven't made sense in years.

[Bobbieo]

1. Is he the basketball player who used to play for the Phoenix Suns?

[Greyhound]

10. Yes, you might also remember him as the player that called

bullshit on the whole "athletes are role models" crapfest in the 90's.

[Rose Siding]

2. I don't get it. Bush is still who he was when these guys voted for him

Buckley and Barkley can bail on him and that's great, but bush is the same old unaccomplished, incurious, anti-woman, anti-gay, pro-estate tax, anti-evironment frat boy he always was. It is the Right that he represents that is failing and Buckley at least, isn't denouncing that. Barkley seems a little more aware of what's at fault saying, "I was a Republican - until they lost their minds."

Like you, I can't see what exactly he's displeased with, but what has really changed in the Republican agenda since Barkley supported Bush?

[sutz12]

3. They've been in denial

There can be no other reason. Many, many people mistakenly bought the rhetoric and really thought that the Republicans stood for their issues. They could not conceive of the idea that the Repubs were merely pandering, and would revert to their natural selves.

Hey, Shrub was a compassionate conservative, right? A lot of people thought that meant he would show compassion to everyone. What emotion did he show after Katrina? Sadness that his buddy Trent Lott had lost his summer home on the Gulf Coast. His compassion, such as it is, is reserved for the wealthy.

The unfortunate thing is that most of these "reformed" Republicans will still vote against liberal and progressive candidates and issues because they have listened to and bought into the hate speech of the past few years regarding anyone or anything to the left of Adolf Hitler as being evil.

It makes me sick every time I hear one of them say, "The Republicans have disappointed me, but I could never vote for a Democrat." :puke:

[Bobbieo]

4. Maybe nothing has changed in the Republican agenda

But hopefully it is guys like them who will vote Democrat in the fall election. Like get Arizona's Kyl out of Congress

[Bobbieo]

5. And if he is the former Phoenix Sun's star

I've seen his photo in the AZ Republic as a major attraction at Republican fundraisers. Guess he won't be seen there anymore. Good for our side. It's called "one step at a time".

[eleny]

6. That's a key isn't it - loss of revenue

Sure, there are many wealthy donors. But it can't be good if they lose a lot of the little donors in important areas because people like Barkley aren't helping to reel them in. Not everything happens in big leaps like the RFK Jr. lawsuit against the voting machine companies. Like it was back during the Vietnam era. One guy had be the first to burn his draft card because our government had lost its mind.

[Bobbieo]

7. Yes, Eleny it is a key

And you are right, it doesn't happen over night. So, some guy who voted for Bush finally sees the light. He will stop and think about his political future and hopefully will vote against a Repub candidate. Hopefully, in this fall election.

[radfringe]

8. this past Christmas

let preface this by saying my parents voted for bush (both times)
My dad vote's was more of one against Dems than for bush
My mom voted for bush because of the "taxcuts"

ennywhooo- we were at my brother's place on Christmas eve - usually we avoid politics as a topic of discussion, but it somehow always comes up

this time we did avoid the raucous yelling and pounding on the table, keeping it at a somewhat more civil level. In the middle of this, my mom quietly says "I think he's the worst president ever"

Dead silence.

I went over to the front windows. My brother asks me what I'm doing. I say "If mom thinks he's the worst president ever then I'm just looking out for flying pigs..."

[USA_1]

9. Reggie White

Reggie was also one of those prominent Black athletes who allowed himself to be exploited by racist reich wing Republicans and by Neo-KKKons such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Eventually he started to actually read the Bible and learned to his consternation that nothing taught by the Hitlerian liars appears in biblical teaching. After learning the real biblical truth he repented of his evil ways. Unfortunately, he died quite unexpectedly. It would have been great to see him preaching that truth.