Registered Republican leads pro-Kerry houseparty

[KansDem]

Saturday evening my wife and I attended a pro-Democratic candidate houseparty. We learned of this event last weekend when the couple who hosted the get-together invited us to attend while we were out working in the yard. They were out canvassing the neighborhood and made a special attempt to invite those folks from houses with Kerry and/or Moore* signs.

We attended and were (pleasantly) surprised at the turnout: 20 people from around the neighborhood showed up. In addition to an impressive spread of refreshments, the host/hostess also had a wide range of campaign items they had received from the campaigns to distribute to the guests that included bumper stickers, signs, literature, and buttons. We socialized for about an hour, meeting and talking with fellow residents from the area, and then were invited to sit down and listen to the speaker.

The speaker gave us an overview of the campaigns, touching on the important issues. In fact, he sounded like he’d be right at home on the DU. About half-way through the presentation, he announced he was a registered Republican. He wanted us to know this because of his concern that the GOP had been hijacked by the neo-Conservatives and doesn’t represent what he considered to be traditional Republican values. He felt Kerry/Edwards was the best choice to counter the emerging GOP Neo-con movement.

He was concerned, among other issues, with the Iraq War and draft, huge deficit spending, loss of civil liberties, and the blurring of church and state. He was very uneasy about the country becoming a theocracy if Bush gets re(s)elected.

He spoke for about 45 minutes and we had a short Q&A period including an overview of opportunities to volunteer, particularly how we could help “get out the vote.” One guest offered his “party bus,” an old, privately owned 30-seat bus that he could use to give rides to voters who can’t otherwise get to the polls.

Overall, the meeting was a success. Many, if not all or us, went away with a renewed respect for the importance of this election. But I was particularly impressed with the support given to Kerry/Edwards from a life-long Republican, and wondered how many other Republicans across the country felt the same way he did.
________
*Dennis Moore (D-Kansas 3rd District)

[ItsMyParty]

1. I think they are headed for a rift in that party

that may start blowing up soon after Bush is defeated; or if he wins, will being during his second term.

[cthrumatrix]

2. enter -- computer voting.... no sane person can say shrub has done well