Mike Duncan, GOP honcho, scoffs at Barack Obama's "Obamacans" claims

Democrat Barack Obama has gotten a lot of mileage from telling crowds about "Obamacans," the Republicans he says approach him at political events and pledge their whispered support for his presidential candidacy.

Mike Duncan, the Kentucky banker who chairs the Republican National Committee, isn't buying that story.

"Obama's campaign is putting forward a public relations effort to convince folks that Republican voters whom he calls 'Obamacans' would support his candidacy," Duncan says in an RNC email this morning. "It's nice rhetoric but, like so much with Obama, it's not consistent with reality or his record."

Why? It's as plain as Obama's record, which he suggests no self-respecting Republican could stomach.

Writes Duncan:

"According to the non-partisan publication National Journal, Obama was the "most liberal" senator last year. During his short stint in the U.S. Senate, he has consistently voted for higher taxes, bigger government and troop funding cuts.

"Before that, he was in the Illinois state legislature, supporting extreme gun control measures and opposing common-sense abortion restrictions that the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats alike would agree with."

In promoting the prospects of presumed GOP presidential nominee John McCain (which is part of what he gets paid to do), Duncan also takes a crack at coining his own new term:

"When McCain wins in November, it will be thanks to a united Republican Party, strong independent support and a surge of 'McCainocrats.' "

-- Christi Parsons

Christi Parsons writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau.

Democrat Barack Obama has gotten a lot of mileage from telling crowds about "Obamacans," the Republicans he says approach him at political events and pledge their whispered support for his presidential candidacy.

Mike Duncan, the Kentucky banker who chairs the Republican National Committee, isn't buying that story.

"Obama's campaign is putting forward a public relations effort to convince folks that Republican voters whom he calls 'Obamacans' would support his candidacy," Duncan says in an RNC email this morning. "It's nice rhetoric but, like so much with Obama, it's not consistent with reality or his record."

Why? It's as plain as Obama's record, which he suggests no self-respecting Republican could stomach.

Writes Duncan:

"According to the non-partisan publication National Journal, Obama was the "most liberal" senator last year. During his short stint in the U.S. Senate, he has consistently voted for higher taxes, bigger government and troop funding cuts.

"Before that, he was in the Illinois state legislature, supporting extreme gun control measures and opposing common-sense abortion restrictions that the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats alike would agree with."

In promoting the prospects of presumed GOP presidential nominee John McCain (which is part of what he gets paid to do), Duncan also takes a crack at coining his own new term:

"When McCain wins in November, it will be thanks to a united Republican Party, strong independent support and a surge of 'McCainocrats.' "

-- Christi Parsons

Christi Parsons writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau.

Comments

[Ron J P]

So alll those exit polls showing Republicans are voting in the Democratic primaries are "WRONG"????? Or is this politician saying that every one of those votes were "dirty politics" and really represents the success of Rush Limbaugh' s request of republicans in texas and Ohio to vote for Hilllery to mess-up the Democratic Parties chances in 2008 and will return to vote republican in November? If it is the latter, I tend to agree in Texas and Ohio, however even in those contests Obama captured half of the republican cross over votes..

[Valerie]

Perhaps Duncan should call them "McCainiots " - an appropriate combination of the candidate's name and the last half of the word one would use to describe those who support him?

[Jeugenen]

OBAMA FOR GOD AND CONSTITUTION

The loyalties of the Reagan Conservatives are not for sale to Neo-Cons/Neo-Libs at any price. It is far better to elect a John Kennedy Liberal now, Obama, than to be defeated by the panicked Podhoretz Neo-Cons desperately supporting Neo-Con McCain, who have corrupted the Republican Party; and Obama's defeat of Neo-Lib Hillary will be a Republican victory over the Leiberman Neo-Libs, who have corrupted the Democratic Party.

With both the Democrat and Republican parties finally restored to their traditional liberal and conservative social and economic foundations, the ideologically subversive Neo-Libs/Neo-Cons shall have the choice of either conforming, or again pursuing their sixty year old dream of creating an ideologically subversive Neo-Marxist Party.

[Dude]

If a 71 year old, senile, washed up Senator is the best the republican party has to offer, what does that say for the party as a whole?

The American people have suffered through twelve long years with a senile, washed up president in bush 41, and 43, it won't happen again!

[Lord Philpot]

I guess Sen. Larry Craig and other liberals mascarading
as republicans could be classified as Obamacans. Other
than those few exceptions, a republican voting for Obama would be like a chicken voting for colonel Saunders.

[Nadie]

I guess he doesn't read the Wall Street Journal:

Bush and Reagan's legal counsel endorses Obama:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120641048754261255.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

or

http://tinyurl.com/32u4sc