Zell Miller

[Makalakumu]

So, what are your thoughts on Zell Miller? Did anyone hear or see his speech at the RNC?

 

[hardheadjarhead]

I just heard him say that Kerry voted against the B-1 bomber...which George HW Bush was out to kill anyway. It was 1990, the Cold War was over, and there was bi-partisan cutbacks across the board.


Regards,


Steve

 

[Mark Weiser]

I found his speech etremely refreshing. We need more men like him to stand up and be real Americans and not in the mire of Polictics. I almost stood up and cheered for America. Absoultely the best speech at the RNC.

If I was in the Democratic Party I would have done everything in my power to stop him from speaking. He did more damage to the DNC that anyone in my knowledge base.

He should be appointed to a cabinet post as Sec of State under Bush.

 

[Tgace]

Liked the "military man" aspect (as per my personal preferences), but there HAS to be some political rationale behind a Dem. speaking like that at the RNC. Truthfully I know little of his political history but the cynic in me wonders....

 

[7starmantis]

Refreshing is a good word to use. We need more people looking at truth and not party lines. Partisan games and tricks nauseate me.

7sm

 

[Makalakumu]

Liked the "military man" aspect (as per my personal preferences), but there HAS to be some political rationale behind a Dem. speaking like that at the RNC. Truthfully I know little of his political history but the cynic in me wonders....

I think part of it comes from Senator Miller's experience in the military. He made a comment about Kerry throwing his medals away and his face screwed up into a mask of utter hatred. That obviously did not sit to well with him.

 

[deadhand31]

Well, Zell Miller is a dying breed of democrats. He has stood for what he said, and never backed down because it was the popular thing to do. He has said that he never grew away from the democrats, the democrats grew away from him. I did like his one comment, where he lists several things that Kerry voted against, like body armor, the F-14, F-14D, and the F-15 Tomcat. Then he said "So, Kerry is going to be strong on defense? What are we going to use, SPITBALLS?"

:uhyeah:

 

[michaeledward]

I didn't watch the speech. I saw Senator Miller on a couple of the talking head shows after Cheney's speech. I have just printed and read the transcript.

It's pretty much what one would expect of Senator Miller; a lot of sound bites that will play well with the RNC, but that fact checkers will prove incorrect by later today. But he did good; he got the phrases out there so that the hungry may feed.

One line I found especially ironic was:

John Kerry wants to refight yesterday's war.

Excuse me, Senator Miller ... "Yesterday's war?, Yesterday's war ... Mr. Van Winkle ... the war our soldiers are dying in now was from 12 years ago, not yesterday."

Who wants to fight yesterday's war?

Anyway ... Laura Ingraham (one Senator Miller's biggest boosters) must be proud.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Zig Zag Zell described John Kerry as a "good friend" once...

http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?pid=1746

The article doesn't talk much about Zell's appearance. It draws attention to the large number of Republicans who've deserted Bush.


Here's a MUCH better article in Slate:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2105700/


This one talks about Miller's defection. It finishes with this:

So why doesn't Miller just switch parties? He says that he was born a Democrat and considers his party label "like a birthmark." More likely he realizes that once he becomes a Republican he stops being interesting. As a Democrat, Miller is an entertaining man-bites-dog story, and a minor celebrity in GOP circles. As a Republican he's just another partisan hack.

Regards,


Steve

 

[lvwhitebir]

Refreshing is a good word to use. We need more people looking at truth and not party lines. Partisan games and tricks nauseate me.
7sm

Amen. I hate it when people vote because of party lines, not because of what they believe in. I enjoy hearing that some Democrats are supporting Bush and some Republicans are supporting Kerry. I never liked the two-party system.

WhiteBirch

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Refreshing is a good word to use. We need more people looking at truth and not party lines. Partisan games and tricks nauseate me.

7sm

You don't think it at all dishonest that Miller talked about Kerry "voting against weapons" systems that were getting axed in a bi-partisan movement in 1990?


Regards,


Steve

 

[rmcrobertson]

A good example of a "defense system," that Miller attacked Kerry for voting against is the B-2 bomber, which a) the CBO recommended against, b) the Air Force DID NOT WANT, and the Senate--without Kerry's support--voted for anyway.

The B-2, which costs 2 billion a copy, cannot fly in rain--the Stealth paint washes off. It was designed to--get this--fly over the Soviet Union AFTER A FULL SCALE NUCLEAR WAR BROKE OUT, because then all their good radar systems (which can see the damn thing perfectly well) would have been blown up. The explicit mission was to hunt down and bomb the bunkers in which the Soviet government would be, leaving nobody to negotiate with.

Now, its primary military employment is to fly over airshows and parades.

Then there's the Aegis cruiser, which proved so incapable of distinguishing a 747 on approach to Teheran from a small fighter attacking the Seventh Fleet that one of them shot down an Iranian airliner with about 300 people on board.

I do so hate to introduce reason into the discussion, but perhaps--and I know this is shocking--some of those military systems were--hold on to your seats--pork-barrel boondoggles?

 

[someguy]

I love Zell Miller. Two words HOPE scholarship He also has done some great stuff for the vets.
At the same time I dislike some of the things he has done.
Also democrats in Georgia. Hmm strange type of democrat for sure.

 

[PeachMonkey]

You don't think it at all dishonest that Miller talked about Kerry "voting against weapons" systems that were getting axed in a bi-partisan movement in 1990?

Never mind, of course, that many of these weapons systems were also opposed by the *Secretary of Defense*, a guy by the name of Dick Cheney.

These tactics are usually referred to as "lies" and "twisting the facts". Of course, when Republicans use these sort of vicious, fantastic attacks (tactics used by fascists and dictators throughout modern history, by the way), you're "showing your patriotism" and "loving America".

I don't know if I'm more sickened by the tactics themselves or by how gullible people are to fall for them.

 

[Flatlander]

Of course, when Republicans use these sort of vicious, fantastic attacks (tactics used by fascists and dictators throughout modern history, by the way), you're "showing your patriotism" and "loving America".

Speaking of spin.....

These tactics have also been used by liberal governments around the world as well, I'm sure that they're not common only to Republicans, fascits and dictators. I'm sure there have been countless opressive leaders who have eaten soup. Just like a democrat.... what's the point?

The smear and attack tactics are characteristic of a party that wants power, that's it. See through it if you can, and I pity the fool who can't.