these people dont seem to have anything invested in the current gop. purging it of the crazy people seems to be aligned with their interests. at the very least electing mccain would only reinforce the crzy.

Please refresh my memory. Other than Joe Lieberman, are there any McCainocrats?

Now that they have Powell's permission, I figured we'd start to see a snowballing amount of Obamacans.

Maddow has questioned the utility of endorsements, but she says Powell's matters because of the language he used, specifically in describing the tone and demeanor of McCain's Republican party.

I agree, and think we're seeing that language repeated by many. It's part of my rationale that the Republican party as we know it won't survive this election.

The business minded and intellectual Republicans have had enough of the Palins and her demented ilk. They will never form another viable coalition again. Karl Rove's unholy alliance has effectively resulted in the destruction of the modern Republican party.

It honestly couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.

Please refresh my memory. Other than Joe Lieberman, are there any McCainocrats?

Don't forget the Baroness de Rothchild and Icky Frye, the guy who ran for Governor of WV because the-Gov Wise had an affair with Frye's wife.

IT'S ABOUT RACE! IT'S TOTALLY ABOUT RACE!

Arne Carlson is black, right?

He's not.

Oh...

Uh...

...it's totally...about...white...guilt?

IT'S ABOUT RACE! IT'S TOTALLY ABOUT RACE!

Arne Carlson is black, right?

He's not.

Oh...

Uh...

...it's totally...about...white...guilt?

Is anybody really suprised given that right-wing Republicans have pretty much spent the last fourteen years trying to systemically purge moderate Republicans from the party.

What we are seeing is result of the Republican Party having been pulled so far to the right that it is alienating the center.

"He has laid out for this nation a vision for a national purpose."

The number of prominent Republicans and conservatives endorsing Obama, who is neither, is I believe unprecendented in modern American history. This has not much to do with who they think will win the election, and everything to do with who they want to win the election, with their concern for the future of our country.

Colin Powell said, when he endorsed Barack Obama, that he is a transformative figure. Powell's judgement on his nation's needs in this election perhaps was not universally appreciated, because it was exactly consistent with Obama's core campaign message, "Change We Can Believe In" and "Change We Need", and, unfortunately for some people, because Powell too is African American. Powell's keen insight, so often (but not always) correct in the past, should not have been ignored or dismissed.

Obama asks us to transform our politics and our national government, and ultimately our society, not only symbolically, by accepting the historical transformation his candidacy embodies, but fundamentally by acting on our overwhelming dissatisfaction with the status quo in American politics - to finally reject the small bore issue/personal and negative attack politics that has typified our national elections (and certainly the McCain campaign), disabled our government and divided our people. He wants to restore our ability to work together, through government, to address the central issues of our time.

It seems increasingly clear that on Nov 4th and thereafter we will say "Yes We Can".

Some of us still remember and voted for Bill Milliken in the 70's. Mr. Milliken does have the ear of those 55+. Go Obama!!

Some of us still remember and voted for Bill Milliken in the 70's. Mr. Milliken does have the ear of those 55+. Go Obama!!

I'm not 55+ (barely), but I remember Bill Milliken. He was the first (and maybe last) Republican I've ever voted for at the top of a state ticket. I'm not surprised he endorsed Obama ... good for him!

these people dont seem to have anything invested in the current gop. purging it of the crazy people seems to be aligned with their interests.

I have no problem with that.

A sane and thoughtful Republican party is good for the Democrats and the country.

Can we please stop using the term 'Obamacans' - it's retarded. Can't we just say 'Obama Conservatives' or 'Obama Republicans' (or both). But this high school term - 'Obamacans' - sounds like a clique. Or a joke -- something not very serious. And it's keeping others from coming forward because they don't want to get labeled with a dorky name. Let's try and grow up a little bit here..

(No one called them 'Reaganiberals' or 'Reagancrats' in 1980 - for a reason. It's lame.)

"Can we please stop using the term 'Obamacans'"

Somebody sounds a little "ericranky", but perhaps I agree.

Can we please stop using the term 'Obamacans' - it's retarded. -eric

Can we please stop using the term 'retarded' - it's offensive.

Not to harsh the buzz, but Arne Carlson really is a political anomaly, even in Minnesota. Believe it or not, Carlson never got his party's endorsement in either 1990 or 1994 when he was running for governor and only managed to get elected in 1990 after the GOP endorsee and primary winner Jon Grunseth had a sex scandal and dropped out with a couple of weeks to go. To give you an idea about Carlson, he was the pro-choice candidate running against a pro-life Democrat, Rudy Perpich! Boy, those were the days.

I just hope this helps Mr. Franken in his race. I live in KY & despise Mitch McConnell, but it would maybe make me even happier to see Norm 'The Lizard' Coleman get evicted from the Senate.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Republican party left Arne Carlson even BEFORE he was elected governor here.

They hated him because he was liberal on social issues (read that as pro-choice) and so the party nominated a right-winger who got caught in a sex scandal just before the election. The party turned reluctantly to Carlson. He was the first and only republican I've ever voted for and he was a good governor.

I'm glad he's supporting Obama. Arne's a good guy and moderates may give his endorsement some value, but it won't mean much to right-wing R's here because they never really considered him a "good" Republican.

David W,

I forgot about Rudy! LOL I was trying to remember why I voted for a Repub (Carlson) over the Dem who I couldn't remember, but you are right. Perpich was a crazy old guy who was anti-choice...

You're right that was a great election! My first intro to Republican sex scandals.

Anyone remember the last time McCain had any GOOD news??

JoyousMN, you'll definitely enjoy this letter to the editor in the Oct. 21st St. Paul Pioneer Press:

'I regret you have chosen not to endorse'

I am proud to be a resident of St. Paul and pleased to be a daily reader of your paper and your opinions.

In what everyone agrees is one of the most significant elections of our lifetime, I regret you have chosen not to endorse. You said you would endorse if you "thought we had special access to the facts or brought special insight to the decision ... we have no such insight."

May I suggest you have an insight no other paper in the nation has? You have seen both the candidates, and the parties they have been endorsed to represent, at their best when speaking to America's future.

On June 4, the day he did the seemingly impossible and won the Democratic nomination from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama was in St. Paul. Some 35,000 Minnesotans lined our city's streets, with the help of our city's police force, and everyone I spoke to said they and their families were there "to be a part of history in the making" — not to bash Republicans.

On Sept. 4, the national Republican Party came to Minnesota to endorse John McCain, to bash Obama and to turn down our nationally esteemed governor as McCain's running mate in favor of the neophyte governor of Alaska.

The Republican president, whom McCain supported strongly in Congress and in the election of 2004, was not here, and of all the convention speakers, only Laura Bush had kind things to say about him.

Your readers have less insight than you should have, and I've no doubt they will express it, as Gen. Colin Powell did Oct. 19. They will do so in the same record numbers at the polls as they did Feb. 5 at the St. Paul precinct caucuses, another "insight" I suggest you missed.

Dave Durenberger, St. Paul

The writer represented Minnesota as a Republican member of the U.S. Senate from 1978 to 1995.

Damn, I missed that letter from Durenburger.

What people said about Arne Carlson upthread: the MN Republicans never liked him, and in fact ran a total wingnut against him in the 1994 primary.

Carlson's the only Republican I've ever voted for, and I'd much rather have him than our current governor.

Living close to Minnesota (West Fargo) politics from there would seep over the border. Still one of the goofiest elections that I can remember...and when it comes to Minnesota, that's saying something.

"Arne Carlson is a little tougher to ignore."

Actually, not.

Carlson is the kind of "moderate" turncoat RINO the Dems drag out of the closet every four years to endorse the Democratic nominee (Carlson endorsed Kerry in 2004. So did Milliken. So dont be surprised in 2012 when he endorses the Democrat nominee again, whoever it may be). Which has no effect upon real conservatives!