Anyone surfed over to
"Democrats for Bush" lately? Their website is far superior to the text-laden
"Republicans for Kerry" site.
A recent press release put out by the DemBushers claims that its 400-strong "Leadership Team" has 75 current or former Democratic officials (actually, they refer to them as "Democrat elected officials" which proves that a Republican wrote that thing). The team also supposedly has 3,000 "grassroots supporters."
In other words, it's mostly for show, kinda like all those citizens groups that Dick Nixon created out of thin air. Kerry, who will probably win more former Bush voters than Bush will win Gore voters, is set up to look bad yet again in the eyes of the all-seeing punditocracy.
I posted the entire list after the jump. I counted 30 or so who are current office-holders, and most of those are in Georgia and Mississippi, solid red states. However, they do have some major bigshots from Florida, including a former Speaker and some big-city mayors, plus the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, of course.
National Leadership Team Members of Democrats for Bush include:
Doug Barnard, Former Congressman, GA
Robert Allen Blankenship, Retired Sheriff of Faulkner County, AR
Bill Brewster, Former Congressman, OK
David Butler II, Mayor of Woodworth, LA
Doug Darling, Michigan Agriculture Commissioner, MI
David Dermer, Mayor of Miami Beach, FL
Bill Drew, Former President of the Milwaukee City Council, WI
Dick Kimbler, Former President of the United Mine Workers of America Labor Union, WV
Paul T. McCommons, Vice President of Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, PA
Jim Naugle, Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, FL
Tim Sheldon, State Senator, WA
James Stanton, Former Congressman, OH
Robin Tallon, Former Congressman, SC
James Harold Thompson, Former Speaker of the State House, FL
C. Vincent Townsend, Past President of the Eastern Panhandle Medical Society and West Virginia Heart Association, WV
Larry Townsend, Former State Democrat Party Chairman, KY
William White, Former Chief of Staff to Senator John Glenn, OH
Complete list of Democrats for Bush National Steering Committee
Steven Allred Current Member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Former Member of the United Mine Workers of America Labor Union
WV
Peter Antonacci Commission on Ethics
FL
Doug Barnard Former Congressman
GA
Bill Batoff Major Democrat Fundraiser, Clinton/Gore State Finance Chair
PA
Paul Berube Pastor
NH
Timothy Binning Vice President for the Daniel J. Edelman Company
VA
Ken Birdsong State Representative
GA
Barney Bishop President and CEO of the Windsor Group and Former Executive Director of the Florida Democrat Party
FL
Robert Allen Blankenship Retired Sheriff of Faulkner County
AR
Richard Blewitt President, Rowan and Blewitt, Inc.
VA
Mike Boggs State Representative
GA
Bill Brewster Former Congressman
OK
Wayne Brown Southern District Transportation Commissioner
MS
Greg Butler Mayor of Morton
MS
David Butler II Mayor of Woodworth
LA
Charlie Capps State Representative
MS
James Lynn Cartlidge Forrest County Supervisor
MS
Bob Crawford Executive Director, Florida Citrus Commission
FL
Doug Darling Michigan Agriculture Commissioner
MI
Gary Dearman Supervisor of Greene County
MS
David Dermer Mayor of Miami Beach
FL
John Dillingham Dillingham Enterprises
MO
Duane Dillon Sheriff of Walthall County
MS
Bill Drew Former President of the Milwaukee City Council
WI
Noble Ellington State Senator
LA
Randy Ewing Former State Senate Majority Leader
LA
Johnny Floyd State Representative
GA
Dr. Michael Fortunato Family Physician at Wheeling Hospital
WV
Paula Galbraith Clerk, Armstrong County
PA
David Gambrell Former U.S. Senator
GA
Sander Gerber Jewish Community Activist
NY
Howard Godwin Highlands County Sheriff
FL
Dick Greco Former Mayor of Tampa
FL
Raymond Earl Greene Private Investment Council/Workforce Investment
PA
Roy E. Hebron Mayor of the City of Ball
LA
Richard Heideman Heideman, Lezell, Nudelman & Kalik, P.C.
MD
Penny Houston State Representative
GA
Jeanette Jamieson State Representative
GA
Charles Jenkins State Representative
GA
Danny Jordan Union County Supervisor
MS
Dick Kimbler Former President of the United Mine Workers of America Labor Union
WV
Richard Kyle County Commissioner
PA
Jim Langdon Senior Executive Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer Feld LLP
DC
Keith Lee Jeppson & Lee/VanCott, Campaign Manager for former Governor and Senator Richard Bryan of Nevada
NV
Jay Lemoine District Attorney
LA
Brian Lunde Former Executive Director, Democrat National Committee
DC
David Madison Mayor of Bexley
OH
John Joe Martinez Business Owner
NM
Palemon Martinez Taos County Farm and Ranch Organizations Officer
NM
Judi May Mendenhall City Clerk
MS
Paul T. McCommons Vice President of Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police
PA
Charlie McDonald State Representative
LA
Manuel Medina CEO of Terremark
FL
Cynthia Michaud Assessor for the Town of Albion
ME
Cara Millard Cromwell Vice President for the Daniel J. Edelman Company
RI
William Miner Northern District Transportation Commissioner
MS
Wayne Mixson Former Governor of Florida
FL
Dan Morrish State Representative
LA
Bill Mosby Alderman of the City of Canton
MS
George Mullen VFW Adjutant, 13th District
PA
J. Brian Munroe Former DNC Senior Staffer
DC
Jim Naugle Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
FL
Geraldine Osborn Former St. Louis City Alderman
MO
Bobby Parham State Representative
GA
Dave Phillips Former North Carolina Secretary of Commerce
NC
Janet Porter Treasurer, Catron County Reserve
NM
William Preismeyer Manatee County Environment and Public Works
FL
Andy Quinn Member, Minnesota Corn Growers Association Board of Directors
MN
Robert Ray State Representative
GA
Ed Roark Bunker Hill Township Supervisor
MI
James Lamar Roberts, Jr. Former State Supreme Court Justice
MS
Carl Rogers State Representative
GA
Larry Ruvo Bush-Cheney '04 Nevada Finance Chair
NV
Dean Patrick Saunders Former State Representative
FL
Thom Serrani Former Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut
VT
Tim Sheldon State Senator
WA
Chuck Sims State Representative
GA
Lucie Skouteris Small Business Owner
NH
Mike Snow State Representative
GA
Sue Spicer Independent Insurance Contractor for State Farm
WV
James Stanton Former Congressman
OH
Robin Tallon Former Congressman
SC
James Harold Thompson Former Speaker of the State House
FL
C. Vincent Townsend Past President of the Eastern Panhandle Medical Society* and West Virginia Heart Association
WV
Larry Townsend Former State Democrat Party Chairman
KY
Kenneth Trentham Former County Commissioner for Bollinger
MO
Steve Uhlfelder University of Florida Regent and Florida Counsel for Clinton/Gore 1996
FL
Fidel Vargas Former Mayor of Baldwin Park and the current Vice President of Reliant Equity Investors
CA
Mike Verich Former State Representative
OH
Sterling Watson Gadsden County Commissioner
FL
Whitney Robert White Former Clinton Political Appointee
PA
William White Former Chief of Staff to Senator John Glenn
OH
Virgil Williams Zell Miller's former Chief of Staff
GA
W.A. Woodham Gadsden County Sheriff
FL
Ernest Wooton State Representative
LA
Angie Wozniak Government Affairs Executive
MN
Daniel Wozniak Former Chief Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals
MN