George Armitage
Michael Bloomberg
Pat Buchanan
Lincoln Caffee
Robert B. Fiske
Alan Greenspan
Jim Jeffords
Wiliam Kristol
Rich Lowry
John McCain
John McLaughlin
Robert Novak
Paul O'Neill
Kevin Phillips
Colin Powell
Olympia Snowe
Arlen Specter
George Tenet
Christie Whitman
George Will
.
I wouldn’t call most of those “bashers.” Most of these people have praised Bush for some things and criticized him for others. That’s a good thing; we should want the Republicans to be a party of issues, not a party of personality.
As far as Republicans who have shifted to Democrats, I can only think of three examples.
1. People who grew up in Republican households and became Democrats when they were in the age 18-22 range. The most common reason is that they identify Republicanism with a parent they don’t like.
2. People who were in the Republican party for reasons of convenience and thus have no ideological loyalty anyway. I’m thinking of Lincoln Chaffee and Jim Jeffords.
3. Paul Craig Roberts. He’s in a class by himself. He was once a brilliant economist who now seems to think that 9/11 was an inside job.