Discover GOP Opprobrium

[teapeebubbles]

Another Republican ends up fed up with the GOP, adding Colorado to the list of states with high-profile switches from the GOP to the Democratic Party.

State Rep. Debbie Stafford, a longtime Republican known for her passionate arguments on behalf of abused animals and foster kids, ditched her party Thursday to join majority Democrats.

The Aurora lawmaker's surprise move - announced as she stood with a dozen cheering Democrats - was the first time in 20 years that a state lawmaker switched parties.

Republican reaction ranged from flippant to seething, as the Democrats' House majority climbed to 40-25 and Republicans were left with just five female lawmakers in the state Capitol.

"I am not leaving the Republican Party as much as the Republican Party left me," Stafford said. "I decided it was time to place myself, and my self-respect, ... with the Democratic Party.

From an email press release:

[Stafford] said, "Like many others in Colorado who want to balance the role of government, who want to protect business yet show compassion for those less fortunate, who want to stand up for citizens who have been lost in bureaucracy, I find that I am in the middle of the political spectrum.

Like many others in Colorado who want to balance the role of government, who want to protect business yet show compassion for those less fortunate, who want to stand up for citizens who have been lost in bureaucracy, I find that I am in the middle of the political spectrum."

The "middle", once again, is shown to be the Democratic Party, not whatever it is that Republicans have turned into (theocrats, neocons, and corporate cons).

This seemed like a good time as any to see the state of party switching in the country. Wikipedia has an imperfect list which I edited a bit for accuracy:

2004
US Rep. Rodney Alexander of Louisiana
Louisiana State Rep. Billy Montgomery
US Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas

2005
Pennsylvania Rep. Michael Diven (defeated in 2006)

2006
Georgia Rep. Mickey Channell
Florida Rep. Will Kendrick
Maryland Sen. John Giannetti (defeated)
Tennessee Sen. Don McLeary (defeated)
Florida Rep. Sheri McInvale (defeated)

2007
Mississippi Sen. James Walley
Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy (Sen. Landrieu's likely 2008 foe)



Now check out the Dem list.

2005

Bucks County Pennsylvania County Commissioner Andy Warren
Kansas attorney Paul Morrison (now Kansas Attorney General)

2006

Former Reagan Navy Secretary James Webb (now US Senator from Virginia)
Kansas GOP Party Chairman Mark Parkinson (now Kansas Lt. Governor)
Oklahoma Sen. Nancy Riley (was GOP whip)
Nebraska Auditor Kate Witek
Montana State Sen. Sam Kitzenberg
Washington Rep. Rodney Tom (now a state senator)
Connecticut Rep. Diana Urban
NBA star Charles Barkley, running for Alabama governor in 2010

2007

Louisiana State Sen. Walter Boasso
Illinois State Sen. Paul D. Froehlich
New York Assemblyman Mike Spano
Westchester NY District Attorney Janet DiFiore
Missouri Sen. Chris Koster
Hawaii State Sen. Michael Gabbard
Kentucky Rep. Milward Dedman
Kentucky Rep. Melvin B. Henley.
Texas State Rep. Kirk England
Colorado Rep. Debbie Stafford



It's interesting that the GOP's successes remain in the South, and even then, only the Deep South party switchers survived the voters after their party switches. Meanwhile, Democrats are making gains in border states (Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky), as well as other traditionally Republican states (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado).

And that's not including former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, who left the GOP for the Libertarian Party, and newly minted independents like ousted Sen. Lincoln Chafee, NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Tennessee State Sen. Michael Williams.

More than that, between 1980 and 2004, Wikipedia lists 15 Republicans switching parties, and some of them are pretty lame (like me being on that list).

On the other hand, during that same time frame, 67 Democrats switched parties to the GOP, including a healthy number of congressmen and senators.

Yet just six Democrats switched to the GOP in 2005 and 2006, and only two of those survived the wrath of the voters. Meanwhile, Democrats are making huge gains in picking up disaffected Republicans.

Times are really a'changing.