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December 22, 2009
Bama Dem Becomes a Republican
Topics: Political News and commentariesPolitico reports that Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Alabama, will announce today that he's switching parties to become a Republican. As Politico points out, his party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010:
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Griffith, who captured the seat in a close 2008 open seat contest, will become the first Republican to hold the historically Democratic, Huntsville-based district. A radiation oncologist who founded a cancer treatment center, Griffith plans to blast the Democratic health care bill as a prime reason for his decision to switch parties--and is expected to cite his medical background as his authority on the subject.Take home question: Are we seeing the beginning of a trend? "Recent retirements of of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010," and now Griffin. In any event, it's a start in the right direction (no pun intended).While the timing of his announcement was unexpected, Griffith's party switch will not come as a surprise to those familiar with his voting record, which is one of the most conservative among Democrats.
He has bucked the Democratic leadership on nearly all of its major domestic initiatives, including the stimulus package, health care legislation, the cap-and trade energy bill and financial regulatory reform.
He was one of only 11 House Democrats to vote against the stimulus.
"Look at his voting record - he's had substantial differences philosophically with the Democratic agenda here in Congress," said an Alabama ally who is familiar with Griffith's decision. "It's something that's been discussed for the last several months... talking to people in his family. And it genuinely is a reflection of where he feels. It's his own personal conviction."
Posted by Richard at December 22, 2009 12:11 PM
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