Proving once again that there’s not really a nickel’s worth of difference between the two major political parties in America, freshman Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama announced Tuesday that he’s switching parties and joining the GOP.
In other words, Griffith is leaving the Socialist party and joining the mushy middle.
To his credit, though,Griffith has voted against nearly every major Democratic agenda item since he took office in January, including the failed “stimulus” bill, the “Cap and Trade” energy tax and President Barack Obama’s socialized medicine proposal.
In fact, he was one of only 11 Democrats to vote against the “stimulus.”
Prior to Griffith’s switch, no Republican had ever held Alabama’s district, which runs along the northern border of the state.
Griffith’s flip is the first in the U.S. House since 2004, when Louisiana Rep. Rodney Alexander also bolted the Democratic party. The last Republican to flip over to the Democratic side of the aisle, former New York Rep. Mike Forbes, promptly lost his seat in the 2000 elections.
So … what does Griffith’s switch mean?
Obviously, not much from a “balance of power” standpoint. He was voting with Republicans on big ticket bills previously, and it stands to reason that he will continue voting with them on those bills moving forward.
The blow, then, will be mostly psychological for the majority party, which is also losing four lawmakers (and counting) to “retirement.”
Also, it appears as though the potential gain for Republicans has yet to be fully exploited, as there are still more than forty U.S. House districts currently held by Democratic lawmakers that were lost in 2008 by Obama, whose approval ratings are currently at an all-time low.
Those lawmakers are …
AL-02: Bobby Bright (36)
AL-05: Parker Griffith (38) – flipped to GOP
AR-02: Vic Snyder (44)
AR-04: Mike Ross (39)
AZ-01: Ann Kirkpatrick (44)
AZ-05: Harry Mitchell (47)
AZ-08: Gabby Giffords (46)
CO-03: John Salazar (47)
CO-04: Betsy Markey (49)
FL-02: Allen Boyd (45)
FL-24: Suzanne Kosmas (49)
GA-08: Jim Marshall (43)
ID-01: Walt Minnick (36)
IN-08: Brad Ellsworth (47)
IN-09: Baron Hill (49)
KY-06: Ben Chandler (43)
LA-03: Charlie Melancon (37)
MD-01: Frank Kratovil (40)
MN-07: Collin Peterson (47)
MO-04: Ike Skelton (38)
MS-01: Travis Childers (38)
MS-04: Gene Taylor (32)
NC-07: Mike McIntyre (47)
NC-11: Heath Schuler (47)
ND-AL: Earl Pomeroy (45)
NM-02: Harry Teague (49)
NY-13: Mike McMahon (49)
NY-29: Eric Massa (48)
OH-06: Charlie Wilson (48)
OH-16: John Boccieri (48)
OH-18: Zack Space (45)
OK-02: Dan Boren (34)
PA-03: Kathy Dahlkemper (49)
PA-10: Chris Carney (45)
PA-12: John Murtha (49)
PA-17: Tim Holden (48)
SC-05: John Spratt (46)
SD-AL: Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (45)
TN-04: Lincoln Davis (34)
TN-06: Bart Gordon (37) – resigning
TN-08: John Tanner (43) – resigning
TX-17: Chet Edwards (32)
UT-02: Jim Matheson (39)
VA-05: Tom Perriello (48)
VA-09: Rick Boucher (40)
WV-01: Alan Mollohan (42)
WV-03: Nick Rahall (42)
Oh, before we forget, props to Politico for breaking this story … and props to Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post for compiling the list …
By Myke Locksmith December 22, 2009 at 3:14 pm
What’s the sense in voting if elected officials are just going to do what they want? How could someone in good conscious switch parties and vote against the interests of its own constituents?
By Mr. Dart December 22, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Not a dime’s worth of difference? This in the same week that all 60 members of the D caucus voted yes and all 40 members of the R caucus no on moving forward the $2.5 Trillion healthcare debacle. That’s a lot of dimes– and a pretty stark difference, brutha.
By fitsnews December 22, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Mr. Dart-
“Republicans” turned Clinton surpluses into massive deficits and nearly doubled the federal debt back when they were in charge.
The spent like drunken sailors and got their asses handed to them in 2006 (and 2008) as a result.
60-40 yadda yadda yadda, dude.
Republicans are the same as Democrats. There’s just a lot of Democrats who have become socialists lately, is all.
-FITS
By Mike Honcho December 23, 2009 at 8:22 am
“‘Republicans’ turned Clinton surpluses into massive deficits and nearly doubled the federal debt back when they were in charge.”
This sentence right here pretty much sums up what makes you and this blog useless. If someone doesn’t tell what something means, you draw you’re own wrong conclusions.
Bill Clinton pushed through the largest increase in history (at that time) and wanted national health care. The people sent us a Congress that corrected that course.
Of course they blew it.
You might be able to gossip monger in the bush leagues around Columbia, but please stop playing over your head.
By Heidi December 23, 2009 at 8:42 am
Ann Coulter, mid-2008*:
“Democrats have become Socialists; Republicans have become Democrats.”
Indeed, we’ve a big gaping hole here somewhere, Mr. Dart.
* – source is fuzzy; that was a long time and a lot of sanity ago.
By ProGunGuy December 23, 2009 at 11:21 am
There WAS no “Clinton surplus.” This was a fallacy foisted on the public by the Clinton administration, using fudged numbers.