Democratic Congressman May Switch Parties

[Freddie Stubbs]

Alexander of Quitman says Kerry too liberal

Friday March 05, 2004

By Bruce Alpert
Washington bureau

WASHINGTON -- First-term Rep. Rodney Alexander, D-Quitman, is "seriously considering" leaving the Democratic Party because he says the party's likely presidential candidate is too liberal, and that he might be able to better represent his constituents as a Republican.

Alexander said Thursday that he has talked with Republican leaders about a possible switch and wants to make up his mind quickly, perhaps this weekend.

The major argument for staying put, he said, is that some leading Democrats, including Sen. John Breaux, worked hard to help him gain his narrow upset victory in 2002 over Republican Lee Fletcher.

"I'd be letting some people down who worked very hard for me and I would hate to let anybody down," Alexander said.

more: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1078480764327410.xml

[CO Liberal]

1. Let Him Switch

Then the Dems can nominate a REAL Democrat and throw his ass out of office in November.

"kick:

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. If by 'REAL Democrat' you mean a liberal, you can forget about it

The district is conservative. It will elect a conservative Democrat or a Republican.

[CO Liberal]

13. By a "REAL Democrat"...

...I mean someone who is not a turn-coat traitor, like our asshole senior Senator here in Colorado, Ben Nightmare Campbell.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Ordinarily I would go with your reasoning

But sometimes character really does matter. This guy is a frigging opportunist who used the Democratic Party to get into office. It's not like there has been some huge shift in the Democratic Party since he first decided to run as a Democrat. It's the same Party. He doesn't like the nominee this year so suddenly, AFTER the Democrats get him in office, he decides maybe I can be a Republican after all now that I got that other Republican who was in Congress out of the way. I'll put up with a principled Conservative Democrat in a Conservative district. This guy is a donkey of a different color.

[CO Liberal]

18. Rather Than a Donkey of a Different Color.....

...he's just a jackass.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

17. It is pretty faithless to be elected on one ticket and then wish to defect

Those voters chose the Democratic Party, not just the individual representative.

[CO Liberal]

19. That's What Ben Nightmare Campbell Did in Colorado

He was elected to the House and then to the Senate as a Democrat, and then switched parties after Newt Gingrich took over the House in 1994.

Campbell does not represent Colorado - he represents Campbell. And while I'm sorry to hear about his current medical ailments, I'm glad to see his sorry ass go.

[CTLawGuy]

23. thats what Trent Lott said about Jim Jeffords...

so I would watch that argument. He has a right to be in whatever party he wants to be in.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

24. The only right is the right of the electors to be represented

by the party of their choice. That supercedes all other rights. I don't like turcoats, period.

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. Good riddance to bad rubbish

Actually, I know absolutely nothing about the Congressman in question, but anyone who can call Kerry "too liberal" after his voting record under the BCE regime, doesn't belong in this party. Don't let the door hit you in the ass. :grr:

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. they should kick him out of the party now

Little wimpturd.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. Yeah, threatening to leave should be grounds for expulsion.

This is simple blackmail.

[truhavoc]

4. Nice, use our money THEN have a change of heart n/t

[ramapo]

5. Conservatism is just a marketing ploy

I am so tired of this liberal bashing nonsense.

The Republican "Conservative" movement is more than 20 years old. When will people figure out that the trickle-down, tax-cut shams are nothing more than throwing some crumbs to the working and middle class while the upper class stocks up on the bread.

People eat up the "death" tax rhetoric while the Republicans laugh all the way to the bank.

[BlueEyedSon]

7. And take Zell Miller with you!

[Blue_Roses]

8. this sentence says it all

"The major argument for staying put, he said, is that some leading Democrats, including Sen. John Breaux, worked hard to help him gain his narrow upset victory in 2002 over Republican Lee Fletcher."

Breaux has a very conservative voting record.

[dae]

44. However, Breaux has endorsed Kerry and was with him in NO Friday.

As to your post #9, I'm afraid it would be highly improbable to find a Dem to run if he switches. It took Gephardt, Breaux, and many others to get Alexander to run.:)

[Blue_Roses]

9. And ANOTHER thing

I'm sure there are more than enough WILLING Democrats ready to fill his seat. Good riddance to turncoats

[MODemocrat]

11. Don't let the door hit you on your way out

That's the most absurd thing I've heard since Zell Miller. Those two need to switch parties right away. Nothing like biting the hand that fed those two.

:thumbsdown:

[indepat]

12. So anything left of center is "too liberal," but nothing right of Attila

the Hun is too conservative?

[Kimber Scott]

15. I wonder what all the Democrats who voted for him think.

Bastard.

:grr:

[dae]

46. Being one of those who had him in my home, introduced him to the

grassroots gotv workers, and raised funds for him, I'm pretty PO'd.
Hastert, and DeLay have been promising him practically anything he wanted. Rumors keep popping up every few months about him switching. His staff is almost 100% loyal Dem's(real good for his type District). Allows good reliable proven sources of information.
In other words, he turned down a whole buncha money and a seat on a coveted committee assignment not usually given to junior Congressmen.
Do I think that excuses him for flirting with the forces of evil, NO.
Do I think the Dems better be on guard in the future, YES.
I let my displeasure be known already. I wasn't the first to call his office and the way the phone was ringing in the background, I wasn't going to be the last they heard from.:)
:dem::kick:

[dorktv]

16. The hard work on their effort did not stop a local guy from

switching. He got us Dems to get his name on the ballot then switched. What a smeghead.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. Is this some sort of deliberate stealth tactic, I wonder

A candidate knows that he can't win as a Republican because the district is slightly more Dem, but he's actually a Republican, so he puts on a donkey jacket temporarily, gets elected with Dem support, and then goes back to his roots.

If he really believes what he's saying, then he's too stupid to be in public office. How is a Senator who supported some of Bush's worst initiatives "too liberal"?

[dorktv]

39. Long term voting record and the knee jerk reaction of

Democrat=Liberal. Makes me want to yell: UH DUH THAT IS WHY WE ARE THE OPPOSING PARTY!!!

[PATRICK]

21. So the pre-quit speech

is to prepare or test his constituency(very dicey unless the Republicans promised not to later replace him) or is it a warning to Democrats that he needs help or a better deal?

Sadly, it usually is only the former, but mow that we are stuck with this careerist try making a deal. Is it only the GOP that uses pressure and every trick in the book to rack up a vote for their side? And we seem still to be the ones sacrificing ideology to get the nominal party Rep. every single time. The RINOs sit secure until the radical Right GOP gets around to them.

Does the jerk realize his seat may be quite secure in the event of a Kerry victory or is he regulated by Diebold machines?

[WI_DEM]

22. I'm tired of these bastards

who are elected on the democratic ticket switching parties. The only reason they do it is because they feel it would be easier to get re-elected. They have no principles whatsoever. Let this Benedict Arnold go and lets defeat him in November.

[sharkey377]

25. Funny we didn't

Seem to mind when Senator J. Jeffords defected turning the senate majority to the DEM'S

[Evil_Dewers]

26. when Senator J. Jeffords defected

Strange choice of words.

Gotcha.

[CO Liberal]

27. Jeffords Didn't "Defect to the DEM's"...

He switched to "Independent".

Please get your facts straight before you start slinging mud.

[Evil_Dewers]

29. Defected???

The White House put the squeeze on Jeffords, and even that PORS (piece of racist shit) Lott didn't want to screw Jeffords, so when Jeffords resigned from the Repugnantcan party, the White House blamed Lott and later forced him out after his Strom Thurmond white sheeted rally err birthday party comments.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

28. Do you have quotes from all of us on that very subject?

Or is that just a lame generalization?

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Evil_Dewers]

34. I love Daleks

Ex---ter---min---ate!!!

Ex---ter---min---ate!!!

They did have a huge problem with navigating stairs, though.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

35. No. No it isn't.

The Daleks realised the glaring flaw in their plans for galactic domination when the number of metal-floored flat planets turned out to be disappointingly low.

[CO Liberal]

36. I Believe It Is

You may want to edit that above post, if you still have time.

[Evil_Dewers]

37. Thanks, Colorado Liberal

Edited, but at least a couple of people (including you) saw it.

[ibegurpard]

30. I see

And just who would the good congressman have preferred? Sorry, but the party doesn't need this kind of dead weight. If he's going to leave over something like this then it's best he goes now, in my opinion.

[Maddy McCall]

33. He probably was never a Democrat anyway...happened to us in Mississippi

We Democrats worked our asses off to get Amy Tuck elected Lt. Gov. in 2000. Briefly after she was sworn in, she changed her party identification to Republican, because, she said, she no longer identified with Democratic values.

[Freddie Stubbs]

40. He has been an elected Democrat for over 25 years

This wasn't the 1st elected position that he has held.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

41. Then why this now? Is Kerry really more liberal than Mondale or Dukakis?

[dawn]

38. Good riddance!

Don't let the door hit ya on the way out.

[Doomsayer13]

42. Update

according to Roll Call, Alexander has decided to stay a Democrat. Honestly, he's from a very conservative district, and from a district like that I'll take what I can get.

[jsw_81]

43. Fuck him

[fujiyama]

45. He SHOULD Leave!

He backed Bush over Gore!? :WTF:

This guy is some democrat. He should leave and take that Zell with him.

I don't like Breux's voting record very much, but I do admire him for backing Kerry and support him. I know he's popular in LA. I hope he actively campaigns for him

[Piperay]

47. Farewell and

don't let the door hit your ass on the way out you stinking turncoat traitor! (that's my message to him) :puke: