Democratic Party Issues Statement After Elected Officials Switch Parties

[FBaggins]

The Alabama Democratic Party Tuesday lambasted nine elected Democratic officials in Covington and Tuscaloosa counties for ignoring the will of the voters by switching to the Republican Party.

It is the personal prerogative of local elected officials to join any political party they wish. Yet the crucial question in yesterday's party switches in Tuscaloosa and Covington counties is whether the voters of these counties have been fairly treated. For each office on the ballot in these nine cases, the voters chose Democrats to serve the interests of their families and communities, not Republicans.

Newly-elected Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Mark Kennedy said, “These new Republicans won their seats with significant help and sacrifice from local Democrats, and Alabama Democrats will provide significant help and sacrifice to the nominees we will field in each of these nine future elections."

These party switchers have subverted the will of the voters. These were not acts of integrity as some claim, but selfish acts of self-interest. Three of these newly-minted Republicans were just re-elected as Democrats just three months ago, and if they were interested in serving the people they would have resigned their offices and stood for election as Republicans. Giving voters a choice rather than forcing them to be represented by members of a party whose nominees they have continually rejected would have been the honorable thing to do.


http://www.wncftv.com/localnews/Democratic-Party-Issues-Statement-After-9-Switch-Parties-115049074.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. Further proof: Republicons do not do honor

at all.

That is all.

[msongs]

2. dudes it's called being bipartisan, recommended by the dems highest leaders dont you know? nt

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. I don't think President Obama (I assume that's who you're referring to)

endorses party-switching (which is hardly considered "bipartisanship")- unless we all missed something? :shrug:

[Smashcut]

6. Must be why he contined to support Lieberman.

And Arlen Specter.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. They became (or caucused) with the Democratic Majority

Those were IMHO pretty unique circumstances. I don't think that he wants to see Democrats jump ship and become Republicans though.

[CakeGrrl]

11. You didn't miss anything.

Some just want to blame the President for everything.

Let's wait and see about this massive storm...

:eyes:

[Control-Z]

4. Huh?

That makes no sense.

[impik]

13. Man, you're pathetic.

[craigmatic]

5. It was a shitty thing to do but in AL there's very little difference between the parties.

It's like the difference between Eisenhower repubs and Reagan repubs.

[Jennicut]

15. I would dare to say that many of those former Dems are probably

more conservative then the Repubs in Connecticut, where I live.

[Imajika]

7. The last of the southern Democrats are fading away...

Democrats were losing the south for quite awhile but had managed to hold on to many of the state legislative seats. The past election cycle was a wipe out on a massive scale. We lost hundreds of state legislative seats and Democrats have been switching to the Republican party since. I think we are now well over 700 state legislative seats lost including the 2010 elections and subsequent party switchers.

The House and Senate losses were bad, but the crushing defeat on the state legislative level is where the real disaster was.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. they should be made to pay back the money for their campaigns

[ElsewheresDaughter]

10. recall them and hold a special election to replace them

[vaberella]

12. Is it just me or doesn't this sound like a set up?

Like this plan was set up to undermine not only the Democratic party but also Obama?

[FBaggins]

14. Nah. It's the same thing that often happens after "wave" elections.

Take a look at early 1995. There was lots of party switching going on.