Two black Democrats switch party

Two black Democrats switch party

Ben Smith
Politico.com
December 11, 2010

The exodus of white Democrats to the GOP in southern state legislatures this year is the last chapter of a very old story about realignment, one that -- in this homogenous media age -- has finally come to the most local levels of politics.

This, in Georgia, is something different -- and striking to insider because one of the switchers, Ashley Bell, is a former president of the College Democrats seen not that long ago as a Democratic rising star:

Two African-American Democrats on Thursday announced that they were joining the Republican Party.

Hall County Commissioner Ashley Bell and former state executive committee member Andre Walker said the Democratic Party had grown too liberal and they are finding a new home with the Republicans.

The state GOP touted Bell as the first black elected official in modern times in Georgia to leave the Democrats for the GOP. But that distinction belongs to former state Sen. Roy Allen of Savannah, who joined the Republican Party in 1994.

Bell was introduced as a Republican at a news conference Thursday at party headquarters.

“My district is pretty Republican as it is,” Bell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “My wife and I have been thinking about this for six months.”

Another arrow in liberalism's heart.

And then in Texas.............

Ritter Tells Associates He'll Join Republicans

Ross Ramsey
Texas Tribune
December 11, 2010

State Rep. Allan Ritter, D-Nederland, is telling associates he will switch to the Republican Party next week. Ritter was not immediately available for comment.

That would give the GOP a 100-member supermajority in the Legislature's lower chamber — a number that allows them to pass constitutional amendments and other matters without seeking support from the Democrats.

A Ritter switch would also give Speaker Joe Straus another vote in the House Republican Caucus, which could turn out to be the forum where the next speaker is chosen. Straus foes within the GOP say they want a leader who can get the post without depending, as Straus did two years ago, on support from the minority party. Straus says he has the majority of the Republicans on his side; a vote inside the caucus would prove it.

Ritter, who would have been a candidate two years ago had the Democrats had a majority, is now with Straus.

The East Texan is in a conservative district; in fact, after the Republican sweep in the latest election, his is the most conservative seat in the House represented by a Democrat. He was one of the survivors in the elections last month, a result that might have been different if the Republicans had found a candidate to run against him.

Ritter isn't alone. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, has been considering a switch for more than a week. It's been a year since state Rep. Chuck Hopson of Jacksonville jumped the fence and became a Republican. He won his re-election by a larger margin than he ever produced as a Democrat.

I'm not sure I like these Democrats jumping ship on their party. One has to question their motives here. Are we to actually believe that these guys have had an honest "come to Jesus" moment on their liberal core values and now see the wisdom of conservative values? Or are they just changing parties out of a desire to save their skins and keep their jobs?

The last thing the Republican Party needs is another boatload of RINO's who will torpedo the Party's reputation with the public by siding with Democrats on the tough votes.

I for one am not so quick to hold a party here. I will wait and see how they comport themselves when the going gets tough.

Apparently they were conservative to begin with. We shall see though.

TexasBlue wrote:Apparently they were conservative to begin with. We shall see though.

If they were conservative to begin with, then why did they join the Democratic Party? Seems pretty specious to me.

Maybe they got conservative while being there. It does happen.

TexasBlue wrote:Maybe they got conservative while being there. It does happen.

I suppose, but you can be sure I will be keeping an eye on them.

Probably an Arlen Specter-type thing.

kronos wrote:Probably an Arlen Specter-type thing.

That was my first gut instinct; a purely political maneuver.

But has anyone noticed that hardly anyone switches from GOP to Dem? It's mostly the other way around. Specter was a Democrat back in the 60's when he first got in the Senate.