This is new, but the story is as old as the hills.
Freshman Congressman Parker Griffith has announced he is changing from the Democrat to the Republican Party. See link to Politico video below. (edit-the video wouldn't play. So the link is to the article where the video is. click it and then the video-end edit)
-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30914.html
---------------
That a politician would switch sides is not new by any means and by itself would not mean a lot. This was done on principle and that is different. This was done when outside forces were needed to keep the ball rolling. Parker Griffith had been wrestling with his conscience for awhile over his votes for the Liberal agenda pushed by Speaker Pelosi and voted against her to be Speaker again.
The ball we need to keep rolling that I mentioned was the momentum we picked up from the Tea Party thing to the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia and a special election in the state senate of Michigan.
Things like this did happen before, and though seemingly random when put together they were the start of something that had a life of its own.
What impressed me about Congressman Griffith was first that he was a doctor. Second his integrity for voting as a Democrat against the Health Care Bill which he called “a major threat to our economy, it is a threat to our nation and it is a threat to our health care system.”
Later he says there is no room in the Democrat party for basically 2/3rds of the American people.
Listen to it and see how I came up with that one.
I got a bumper sticker in the mail a couple months ago that read. “Stop Pelosi” then under it read, “ www.BoehnerForSpeaker.com ”. People thought I was nuts. I really don’t know how possible that is for 2010 but this unexpected flip of a seat brings Boehner one seat closer. Will other Blue Dogs out there do the same? As the article below from which I lifted the video makes clear, Pelosi and crew were in a panic calling up other blue dogs to stop any possible revolt. All I can say is
L000000000000000000bama00000000000000000000L
Then I remember Peter Wallsten wrote for the Wall Street Journal that there were some retirements coming up in the Democrat party in competitive districts, and made the case that these Congressmen aren’t running again due to an increased threat to their chances because of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi pushing an unpopular and as Congressman Griffith would say a far left agenda.
-----link-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126083696917991347.html
---------------
The article does point out that there are as of Dec 15th, 13 Republicans retiring and 11 Democrats. The trend as he points out however has been for the Dems to retire recently, 4 of whom announced within a few weeks. (I would think Obama’s drastic fall in the polls recently had a big influence). Also 4 others were mentioned as possible.
Is Boehner’s quest possible? Below is a link to the Partisan History of the US House and also a link within it to the History of the Senate.
-----link-----
http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/partyDiv.html
---------------
From that table you will see that in the 1996 election we went from the Republicans behind the Dems 176 seats to 258 to getting ahead of them by 12 (230 204). The numbers this time around starts out with us again actually 1 seat ahead of where we were in 1996 and if you count Griffith’s switch 2 seats up and a total of 178-256.
The magic # is 218 for control of the House, that is a pick up of 41 seats. All would agree a Herculean task indeed. But it was done before as the chart tells us.
What history tells us also is that it took a perfect storm of a couple dozen Dems retiring, plus a voting public upset with the failed promises of Liberal Democrats along with the encroachment on their individual freedoms by an overreaching governmental bureaucracy came together under the brilliant leadership of Congressman Newt Gingrich and his “Contract with America”.
What we have this time is everything but Newt and the Contract with America. Will the Tea Party movement galvanize and collect enough of the angst out there, are they a force that can build a coalition as Newt did? Most would say no. I say wait.
Wait and see how they grow and spread out and broaden out. If they don’t they will die off.
The other thing would be for a person to step up to take the mantle of leader. Is Minority Leader Boehner up to it. Perhaps not like a Gingrich but perhaps in other ways. There still needs a face to be put on this whole thing to make it personal to the voters. Where will that come from.
Perhaps the Tea Party is the way it will come about. Perhaps not.
I will keep hoping for the right leader but we and I need to keep working as we have been to keep the ground fertile for the seeds to grow.
The real revolution to be lasting needs to come from the State Legislatures as well as from the Fed. It will keep growing if we keep putting our sweat and tears into it.
That will be my sacrifice to make this dream into a reality.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
No comments:
Post a Comment