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Have to confess that I don't know the process for switching parties for people holding office. Do you just decide to switch and that's it? Do you have to ask the party you want to go to if they will have you? Do you have to get a mentor from the receiving party to sponsor your conversion? Do you have to check with the voters in your district? Do you have to wait to be wooed?
Just read an interesting article about Heath Shuler, western North Carolina congressman and blue dog, who decided to unsuccessfully oppose Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader.
"Shuler survived his election in 2010, but he has a problem — redistricting. North Carolina is unlikely to gain an additional congressional seat, and Shuler’s district will be getting about 50,000 more constituents in 2011. The 2010 elections put Republicans completely in charge of who gets added to his district, meaning that his already conservative district is going to get even more Republican. Unlike a lot of districts, because North Carolina’s 11th district is largely defined by the border between North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, the gerrymandering is unlikely to be obvious, but the effect will be the same. Fifty thousand new constituents, who Shuler has to try to explain why they should vote for someone who isn’t voting for the same candidate for President as they are."
You already know the so-called blue dogs wimped out on all major legislation that came before them for a vote over the last 2 years and the 2010 elections had many conservative districts giving their blue dogs the heave-ho because of it. Shuler, because he opposed Pelosi, will likely be punished for it, by Pelosi, with lousy committee assignments. If he goes to the GOP, he'll have an opportunity to work on the country's financial problems, something he won't be able to do as the boy sent to his room in the Democrat Party.
I don't know that he will be the only pariah in the Democrat Party from the Blue Dogs that survived the 2010. I also don't know which Democrats will be going down from redistricting next year.
3 Questions:
1. Will the now more liberal Democrat minority put its blue dogs, like Heath Shuler, in the closet?
2. To increase their numbers, should the Republicans woo any of them to switch parties?
3. Is it more likely you'd be for the switch if the politician wasn't YOUR representative?
A former congressman before re districting, Tim Holden from Pa voted against Nancy Pelosi being named minority leader. The guy is a blue dog democrat, conservative and yet very pro middle class. He wins re election easily in a republican district. But I don't think he'll change aprties. If anything, conservative democrats will begin to take on more leadership roles in their party.
Actaully they have been a important part of teh democratic party since FDR. I fact the democratic party is made up of alot of special interest as devised by FDR. Really the liberal windg is not a very large part of teh aprty really as the more right of center of the party such as Clniton have dominated it for decades and looks like they are gaining again now.
A former congressman before re districting, Tim Holden from Pa voted against Nancy Pelosi being named minority leader. The guy is a blue dog democrat, conservative and yet very pro middle class. He wins re election easily in a republican district. But I don't think he'll change aprties. If anything, conservative democrats will begin to take on more leadership roles in their party.
I don't think so or Nancy Pelosi being re-voted in to lead the House wouldn't have happened. If anything, the House Democrats are more liberal now than ever before because many blue dogs lost their job.
I don't think they will, or should change parties. The blue dogs are more independent then anything. The left for the most part accept the centrist views of the blue dogs but on the right the blue dogs would be run out of town and not stand a chance. On the right you have to be far, far right and nothing else.
I would rather they stay Democrats. They would vote with the Dems sometimes. We already have enough RINOs. I'm not a numbers game cheerleader. The number of Repubicans in congress is meaningless unless they are conservative.
Have to confess that I don't know the process for switching parties for people holding office. Do you just decide to switch and that's it? Do you have to ask the party you want to go to if they will have you? Do you have to get a mentor from the receiving party to sponsor your conversion? Do you have to check with the voters in your district? Do you have to wait to be wooed?
Just read an interesting article about Heath Shuler, western North Carolina congressman and blue dog, who decided to unsuccessfully oppose Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader.
"Shuler survived his election in 2010, but he has a problem — redistricting. North Carolina is unlikely to gain an additional congressional seat, and Shuler’s district will be getting about 50,000 more constituents in 2011. The 2010 elections put Republicans completely in charge of who gets added to his district, meaning that his already conservative district is going to get even more Republican. Unlike a lot of districts, because North Carolina’s 11th district is largely defined by the border between North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, the gerrymandering is unlikely to be obvious, but the effect will be the same. Fifty thousand new constituents, who Shuler has to try to explain why they should vote for someone who isn’t voting for the same candidate for President as they are."
You already know the so-called blue dogs wimped out on all major legislation that came before them for a vote over the last 2 years and the 2010 elections had many conservative districts giving their blue dogs the heave-ho because of it. Shuler, because he opposed Pelosi, will likely be punished for it, by Pelosi, with lousy committee assignments. If he goes to the GOP, he'll have an opportunity to work on the country's financial problems, something he won't be able to do as the boy sent to his room in the Democrat Party.
I don't know that he will be the only pariah in the Democrat Party from the Blue Dogs that survived the 2010. I also don't know which Democrats will be going down from redistricting next year.
3 Questions:
1. Will the now more liberal Democrat minority put its blue dogs, like Heath Shuler, in the closet?
2. To increase their numbers, should the Republicans woo any of them to switch parties?
3. Is it more likely you'd be for the switch if the politician wasn't YOUR representative?
If they belive in massive and regressive tax cuts for the rich and spending cuts on the middle class and working class than they should switch parties.
If they belive in massive and regressive tax cuts for the rich and spending cuts on the middle class and working class than they should switch parties.
Does this mean Obama should switch parties? There is speculation he will extend "tax cuts for the rich".
Does this mean Obama should switch parties? There is speculation he will extend "tax cuts for the rich".
Probably. If you look at his record so far, he would fall into the moderate republican category.
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