RINO ALERT: MS State Rep. Billy Nicholson Switches Parties

www.meridianstar.com ^ | February 26, 2009 | Jennifer Jacob Brown

[Yosemitest]

MS State Rep. Billy Nicholson Switches Parties
By Jennifer Jacob Brown, February 26, 2009

State Rep. Billy Nicholson of Little Rock has changed parties and is now a Republican rather than a Democrat, the Mississippi Republican Party announced Wednesday.

Nicholson, 61, has served in the Mississippi State House of Representatives since 2000. With Nicholson's switch, there are now 49 Republicans and 73 Democrats in the House.

Nicholson said he changed parties both because he feels the Republican Party is a better match for him philosophically and because the Democratic Party threatened to deny his certification in future elections after his endorsement of a national Republican candidate.

Though the Democratic Party did certify him eventually, he said the experience was one of the main factors in his decision to switch. He also said his disapproval of the federal stimulus bill played a role. He added that he waited to complete his retirement from his workplace before making the switch.

“Truth be told, this was not a difficult decision,”
Nicholson said in a written statement.
“I have no choice but to relinquish my ties with the Democrats and join the Republican Party. It has never been clearer that hope for Mississippi stays alive with the leadership and ideals of the Republicans.”

State Rep. Greg Snowden (R-Meridian), who also joined the House in 2000 and said he is good friends with Nicholson, said the switch was not unexpected.

"I always joked, or at least I meant it as a joke, that he's a better Republican than I am... He's always voted in a very conservative way and represents a conservative part of Newton County."

State House District 78, which Nicholson serves, covers parts of Neshoba, Newton, and Scott Counties.

Snowden said he is happy to see House Republicans increase in number.

"There are more Republicans now than ever in the House since I've been there,"
he said.

Snowden also remarked that Nicholson's switch will mark the first time that black Democrats have outnumbered white Democrats in the House. Currently, he said, there are 37 black Democrats and 36 white Democrats in the House. All of the House Republicans are white.

Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Brad White was pleased to receive the news of Nicholson’s switch.

“I am proud to welcome Rep. Nicholson to the Republican Party,”
White said in a written statement.
“I have said many times that conservatives don’t have a home in the Democratic Party, but Billy, and those like him, certainly has a home with the GOP.”

[Yosemitest]

I grew up knowing Billy Nicholson,
and he may be an okay Democrat, but NEVER a Republican.
I don't support him, and will vote against him. Here's Billy Nicholson's voting record so you can see for yourself.


We don't need no more stinking RINOs.
Just because he did the polling and saw he couldn't win as a Democrat,
doesn't mean we should support him as a RINO.

'Nuff said.

[teg_76]

“there are now 49 Republicans and 73 Democrats in the House. “

Can you explain to me in how a conservative state like MS this D to R ration is possible?

[teg_76]

“there are now 49 Republicans and 73 Democrats in the House. “

GRAMMAR CORRECTION:

Can you explain to me how in a conservative state like MS this D to R ratio is possible?

[Yosemitest]

Most of the state government is only democrat, with no republicans running against them.
Most of the "democrat" voters in Mississippi are DINOs(Democrats In Name Only),
and vote to create havoc in the democrat party.
It's about school boards and county supervisors,
and fighting county tax commissioners.

[teg_76]

Interesting. Thanks for the info!

[river rat]

"Can you explain to me how in a conservative state like MS this D to R ratio is possible?"

Mississippi is approx. 38% black, ~96& voting Democrat (Some voting multiple times, one can assume)

Add that to the white Leftists, Marxists, Homosexuals, Abortion lovers, welfare leaches and self loathing whites - you can elect a lot of Democrats.

[incredulous joe]

yeah, thanks for the feedback.

who’d a thunk it?

[SatinDoll]

So, why haven’t Republicans done more to convince black folk to join the party of emancipation, the Republicans, versus voting for the party of Jim Crow, the Democrats?

I know it isn’t easy but one has to try in order for a change to be made.

[river rat]

The explanation is really quite simple..

Who has championed the expansion of welfare?
Who has championed the expansion of entitlements?
Who has championed Affirmative Action, Set asides, Quota hiring?
Which party contains the Black Congressional Caucus?
Which party is constantly claiming “victimization” of blacks?

Need a hint?

It's the Democrat Party.....
Blacks correctly see the Democrats as the party who places the Government teat in their mouth......and the Republicans as the party that wants to get them off of welfare, off the Democrat plantation and into a job...

That is not an attractive concept.

[Islander7]

Add that to the white Leftists, Marxists, Homosexuals, Abortion lovers, welfare leaches and self loathing whites - you can elect a lot of Democrats.....”

You forgot to mention tens of thousands of ‘northern’ retirees who are polluting the place.

[Islander7]

Mississippi PING!

[wardaddy]

District many of my ancestors sprang forth from after making the wagon train ride from Virginia/Carolinas

[ejonesie22]

The typical black voter does not care what was done FOR them but what is given TO them.

[river rat]

Damn - you mean the “Damned Yankees” have finally discovered Mississippi?

Sad - indeed..

I’ll never forget how our favorite charter boat captain out of Bayou La Batre, AL described the difference between the Yankee Snowbirds and Yankee full time immigrants..

He said they were all like Hemorrhoids...
Those that came down and returned were okay..
Those that came down and remained down - were a pain in the ass.