Alabama Democrat Casts His Lot With G.O.P. [What?]

NY Times ^ | January 4, 2009 | Campbell Robertson

[UAConservative]

ANDALUSIA, Ala. — Among the men who gather every morning at 6 o’clock at the Church’s Chicken here on Three Notch Street, there is general agreement that the Obama administration is doing a very bad job of running the country. And the stakes are as high, as one coffee drinker put it, as the survival of the country’s culture, economy and way of life.

Yet this group is represented in the House by a Democrat, Bobby Bright. And they are actually fond of him. For now.

“I like Bobby,” said Glenn Cook, 72, a retired electrical engineer. “I think he’s a great guy and a fine Christian man. But when he first came out, I wished that he’d been a Republican.”

In the deep-red states of the South, it is very hard these days to be a Blue Dog, as members of the group of 52 centrist House Democrats are known. Suspicions about the Obama administration’s expansive view of government power have made the Democratic label so toxic in some parts of the South that merely voting like a Republican — as many Blue Dogs do — may no longer be enough.

If that is true, Mr. Bright recently became Alabama’s sole test case.

On Dec. 22, Representative Parker Griffith, a freshman representing the northernmost district in the state, announced that he was switching to the Republican Party. His defection was a bad sign for Democratic hopes of retaining seats in the South, specifically in Alabama, which has moved ever more securely into the Republican column since the mid-1960s, after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 permanently altered Southern politics.

[afraidfortherepublic]

What a poorly written article.

[Always Right]

which has moved ever more securely into the Republican column since the mid-1960s, after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 permanently altered Southern politics.

What BS historical spin. The civil rights act was passed BECAUSE of republicans. It was filibustered by Democrats including Al Gore Sr. 80% of Republicans voted for it. Only about 50% of Democrats did, and they almost stopped its passage.

[OrangeHoof]

If he’s Bright, he should know he needs to switch parties or suffer the consequences.

[JohnQ1]

Without checking your figures, I’ll accept them as right. But most of the media has leaned left for a long time, and their propaganda has worked on many: “Nasty Republicans, nasty! Democrats love us! They promise everything!” Yesss.

Bright is a “problem” for Alabama. America has always been the land of second chances, but if there’s a proven conservative who could win Bright’s seat, why give him that second chance? An interesting race, for sure.

[rightwingextremist1776]

No more RINO and ‘Rat retreads...that’s what got us here......primary their asses out of power.

[jbp1]

this guy is good news right now, but what is necessary is for pols with REAL conservative values to step up. the problem is then getting fair coverage and treatment from the press, because they will ‘spin’ a left-of-RINO to be ‘conservative’ aka, McCain, or just like scarafarozza in PA

[Always Right]

vote...here is the actual vote tally.

[AzaleaCity5691]

Northerner or Southerner?

I have to ask it. Because I grew up in the Deep South and indeed 1964 is the election we view as the seminal election and the election that began the realignment because before then, everyone had been a Democrat because the Democrats had been the party that fought back and liberated us from Reconstruction. The party lost that image in the election of ‘64 largely due to the policies of Johnson.

Now, conservatism did not become identified with the Republican Party really until Reagan and even then, some of the old school guys remained into the 90s. The clear demarcation of Republican=conservative and Democrat=liberal was not really present and in the minds of the entire Southern conscience until after 1994.

[AzaleaCity5691]

Once again, I would rather Bright switch parties right now and at least have another term so we could use him to take the legislature.

What I care about right now is the legislature. I want to win the legislature. No matter what the cost.

[JohnQ1]

I’m not confident that winning the legislature will win the war, but if *you* are confident that Bright will vote as a conservative — at least long enough — I support your plan.