GOP Widens Lead in Georgia Senate (They just keep SWITCHING and SWITCHING in Georgia...)

AP ^ | 11-12-2002 | AP

[fieldmarshaldj]

November 12, 2002 at 14:05:15 PST

GOP Widens Lead in Georgia Senate

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA- A fourth Democrat in the Georgia Senate has changed parties, bolstering the Republican majority and giving a boost to GOP Gov.-elect Sonny Perdue.

State Sen. Jack Hill's decision Tuesday gives Republicans a 30-26 edge over Democrats in the chamber and it reversed the Election Day results that gave Democrats a four-seat majority.

Republicans have not controlled a legislative body in Georgia since Reconstruction, and Perdue is the first Republican in 130 years to become governor of the state.

Democrats still control the Georgia House with 106 members to 73 Republicans and one independent.

The new majority means Republicans could strip Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor of his power to appoint committees and assign legislation to committees, leaving him only with the power to preside over debate.

Taylor has called on party switchers to resign and run for re-election as Republicans.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

We have gain about a thousand local, state and national officials to the party in this manner in the last ten years. The huge majority are re-elected the next time around.

[Route66]

This happening in Georgia is actually quite a bit different from your usual party jumping. My father's people were from Georgia. Democrats from Georgia are traditionally VERY conservative.
I was a Democrat well into my adult life. Even after I grew up, I told myself it was to try to vote in the most conservative candidates. One day I woke up and admitted to myself there were no more conservative Democrats. They were all socialists and I was really a republican with 'democrat' on my voter card.
This is what we are seeing in Georgia. It has suddenly become okay to admit that the Democratic party left them eons ago.
This is a BIG thing. This is a good thing. It's a sign that Dems 'by tradition' all over the country are beginning to wake up to the fact that the Democratic party was hijacked by the socialists long ago and there is no room for them unless they are willing to be socialists too.
Many of these people are good conservatives. We want them.

[Real Cynic No More]

Taylor has called on party switchers to resign and run for re-election as Republicans.

Hmmm. I wonder if he voiced that opinion about Jumping Jim Jeffords 18 months ago, or if he thought that was ok?

[Mark]

I look at it as an open wound, puss-filled, oozing, getting a good dose of a disinfectant-- healing gradually to become Republican over time.

[goldstategop]

Next step is fair redistricting. I feel confident once that's done, the GOP can takeover the Georgia House in 2004 and pick up some extra seats in the U.S House Of Representatives.

[PhiKapMom]

Let me add Richard Shelby and Ben Nighthorse Campbell!

My take on the matter is that some of these may have ran as Republican seeing what their national party did, e.g., McAuliffe targeting Jeb Bush and pouring money into Florida like there was no tomorrow, or the Dems having no visible message.

You file for candidacy a long time before you run and just maybe the "Wellston Memorial turned RAT Convention Rally" finally turned some of them totally off and they could no longer remain in the DemocRAT Party.

J.C. Watts also was a DemocRAT turned Republican!

I don't fault anyone for switching after that Minnesota debacle with the clintons, mcauliffe, and the rest!

[FryingPan101]

Way to go, Georgia!!! On a national level, I wouldn't mind if newby Majette found a respectable home with the Republican party.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Here are the cached links:

http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:HAjTmwvmYlMC:www.dsausa.org/pc/pc.members.html+nancy+pelosi+%22progressive+caucus%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:Q6KYVE6EH9wC:bernie.house.gov/pc/members.asp+nancy+pelosi+%22progressive+caucus%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8



And the actual page from Bernie Sander's website:

http://bernie.house.gov/pc/members.asp



All include Nancy Pelosi.

[Recovering_Democrat]

CONTACT ZELL NOW!

[lonestar]

Taylor has called on party switchers to resign and run for re-election as Republicans.

What's good for Jeffords, is good for Georgia.

[BARLF]

Didn't Alabama Senator Shelby switch from D to R?

[lunatic12]

"This really angers me, even when it's defectors to our side."

I think there are different dynamics at the state level. With a Republican governor and a democratic lieutenent governor, democratic senate, and democratic state house, nothing was going to arguably get done.

A switching senator can argue that now that he belongs to both the same party as the governor AND the same party as the majority, he can serve his constituents better.

[Theodore R.]

When Rep. Phil Gramm, D-TX, switched parties in 1983, he rsigned his seat and then ran in a special election as a Republican. He was a big winner over several Democrats, including the liberal folklorist John Henry Faulk, one of the entertainers alleged to have communist connections in the 1950s. His reelection as a House Republican paved the way for Gramm to win the 1984 senatorial primary to succeed John Tower, who retired after 24 years on the job. Most switchers, however, are probably not as confident as Gramm was in 1983 and do not risk a special election to change parties.

[fortheDeclaration]

Great news!

[concerned about politics]

Paging South Dakota Republicans. South Dakota Voters Can Request A Recount For Thune! Only need 3 from each county.

[Route66]

I believe Shelby switched to Republican in 1995.

[Man of the Right]

I wonder why states still have a lieutenant governor. What do lieutenant governors DO? If the governor of Georgia died, resigned or was removed from office, would the State be sucked into a black hole until a special election could be held? Or would there be mass suicides? Lacking a governor, I don't know whether to wear brown or blue socks to work today; therefore I'll commit ritual hara kiri with a samurai sword? But oh joy, the Peach State has a lieutenant governor, therefore all is well in hand.

[Theodore R.]

No, Reagan switched in 1962. He was not on any primary ballot until the spring of 1966, when he defeated liberal San Francisco Mayor George Christopher in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Democrats cheered the Reagan victory. Many said that they could not defeat Christopher in November 1966 but could swamp Reagan. I think Christopher was the LAST Republican to serve as S.F. mayor. Now by S.F. standards, Christopher would probably be considered a "right-winger."

[fortheDeclaration]

This really angers me, even when it's defectors to our side. People who work hard just like us, made the mistake of voting for these people. As soon as their side lost, they betrayed their constituents. Frankly, I would prefer they go independant, because we really don't need 'friends/traitors' like these. They are as slimy as Jeffords.

No, I think it is different based on the politics at work down there.

Many of those Democrats changing were conservatives who had been targeted by redistricting.

These changes are simply pay-back to the Democrat Party bosses.

Maybe someone from Georgia can explain what the politics are down there.

If the constituents get upset I am sure we will hear about it.

[Theodore R.]

In most states, the lieutenant governor is principally the "speaker" of the state Senate.