Texas Dem switches Party

[DKW 86 7,726]

One more down.

"Democrats are reaping what they've sown," DeLay said. "Their leaders have lined up behind Howard Dean's brand of angry, intolerant politics. They've made their message clear: 'moderates need not apply' and that's a sad trend for a once-great party."

[Jenny AU-92 0]

Texas Republican Party spokesman Ted Royer said Hall was the 174th elected Texas Democrat to join the Republican Party since 1992.

WHEE! God Bless Texas!!!

[Tiger Al 0]

Wow, he got all these good remarks from others:

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (search), R-Ill., said he looked forward to working with Hall in the majority party.

"Ralph is a man of courage and a man of great conviction," Hastert said. "Common sense continues to guide him in Washington and now in the Republican Party."

Fellow Texan Tom DeLay (search), the House majority leader, called Hall on Friday to welcome him to the party.

"Democrats are reaping what they've sown," DeLay said. "Their leaders have lined up behind Howard Dean's brand of angry, intolerant politics. They've made their message clear: 'moderates need not apply' and that's a sad trend for a once-great party."

President Bush also praised Hall.

"I welcome Congressman Ralph Hall to the Republican Party," Bush said. "Ralph is a close friend of the Bush family. He is a well-respected leader of the highest integrity, and a tireless advocate for the people of Texas."

But, he had this to say:

"I've always said that if being a Democrat hurt my district I would switch or I would resign," Hall said in an interview with The Associated Press. He said GOP leaders had recently refused to place money for his district in a spending bill and "the only reason I was given was I was a Democrat."

Be proud of your extortionist party!!!

[DKW 86 7,726]

But, he had this to say:

"I've always said that if being a Democrat hurt my district I would switch or I would resign," Hall said in an interview with The Associated Press. He said GOP leaders had recently refused to place money for his district in a spending bill and "the only reason I was given was I was a Democrat."

Be proud of your extortionist party!!!

Al, why do you think Shelby left the Dems? When Alabama didnt go Dem in 1992, Clinton took it out on us. Go back and do the research. Shelby said the morning after the 1994 Congressional Elections that "There is no room in the Democratic Party for a Conservative." He also sited the retribution toward Alabama because we didnt vote for Clinton.

Be proud of your extortionist party!!!

Right back at you.

[Donutboy 0]

But, he had this to say:

"I've always said that if being a Democrat hurt my district I would switch or I would resign," Hall said in an interview with The Associated Press. He said GOP leaders had recently refused to place money for his district in a spending bill and "the only reason I was given was I was a Democrat."

Be proud of your extortionist party!!!

Al, why do you think Shelby left the Dems? When Alabama didnt go Dem in 1992, Clinton took it out on us. Go back and do the research. Shelby said the morning after the 1994 Congressional Elections that "There is no room in the Democratic Party for a Conservative." He also sited the retribution toward Alabama because we didnt vote for Clinton.

Be proud of your extortionist party!!!

Right back at you.

Richard Shelby is a coward. If he had a problem with Clinton after the 2003 budget, why did he wait until after the 1994 elections to switch parties? You see, Shelby was the one with the problem, not Clinton. Shelby threw the first shot by declaring after the 1992 budget that the "taxman cometh." If Shelby had such convictions, why did he wait until after the Democrats helped him get re-elected to stab them in the back?

[Tiger Al 0]

David, would you be saying that no Republican has ever switched parties???

[DKW 86 7,726]

Shelby was elected in 1992. The throat cutting was in 1993 and 1994. He did complain, bitterly.

Aftert he 1994 Rep win he left the Party. I worked against him 1986. He is great organizer and campaigner.

[DKW 86 7,726]

David, would you be saying that no Republican has ever switched parties???

No absolutely not, Jeffords did what, two years ago?

[Jenny AU-92 0]

David, would you be saying that no Republican has ever switched parties???

No absolutely not, Jeffords did what, two years ago?

And Jeffords is technically an Independent - he did not switch to the Dem party. The Dems acted like he did because it helped their position in the Senate, but Jeffords did not declare for the Dem party, just resigned his membership in the Republican caucus.

[Donutboy 0]

One more down.

"Democrats are reaping what they've sown," DeLay said. "Their leaders have lined up behind Howard Dean's brand of angry, intolerant politics. They've made their message clear: 'moderates need not apply' and that's a sad trend for a once-great party."

Hmmmm, the Republicans just won a court battle of their gerrymandering in Texas. This "noble" Texas Democrat's NEW district was going from being a more moderate Democratic district to a more conservative Republican district. Of course, I'm sure THAT fact had nothing to do with his switch!! :roll:

[Tiger Al 0]

David, would you be saying that no Republican has ever switched parties???

No absolutely not, Jeffords did what, two years ago?

And Jeffords is technically an Independent - he did not switch to the Dem party. The Dems acted like he did because it helped their position in the Senate, but Jeffords did not declare for the Dem party, just resigned his membership in the Republican caucus.

Jeffords was about as Republican as Zell Miller was Democrat. In name only. Jeffords changed after Bush and Lott bent him over once too often. Remember how they dissed him with the "Teacher of the Year?"

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Better to be born dead than born into the party of Clintons, Gore, Streisand, Dean and that whole pack of liberals who are trying to destroy this country.

[Jenny AU-92 0]

Hmmmm, the Republicans just won a court battle of their gerrymandering in Texas. This "noble" Texas Democrat's NEW district was going from being a more moderate Democratic district to a more conservative Republican district. Of course, I'm sure THAT fact had nothing to do with his switch!! :roll:

To you, it's only gerrymandering because the Republicans did it.

Here are a few points on this issue that you are missing:

Redistricting in Texas happens by law every ten years. In the past the Dems have been the majority party in this state, so guess what - the congressional districts reflected that!! By your definition, that would also be gerrymandering???

But things have changed in the last ten years - the voters in Texas have spoken. Republicans swept the state offices in the last few election cycles. Why should congressional districts favor the party that is the DECIDEDLY MINORITY party in this state? That is not a fair representation of the will of the voters - I sure as hell would not want to be represented by a Democrat.

And all the crap about hurting minority representation is just that - crap. The Dems are trying desperately to play the race card and it just isn't working. They are getting shot down in court after court, and it really pisses me off that they are spending MY tax dollars to fight a losing battle, esp after WASTING my tax dollars by running off to OK and AZ like the little crybaby cowards they are. MINORITY DOES NOT RULE. Until TX Dems start reflecting the will of the citizens of the Great State of Texas, they will continue to be the minority party, so they may as well get used to it.

[DKW 86 7,726]

Hmmmm, the Republicans just won a court battle of their gerrymandering in Texas. This "noble" Texas Democrat's NEW district was going from being a more moderate Democratic district to a more conservative Republican district. Of course, I'm sure THAT fact had nothing to do with his switch!!  :roll:

To you, it's only gerrymandering because the Republicans did it.

Here are a few points on this issue that you are missing:

Redistricting in Texas happens by law every ten years. In the past the Dems have been the majority party in this state, so guess what - the congressional districts reflected that!! By your definition, that would also be gerrymandering???

But things have changed in the last ten years - the voters in Texas have spoken. Republicans swept the state offices in the last few election cycles. Why should congressional districts favor the party that is the DECIDEDLY MINORITY party in this state? That is not a fair representation of the will of the voters - I sure as hell would not want to be represented by a Democrat.

And all the crap about hurting minority representation is just that - crap. The Dems are trying desperately to play the race card and it just isn't working. They are getting shot down in court after court, and it really pisses me off that they are spending MY tax dollars to fight a losing battle, esp after WASTING my tax dollars by running off to OK and AZ like the little crybaby cowards they are. MINORITY DOES NOT RULE. Until TX Dems start reflecting the will of the citizens of the Great State of Texas, they will continue to be the minority party, so they may as well get used to it.

Jenny, Democratitis means that you can only see the bad when it finally happens to your party. Since it happens in everystate in the union by the party that is in power every ten years you think this would not even be an issue. Is it fair? Probably not, but it wasnt fair when the Dems kept the Republican Party out of power for years across the South either.

It only becomes an issue when the Dems run and hide rather than take their own medicine like Adults. MoveOn has sent cash to help out the Dems that pulled the trip to OK stunt. You see the Dems are really proud of crapping all over what almost anyone would consider a fair, level playing field.

[Donutboy 0]

Hmmmm, the Republicans just won a court battle of their gerrymandering in Texas. This "noble" Texas Democrat's NEW district was going from being a more moderate Democratic district to a more conservative Republican district. Of course, I'm sure THAT fact had nothing to do with his switch!!  :roll:

To you, it's only gerrymandering because the Republicans did it.

Here are a few points on this issue that you are missing:

Redistricting in Texas happens by law every ten years. In the past the Dems have been the majority party in this state, so guess what - the congressional districts reflected that!! By your definition, that would also be gerrymandering???

But things have changed in the last ten years - the voters in Texas have spoken. Republicans swept the state offices in the last few election cycles. Why should congressional districts favor the party that is the DECIDEDLY MINORITY party in this state? That is not a fair representation of the will of the voters - I sure as hell would not want to be represented by a Democrat.

And all the crap about hurting minority representation is just that - crap. The Dems are trying desperately to play the race card and it just isn't working. They are getting shot down in court after court, and it really pisses me off that they are spending MY tax dollars to fight a losing battle, esp after WASTING my tax dollars by running off to OK and AZ like the little crybaby cowards they are. MINORITY DOES NOT RULE. Until TX Dems start reflecting the will of the citizens of the Great State of Texas, they will continue to be the minority party, so they may as well get used to it.

Jenny, Democratitis means that you can only see the bad when it finally happens to your party. Since it happens in everystate in the union by the party that is in power every ten years you think this would not even be an issue. Is it fair? Probably not, but it wasnt fair when the Dems kept the Republican Party out of power for years across the South either.

It only becomes an issue when the Dems run and hide rather than take their own medicine like Adults. MoveOn has sent cash to help out the Dems that pulled the trip to OK stunt. You see the Dems are really proud of crapping all over what almost anyone would consider a fair, level playing field.

UPDATE!!!

Hall himself reveals the REAL reason he switched parties. The noble Republican party basically refused to give any money to his district because he was a "gasp" Democrat!! This is the part of the story that was left out in the original message, but it's from the same article. Republicans that now praise Hall were refusing his constituents federal monies because of his party affiliation, political blackmail!! You Republicans have GOT to be proud of that!!

Congressman Switches From Democrat to GOP

...... "I've always said that if being a Democrat hurt my district I would switch or I would resign," Hall said in an interview with The Associated Press. He said GOP leaders had recently refused to place money for his district in a spending bill and "the only reason I was given was I was a Democrat." .....

[DKW 86 7,726]

Donut, where have you been? Go back and read the whole thread guy, you are a bit late.

[Donutboy 0]

Donut, where have you been? Go back and read the whole thread guy, you are a bit late.

So, the blackmail DOESN'T bother you? The string was started as an exercise in what a principled man Hall was. That's what I was referring to. Basically all he did was bow to the political extortion of YOUR Republican party.

[Jenny AU-92 0]

UPDATE!!!

Um, your "update" happened about twelve posts ago.

And again, since you are not fortunate enough to live in the Great Republican State of Texas, let me explain something to you about how things have been run around here, for the hundred or so years that Dems have held total control over politics in this state. You want to talk about political blackmail? Extortion? How about just downright IGNORING any districts who had the audacity to elect a Republican as their representative in Austin or Washington. The Dems have been playing this game for YEARS. Withhold money from ® districts, then the voters get made because their elected ® rep can't get anything done, so they vote him out and elected a (D), who, miraculously, is able to get SO MUCH ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!!!! WOW!

See, what you don't understand is that the Dems are screaming and crying because it is a case of reaping what they have sowed all these years. What looks like gerrymandering and extortion to you is a Republican attempt to undo some of the damage done in conservative areas of this state by years of Dem control. Because it is happening all at once, and because the Dems here in Texas area a bunch of sniveling whiney babies, it is making news.

I personally don't blame Ralph Hall for seeing the writing on the wall. He has been caught between the proverbial rock and hard place for years. If he had followed his conscience and become a Republican years ago, his district would have suffered immensely. If he stayed a Dem now, his district would have suffered. Obviously he is doing what a representative is supposed to do - take care of the needs of his constituents. If they have a problem with his switching parties, they can take it up with him in the next election.

[Tiger Al 0]

I personally don't blame Ralph Hall for seeing the writing on the wall. He has been caught between the proverbial rock and hard place for years. If he had followed his conscience and become a Republican years ago, his district would have suffered immensely. If he stayed a Dem now, his district would have suffered. Obviously he is doing what a representative is supposed to do - take care of the needs of his constituents. If they have a problem with his switching parties, they can take it up with him in the next election.

It doesn't sound like his conscience was telling to become a Republican, but, rather, the Republicans who refused to give funds to his district because of his political affiliation.