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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAnother Republican Switches To The Democratic Party
A Republican congressional candidate is renouncing his party and switching his affiliation to Democrat.
Jason Thigpen, who is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Walter Jones in the 3rd Congressional District, wrote a blistering assessment of his former party, saying his shift was precipitated by the tea party push for a government shutdown.
I simply cannot stand with a party where its most extreme element promote hate and division amongst people, Thigpen said in a statement posted to his campaign website Thursday. Nothing about my platform has, nor will it change. The government shutdown was simply the straw that broke the camels back. I guess being an American just isnt good enough anymore and I refuse to be part of an extremist movement in the GOP that only appears to thrive on fear and hate mongering of anyone and everyone who doesnt walk their line.
Thigpen is a six-year Army veteran who received a Purple Heart, according to his website. He graduated from UNC-Wilmington in May and started a nonprofit group called Student Veterans Advocacy Group. The 36-year-old lives in Holly Ridge with his wife and four children.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/31/3329326/gop-extremist-movement-prompts.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/02/1252488/-Another-Republican-Switches-To-The-Democratic-Party
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)On one issue regarding the Republican Party, he said
I simply cannot stand with a party where its most extreme element promote hate and division amongst people,
But on how many principles of the Democratic Party has he disagreed with? And how many principles of the Democratic Party will he continue to disagree with?
He'll now be one of the 3rd-Way types. Just what we need. (/sarcasm off)
daleanime
(17,796 posts)Why don't recovering republications form their own party? We would give them the DNC for a start-up.
RC
(25,592 posts)To drag the DNC far enough to the Right for the Republicans to comfortably switch parties. And that is what is now happening.
The DLC took over the Party leadership of the DNC, then dissolved their own DLC, as it was no longer needed.
But because they had a (D) by their name, that was A-OK with most people, because that meant they were Democrats. Never mind their politics are more main stream Republican than Democrat, they have that (D), so that makes then "Liberal" in the minds of too many. And compared to the current flock of Republicans, that is true in comparison. What is forgotten is that the the real political center is far to the Left of the current, apparent center, which is far to the Right of the Republicans of 40 years ago.
Shrike47
(6,913 posts)searchingforlight
(1,401 posts)Call me paranoid but I smell another Karl Rove plot here.