A Blue-Dog Says Bye

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A Republican who thought he was a Democrat but now realizes he was a Republican all the while makes it official. Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith switches from dems to reps.

“As most of you know, I was elected by the people of north Alabama as an independent conservative Congressman,” he said in a press conference.

“I have become increasingly concerned that the bills and policies pushed by the current Democratic leadership are not good for north Alabama or our nation and, more importantly, they do not represent my values and convictions,” he said.

Griffith described himself as “pro-business, pro-life and pro-Second Amendment.”

“I am announcing today that I am joining the Republican conference immediately,” he said, saying the GOP is more in line with his beliefs.

So what do conservatives think?

RedState:

Being a Republican should be about more than just the letter next to a person’s name. We can improve that seat.

Club For Growth:

Griffith’s voting record is far from conservative, too. Granted, he voted against the Big 4 – Obama’s first budget, the Stimulus, Cap and Trade, and ObamaCare. However, his vote on the budget is slightly deceptive since he originally voted for 9 of the 12 spending bills that make up the budget. And he voted against all the Stimulus amendments that would reduce its size.

But just a quick perusal of 2009 shows that he voted YES on the 2009 pork-filled Omnibus; YES on Cash for Clunkers, NO on waiving the harmful Davis-Bacon provision, and had a pathetic 0% score on the 2009 RePORK Card.

This party switch signals Griffith’s nervousness, but it doesn’t signal that his incumbency is safe.

Good luck with Griffith passing the Conservative Purity Test.  As for Democrats, it’s one less blue dog to be concerned with.

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