Posted on 11/13/2010 7:00:00 AM PST by paul in cape
In a sign of things to come, perhaps the first in a wave of Democrats across the country to switch to Republican has begun. (OK maybe not the first, but you get the idea).
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A Democratic legislator from Aroostook County has announced that he has switched his affiliation to the Republican Party.
Michael Willette of Presque Isle, who was elected to a second term in the Legislature on Nov. 2 as a Democrat, told the Bangor Daily News on Friday that he has labored over his decision to switch since he couldn’t convince himself to support a tax reform proposal earlier this year that was supported almost exclusively by Democrats.
He also didn’t support other major Democrat-led initiatives: enactment of a 2008 law that allowed same-sex marriage as well as a bill that would have required businesses to offer paid sick time to employees during last year’s outbreak of the H1N1 flu. Neither measure nor the tax reform package ended up as law.
“It seemed like every time something major to the Democratic Party came up I just couldn’t vote for it,” said Willette during an interview Friday with the Bangor Daily News. “They were just bills that, to me, didn’t make sense and wouldn’t have worked for my district.”
Willette’s switch brings the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to 78 versus 72 Democrats.
(Excerpt) Read more at new.bangordailynews.com ...
Tthe TpCaucus contnues to GRoW.. in most all places.. (JAWS THEME)..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCI-gNK_y4
Oh, Olympia..............Oh, Olympia..........are you paying attention.
I don't care what democrat legislation this guy voted against as a democrat. Once a democrat, ALWAYS a democrat I say.
Don't let him switch, it'll just be one more RINO we'll have to throw out in 2012 anyway.
“and wouldn’t have worked for my district.”
And that’s what our senatorial and congressional members are supposed ot keep in mind when looking at law: Their District.
Whether or not the people who elected them will want to tar and feather them if they vote for something unpopular.
John Hall here in NY learned that the hard way.
He’s gone.
Topo bad JigglyBrand and Schmucker are still reprehensing, er, representing NY.
This seems to suggest a “replay” of what happened after the 1994 elections — a number of conservative-leaning democrats switch parties.
Nothing particularly wrong with that. Those who are “opportunists” will be seen for that quickly. Those who switch because they really agree with the Republican side more than the ‘rat side will demonstrate such by their future behavior, and should be welcomed.
Remember that Ron Reagan was the greatest “switcher” of them all!
Great! Just what we need...another RINO!!
What’s the ratio of ‘Rats turning Republican and vice-versa? I’ll bet it’s better than 10:1.
I wouldn’t touch this turncoat with a sewage dipped barge pole.
He’s just another DemonRAT mole.
The caucus should refuse to seat him, and his election should be nullified for switching parties.
He is a liar and a thief.
We want PRINCIPLED LEADERS, not malleable followers, or even worse, spies and moles.
I would not trust a “Switcher.”
They ONLY do it to save their hides!
Plus, just another Republican-lite. We have enough of those already.
No Big Deal
these are local Maine seats not US House seats ....
at first it looks like they are talking about US House seats but it is not.....
Alas, liberal and conservative is what counts.
Republican and Democrat is just a political conduit.
He's already switched and you can't put a broken egg back together. So give him a chance and see how he votes. He sounds promising.
Remember what's written on Chicago's outdoor trash containers, "Every Litter Bit Helps".
Leni
Usually. But there are exceptions.
As for myself, I was Democrat being raised in the South. Now I look at Atilla the Hun as a pinko-lib.
There was also another Democrat turned Republican, named Ronald Reagan, who was far from being a RINO.
Thus it is best to reserve judgement on people's words until they show some actions to define their character.
How ever he votes, he is one more in the count of how many seats the Demoncrats will need to take back the house-—plus, party pressure on him will now be flowing the opposite direction.
I agree. The right thing to do is what Phil Gramm did back in the eighties: resign and then run in the special election for the other party. After all, it’s wrong to take money and time from one party and then serve in the other.
I agree. The right thing to do is what Phil Gramm did back in the eighties: resign and then run in the special election for the other party. After all, it’s wrong to take money and time from one party and then serve in the other.
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