Free Republic

AUGUSTA — Democratic House leaders on Friday played down the potential impact of a decision by a representative to quit their party and go independent, a move that further narrows the already-close partisan breakdown in the House. Rep. Thomas Saviello of Wilton said he decided to drop his Democratic affiliation after consulting with his family and friends. Saviello said the decision to drop his party registration and become independent is best for his constituents and the rural area he represents. "We have special challenges and needs in District 90 that need to be talked about and addressed in Augusta. I...

JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Mayor Rusty Quave of D'Iberville, Miss., switched his party affiliation Monday to Republican. With Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour at his side, Quave said he was honored to have found a proper home for his views. "I have served the citizens of D'Iberville as mayor for the past 12 years with a conservative attitude and strong emphasis on economic development and quality of life," Quave said. Quave's decision comes just days after members of the Democratic National Committee elected former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean to be the party's national chairman. The number of Mississippi's Republican...

ALEXANDER RE-ELECTION BID OK'D BY APPEALS COURT By BRETT TROXLER btroxler@wbrz.com 2theadvocate.com staff From a report by WBRZ's Marvin McGraw A state appeals court ruled Monday afternoon that U.S. Congressman Rodney Alexander could run for re-election as a Republican in the upcoming Nov. 2 election. The Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal also said no new candidates will be allowed to join the race against him. Alexander originally filed to run for re-election in the 5th Congressional District as a Democrat on Aug. 4. Two days later he filed again as a Republican, just minutes before the deadline came to...

ALEXANDER BROKE LAW, LAWSUIT ALLEGES By Chris Frink cfrink@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau A lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks to kick U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander out of his race for re-election. A hearing is scheduled at 4 p.m. Friday in Plaquemine. Meanwhile, state Democrats are scouting out a way to insert a candidate of their choosing into the race. Alexander of Quitman is in his first term representing the 5th Congressional District, which covers the eastern part of the state from Baton Rouge to the Arkansas line. He stunned Democrats when he switched to the Republican Party in the waning minutes of...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In 48 hours, Rep. Rodney Alexander went from Democrat to Republican, friend to foe — or foe to friend, depending on your political persuasion. Democrats reacted to the news by calling the first-term congressman a turncoat and a coward. They must now gain another seat, 12 in all, to win back the House this fall. The count today: Democrats 205, Republicans 229. After announcing his new affiliation Friday afternoon, Alexander said he had been struggling with his conservative votes for his entire term — backing the Bush tax cuts as well as the war in Iraq...

Writer Matthew Parris apparently published a fine essay in the (London) Spectator Feb. 8, arguing that Tony Blair should switch parties to Conservative. I can't find this article, and my browser just refuses to connect with www.spectator.co.uk. Can anybody post this? Thanks.

Rep. Ford unlikely to be trend-setter By WILLIAM C. SINGLETON IIIBIRMINGHAM POST-HERALDState Rep. Johnny Ford's switch to the GOP may have opened the door to the possibility for other black Democratic legislators wanting to change sides, says a local black Republican. But no one seems to be holding his breath that it will happen with any regularity. "As the Baptist are fond of saying, the doors of the church are open," said Richard Finley, chairman of the Alabama Republican Council, who is black. "We'll accept membership by letter or conversion." But Finley said he doesn't think more switches are likely...

I cannot post the article. It is on the editorial page of the Laredo Morning Times, and that page cannot be copied and pasted. The current Broder article is not on the WA Post website yet. At any rate, veteran liberal columnist David Broder said there is a real chance that Senators John McCain and Lincoln Chaffee will switch parties to allow Tom Daschle to remain as Senate Majority Leader. However, their scenario is dependent on the reelection of Senator Mary Landrieu, D-LA, in that state's Dec. 7 senatorial general election. However, if Republican Suzanne Terrell unseats Landrieu, the two...

Thank you for the fine speech on Homeland Security. I would like to point out that if, God forbid, those horrors that you point out happen, it will be you Senator, that will have a most heavy burden because you could have made a brave choice to stop it and failed. You could have decided for the good of the country to switch parties and become a republican. The democrat party of Scoop Jackson and John Kennedy has been hijacked by the far left for many years. It is only now that we can clearly see that they and their...

<p>WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John McCain, saying he is satisfied with his accomplishments in behalf of the country, wonders openly in his new book whether it is time for him to retire to private life in Arizona.</p> <p>But McCain, 66, also writes of his years of public service: "I'll hate like hell to leave it."</p>