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 isn’t 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 doesn’t 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.
His statement is not the first time he’s bucked the Republican Party. Earlier this year, he earned a headline in the Fayetteville Observer for calling the GOP-drafted law to require a voter ID at the polls discriminatory and saying it would suppress the right to vote. At the time, he described himself as a “true Republican.”
"You can paint a turd and sell it as art, but it's still a turd,” he said at the time.
Good point.
There are strong indications that Mr. Thigpen may soon have company joining his exodus.
Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal:
October was clearly a cruel month for both President Barack Obama and the Republicans, both of whom saw their images slump to new lows in Wall Street Journal/NBC News polling.
But hidden within the data is a more disturbing reality for the Republican Party. Put simply, Democrats are largely content with their own party, while distaste among Republicans for the GOP has grown exponentially this year.
The most recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, offers a stark window into widening divisions within the GOP over strategy and what kind of leaders Republicans want going forward. The Democratic Party, by comparison, is a picture of unity.
And the funny part is that the Teabagggers have convinced themselves that the key to the party's long term success is to become even MORE partisan and radical.
Methinks that the GOP civil war is definitely going to be a bloody one.
Gryphen, perhaps in furtherance of their demise, you should change tacks and promote Palin.
ReplyDeletePalin for President with Rivk Perry for VP or Birther Don't Trump or West or Ryan or "Frothy Mixture" or Crazy Eyes or Pat Robertson or Herman Cain or whoever or whatnot. Just get Sarah on the ticket let the GOP win North Dakota, Missifuckingsippi, Utah, Alabama, and South "the cousin fucking state" Carolina and we'll take all the rest.
DeleteOT: looks like the LAX shooter was a rightwinger. He wrote about the new world order...this means the media will promptly act like it never happened.
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Fail is reporting that he called himself a "pissed-off patriot," but then says he's a Democrat. Uh-huh, sure.
DeleteAs long as this isn't the latest ploy by the republicans to make sure they get voted in.
ReplyDeleteBut I do I hope Mr. Thigpen is an honorable man and I have no reason to believe otherwise.
Judge Carlo Key of Texas has rejected the Republican party and is running for re-election as a Democrat too. Here's his announcement...or renouncement.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtPdKjkcZCU
That's great news, I hope this trend continues, but I wonder what's taking them so long to take a stand?
DeleteBecause some don't realize that Ronald Wilson Reagan isn't President anymore.
Deletecool, but one of the problems will be, will he vote Republican platforms, anti-gay, anti-abortion, pro-gun, etc. on legislative bills. (like Murkowski).
ReplyDeleteIn my 52 years a voter,I have only once considered voting for a Republican.......but since he lost in the primaries and Reagan was the nominee,(much to my chagrin)I cannot imagine voting Republican ever again.And I am a "moderate".........was once a conservative.
ReplyDeleteGood news indeed!
ReplyDeleteThank you President Obama and Senator Reid, you may not be best buddies, you may not golf or dine together, I don’t know the details, but you stood together and neither of you faltered.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the o/t subject but the peers at the pond keep mentioning skank's book tour. Google search found me nothing. Went to Harper Collins site and looked at "tour" all authors, all dates, all states and scrolled through the end of November and zilch about skank/book tour. Can someone please explain where there is "news" that she is doing a tour?
ReplyDeleteMy bet has lays been that hc is smart enough to know it would be a waste of money to send her on a tour or her tens of followers.
I know CNN did a blurb about her/the "book" and said something about her doing a tour but even then I looked everywhere and nada.
She is doing that graham thing with trump and about 100 others( quite a selective list of 100-snarc) and the fith and freedom coalition-both of which she is crawling out from under the rock to get one press to sell five books.
She already bought a few truckloads months go as she is offering a signed copy if you donate to her bank account-ahem-PAC.
The book with all those pre orders is at 130,000 plus in books-baaawwwaaaahhh!
It'll be in the dollar bin the week before xmas.
DeleteWe just got rid of most of the blue dog democrats. They were nothing but trouble. That's what he would be. We don't need another one.
ReplyDeleteTrue. The old Blue Dogs could be traitorous and were more of a problem than the GOP. I was happy to see them lose their seats. I know I'll choke on this--but at least you can count on the baggers to ALWAYS vote the way they do—stupidly and uninformed. I just used to want to scream like a banshee when the democratic social conservatives banded together to fuck other democrats up. Good riddance. The GOP can keep the south if we have to get those bastards back in.
DeleteAAAAAmen!!!!!
DeleteHe clearly laid out the reasons for the change. Let the voters decide if he truly stands for Democratic values, but he took a leap in the right direction and I admire his courage.
ReplyDeleteWould it not be fabulous if this were the beginning of a trend? The GOP has done everything in its power to become irrelevant. It is ruled by crazies, angry rich guys and haters and can have no future in its present condition.
ReplyDeleteI have a real problem with these Republicans suddenly converting to the Democratic Party. They are unhappy with the GOP but instead of being courageous and working to reform the GOP they are switching political tags all the while KEEPING THEIR GOP CONSERVATIVE "VALUES." That means that they are going to infiltrate the Democratic Party and disrupt what it stands for. Sounds subversive to my cynical nature and a lot like what Charles and David might conjure up in their den of evil intents wherever it is.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom