NC Republican switches party affiliation: ‘I guess being American just isn’t good enough'

[Galraedia]

Source: Raw Story

Yesterday, a North Carolina Republican congressional candidate switched his party affiliation to Democrat, saying that he “refuse[s] 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.”

In a statement posted on his website, Jason Thigpen criticized the establishment candidate, Walter Jones, saying “the GOP leadership has such little regard and faith in the more than 1 Million people whom live in NC’s 3rd Congressional District that they don’t believe even one of us are good enough to represent OUR District. So they sent a lobbyist who’s lived in Washington, D.C. for the last 15 or more years. What an insult.”

Earlier this year, Thigpen attacked the strict new North Carolina voting law, writing that “you can paint a turd and sell it as art, but it’s still a turd.”

Thigpen is a six-year Army veteran and, according to his website, a recipient of the Purple Heart. “I didn’t go to war to defend the liberties and freedoms of one party, race, sex, or one income class of Americans,” he writes of the Republican attempt to suppress the vote.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/01/north-carolina-republican-switches-party-affiliation-i-guess-being-american-just-isnt-good-enough-for-the-gop-anymore/

[AAO]

1. I hope this resonates to the voters in NC.

Maybe we can kick the bums out and create another Democratic bastion.

[Populist_Prole]

9. It sure did with me in NC: I ditched the GOP's ass years ago

Well before the election of a black president made the GOP go nuclear reactionary.

Unfortunately, two of my best friends went in the opposite direction.

[Indi Guy]

2. (new voting law) - “You can paint a turd and sell it as art, but it’s still a turd.”

[rhett o rick]

8. I agree. It isnt the letter behind his name but his deep rooted Republican principles that matter.

He is not welcome in my tent. He needs to fix his own party.

[Jackpine Radical]

32. I dunno--Sometimes once the crack appears in the armor, it widens fairly rapidly.

I'd be willing to wait a little before writing him off entirely, especially if there are no credible Dem candidates to replace him. Having gone through a vast political change myself as a result of Vietnam, I know that change doesn't happen instantly. You might change your opinion on a few issues at first, and then move progressively to examine other parts of your old belief system, particularly as you come into closer contact with those whose opinions you once rejected in toto.

[rhett o rick]

34. With respect I dont believe for a minute that he will ever embrace Democratic values. He changed

parties for expediency and wont help our efforts to save the middle class.

[rhett o rick]

11. Your saying is so apropos, I hope you dont mind if I use it. nm

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. Let's hope Mr. Thigpen is not the last. NC is no longer a hardcore sure thing for the GOP. nt

[demosincebirth]

4. He's finally stopped drinking the cool aid. It took a couple of yeas to get it out of his system.

Good for him!

[rhett o rick]

10. Problem he didnt stop drinking the kool aid. He said his platform will remain the same.

He switched parties because he could see the Repubs were going over the cliff. Now he will sell his ideologies as a DEmocrat.
Ask him if he supports same sex marriage, keeping SS and Medicare strong, the ACA, etc. Dont just pay attention to the letter behind his name.

[awoke_in_2003]

12. Yep, another pretend democrat...

just what we need.

[rhett o rick]

13. This is exactly what The Powers To Be want. One party of rabid clowns and the other one big

conservative party. The left will be left out.

[awoke_in_2003]

14. Jim Hightower said something (in the 90's) to the affect of...

"this country could use a third party, and it desperately needs a second"

[Scootaloo]

27. Problem is, there's no such thing as a "third party" in our system

They either become one of the "two parties," or they don't win. That's the way the winner-take-all system just works. If we worked on a coalition or parliamentary government, we'd have a multitude of political parties, and we'd, honestly, be much more progressive as a nation.

[awoke_in_2003]

37. Very true. nt

[demosincebirth]

23. My litmus test would, for him, would be his stance on Unions that were the backbone of the

thriving middle class in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

[Orsino]

41. When a desperate political flip-flop can't keep one a viable candidate...

...then the terrorists have really won.

[SunSeeker]

5. K & R

[Scuba]

6. I'd rather see him stay and pull his own party away from the edge than pull ours more to the right.

[Heather MC]

7. NO way the Republican Party Needs more "White Flight" as they say

People need to see that not every white male land owner is in lock step with these racist Tea Turds.
I hope More Abandon the party and SHUT IT DOWN.

Everyday we read a new story about a Leader in the Republican Party saying something vile about Women, Minorities or Gays.
And we all wonder how on earth do people keep supporting these assholes?

It would be nice if they recieved the shock of life at the polls and discover they don't have the Voter support they they thought they purchased.

[rhett o rick]

15. I disagree. Nothing could be worse than to have one big party with everyone in it.

I think you are forgetting that nitwits like this arent going to become Democrats except in name only. They still will vote to kill Social Security and Medicare, and against same sex marriage. We need two viable parties for our system of government to work.

See my signature.

[Heather MC]

18. "We need two viable parties for our system of government to work"

Fair enough Viable being the most important part of that
we also need to get big money out of our Government
and we need a supreme court that doesn't just Vote down party lines
we need a media that calls out the bullshit and stops spreading lies
and we need more Dems willing to fight back and spread the truth

we need the supreme court to rule that telling lies in news programs is illegal and up hold the FCC rules
We need hateful speech to be ruled a danger to our society
and we need some one with balls to band Semi Auto matic weapons
and levy a proper tax on the wealthy one percent, and close tax loopholes

And end Nafta and bring real jobs back to this country that pay a living wage
We need to end the Afganistan war and bring defense spending back down to pre war levels

etc.....

I have not decided we need for 2016, I am focused on the 2013 election then 2014 then 2016. but that is not an admonishment against you I just don't operate that far in advance

[rhett o rick]

19. I would love to say that feeding the millions of American children is our

number one task but I cant. We need to guarantee free and fair elections. Without that all else fails.

Regarding the two party system, The Powers To Be are happy about what is happening. As the Republican Party gets more crazy they love them for their distraction. Also it drives the conservatives into the DEmocratic Party pulling that party to the right and leaving the progressives out in the cold. The way things are going is a win-win-win for The Powers To Be, and a lose, lose, lose for the American people.

[Heather MC]

20. The truly sad part is

that by obstructing the vote they have convienced a lot of people that voting doesn't matter. that fact is when they don't cheat they can't win. And when we show up to vote we overwelm their abliity to cheat.

We also need every state participating
in Early Voting, same day registration, registering teenagers to vote by having the forms available in all highschool libraries.

putting voting Machines everywhere like Cali does. They even have Voting machines in peoples driveways

make it illegal in all state to purge voter rolls 7 months before an election
we need some federally mandated laws for all 50 states about voting that are fair and easy for all to participate. that would solve that problem

[Norbert]

24. I agree in principle.

But I do think the Republican Party must hit rock bottom before they begin their 12-step program back to viability. With every right-center former GOPer they shed they get closer to it.

[Heather MC]

30. I hope the Party splits between Tea turds Libertarins, and Center Leaning Republicans

they don't need to become
DINO's

[djean111]

28. He is only abandoning the "R" after his name, replacing it with a "D".

Read his issues page on his website.
DINO, big time.

[progressoid]

33. Agreed.

[Kermitt Gribble]

39. +1

Already too many DINOs in our party.

[rivegauche]

16. Well, good for him! Nice to see some of them

actually posess working brains. Now let's see if he can get re-elected, what do you want to bet they gerrymander his district all to hell.

[hue]

17. NC has been gerrymandered to incapacitate the Dems. They need more than Thigpen!!

[Botany]

21. Awesome quote!

Earlier this year, Thigpen attacked the strict new North Carolina voting law, writing that
“you can paint a turd and sell it as art, but it’s still a turd.”

[Scootaloo]

29. And it's self-applicable

Thigpen is keeping his Republican platform. He's just swapping letters because he knows that staying a Republican will cost votes.

This way, even if the Democrats primary him, it'll end up splitting hte vote, allowing either his DINO ass, or another crazier Republican to enter the office.

I welcome people whose ideologies migrate to that of Democrats, even if not fully liberal/leftist. But these opportunistic carpetbagger fucks, we can live without.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

22. Ouch

That's going to leave a mark. [URL=http://www.sherv.net/emoticons.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[freshwest]

25. Thanks to the Moral Mondays and other movements down South.

[djean111]

26. He is still a Republican.

His issues, on his web site - Conservative Republican.
He would be just another "D" who is really an "R".
Another damned DINO.

[brooklynite]

31. Yay. Now we can beat up Mr. Thigpen for not being a "Real" Democrat...

This is usually where someone insists we get true progressive to run, even though it's a Solid Republican district at present.

[alp227]

35. In Walter Jones's defense Jones was a critic of the Iraq War

as Cenk Uygur pointed out earlier this year

[karmaqueen]

36. I just "Liked" him on Facebook..

Please be kind to him.. Any step in the right direction is So needed here in NC... We are in such bad shape with the takeover of our state...I think this could send signals to some who just do not understand how bad off we are and which way we need to go... Baby steps are better than no steps...

[gopiscrap]

38. good

[stillcool]

40. we need another party

Although an elected official who is a Democrat in North Carolina is pretty much a Republican anyway.

[Kennah]

42. So he's still extreme RW, just not quite as extreme RW as some others in the GOP.

Do I understand the facts correctly?

[Kennah]

43. About the GOP incumbent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_B._Jones#Elections

In 1994, he switched parties and ran in North Carolina's 3rd congressional district. His race against incumbent Democrat Martin Lancaster was initially very close until Jones released a picture of Lancaster jogging with President Bill Clinton, whose socially liberal stands (especially on gays in the military) angered many voters in the district.[8] Although Democrats have a large advantage in registered voters, the 3rd has always had a very strong social conservative tint; Jesse Helms in particular had a large base of support here. As part of the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress, Jones defeated Lancaster 53%–47%.[9] With his victory, Jones became the first (and, as of 2013, the only) Republican to represent a significant portion of Eastern North Carolina in the House since Reconstruction. The 3rd had incorporated a large amount of his father's former territory.

***********************************

Sounds like a far right Democrat could unseat the far right Republican in North Carolina's 3rd District.

Also sounds like a turd swap.