Another Midwest Republican Defects to the Dems

[cal04]

Over the past several months, a number of leading Republicans around the country have defected to the Democratic Party in their election bids. Their ranks include two former Republicans now running statewide bids in Kansas this fall, Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison who is challenging wingnut state Attorney General Phill Kline and former Kansas Republican Party Chairman Mark Parkinson who is running as Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' running mate. Now another prominent midwest Republican is defecting her party to run as a Democrat, as the Associated Press reports.

The GOP lost its lock on the top state government offices this week when State Auditor Kate Witek jumped to the Democratic party just a few months after campaigning as Republican Tom Osborne's running mate in a failed gubernatorial bid.

"I got to the point where it seemed the Republican Party was only looking at controlling all the offices instead of looking at resolving all the problems challenging this state," Witek said in Friday's Lincoln Journal Star.

True, there seem to be at least some alterior motives behind Witek's move, most notably that she is now able to run for a third term as a Democrat whereas she would not be able to do the same as a Republican. However, the fact remains that yet another Republican in the midwest has publicly come out against the extremism and the hard-right conservatism of today's GOP -- a fact that will not be lost on Republican voters in the region. Such moves only hasten the implementation of Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, growing the base of acceptable Democratic candidates in states previously less than hospitable to the party's candidates, and improve the party's chances nationally both in the short-term and the long-term.

http://www.mydd.com/

[Radical Activist]

1. Nice.

I wouldn't like this in more liberal areas but your examples are from places where Democrats need all the help they can get.

[rodeodance]

2. she cares about people. Her comment is Right on the nail.

.......I got to the point where it seemed the Republican Party was only looking at controlling all the offices instead of looking at resolving all the problems challenging this state," Witek said in Friday's Lincoln Journal Star.

[calimary]

3. What? A republi-CON politician who actually cares more about

solving her constituents' problems than merely holding onto power?

Oh, yeah. I forgot. She's NOT a republ-CON anymore. You really cannot be one of them if you care more about solving your constituents problems than about holding onto power. For the bad guys, all it's about - and I mean ALL it's about - is power. Getting it, stealing it, manipulating it, and holding onto it.

[mtnester]

4. Am I the only one who does not, really, in my heart of hearts

trust these crossovers right now? I mean, if it had not been an election year, maybe, but election year crossovers, when polling indicates people will be voting for "anyone without an R next to their name" are simply too suspect for my pessimistic nature.

[BlueCollar]

5. I'm with you

I wouldn't trust these people an inch. They wanted to be Republicans...now they want to run as Democrats?


Leopards can't change their spots...