Former Dem turned GOP Rep. "Parker Griffith’s Staff Exits Stage Left"

[Clio the Leo]

Parker Griffith’s Staff Exits Stage Left

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee gleefully sends along news that Rep. Parker Griffith’s (R-Ala.) staff has resigned en masse, rebelling against their boss’s decision to switch from the Democratic Party. The full list: Sharon Wheeler (Chief of Staff), Megan Swearingen (Legislative Director), Brian Greer (Senior Legislative Assistant), Will Crain (Legislative Assistant), Sean Magers (Press Secretary), Arinze Ifekauche (Legislative Correspondent), Chase Chesser (Legislative Correspondent), Mary Lou Hughston (Staff Assistant), Dr. Anjali Shah Kastorf (Congressional Fellow), Leslee Oden (Congressional Fellow), and Andrew Menefee (Intern).

After the initial anger wore down, Griffith’s decision has been a source of Democratic schadenfreude — especially after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) made a ham-handed play to get another conservative Democrat to change parties and came up short.

http://washingtonindependent.com/73005/parker-griffiths-staff-exits-stage-left

[TheBigotBasher]

1. Good riddance to him

and congratulations to his staff. I trust that they will all soon find jobs.

[rgbecker]

2. I guess Parker opted to not talk to his staff before deciding to join the GOP!

Hey, Parker, who needs them? Right? Probably all union guys anyway.

[NJmaverick]

3. This self centered and self serving traitor is better suited to the GOP

So it's really for the best

[Clio the Leo]

4. Related: "Griffith camp recalls segregationist figures"

In an unusual press release announcing the resignation of his legislative staff, former aides to party-switching Rep. Parker Griffith, who is now a Republican, wrote that he had "abandoned the legacy of conservative leadership" provided by, among others, Alabama's segregationist Civil Rights-era Senate delegation.

"Alabama's Fifth District has deserved and has benefited from great Democratic conservative leadership since Reconstruction. And until now they had it," his former Chief of Staff Sharon Wheeler said in a press release statement signed by 10 other departing staffers and circulated by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "But Parker Griffith has abandoned the legacy of conservative leadership provided by Bud Cramer, Ronnie Flippo, Bob Jones, Howell Heflin, Jim Allen, Lister Hill, John Sparkman, Big Jim Folsom, and so many more."

Most of those Alabama Democrats are not associated with segregation, but Senators Lister Hill and John Sparkman were both regular votes against civil rights legislation, and both signed the 1956 Southern Manifesto that condemned the "judicial usurpation" of Brown v. Board of Education and promised to use "all lawful means" to fight the ruling that put court power behind the integration of public institution.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0110/Griffith_camp_recalls_segregationist_figures.html?showall

(My childhood home was ON "Sparkman Drive" in Huntsville ... BLECH!)

[Orsino]

7. I totally read that headline wrong.

Sounded as though Griffith is recalling segregationists to duty, or something.

[Clio the Leo]

12. now THAT would be scary...

.... it would look something like this....

[TheDebbieDee]

5. But by switching parties, wasn't he, in effect, firing his staff?

[Orsino]

6. Griffith's new buddies can probably recommend dozens...

...of newly-unemployed Republicans. His memos won't go untyped.

[ShadowLiberal]

11. What unemployeed republicans?

I recall reading earlier that the GOP kept all the staffers who were with them in 2008, refusing to lay any of them off, despite the fact that they held less seats in congress and therefore didn't need as many staffers. Good to know that the GOP is all for big goverment whenever it's most convinent to them.

[Tippy]

8. Griffith is getting what he truly deserves....

This from Dem. Party-

No Endorsement, Give Us Back Our Money: The Parties Respond to the Griffith Switch

Republican challenger —

a Tea Party activist who’d been waging a Republican campaign for Griffith’s seat since August — it was “manna from heaven.”

This from local Teabaggers-

Tea Party.. concluded, “We are thankful for Parker Griffith’s committed stance on health care, and that he has voted against major socialist bills this year. However, we do not trust him and we do not support him as our next congressman. There are two excellent candidates that are already running in this race: Les Phillip and Mo Brooks. It is our hope and goal that the strongest constitutional conservative will win, and we look forward to participating in this important race.”

As was reported last week, Republican and conservative activists hardly gave Griffith a hero’s welcome when he joined the party. After Griffith failed to start a stampede of Democratic party-switching, and as his past Democratic affiliations have gotten media traction, he’s quickly become just another Republican congressman with a fishy (for conservatives) voting record — a prime target for people like Phillip.

Coupled with the fact his entire staff quit...We can safely say Parker is probably not having a good day today.

[Cha]

10. Good, indeed..I remember reading on

DU that some were using this as an "I told you so"..a trend, if you will" Right.

There's always going to be some tone deaf politicians.

[progressoid]

9. Ha!

too funny.

[jillan]

13. Hahahahahahahahahaha - stupid idiot. And he is going to lose his re-election because the GOP

doesn't want him either.