The Congressman from Alabama’s Fifth District – Dr. Parker Griffith – announced today that he was leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a Republican. Despite having very tender feelings for a member of Dr. Griffith’s staff (update: nevermind, Sean quit – hooray!), I think that his turncoatism is appalling.
The Fifth District has been controlled by the Democratic Party for almost 150 years – indeed, the only Republican to ever have that seat had it during Reconstruction. Dr. Griffith was elected to Congress not because of his personality or political gifts (Lord knows he is utterly lacking in at least the latter) but because of the fact that he had a (D) next to his name. By switching parties, Dr. Griffith has shown that he absolutely no respect for the will of his constituents. His move reeks of weakness and opportunism, and Griffith supporters deserve the feeling of outrage that they are currently experiencing.
I, of course, was not a Griffith voter because I live in California and have my own (solidly blue) Congressman – Xavier Beccera. I did give Dr. Griffith my money to assist with his successful election. Now I feel cheated and abused for doing so.
Thus, I have now donated a sum of money to the Madison County Democratic Party, in protest of Dr. Griffith’s move. I’m writing this note to sincerely urge all of you to do the same – even if you can’t afford to give more than a small amount. By switching parties, Parker Griffith betrayed the entire concept of representative democracy – whether you are Democrat, Republican, or Independent, you ought to acknowledge that the House of Representatives (designed to be the more denizen-oriented of the two houses of Congress) is not the proper place for people who act in such bad faith with the will of their people.
Despite the distance between my current home and Huntsville, I pledge today that I will personally assist the effort to defeat Parker Griffith. Please join me by donating the Democratic Party – on the local, state, or national level. Here is a link to the local offices in Madison County (part of the Fifth District):
http://www.madisoncountydemocrats.com
Filed under: Human Interest, alabama, congress, democrats, fifth district, huntsville, madison county, parker griffith, politics, republicans
