Washington (CNN) – An Alabama congressman has managed to inspire a certain level of political bipartisanship, but not in a way that will make his colleagues jealous.
Former Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith rocked the political world in December when he switched parties and announced he would seek re-election as a Republican.
And now, only a few months later, his decision has prompted an unlikely coalition to form that is opposed to his re-election.
Democrats, Republicans and politically likeminded groups aligned with both political parties announced they will protest a fundraiser scheduled for March 8, in Huntsville. The headliner: House Minority Leader John Boehner.
Huntsville Tea Party, Left In Alabama, Athens-Limestone Tea Party Patriots, AAMU Democrats Student Club, The Dale Jackson Show, North Alabama Healthcare for All, Madison County Republican Executive Committee, and the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee issued a joint statement Friday announcing their intent to protest.
The involved parties share a goal, but have vastly different motivations. The Huntsville Tea Party said they will use the event to send GOP leaders the message that Griffith isn't their first choice.
"We are sending a message to the national Republican establishment: stay out of our primary," said Christie Carden, founder of the Huntsville Tea Party. "We also want to support the true conservative candidates that Tea Party activists and the local GOP have gotten behind ... We're pushing back against the political machine."
On the other side of the aisle, the AAMU Democrats Student Club took a swing at Griffith for abandoning the Democratic Party.
"We want it to be clear that our opposition is not based on his politics but rather his complete lack of integrity and character," said club president Sharda Lofton. "It is our position that Mr. Griffith is an unprincipled opportunist lacking the kind of values and political ability to make critical decisions in the best interest of the citizens of North Alabama."
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Yahoo to the Yahoo's....America's Chickens Coming Home to ...Roost!
But he makes such a good Republican – gets money from Insurance Companies, flips and flops on how he feels about everything, and has VERY quickly learned how to take the easy trail to retirement by just saying NO to everything about the business of running this country.
Maybe send him to SC to be purified by Demented and Sanford, or let Ensign line him up with a woman at C-Street.
This guy has no moral fabric. He is a true politician in the worst way. It all about him. If the Dems were popular he would be a Dem. If the Republicans are popular, he's for them. Gutless phoney!!
The Tea Party unites with the Democrats with the Health Plan passing still pending, I don't think so.
Not the "real" Tea Partiers!
INTEGRITY MATTERS....Oh he is a southern bell, integrity, they created the word and they are holier than thou
It's true then, politics does make for strange bedfellows. Go figure!
Good riddance!!! We need for some of these other Democrats to walk out of the party because they are clearly Republican and way too conservative.
Democrat, Republican, what difference does it make? The're all politicans. They will cut any deal with anyone to get what they want.
Best of luck to Mr. Griffith.
The picture shows it all – five old white guys in a circle talking strategy in the south. All they need is a few racist signs and a megaphone and it would be right from the 'good ole days" from before the mid-60s. Yea, we all long for those days of segregation, mob lynchings, "white only" water fountains, women bleeding to death from back room abortions, raped women on trial trying to prove they were raped, oh yea we all want to live in the past with these guys.
Is the tea party touching a nerve.? Medina comes in a respectable third to Rick Perry in the primaries? Before dems and republican dismiss this, remember they didn't exists 3 years ago.
This guy is a traitor. When the Republicans start losing badly after Americans see they are worthless he will switch back to the Democrats.
Tea Parties and democrats together? That's like oil and water. Ain't gonna happen. Didn't Nancy Pelosi try to align herself with tea parties about a week ago in an interview? Last year she called then Astro Turf.
A born and raised Bostonian, with family in Mobile, and having resided there for a time as a teen........there are Democrats in Alabama ???????
Get ALL THE BUMS OUT! Yes, beginning with John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Eric Cantor, and those ole southern boys in the deep south!!!
Tea Partiers = New Fad of the Day to be forgotten tomorrow, kind of like Ron Paul, LOL
Where is that revolution today.
C'mon, Lonnie, third out of three is last! Even us ya-hoozles here in Texas don't support a wing-nut like Medina...
I retired to a different state (mostly because of all the tornado activity there) but I lived in Huntsville 21 years and worked in the Aerospace Industry. Very nice living, very nice people, and a LOT of democrats. Lots of folks migrated there from other states for jobs and for Redstone Arsenal. Study history folks. Not all clay and rednecks there any longer.
This is the problem with our current two-party system: there's no compromise and negotiation. How can we tell Washington to be bi-partisan when the American people can't?
Why is everyone on this board so vitriolic towards the Republicans? I mean, I am fully aware this may be a biased crowd, but opposing theories are a good thing in politics. Instead of saying absurd generalizations like "LOL THE GOP IS THE PARTY OF NO AND BIG CORPORATIONS," you all should look at things from an objective and less superficial standpoint. MOST politicians are doing what they believe is right for the country, but hold different principals of what that may be. I rarely post here, but I felt like this needed to be said. Besides, don't any of you folks have...umm...jobs?
Why is it that the republicans are worried about paying for things now?They didn't worry about that when they had to pay for Bush's war at nine billion dollars a month for how many years.They also didn't include that in the yearly budget.Every year he called for emergency funds.They didn't worry about it when they cut taxes for the top 5% in earnings which was a big factor in the collapse of our economy.NOW they're worried about paying for things.RIGHT!!!
the tea baggers are funny.
Wow!! You have got to love the hate fest in the posts here. You have the party of "no" on one side of the isle and the party of hatred and intolerance on the other. So glad I don't subscribe to either party any longer. Being drunk on one brand of kool-aid is not what I consider to be open-minded.
"The Tea Baggers are hurting the GOP. Look at what happened in Texas...none of their major endorsements won."
This is because the GOP has lost touch with the people! The people just want to have a voice again and the Tea Party movement is providing that voice. Right or wrong, whether you agree with the Tea Partiers or not, at least the people are coming together and saying enough is enough.
Parker Griffith is the worst of the do anything to get elected politicians there is. He voted with the Dems the majority of the time he was in congress, now he says he couldn't take their stand? He just started feeling the heat with the meetings during the recess, that's why he switched. For those who don't believe that the Tea Partiers and Dems would be together on this you haven't got a clue how bad everyone here wants to get rid of this guy. Everyone but him recognize that he's trying to play both sides to get the $$ for himself.Tea Partiers (and I've been to all the rallies here) recognize that he doesn't stand for our values, and Dems feel cheated with his switch. Plenty of reason for both to protest together.
Lets try that again. I don't care which party you are from. What I do care about is balancing the budget, and getting spending under control.We have to learn to fix our problems with the funds we have and stop borrowing from China.A little honesty, ethics, and integrity would be nice as well, But you can't expect to much, out of a politician.I'm still a little ticked off because they think only losing 36,000 jobs is some kind of success.Start making 36,000 jobs a month, and we might have something to look forward to. They are all so proud of themselves because the stock-market is doing better.After throwing enough money at the crooks, it should be.But still the worker is being ignored, while he is losing everything, and can't feed his family.