Monday, November 4, 2013

A Republican Walks Away From HATE! Amazing!

Daily Kos recap below.



Sat Nov 02, 2013 at 05:30 AM PDT

Another Republican Switches To The Democratic Party

 

attribution: Thigpen Website

Jason Thigpen

A few weeks ago Texas Republican Judge Carlo R. Key decided to leave the Republicans Party. He pulled no punches when he left. He left with a stinging indictment of the party. He said,
Rational Republican beliefs have given way to ideological character assassination. Pragmatism and principle have been overtaken by pettiness and bigotry. Make no mistake; I have not left the Republican Party. It left me. I cannot tolerate a Republican Party that demeans Texans based on their sexual orientation, the color of their skin, or their economic status. I will not be a member of a party in which hate speech elevates candidates for higher office rather than disqualifying them. I cannot place my name on the ballot for a political party that is proud to destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of federal workers over the vain attempt to repeal a law that would provide healthcare to millions of people throughout our country. .. I would hope that more people of principle will follow me.
Not surprising, this week another Republican from a state that is suppressing its voters and filling the air with hate has decided to switch. A couple days ago North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Jason Thigpen could take it no longer. Jason Thigpen is a veteran. He served the country in the army for 6 years. He was deployed to Iraq as a gun-truck commander for a Convoy Security Team between 2008 and 2010. He served his country.
Jason Thigpen told the NewsObserver that the Tea Party push for a government shutdown precipitated his switch. He said,
I simply cannot stand with a party where its most extreme element promote hate and division amongst people,” Thigpen said in a statement posted to his campaign website Thursday. “Nothing about my platform has, nor will it change. The government shutdown was simply the straw that broke the camels back. I guess being an American just isn’t good enough anymore and I refuse 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.
Thigpen also said that he “didn’t go to war to defend the liberties and freedoms of one party, race, or one income class of Americans.” He was taken aback when North Carolina legislators used their super-majority status to suppress voting rights of Democrats, specifically minorities and college students. He acknowledged the super majority was attained through gerrymandering. Read his full statement here.

This is likely a difficult decision for Mr. Jason Thigpen. He must be applauded for the courage it took. He will be accepted into the Democratic Party with open arms. One can only hope that moderate Republicans take back their Party. America needs a multi-party system to force all politicians of every stripe to earn the votes of every American. The trickle of Republicans switching is bound to become a stream as the extremist continue to hold their party and the country hostage.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/02/1252488/-Another-Republican-Switches-To-The-Democratic-Party?detail=email



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Sun Nov 03, 2013 at 08:33 AM PST

90 Year Old Legendary Speaker of the House Jim Wright Denied Texas Voter ID Card

 
A 90 year old man who just happens to be the former Speaker of the US House was denied a voter ID according to Texas's new voter ID requirements.
FORT WORTH — Former House Speaker Jim Wright was denied a voter ID card Saturday at a Texas Department of Public Safety office.“Nobody was ugly to us, but they insisted that they wouldn’t give me an ID,” Wright said.
The legendary Texas political figure says that he has worked things out with DPS and that he will get a state-issued personal identification card in time for him to vote Tuesday in the state and local elections.
Because a 90 year old man is trying to game the system, right?
But here is the real problem:
But after the difficulty he had this weekend getting a proper ID card, Wright, 90, expressed concern that such problems could deter others from voting and stifle turnout. After spending much of his life fighting to make it easier to vote, the Democratic Party icon said he is troubled by what he’s seeing happen under the state’s new voter ID law.“I earnestly hope these unduly stringent requirements on voters won’t dramatically reduce the number of people who vote,” Wright told the Star-Telegram. “I think they will reduce the number to some extent.”
Wright and his assistant, Norma Ritchson, went to the DPS office on Woodway Drive to get a State of Texas Election Identification Certificate. Wright said he realized earlier in the week that the photo identifications he had — a Texas driver’s license that expired in 2010 and a TCU faculty ID — do not satisfy requirements of the voter ID law, enacted in 2011 by the Legislature. DPS officials concurred.
Not everyone will have the resources, or knowledge, that Wright has to overcome these obstacles. And Wright puts it very well:
We want to make sure that every eligible Texan who wants to cast a ballot can,” Pierce said. “We want to help any Texan who needs additional information."Wright, who said he has voted in every election since 1944, lamented that such help is called for.
“From my youth I have tried to expand the elections,” Wright said. “I pushed to abolish the poll tax. I was the first to come out for lowering the voting age to 18.”
The state put up these obstacles in the first place- now they are 'concerned' to make sure everyone can overcome them. They have 'solved' non-existent voter fraud problems by creating actual problems.
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