March 5, 2004
BETTER RED THAN DEAD (via AWW):
House member may quit Demos: Alexander of Quitman says Kerry too liberal (Bruce Alpert, March 05, 2004, Times-Picayune)
First-term Rep. Rodney Alexander, D-Quitman, is "seriously considering" leaving the Democratic Party because he says the party's likely presidential candidate is too liberal, and that he might be able to better represent his constituents as a Republican.Alexander said Thursday that he has talked with Republican leaders about a possible switch and wants to make up his mind quickly, perhaps this weekend.
The major argument for staying put, he said, is that some leading Democrats, including Sen. John Breaux, worked hard to help him gain his narrow upset victory in 2002 over Republican Lee Fletcher.
"I'd be letting some people down who worked very hard for me and I would hate to let anybody down," Alexander said.
But he said a major reason he is thinking about making the move now is that the likely Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, is too liberal for him and his constituents. He previously said he is backing President Bush, who in 2000 won the 4th Congressional District by 57 percent to 40 percent over Democrat Al Gore.
The sad thing for Mr. Alexander is that, welcome as he'd be, the GOP doesn't even need him. When Jim Jeffords started flirting with the Democrats he held all the cards, but Republicans are not just going to hold the Congress but increase their margin in both houses, so they don't even need to cut deals with party-switchers (and Mr. Alexander won't be the only one). Posted by Orrin Judd at March 5, 2004 1:26 PM
Who else would you put on the list of candidates to switch parties?
Posted by: Bartman at March 5, 2004 1:31 PMI don't keep close enough track of the House, but over the next few years in the Senate you could see:
Jim Jeffords, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, Evan Bayh, and Mary Landrieu.
The folks being mentioned as Kerry running mates are generally on the list because they're unlikely Democrats.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2004 1:38 PMJeffords? He'd be as welcome as a cockroach at a five-course dinner. He's a grandstanding, backstabbing weasel, and I don't think the Republican Senate leadership is going to forgive him.
Posted by: Mike Morley at March 5, 2004 2:16 PMBy Lott maybe, but what does Frist care about those bygones.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2004 2:23 PMI remember reading at the time of the Jeffords switch that he wasn't going to run for reelection in '06 and that this was a safe move because he wasn't going to face the voters again. As OJ notes the GOP, except to hold the leadership in a 50-590The GOP doesn't need him, especially given his penchent for not voting with the rest of the GOP
Posted by: AWW at March 5, 2004 2:33 PMHe says he is running, though he gave a speech a couple weeks ago that was so incoherent, even by his low standards, that people thought he might be losing it. His problem is that Dean has nowhere else to go but after his Senate seat.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2004 2:43 PMSeeing a note now that Alexander is staying a Democrat but "will support Bush in the election". This is beginning to look like a ploy to get reelected by a politician who barely won in 2002 and is in a district that went 57-40 for Bush in 2000.
As for Dean he will probably stay focused on being President. I would think a decent GOP candidate would be able to knock of Jeffords given the animosity he generated.
Bill Nelson won't switch - he was prominently photographed yesterday with John Kerry and Bob Graham.
Landrieu has already won re-election once and under LA's runoff scheme, she might not make it running as a Repub. against a solid Repub. and a solid Dem. She is too beholden to the black vote to ever change.
Jeffords would not be wanted back, even if he is drooling on the Senate floor. Even Frist is not that desperate.
Evan Bayh is like Harold Ford - your dream crosser. Keep dreaming - he has a family legacy to honor. Would you have speculated about Al Gore going Repub. back in 1988-91? And look where he is now.
Posted by: jim hamlen at March 5, 2004 2:59 PMHe says he is running, though he gave a speech a couple weeks ago that was so incoherent, even by his low standards, that people thought he might be losing it. His problem is that Dean has nowhere else to go but after his Senate seat.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2004 3:04 PMBill Nelson is up in two years and if the GOP trend in FL continues he'll count the votes and switch.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2004 3:10 PM