(HAHAHAHAHA. I have this same letter from Parker Griffith. More than once! - promoted by mooncat)
Dear Congressman Parker:
Now do you understand the consequences of your perfidy?
I believe that you do.
The people are tired of politicians who only think of their own self aggrandizement.
I am sending a letter to the Justice Department and the House Ethics encouraging them to observe your financial deportment during the remaining time you have in office.
Dear (saint satin stain):
Thank you for contacting me and sharing your concerns. I appreciate your level of engagement and I thank you for taking the time to share your opinions.
Please rest assured that I have received your mail and that I look forward to getting back to you. I will be in touch in the coming weeks with a detailed response.
As we press forward in the 2nd Session of the 111th Congress you should know that I am committed to making sure North Alabama has a strong conservative voice in the House of Representatives. I encourage you to visit North Alabama's Fifth Congressional District's web site at www.Griffith.house.gov and please stay engaged, your concerns are important to me.
(Say it aint so, Bud! What happened? - promoted by countrycat)
Bud Cramer, our beloved Alabama Blue Dog, who served Alabama's 5th Congressional Seat for 18 years, weighed in on the recent 5th Congressional District seat in an interview with the Huntsville Times.
"I actually was surprised," Cramer said Friday. "I've been watching the trends around the country. ... There's a lot of frustration and anger and hostility toward the agenda in Washington and who's after what. And I think our community is no different than any other community; they want to see our government work differently. But I thought the incumbent would do better than he did."
Really, Bud? You didn't think the Democratic base in Alabama has come a long way, Bud, and we not only expect more, but demand more progressiveness and moderateness for all our hard earned contributions and walking door to door?
The Blue Dogs in Alabama time's up. We've been telling you, warning you and so you were still surprised that Parker Griffith didn't do any better? Even after he kept all that money from his Democratic contributitors only to turn Red? Really, Bud?
Our -- thank you God and Mo Brooks! -- temporary Congressman Parker Griffith still doesn't get it, even after a humiliating defeat at the polls. He thinks his party switch cost him is seat in Congress -- Wrong! It sealed his fate, but after an ugly primary challenge he would have lost as a Democrat as well. Griffith is still spouting the kind of crap that cost him his seat in Congress:
"I think Obama is a socialist. I think Nancy Pelosi is, as well," he said, repeating recent campaign themes linking Democrats, government spending and a suffocating national debt.
He also said that he still thought recent healthcare reforms needed to be repealed, and that North Alabama needed to be concerned about Democratic efforts to curtail manned spaceflight and reduce missile defense.
Griffith's crazy talk started last summer when he implied Nancy Pelosi was crazy and, even now that he is a man without a political future, he's still at it.
Memo to PG:It's still a fact that trash-talking Obama and Pelosi does nothing to bring pork federal funding to your district. And oh baby, the pork federal funding is what voters in the 5th congressional district care about, no matter how much lip service "conservative" leaders pay to concerns about creeping socialism or the national debt. "We must cut the federal budget," they cry. "No, no, not our part of the federal budget."
Jess Brown summed up the situation in the 5th CD very well last December:
"We don't need a battleship" to go to Washington and engage in ideological warfare with the other party. We need a submarine."
Parker Griffith is still firing all guns. God knows how much more damage he'll do to North Alabama between now and January.
A few days ago we had a good discussion in comments about my plan to vote in the Republican primary. countrycat urged me not to, on the rationale that Griffith is probably going to a runoff anyway and I can vote against him then.
A Republican source in Alabama told TPMDC that Griffith's two challengers, Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks and businessman Les Phillip, are competing for the same voters against Griffith. "I'd give him probably a 60% chance of getting to 50 plus one," the source said, explaining that Griffith is favored to win but also that a runoff could be tricker [sic.] for him.
Of course it hardly matters whether any one voter goes to the polls anyway -- elections are so extremely unlkely to be decided by one vote that it's quite literally not worth the gas or the time spent in line, unless you vote for other reasons besides influencing the outcome. (I might walk there; at least then I get some exercise.)
But I think I'm going to stick to the original plan of voting against Griffith. You know, civic duty, all that.
Parker Griffith has in fact spent so much money on his re-election that he's dipping into his personal fortune to prop up his campaign, loaning himself $75,000 on Saturday. Griffith's campaign already owed $250,000 to his personal funds, meaning that without personal loans, Parker Griffith for Congress would be financially bankrupt.
Of course, we already knew Parker Griffith for Congress is morally bankrupt but it's absolutely astounding that an incumbent Congressman is unable to raise enough money to beat back challenges from a political newcomer and a County Commissioner. And ironic that the more serious challenge is coming from Commissioner Mo Brooks even though Griffith has outspent him roughly 20 to 1.
Money talks, but not always loudly enough to make people forget you're a sorry, lying excuse for a Congressman .... thank heavens!
Parker Griffith: The Alabama party switcher -- Democrat to Republican -- has to be fretting about his political future after seeing what happened to Specter. Griffith will make his first race as a Republican in the June 1 primary and, already, there are some political strategists who believe Griffith might not win 50 percent -- forcing a one-on-one runoff that could pose major problems for him. ... And, in an election cycle like this where voters have their authenticity meters turned WAY up, a party switch typifies many of the traits that voters detest in politicians.
Why is Griffith picking on a boathouse? That's the really rich part; he's using a line of attack the DCCC pushed back in September of 2009, when they thought Democrat Parker Griffith would be facing Republican Mo Brooks in the general election. The Huntsville Times declined to bite on the story, and it was peddled in such a clumsy fashion they actually wrote about it -- major black eye for the DCCC.
Democrats called me to plant a story in The Times last month.
So Parker Griffith may have switched parties, but he hung onto the oppo research the DCCC had on his Republican opponents, and now he's using it in the Republican primary. Dirty pool. It may have looked like a great line of attack -- if only Griffith were still a Democrat and didn't need all those South Huntsville votes on June 1.
Parker Griffith is politically tone deaf. I would feel sorry for him if he weren't such a weasel.
Why is the incumbent going negative so close to the election anyway? Is Griffith running scared of Brooks?
The pay raise vote probably wouldn't have hurt him with Democratic voters, but how is it going to play in the Republican primary?Never forget seems to be the attitude of most Republicans I know.
It's hard to believe that you'd find any Alabama Democrat willing to defend Parker Griffith and make excuses for his party switch - particularly a candidate for statewide office. But candidate for Treasurer, Charley Grimsley, didn't just defend Griffith, he blamed Democrats in a rambling, disconnected speech to a sub-committee of the Alabama Democratic Party Executive Committee. The committee was meeting to rule on a challenge to Grimsley's candidacy based on the ADP's rules for ballot access.
During this almost-one hour presentation, Grimsley choked up (twice) and sang a snippet of a gospel song (as a partial excuse for his $500 donation to Republican Beth Chapman when she faced Democrat Nancy Worley in 2006). He "defended" his Democratic credentials by noting that he'd worked for Republicans and given money to both Republicans and Democrats (although his contribution record during the past 8 years is weighted much more heavily to the GOP side - $22,000 to Republicans compared to $12,700 to Democrats).
The weirdest part had to be his dramatic reading of a complete op-ed column written by William Daly, Jr. after Parker Griffith went over to the dark side switched parties in December.
"Dramatic reading" is not a misnomer. Watch below as he reads, with gusto, passages that blame "leftwing bloggers" and the "far left" for hounding Griffith out of the party and into the waiting arms of the GOP. Because, of course, we should have all sent Parker Griffith flowers and campaign contributions after he voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Act, the stimulus, and other Democratic initiatives.
For context, I've included some clips of Griffith himself. Does he really strike you as an asset to the Democratic Party?
And if Charley Grimsley truly thinks that Griffith was a "moderate Democrat" and a "loss to the party," do we need Grimsley any more than we needed our lying turncoat Congressman?
(Who knows what lurks in the mind of Parker Griffith? - promoted by mooncat)
I'll be the first to admit this is rank speculation. But, I've been wondering for quite some time why it is that Parker Griffith switched parties. One theory is that he saw some polling that looked bad, freaked out and just abruptly switched. Another theory put to me by a friend makes more sense. That is, could Parker Griffith have switched parties because he desires to take Richard Shelby's Senate seat when Shelby retires?
We all know all politicians are ambitious and always looking for the next step up. Parker may see an opportunity to step into Shelby's shoes, but he could only do so as a Republican. Could it be? Time may tell, or maybe not if he loses the primary on June 1.
The first quarter fundraising reports are just now becoming available online. The table below is a work in progress -- I'll be filling in the blanks when more information shows up. Here's the big news:
Parker Griffith (R, Opportunity) had to give back a ton of money (still waiting on mine) plus he spent a ton of money and his Cash on Hand advantage over Mo Brooks is now less than $200K, down from more than half a million at last report. Griffith's best hope in the Republican primary was to outright buy the race. He may be in trouble on that score. Can't wait to look at his donors -- are they local folks or PACs looking for Washington influence?
A couple of candidates have released fundraising totals, even though their reports aren't available yet. Terri Sewell has reported contributions of $185,000 and Steve Raby's campaign just issued this press release:
Despite a later start in qualifying for the election for the 5th Congressional District, the Raby campaign has finished the first reporting period strong. With almost $200,000 in contributions, Steve Raby’s message is resonating with people in the Tennessee Valley.
Raby stated “I am proud of our fundraising effort. While this is just the start of the campaign, I am so thankful to our early contributors. My message is simple; this election is not about politics and name calling. This election is about which candidate has the experience to serve in Congress and best protect the interest of North Alabama. I believe this support reflects my years of service to North Alabama, not only for my work with Senator Howell Heflin but also for years of working with state and local officials, and with Congress, on economic development projects to create jobs across the Tennessee Valley.”
Raby further stated “With almost $200,000 raised in the first 30 days of the campaign, we feel confident that our fundraising success will continue. This is such an inspiration, to receive the generous support of our friends. I genuinely believe we will have all the tools we need to communicate with people of North Alabama for the June 1 Democratic Primary election.”
The majority of the contributions to the Raby for Congress campaign are, indeed, from North Alabama and represent a diverse group of Tennessee Valley business leaders, attorneys, farmers, and educators.
Of course, after a party switch, the ground is thick with contradictory positions, such as Griffith's vote last year for California liberal Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House. He now says changing parties was the right thing to do for the district and runs ads calling Pelosi "dangerous" and "radical."
Or there's the questionnaire for the United Autoworkers from 2006, when Griffith said he would support increasing the state minimum wage. "As you know," he wrote four years ago, "I am on the working man's team."
He told The Times that he remains on the "working man's team" because he is now focused on reducing national debt and creating jobs. But 2006 was a different economic climate, he said, and he couldn't support raising the minimum wage in the current economic downturn. "Anything that would restrict job creation, " he said, "I'm not for it."
Griffith doesn't support raising the minimum wage because it might restrict job creation. His concern for "jobs" is touching, but belated. Where was the concern when this lying excuse for a Congressman was voting against the Stimulus Act -- which has created over 13,000 jobs just in Alabama. Hyp. O. Crit!
Alinsky's Fifth Rule: Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear. Which is worse?
A turncoat Democrat surprised his opponents by signing a "unity pledge."That sounds nice, but what is Parker Griffith's pledge worth?
In my experience, less than the paper it's written on.
Let me tell you a story from 2006 when Parker Griffith and Phil Dotts were seeking the Democratic nomination for State Senate district 7. Every April the Madison county Democratic Party has a picnic -- it's the 24th this year -- and invites all the candidates to speak. Griffith and Dotts both showed up early, stayed late and worked the crowd hard. That year the party was kicking off a monthly contribution program where you sign up to have $5, $10, $15 (or more) automatically deducted from your bank account or charged to your credit card once a month. They call it the Sustaining Stars program and a friend of mine was signing up supporters as they came through the gate. Everyone who pledged got their name on a big board showing all the generous Democrats who pledged support to the local party -- see photo at right.
Phil Dotts arrived first and he and his wife pledged $50 a month. Parker Griffith arrived a little later and, not to be outdone, pledged $100 per month -- the amounts aren't listed on the board, but I've verified them with the folks who ran the Stars program back then. Griffith also said he wanted his name in big letters at the very top of the board, above Dotts', and that's where it is. Seriously, if a guy signs up to give $100 a month, put his name wherever he wants it. Here's a larger detail of the board ...
"Parker Griffith," writ large, right there at the top.
Now, how did that pledge turn out for the Madison County Democratic party?
Well, Phil Dotts' made good on his pledge for a couple of months, but he lost the primary and eventually cancelled. Parker Griffith won the primary but he never came through with a dime for the Sustaining Stars program, and I know for a fact the person organizing the program hounded him for at least a year without collecting on his pledge. Griffith "didn't have his checkbook with him," he "didn't know his account number," the credit card he had with him was "not the right one," he couldn't remember the number of the "right credit card," etc., etc., etc.
Fair warning to my Republican colleagues: Parker Griffith's money may be good (I've never seen any of it, lol) but his PLEDGE isn't worth squat.
A case of the right hand not knowing that the left hand has changed sides?
Last December, lifelong Democrat Parker Griffith suddenly decided he wanted to be a Republican. Almost 5 months later, Griffith's office is still confused about which party he's snuggling up to.
Aides at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee got a FedEx packet Monday morning, from Griffith's Huntsville, Ala., district office and addressed to one of Griffith's schedulers, Leigh Pettis -- but at 430 South Capitol Street SE, the Democratic National Committee headquarters, instead of at Griffith's Capitol Hill office. Inside were a bunch of receipts for more than $1,000 of office expenditures. Which almost made it look like Griffith was trying to bill his former party for keeping his office running.
In other Griffith news, a volunteer from Parker Griffith campaign headquarters called me this afternoon to ask if I would like a Griffith yard sign this year. I declined and said what I really want is a refund of my campaign contribution, which I have not received despite repeated requests. The young lady said she was a volunteer and didn't know anything about refunds, so I suggested she should think twice about spending her time volunteering for such an untrustworthy politician. She said she'd met Griffith and liked him -- of course, I'd met him too. In the end, I just cautioned her to be very careful.
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Our -- thank you God and Mo Brooks! -- temporary Congressman 
During this almost-one hour presentation, Grimsley choked up (twice) and sang a snippet of a gospel song (as a partial excuse for his $500 donation to Republican Beth Chapman when she faced Democrat Nancy Worley in 2006). He "defended" his Democratic credentials by noting that he'd worked for Republicans and given money to both Republicans and Democrats (although his contribution record during the past 8 years is weighted much more heavily to the GOP side - $22,000 to Republicans compared to $12,700 to Democrats).
Former Democrat and temporary Congressman 
Parker Griffith
