Parker Griffith Can't Lose

Alabama Blue Dog Rep. Parker Griffith is joining the GOP.  As Ezra reminds us, he was a Republican anyway:

In substantive terms, I'm not particularly surprised that Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Alabama, is joining the Republicans. Barack Obama got 37 percent in Griffith's district, and Griffith himself voted against the budget, the stimulus, cap and trade, financial regulation, heath-care reform, and talked about voting against making Nancy Pelosi speaker. When you've got a guy from a Republican district who votes like a Republican when people are watching and is facing an election where Republicans are likely to win back marginal seats, it's not that difficult to predict what's about to happen.

And yes, it looks bad.  Frankly, that just means the Dems can run a non-Blue Dog Dem to try to defeat the guy.  But you can't blame him for switching any more than you can Sen. Arlen Specter from going from R to D.

[UPDATE 2:02 PM]  Oh, and the GOP candidates that were in the race will remain, saying nothing's changed:  they're still out to beat Griffith.

Les Phillip, one of the Republicans who was already in the race against Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.) before he switched parties today, confirmed to TWI that he’s going to stay in the race. Earlier today, Mo Brooks — seen as the GOP’s front-runner until today — also said he was staying in.

“I welcome him to the correct party and I wish him well, and I’m staying in the race,” Phillip told TWI. “I’m glad he saw the light, after almost 70 years of life.”

Phillip also told TWI that Republican voters, given the chance to examine Griffith, had serious reasons to doubt his sincerity.

“The question is the same question you ask in a court case,” said Phillip. “When someone lied before, and now says he’s telling the truth, well: Was he lying then, or is he lying now?”

Congrats Parker.  You've joined the GOP!  Your first order of business, getting primaried out of the race by the Teabaggers!

What, you didn't think they were going to call you a RINO and vow to bury you?  Are you really that stupid?

They want you gone.  You're a filthy liberal as far as your new friends are concerned.  And they are going to end you.

Have a nice day.

[UPDATE 2 2:20 PM] TPMDC's Eric Kleefield reminds us that this year the GOP accused Griffith of killing cancer patients and supporting radical Islam.

With friends like these...