| I respect any person or elected officials that has the courage to stand up for their convictions and face the public. This philosophy is why I respect so many elected officials (even when I don't support them).
Before and after elections, candidates and incumbents have to face political and constituent pressures to "do the right thing".
This is why I supported Kirk England and Arlen Specter when they switched parties before the election season. They stood by their beliefs, faced their constituents and declared, you have the decision to keep me or fire me. Simply, they announced before an election and not afterwards.
Alan Ritter did the exact opposite. He filed as a Democrat. Won re-election as a Democrat. When the going got tough, he betrayed the people who less than a month ago voted for him. Even though House District 21 voted for Democratic PAC Chair and Democratic candidate Alan Ritter, they elected a turncoat who open lied.
House District 21 should have the right to either approve Ritter's cowardly choice or reject him. Instead, as it stands now, the people who voted for Ritter, gave him 2 years to serve a false constituency. Sadly, unless Ritter does the right thing, they can't hold accountable one way or the other.
Yesterday, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie issued a statement that I wholly agree with.
Dear fellow Democrat,
This past weekend, I was extremely disappointed to learn that a Democratic Texas House Member, Allan Ritter of Nederland, has told colleagues that he plans to switch parties to become a Republican. His announcement comes just weeks after he was elected to serve another term as a Democrat, and his immediate party switch shows contempt for the voters and is certainly not a principled decision.
I've issued a statement to the press, expressing my view that if Rep. Ritter does intend to switch parties, he should show the voters enough respect to immediately resign and seek election as a Republican. I will make the same call to any other Democratic lawmaker who considers switching parties now, because switching parties immediately after being elected is a disingenuous slap in the face of the voters who put that legislator in office.
As I said in my statement, Texans will soon see the impact of failed Republican policy on our state and local economy, our schools and our communities. Those who switch parties to join Republicans now will be held accountable for every action that harms our public schools and universities, our children's health, and our economic future, not to mention the attacks we expect on our right to vote freely in fair and legal districts. In the case of Rep. Ritter, we pointed out how Republican policy is harmful to his constituents, and we will do the same with anyone else who abandons his own voters by switching parties.
In the Democratic Party, there is room for principled officeholders without regard to labels. We are united by our willingness to stand up to special interests and do what is right for our community. Those who switch parties now are not acting on principle, and we will hold them accountable. Thank you for your commitment to the common sense principles that define our party. Together, we can and will hold the Republicans, both old and new, accountable and restore responsible government in Texas.
Ritter, along with any other person who switches parties immediately after an election, should offer to return campaign contributions and resign to run in a special election.
Voters should have a voice and hold someone accountable. Instead, Ritter has 2 years in office and has already shown his political ambition is more valuable than being open and honest to his constituents.
To be clear, I could care less if people switch. Democrats are going to pick up nearly a dozen seats in 2 years because of the gross over correction in 2010. If Ritter, or any other Democrat, wants to paint a giant bulls-eye on their back, I can't stop someone from committing political suicide. At the end of the day though, voters should have rights. It appears Ritter simply doesn't believe that. |
