Vindication rooster crowing is sweet and this is how the Reagan Revolution began

Within hours of Dem-o-bat Ben Nelson’s cave on ending debate on socialized medicine for America, we bemoaned the fading away of the America we grew up in and apologized to Huckleberry Hound for using his image to identify the mythical moderate elected to serve in D.C. democrat, with one exception.

We wrote on Sunday:

The only true blue dawgs are Parker Griffith (D-AL) in the U.S. House of Representatives, who voted against the Stimulus, Cap and Trade and ObamaCare and who vows to vote against Nancy Pelosi as Speaker if he wins re-election in 2010; and Huckleberry Hound in the Dog House.

Lone Blue Dawg switches to GOP and then there were none

Today, Parker Griffith (D-AL) reached the tipping point even Zell Miller never found:

HUNTSVILLE, AL — U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith said he can no longer align himself with a party that doesn’t represent his values.

Griffith, D-Huntsville, officially announced his decision to switch to the GOP in a 1 p.m. press conference at his home. Griffith, a medical doctor, cited his opposition to the health care reform bill and the national debt as two factors that led to his decision.

“I now believe I have to go further and stand with a party that is more in tune with my beliefs and convictions,” Griffith said. “This was not an easy decision for me.

“I take this step because I believe our nation is at a crossroads and I can no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy, and drives us further and further into debt.”

Griffith voted with Republicans on major issues such as health care reform, the “cap and trade” climate bill, Obama’s first budget and the stimulus bill.

Welcome home Parker!

These are the moments conservatives should live for. In America, good laws get passed and bad laws get repealed only thru parties, and the left has resided in the DemParty for over 70 years and has owned it at least since 1975, so that, the only chance America has is if conservatives re-take the party Reagan built.

Don’t look gift blue dawgs in the mouth as the new tusks may put your eye out

The “R” matters, and Griffith’s big four votes justifies our embrace of him.

Some political hope for Christmas, much like the hope that accompanied conservative icon Phil Gramm’s switch in the 80s. Reagan and Gamecock were also democrats before they saw the light and came into the Party of Lincoln, and of course, Lincoln was a Whig before he was a Republican.

Hopefully the GOP has better learned how to accept gifts and will embrace Griffith rather than letting John McCain get us focused on puny pork bills.

5:10PM update (H/T to redneck hippie) – Gamecock echo syndrome at Hot Air:

He passes all the major litmus tests and just handed conservatives their biggest PR coup of the year at a moment when Blue Dogs in the House are already jittery about the health-care vote. And the plan, maybe, is … to weaken him with a primary? He’s already weak: He won last year with just 52 percent and is bound to bleed some support from loyal Dixiecrats disgruntled by the party switch. Only conservatives could be handed the gift of incumbency in a district they haven’t controlled for 140 years and decide that the thing to do now is try to bump the guy off before the general election. (I kid. The nutroots would do that too.)

More later as events require…

Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Minority Report columns

“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson