The marginalization of the Democratic Party continued to pick up pace in Kentucky, where a traditionally "blue" area saw three of its elected officials switch to the GOP. The Courier-Journal reported that the local party chairman resigned the same day:

Three elected officials in the traditional Democratic stronghold of Shelby County defected yesterday to the Republican Party, the same day the local Democratic chairman resigned.

The three officials cited varying reasons for their switch, including conflicts with national Democrats on such issues as abortion, guns and taxes, and said the GOP better represents their moral and economic values.

"It certainly doesn't reflect my personal beliefs," Shelby County Attorney Chuck Hickman said of the Democratic Party, which he had been a member of for 24 years. He was joined by Simpsonville City Commissioner Cary Vowels and Shelby County Coroner Tommy Sampson.

Four deputy coroners and Sampson's son, an emergency medical technician, also joined the GOP ranks during a ceremony on the Shelby County Courthouse steps.

In what he said was a coincidence, Shelby County Democratic Executive Committee Chairman Gary Walls submitted his resignation yesterday, citing dissatisfaction with the national party's drift to the left.

It sounds like these former Democrats had a serious problem with their national party. After abortion, guns, and taxes, what exactly attracted them to the Democrats? Certainly not their national-security policy. It shows yet again that the Democrats' base erodes under the continual resistance to compromise on which their special-interest leadership insists. Take yesterday's reaction to the Judiciary Committee assignments as an example. While NARAL and PFW use war and terror analogies to smear conservatives, people in Shelbyville wonder why anyone would want to stick a scalpel into the head of an infant past the point of supposed viability -- and why an American political party considers supporting that procedure a moral duty.

Democrats have steadily lost people such as Chuck Hickman and Tommy Sampson, and electoral results have reflected that. In the past three election cycles, Democrats have lost almost 20% of their Senate seats and a big chunk of their House contingent as well. They ran far to the left against a man they painted as the most radically conservative president in American history -- and 62 million Americans disagreed with that analysis. They understood that a party hijacked by the Stalin apologists at International ANSWER and the radicals at MoveOn would see Eisenhower as radically conservative, or at least paint him as such in an attempt to grasp power.

Democrats continue to console themselves by murmuring that a switch of 100,000 votes here and there would have resulted in a Democratic sweep. Fifteen years ago, they never had to make excuses for losing, and now they have to make them every day. The push to promote Howard Dean as party chairman only shows how obstinately and deliberately clueless they remain. Four more years of this and the Democrats my have to compete with the Greens for major-party status.

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» The Democratic Disintegration Continues from Jay Reding.com
Captain Ed reports on three Democratic elected officials in Kentucky who have switched over to the GOP. As he notes: Democrats have steadily lost people such as Chuck Hickman and Tommy Sampson, and electoral results have reflected that. In the past... [Read More]

Tracked on December 21, 2004 12:06 PM

» The Democrats Wandering Eye from Common Sense Runs Wild
Continuing on with the question yesterday as to whether Republicans should follow Arnold Schwarzenegger’s advice and [Read More]

Tracked on December 21, 2004 12:18 PM

» Democratic Marginalization Picks Up Speed from Noahware
Three elected officials in the traditional Democratic stronghold of Shelby County defected yesterday to the Republican Party, the same day the local Democratic chairman resigned. I hope this is a trend. [Read More]

Tracked on December 21, 2004 4:17 PM