Alabama Republican Pol Slams Parker Griffith's Switch From Dems To GOP

Rep. Parker Griffith, the Alabama Congressman who switched from the Democrats to the Republicans this week, is now being denounced by none other than a statewide Republican elected official in his home state.

The Huntsville Times reports that State Treasurer Kay Ivey, who is also a candidate for governor, is openly doubting Griffith's sincerity: "Political self-preservation isn't a virtue. In fact, political expediency is an insult to every grassroots activist who commits untold hours in devotion to getting candidates elected."

Griffith is already facing challengers in the Republican primary,
and some big-name conservative activists are calling for his defeat. In previous years of his political career, Griffith had declared that he was for "health care for all of the citizens," and he'd also donated to Howard Dean and Harry Reid. So some people aren't taking seriously his protest that the "far-left" Democratic Party wasn't welcoming him.

Here's Ivey's statement:

"While I sincerely hope that the Republican Party continues to grow its membership and build strength in this state, it should be done on a solid foundation of conservative principles --- on a bedrock of conscientious conviction.

"I can't help but regard this 'Road to Damascus' conversion of Parker Griffith's as solely a ploy to cling to his seat in 2010. We're all well-aware of the increasingly negative poll results for Democrats in Alabama and around the nation.

"Political self-preservation isn't a virtue. In fact, political expediency is an insult to every grassroots activist who commits untold hours in devotion to getting candidates elected."