Today the national GOP welcomes Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL) into the party. That is, just moments after scrubbing the commercials they ran last year accusing him of abusing cancer patients to squeeze more money out of them and cheering on radical Islam in its war on America.
But hey, we snatched them up for viewing pleasure before they disappeared forever down the memory hole. See them here.
TPM Reader SA chimes in …
As an Alabamian, I believe that Parker Griffith’s party-switch is a blunder. Early opinion is that he read the tea leaves, but I’m certain that he misread them.
McConnell mulls allowing final health care bill vote to come a bit earlier to help maximize winter vacation.
Sen. Reid just announced that the final vote on the senate bill will be moved up from 7 PM Thursday to 8 AM Thursday. More soon.
Late Update: Seriously, though, as long as they’re agreeing to move it up eleven hours, why not just move it up to tonight? The internal contradictions of GOP gonzo obstructionism …
Benefit-speed up coming into focus as possible compromise point in House-Senate negotiations.
Remember though that this would almost certainly bump up the price, which would likely scare off the conservative Dems.
Freshman Dem Rep. Tom Periello has enough problems. One of them was that the local GOP seemed primed to run a strong candidate against him. But now Laura Ingraham endorsed a right-wing candidate to challenge that guy in the GOP primary, telling listeners a “middle of the road” candidate won’t be be able to beat Periello.
Diaz-Balart brothers both pulling their endorsement from Charlie Crist. “We take our endorsements seriously, but the governor knows why we withdrew and he left us with no alternative,” says Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, whatever that means.
Blackwater (now rechristined Xe) sets up shop in Afghanistan looking for more contracts.
TPMDC’s Eric Kleefeld asks conservative Alabama Dem Rep. Bobby Bright whether he might follow Rep. Griffith out of the Democratic party, and gets this reply: Merry Christmas!