Ex-Democrat Artur Davis to speak at GOP national convention
There are a few moments in any national presidential-nominating convention that are designed for drama: the keynote address, the speech by the running mate and, of course, the speech by the nominee. But the GOP this year is trying to add another one in a Zell Miller-esque address by a longtime Democrat.
Democratic congressman-turned-2012 RNC speaker Artur Davis (Source: OfficialArturDavis.com)
And this longtime Democrat happens to be one of the first members of Congress to endorse Barack Obama for the presidency in 2008, the man who seconded Obama’s nomination at the Democratic convention in Denver: Alabama’s Artur Davis.
Davis’ switch to the Republican Party earlier this year was well-publicized, but I’m not sure anyone predicted he’d be a headliner at the 2012 GOP convention, announced alongside four people Mitt Romney reportedly considered as potential running mates: Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. (U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack of Florida was also announced today.)
There have been rumors a Republican, perhaps Jon Huntsman, will address the Democrats’ convention in Charlotte. It would take more than Huntsman, in my view, to trump what the GOP gets with Davis.
Here’s what Davis said in a press release by the Republican National Committee:
The talk and inspiration moved so many of us four years ago, but unfortunately we haven’t seen the action to back it up. We were promised jobs and we got job-killing mandates and regulations. We were promised a fiscally responsible government, and we got trillion dollar deficits, debt that has never been seen, and small business burdened with new taxes, and threatened with more taxes. The time for talk is over. At the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Republicans take a step to undo the mismanagement and nominate Mitt Romney as the next president of the United States.
I believe the official term for that kind of statement from that kind of ex-supporter is “fightin’ words.” We’ll have to see whether Davis proves as effective a turncoat as Miller was. And/or whether Davis ends up challenging any liberal cable-news commentators to a duel:
– By Kyle Wingfield
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393 comments Add your comment
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
12:17 pm
@ iggy 1158: Refusing to work, not becoming wealthy and living off the govt is, of course, your choice.
From Wikipedia: “His father’s death provided (Paul) Ryan with Social Security benefits until his 18th birthday, which he saved to pay for his education at Miami University of Ohio. ”
Of course if it is repubs living off the government, and getting their education from government benefits, it’s OK. Dems however are parasites when they do it.
@rape hollister 1159: Where did you read that, Jet Magazine? Can you post a link?
Too bad you didn’t watch the repub debates, you would have heard it first hand. You also would have heard your rah rah USA USA patriotic repubs boo a brave American soldier serving in Afghanistan. You would have heard their cheers when rick perry bragged about executing over 200 people as governor, even though studies have shown that as many as 10% of executed convicts were innocent, and were not given fair trials. Why do repubs hate America and all it stands for?
Just saying..
August 16th, 2012
12:18 pm
The more the electorate learns about Mitt, the more important are his surrogates…
jd
August 16th, 2012
12:18 pm
I apply the logic used to attack Dr. Barge’s cred:
Was Artur lying then or is he lying now?
SwamiDave
August 16th, 2012
12:18 pm
Such an entertaining exercise to see so many detailed attacks and claimed consequences of the Ryan Budget from Democrats who have not proposed their own!
Same for Democrats more interested in what Romney did or does with his money than the untold billions of ours PrezBO has wasted on Stima-Spendu-lus & the scam that is “Green Energy”.
Only to be preceded or followed by Democrats touting the inexperience of Ryan as an executive when the only executive experience for either PrezBO or “Breaking Chains” Biden is as abject executive failures.
Truth, History, and Common Sense refute Liberalism. Freedom and Opportunity work every time they are tried; they work when you do!
-SD
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 16th, 2012
12:18 pm
Lyndon Johnson mired blacks in poverty and broke up their families and for this, he’s a liberal icon.
He also signed the Civil Rights bill giving them the right to eat in the same restaurant or use the same bathroom as you.
Hillbilly D
August 16th, 2012
12:19 pm
Your name is too long to write (hopefully that don’t get me banned)
My family has only lived in this area for a little over 200 years, so I guess you know the area better than I do.
iggy
August 16th, 2012
12:19 pm
Most do not take advantage of the WF profit sharing plan.
Creed
August 16th, 2012
12:19 pm
I’ll take fear and pestilence over hope and change.
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 16th, 2012
12:20 pm
Silliness. A strange correlation, folks with advanced education tend to be liberal. Do all of us educated liberals, many with advanced degrees, really refuse to work??
Funny when you look at the electoral map.
The redder the state the lower it ranks in education.
@@
August 16th, 2012
12:22 pm
Cheesy:
He also signed the Civil Rights bill giving them the right to eat in the same restaurant or use the same bathroom as you.
Yes, he did.
“…we‘ve got to give them a little something, just enough to quiet them down, not enough to make a difference.”–LBJ
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 16th, 2012
12:22 pm
I wonder if Waffle House provides its employees with healthcare ?
Good for them if they do.
Jefferson
August 16th, 2012
12:24 pm
You will take what you get, and so will I.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:25 pm
Auntie
I watched the debates and never heard one “let him die” comment from anyone on stage or in the audience, and never heard it reported in print or television, but maybe your sensitive ears picked it up. Maybe you should use those ears to pick up things like, “after the election, I will have more flexibility” or “this is a big f…. deal”.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
August 16th, 2012
12:26 pm
Keep rearranging those deck chairs, Cons.
Yawn
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 16th, 2012
12:27 pm
In 1965, Lyndon Johnson achieved passage of a second civil rights bill, the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination in voting, thus allowing millions of southern blacks to vote for the first time.
Ill judge him on the deeds…. not the words.
Goldie
August 16th, 2012
12:27 pm
Yeah, and look how well that 2004 convention turned out for Zell — and of course, now he tells everyone that he didn’t write any of what he said and was just “reading the teleprompter!” Bunch of losers in the GOP these days…
JDW
August 16th, 2012
12:28 pm
I am sure it will be good theater…not going to sway many if any votes but a good show.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
August 16th, 2012
12:30 pm
The redder the county (across the country) the more it relies on federal aid.
http://taxfoundation.org/
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 16th, 2012
12:32 pm
My family has only lived in this area for a little over 200 years, so I guess you know the area better than I do.
Thats just it. You are looking at a very small piece of the pie.
I’m talking about the politics of the south as a whole.
There is no debate things changed when Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
NONE.
Hillbilly D
August 16th, 2012
12:32 pm
The only thing either party really believes in is staying in power. The sooner folks figure that out, the better off they’ll be.
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
12:34 pm
“Only to be preceded or followed by Democrats touting the inexperience of Ryan as an executive …..”
“As a junior at Joseph A. Craig High School in Janesville, Ryan was elected class president, which made him prom king…” This will serve ryan well when romney redistributes the wealth to the 1%. ryan can keep us loyal subjects in line by serving up the Big Macs and weenies. “After his sophomore year he (ryan) worked the grill at McDonald’s…and .. He worked summers as a salesman for Oscar Mayer, even driving the Wienermobile once”
And don’t dismiss ryan’s vast legislative expertise, evidenced by the following: “During his 13 years in the House, Ryan has sponsored some 71 bills or amendments, of which two were ultimately enacted into law. One, passed in July 2000, renamed a post office in Ryan’s district; the other, passed in December 2008, lowered the excise tax on arrow shafts”
Now that is some kind of legislator, getting 2 bill passed out of the 71 he proposed. Solon must be spinning in his grave with envy.
This is certainly a man for the century (the 18th one)
Hillbilly D
August 16th, 2012
12:34 pm
I’m a 12th generation Southerner and a 7th generation Georgian. I understand the region.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
August 16th, 2012
12:34 pm
Rank -State -Combined SAT
The top ten –
1 Illinois 1807
2 Minnesota 1778
3 Iowa 1777
4 Wisconsin 1767
5 Missouri 1764
6 Michigan 1761
7 North Dakota 1759
8 Kansas 1752
9 Nebraska 1745
10 South Dakota 1737
And the bottom ten-
42 New York 1460
43 Nevada 1460
44 Delaware 1455
45 Hawaii 1448
46 Florida 1447
47 Texas 1446
48 Georgia 1445
49 South Carolina 1436
50 Maine 1391
51 District of Columbia 1385
Looks like a pretty even split to me.
With Washington, DC being the stupidest in the nation, of course.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:36 pm
The redder the state the lower it ranks in education.
There are a whole lot more important things, than political persuasion, that bring about that result, Mr. Cheesy.
Goldie
August 16th, 2012
12:37 pm
what a shocker — a Southern politician joins the GOP!
@@
August 16th, 2012
12:40 pm
This is certainly a man for the century (the 18th one)
According to our sitting VP, we’re living in the 20th century.
And he said it with such enthusiasm.
iggy
August 16th, 2012
12:40 pm
“With Washington, DC being the stupidest in the nation, of course.”
LMAO!!
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
12:41 pm
hollister @1225:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PepQF7G-It0 If the link doesn’t work, simply use google to find “let him die,” there’s only about a 1000 links to this.
You must have slept through this part. That’s ok tho, it shows yo’re taking your meds. Maybe someday you’ll wake up and become a progressive.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:42 pm
two were ultimately enacted into law.
Two, Obama would be boastful if he had that much legislative success.
sophomore year he (ryan) worked the grill at McDonald’s…and .. He worked summers as a salesman for Oscar Mayer, even driving the Wienermobile once”
Again, the great narcissistic pretender wishes he had all that private sector experience!
House Slaves Usually Live Better Than Field Slaves
August 16th, 2012
12:43 pm
@Hillbilly D
August 16th, 2012
12:34 pm
I’m a 12th generation Southerner and a 7th generation Georgian. I understand the region.
___________________________________________________
Are you related to Honey Boo Boo from McIntyre?
@@
August 16th, 2012
12:47 pm
‘Folks, where’s it written we cannot lead the world in the 20th century in making automobiles?,” said Biden.
When the neighbor columnist ran a contest to see who would be Obama’s VP pick, I won with Biden.
Biden was a safe bet.
schnirt
yuzeyurbrane
August 16th, 2012
12:48 pm
tiberius–so sorry I hurt your feelings by negative comments on Ayn Rand. She is obviously the one upon whom you also base your economic analysis. Were you 15 or were you 16 when Rand first transformed your thinking? Or are you now 15 or 16?
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
12:48 pm
hollister: Obama would be boastful if he had that much legislative success.
Obama enacted a health care law that every President since Roosevelt (except the bush crime family) tried to get passed. This trumps getting a post office renamed or a tax credit for shafts (which is fitting since romney-ryan are going to shaft us big time if elected)
Jefferson
August 16th, 2012
12:48 pm
You mad at the gov’t GOP supporters might try a doctor and some meds, being angry your adult life seem like a waste. Enjoy life, America has great things to offer for the open minded.
But do not get too dependent on the meds, that would not be good for you.
Kyle Wingfield
August 16th, 2012
12:51 pm
yuze @ 11:35: Since credentials matter so much to you … here are 400 real, live economists, including 4 Nobel winners, who back the Romney plan.
I’ll wait for you to argue that, unlike Paul freakin’ Krugman, these are ideological, partisan hacks…
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:51 pm
Auntie, thanks for the link, I never heard that said, but the streaming was not good, so I will take your word. Don’t know how you can attribute that to a GOP fan, I couldn’t see the person. He may have been a Paulista or he may have been a protester, taunting Paul. I don’t think I would miss much sleep over it. Romney is not going to put anyone back in chains, even if ole Joe has that fantasy.
Thulsa Doom
August 16th, 2012
12:51 pm
Oh Lordy. Don’t you know the Dems are going to be mad as hell seeing a black man make a speech at the R convention. They’re gonna be madder than when the Rs picked a woman as VP candidate last time around. I hope Artur is prepared to withstand the hate, vitriol, and character assassination that the Ds are going to lob at him.
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
12:52 pm
@Hillbilly D
August 16th, 2012
12:34 pm
I’m a 12th generation Southerner and a 7th generation Georgian. I understand the region.
I really liked your banjo scene in “Deliverance.”
SlickRick - glad to no longer be suffering through Fratboy George's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:57 pm
“Paul freakin’ Krugman”? Way to take the high road, Kyle. Speaking of which, there are those among us who thought you were sufficiently upstanding and principled to recognize that Tiberius violated a number of your rules yesterday, repeatedly, and yet he is still free to post. What gives?
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
August 16th, 2012
12:57 pm
Did Kyle just curse!
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:57 pm
Auntie
I was speaking of Obama’s legislative record during the 12-14 months he actually pretended to be concentrating on being a US Senator. Don’t believe he had any legislation passed.
The Obamacare bill was passed after he left the Senate, and I am not sure who claims the notoriety of sponsoring that piece of legislative mismatch. Compare apples to apples will you.
Tealiban Party
August 16th, 2012
12:57 pm
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer’s ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
11:59 am
Where did you read that, Jet Magazine? Can you post a link?
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/09/tea-party-audience-cheers-letting-the-uninsured-die/
SlickRick - glad to no longer be suffering through Fratboy George's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
12:59 pm
“Other highly respected economic thinkers on the list include Phil Gramm, Martin Feldstein, and noted supply-side guru Arthur Laffer.”
Yeah, we totally need more supply-side (aka ‘trickle down’) economics. After all, it’s worked so well for us the past 30 years.
IDIOTS
Schnirt
@@
August 16th, 2012
1:03 pm
Did Kyle just curse!
I YIKED IT!!!!!!!!
MERYL MAHLER
August 16th, 2012
1:09 pm
Everette, you are such a racist,,,, why don’t your kids go clean toilets!!!!!!
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
August 16th, 2012
1:09 pm
Tealiban
I can’t keep this straight, your post says tea-party-audience, Auntie says GOP debate, screen I saw was Ron Paul speaking on CNN. An anonymous loud mouth obviously was present at this gathering, I get it, so what’s the point?
Do you stand behind everything that Biden says or how his goofy crowd reacts? He got many cheers and hoots and hollers when he fantasied that Romney was going to put “yall back in chains”.
RW-(the original)
August 16th, 2012
1:10 pm
When the neighbor columnist ran a contest to see who would be Obama’s VP pick, I won with Biden.
Errr…the contest was to pick both VP choices and I had Palin so I think I win any tiebreaker.
(IW&SH)
JDW
August 16th, 2012
1:10 pm
@Kyle…O’ dear now you sound like the climate change deniers and their pitiful list of scientists.
According to the US Bureau of Labor there are 15,400 economists in the US. That means Mittens has the unqualified support of 2.6% of them.
Sorry but I am not impressed.
Tealiban Party
August 16th, 2012
1:11 pm
State Ranking by Percentage of Residents with College Degree
Top Ten
1. Massachusetts
2. Maryland
3. Colorado
4. Connecticut
5. New Jersey
6. Virginia
7. Vermont
8. New Hampshire
9. New York
10. Washington
Bottom Ten
41. Oklahoma
42. Indiana/Tennessee
44. Alabama
45. Lousiana/Nevada
47. Kentucky
48. Mississippi
49. Arkansas
50. West Virginia
http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank19.html
iggy
August 16th, 2012
1:11 pm
ObamaCare listed as an accomplishment…LOL!!