25 years ago, Rick Perry was a Democrat and Elizabeth Warren was a Republican.
That is all. Have a great weekend.
Chris Ladd is a Texan living in the Chicago area. He has been involved in grassroots Republican politics for most of his life. He was a Republican precinct committeeman in suburban Chicago until he resigned from the party and his position after the 2016 Republican Convention. He can be reached at gopliferchicago at gmail dot com.
GOPLifer 
After reading this — it’s official — I am in love with GOPLifer. I was a Republican party activist for 30 years before registering Democratic in 2012. President Barack Obama was the first Democrat I ever voted for for president — and I am proud of that vote. Elizabeth Warren is a woman after my own heart. Going after corruption on Wall Street and helping to rebuild the middle class — love her! When I finally realized that there were no women left in the GOP on the national stage (exit Olympia Snow) that I admired and respected (enter Sarah Palin!) making the switch was easy! Don’t miss the toxic hate being spewed by GOP’ers calling Warren a “liar.”
Welcome ppenny!
Chris you owe Larry O’Donnell a beer for uniting the lost tribes of the moderate Republican Diaspora of America on your blog. 😉
You have always provided thoughtful and thought provoking blog topics, observation and commentary which I think everyone agrees whether they/we agree or not with the post (never mind the obvious abject troll bycatch you inevitably get also).
To quote Steve Martin’s Mavin Johnson in his breakout role:
” I’m somebody now. Millions of people look at this book [blog] every day. This is the kind of spontaneous publicity that makes people.
Things are going to start happening to me now!” 😉
Thanks bubbabobcat —
Living in now blood-red AZ where corrupt tea party operatives have taken over this great state and targeted moderate Republicans for destruction, made my decision to register Democratic the only logical way to continue my 30-year fight for good government. And having just lost my state Senate race to an entrenched tea party Republican — we are pumped up and ready to spring into action. Our plan is to unite Democrats, Independents, and moderate Republicans. It will start with the recruitment of precinct committeemen/women. The gloves are off!
GO GO GO! Very happy to hear that you’re gonna stay in the game.
Here’s old piece from a series with some advice for Republicans who want to run against the Tea Party.
http://blog.chron.com/goplifer/2012/02/rules-for-rationals/
Thanks for the link Chris. I ran for the state legislature in 2010 as a moderate R and came in third. Top two win. In 2012, and 2014 well funded moderate R’s ran in the same district and they too came in third. The hijacking of the GOP by the tea party makes it almost impossible for a moderate R to win the primary. Hope you have better luck than I did trying to reverse this trend.
I am fiscally responsible, but moderate to liberal on social issues. Not changing who I am or selling out to the Koch Brothers just to get elected. Sometimes you win by losing! Hope your link applies to Democrats running for office as my brand of politics is no longer wanted in the Republican Party. All that said — I am much happier as a Democrat — did not have to change a single core belief to be accepted. After all — Reagan switched parties. I plan on telling anyone who will listen that they should give the Democratic party a new look — they may like what they see. We are not all “socialists!” LOL!!!!
FWIW, this lifelong Scottsdale native in what is rapidly becoming tea party country voted for you, Paula.
Warren is a proven liar. She claimed Indian heritage for political points. Once a liar always a liar in the political world.
Breaking news, politician stretches the truth. Film at 11.
“Once a liar always a liar in the political world.”
What a self-indictment, kitling.
He has no reflection.
He’s a vampire, too?!
I have a friend who is part Indian. He informed me that like most people who have Indian ancestors it can be hard to prove. If you were not on the reservation when the census was done to count up Indians you are not on the tribal roll. Most Indians were not on the reservation when this was done. My wife is part Cherokee Indian and she looks the part. My father in law who had blond hair but dyed it black look like he came off the reservation. Looking at Ms Warren she has the look that many of my wife’s nieces have and both of my daughters have. Just saying.
So I presume you include yourself in that characterization buzzy? Especially with all the factually and logically deficient nonsense you spew here ad nausem?
Kranky kitties in glass litter boxes shouldn’t hurl peeballs buzzy.
I love Elizabeth Warren. I hope I get an opportunity to vote for her.
She clearly knows what she’s talking about.
Recently the Ds added her to a party leadership committee. It’s clear they are not certain how to deal with her. Before they became republicans, they would have known.
We need a bipartisan ticket, Warren/Huntsman
From my point of view, they’d have to NOT have “Republican” anywhere near them, that’s how much disregard I have for the Rs.
Oklahoma had a radical populist tradition back in the day. Of course, maybe Warren lived her life and learned from experience. I live in Mass and love her. She isn’t an ideologue. Her academic work is very nuts and bolts stuff on debt and bankruptcy. She’s critical of the current levels of deregulation in finance because she’s one of the few politicians who knows firsthand what its wrought in the lives of most people. Read her stuff on student debt.
[…] via GOPLifer. […]
It could be just a question of blood flow…
Ha
Warren is an interesting case. I don’t see her as a Democrat, even though she ran as one. She is something else, an independent voice that doesn’t answer to the mainstream liberals who run that party. I’ve wondered if perhaps she could form some kind of new fusion party with an authentic conservative who has no particular allegiance to the busted Republican Party. Too many people perceive her as anti-business. which she isn’t; she is advocating for the middle class and trying to rein in the criminal element on Wall St. IMHO, the best thing that could happen to our capitalist system is to force the crooked investment banks to follow the law, and bring some integrity back into the free market system.
IMO Warren is more like an Eisenhower Republican.
Hell, Ike wouldn’t be considered a Republican in today’s GOP. The Tea Party would scream RINO.
Yes, there are people that switch parties over and over just trying to stay in office. And there are people that claim to be republicans but endorse the democrat if they lose in the primaries.
And then there are people that claim to be republican that are so far left the even the far left extremists won’t follow. Like somebody that supports the idea of a minimum income, government handout, that allows people to live comfortably even if they don’t want to work.
Imagine that.
Yes, Sternn, some Republicans have endorsed a Democrat over a Tea Party primary victor because they know the latter are more dangerous to their own party.
And who says a minimum income has to allow a life lived “comfortably” rather than “minimally”? Or are you just lying again? We know you have no idea about cost-of-living adjustments, so don’t bring out that dishonest piece that tries to claim all welfare recipients receive Hawaii-level payouts.
I love it when you attempt to write off the facts that you already know have been produced and published because the facts don’t fit your agenda or fit in with your fantasies.
Ahem. What facts, Sternn? You generally have none; or, if you do, you rapidly prove to have no understanding of them whatsoever.
How things change over time…
This is indeed strange. Gov. Perry grew up in a 100% far right wing atmosphere in rural Texas, while the reverse was true of Sen. Warren. Normally, the culture of your youth will determine your ideology. I have many acquaintances who grew up in small town rural Texas, and they are 100% far right wing. I cannot imagine an Oklahoma native with a liberal ideology.
Perry was right wing 25 years ago…it is just that in that Texas, that was considered a Democrat.