Perfidious Putz

Via Suburban Guerrilla I see that Lil’ Rodney Turncoat just doesn’t understand why so many Democrats are upset by what he did. Imagine that:

BATON ROUGE, La. – A party-switching Louisiana congressman said Tuesday he’s surprised and “hurt” by Democrats’ reactions to his defection to the Republicans — and vowed to return nearly $90,000 given to him by members of his old party.

“I’m somewhat puzzled as to how much hoopla this has created,” Rep. Rodney Alexander said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

[…]

Party leaders and officials have called him a “traitor,” “confused” and a “coward,” with the last charge stinging, Alexander said Tuesday.

“It hurt like the dickens,” the first-term congressman said. “I wasn’t a coward. That took a lot of courage to do that.”

His explanation of the switch has shifted somewhat.

On Friday, he declared: “I’m ashamed of some of the things the Democratic Party stands for.”

On Tuesday, he suggested a political calculation was at the root of his decision. He said he had become worried about “erosion” in his base of support, after another Democrat, a politically unknown black woman, qualified to run against him.

Alexander insisted no deals had been made with GOP leaders for making the change.

“I did not have contact with any of the leadership prior to making that decision on Friday,” he said. “I didn’t even tell my own children.”

I’m sure he hurts like the dickens allright. It takes a lot of courage to be Tom DeLay’s bitch.

One of his old colleagues didn’t seem terribly impressed with Lil Rod’s behavior:

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today regarding Rodney Alexander’s last- minute party switch: “Rodney Alexander’s action of filing for re-election on Wednesday, August 4th as a Democrat and some 48 hours later, just before the deadline for filing was to close, filing for re-election as a Republican, was an act of perfidy.

“Perfidy is defined as ‘a deliberate breach of faith; a calculated violation of trust; treachery.’

“It was an act of a person without honor or integrity. In my 24 years in Congress, I cannot recall a more deceitful, more calculated, more treacherous violation of trust, which Congressman Alexander sought and which he received, than what he has done over the past few days and months.

[…]

“A man of honor, as many before him have done, would have changed his party affiliation well before the filing deadline. He would have had the courage to face a challenger and defend the failed policies promoted by his new party. He would have had the courage to explain why he has joined a party whose policies have left behind so many of the children and families he now represents and seeks to continue to represent.

“Congressman Alexander chose instead, through stealth and misrepresentation, to avoid the honorable course of action. He has let his constituents down. He has let his party down. He has let his colleagues down. But in the final analysis he has let his reputation and his conscience down even more.

Alexander probably would have won the seat anyway no matter what party he belonged to. He didn’t really need to cheat but I have little doubt that DeLay demanded it of him as a show of loyalty. In order to be one of the boys you have to prove how deep in the mud you’re willing to grovel. It’s more of that bullyboy hazing that Republicans love so much. It’s what they do instead of going to war.