Tonight the man with the Tan joined the Congressman in no man's land for a GOP fundraiser in Huntsville, AL.
Parker Griffith, as you might recall, is the former Howard Dean supporter and Congressman who switched to the GOP in hopes of boosting his re-election chances.
Forces aligned as the good side joined the dark side for a bipartisan protest of tonights Boehner/Griffith $100 a head fundraiser in Huntsville. See Left in Alabama (Progressive Democratic Blog) and Flashpoint (Alabama Republican Blog)
Here's one of what were we hope many great signs from tonight's protest
Griffith had to sneak into the Fundraiser tonight
Here's what our friends at Left in Alabama had said about the event in anticipation
Parker Griffith has accomplished the impossible. He's brought together people of all political stripes, united only in the belief that he is not the right person to represent North Alabama in Congress.
The full press release below the fold, but groups from across the political spectrum will be protesting at the $100 per couple fundraiser House Minority Leader John Boehner is hosting for Griffith Monday evening at the Space & Rocket Center Marriott in Huntsville. I strongly encourage you to make a sign and join us to express your displeasure with Griffith's special brand of non-representation, for example:
* The Speaker of the House needs mental counseling
* Committees? I don't need these committees
* Obama and Pelosi are on an ego trip.
North Alabama literally can't afford 2 more years of this guy! He's so bad the city of Huntsville was moved to hire former Congressman Bud Cramer to try to patch things over in Congress and save local federal programs.
Griffith is everybody's problem. Sure, I won't agree with everyone at this protest on every single thing -- maybe not on most things. But we all agree that Griffith has got to go, and for now that one common purpose will let us stand on the same sidewalk in near perfect harmony. Some of these folks may be less than perfectly tolerant, but the Alabama A&M Student Democrats will be there, so for an hour or so the Tea Party crowd will find common cause with young African Americans. And the increased tolerance may even flourish, because it's a good deal harder to villify someone after you've looked them in the eye and exchanged war stories with them.
Activists on both sides tend to be folks who are paying more than the average amount of attention to government; it's telling that, across the spectrum, people following politics agree that Parker Griffith is doing a terrible job for his constituents.
Wonder if Boehner and Griffith got any time in on the links today
Flashpoint had this to say in anticipation of the protest
Congressman Parker Griffith has done the unthinkable. He has brought together polar opposites and given them a common cause: opposing Congressman Parker Griffith. His fundraiser with House Minority Leader John Boehner this coming Monday has brought together conservatives, liberals, tea partiers, and labor unions in protest. For example, two of the individuals opposed to the fundraiser are Linda Haynes and Hugh McInnish. Haynes is a self described socialist and organizer of the North Alabama Peace Network and North Alabama Health Care for All (among other such groups). McInnish is a former Republican congressional candidate, member of the county Republican Executive Committee, and runs the conservative websites SuppressedNews.com and CurbAEA.com. If Griffith can get people like Haynes and McInnish to agree on anything then he ought to be in the Middle East negotiating peace with the Israelis and Palestinians!
Unfortunately, I was not able to make the drive to Huntsville tonight. I got tied up at the office. But we are looking at what will be another intense Republican primary. I think there is a great chance that Parker Griffith is defeated before we get a chance to knock him out in November.
On the Democratic side we have what appear to be three great candidates in former Howell Heflin Chief of Staff and Lobbyist Steve Raby, attorney and grandson of former Alabama Senator John Sparkman Taz Sheppard and newcomer Mitchell Howie (who is the grandson of a beloved Huntsville doctor).
We've added the AL-05 Dem Nominee Fund to the Progressive Electorate Act Blue page. If the Republican nominee is Griffith he has millions of his own money to donate. If Mo Brooks, the preferred conservative and Tea Party candidate,is the Republican nominee expect this to be a tough fight we can win.