Republicans bail on the GOP and head for the exits

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In a Sunday letter obtained by the Bangor Daily News, Citing a long list of problems, 13 members of the Maine Republican Party announced they are leaving the GOP. 13 Maine Republicans Are Done With The GOP, Decide To Leave Party:

[T]he group singled out the RNC, Congressional Republicans, Maine
Republican legislators and Gov. Paul LePage's administration as factors
in the decision.

"We can no longer associate ourselves with a political party that
goes out of its way to continually restrict our freedoms and liberties
as well as reaching deeper and deeper into our wallets," the group
wrote.

* * *

According to the Maine Sun Journal, leading the exodus was RNC member Mark Willis
of Washington County, former Senate candidate Scott D'Amboise of
Lisbon, and former state party chair challenger Sam Canders. Willis said
that to stop others from leaving, the party must start "governing like
Republicans are supposed to be," the Sun Journal reported.

On Tuesday, the Iowa Polk County GOP Co-Chairman Resigns, Says Republicans Are 'Too Conservative':

Chad Brown, co-chairman of the Polk County Republican Party in Iowa,
has resigned and switched his political affiliation to "independent,"
arguing in his resignation letter that the GOP has become too
conservative.

Brown, who served in his position since March, submitted a letter of resignation on Aug. 5, the Des Moines Register reported Tuesday.
In his letter, the former co-chair wrote that he was "severing all ties
to the Republican Party," despite having identified as a Republican for
his entire life.

Brown told the Register in an interview that his decision was spurred
by the influence of the Christian right and National Rifle Association
within the GOP, as well as Rep. Steve King's (R-Iowa) controversial comments
last month comparing young, undocumented immigrants to drug mules.
While House Republican leadership condemned King's comments, many of his
colleagues remained silent on the subject.

* * *

Brown also took issue with the Republican Party's refusal to acknowledge
climate change and global warming, telling the Register the GOP "has
declared war on science and common sense."

I read on Facebook today that Paula Pennypacker, an unsuccessful 1993 Republican candidate for mayor of Toledo, Ohio and a candidate for the Arizona state legislature in 2010, has switched her party registration to the Democratic Party. Welcome, Paula!

It's
official! After 30-years as a registered Republican, my new voter
registration card arrived in the mail yesterday showing my status as a
new Democrat. What a relief to know that I will never have to speak in
front of the angry mob that Republican district and tea party meetings
have evolved into. Hasta la vista, baby!!!