BY TONYEBARCANISTA



There are people that believe that political party switch is only common among politicians in Nigeria. Please find the list of 12 most prominent political party switch in the USA.


1. President Donald Trump:
45th President of United States of America(Republican):

Trump registered for the first time in New York as a Republican in July 1987, only to dump the GOP for the Independence Party in October 1999. He joined Democrats in August 2001, and in 2009 he left the party to return to Republican. After just 2 years in Republican, he left the party in 2011. In April 2012, Donald Trump returned to the Republican.

He made a total of FIVE switch.

2.  President Theodore Roosevelt:
NY State Assemblyman (1882-1994); Asst. Secretary of the Navy (1897-1898); Governor of New York (1899-1900); U.S. Vice President (1901); U.S. President (1901-1909)

Roosevelt served nearly two full presidential terms as a progressive Republican. But after he grew dissatisfied with his hand-picked successor, William Howard Taft, Roosevelt left the 1912 Republican convention and formed his own party. He lost his bid for a third term in office, and he later returned to the GOP.

3. President Ronald Reagan:
Governor of California (1967-1975); U.S. President (1981-1989)

Reagan was originally a Democrat and a New Deal supporter, who became a union leader while in Hollywood. He switched parties officially in 1962 and gave a famous quote: “I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me."


4. Senator Hilary Clinton:

In 1964, a very young Hillary Rodham Clinton was one of the Goldwater Girls who campaigned for the Arizona Republican. She officially became a Democrat later in the 1960s after she attended the 1968 GOP convention.

5. Senator Elizabeth Warren:
The current liberal icon started life as a conservative who voted Republican because of the party’s pro-business stance, and she didn’t switch to the Democratic Party until the mid-1990s.

6. Senator Strom Thurmond:
U.S. Senator, South Carolina (1954–2003)

Thurmond first gained national attention in 1948, when he ran for President as a “Dixiecrat” candidate who opposed racial integration and championed states’ rights. Thurmond went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, representing his home state of South Carolina for nearly 50 years. His opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 moved him to switch parties and register as a Republican. Despite his opposition to desegregation and his record-breaking filibuster (which lasted over 24 hours) in 1957 to protest proposed civil rights legislation, Thurmond always insisted he wasn’t bigoted or racist. Rather, as Thurmond put it, he was merely opposed to what he believed was excessive reach of the federal government.


7. Secretary Condoleezza Rice:
National Security Advisor (2001–2005); U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009)

Many Americans are surprised to learn that Condoleezza Rice was a registered Democrat until 1982. Though Rice voted for Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election, she became disillusioned by President Carter’s foreign policy–especially his handling of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Rice switched parties in 1979, voting for Ronald Reagan in the presidential election the following year. Rice spoke publicly about her decision to switch parties at the Republican National Convention in 2000. Her decision to register as a Republican, she said, was partially inspired by her Dad : “My father joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did.”

8. Michael Bloomberg
Former Mayor of New York City

Bloomberg was a lifelong member of the Democratic Party before deciding to run for elective office. He switched his party affiliation to Republican to run for mayor of New York City in 2001. He won his first and second terms as a Republican, but then left the party while in office. He was elected to a third term in 2009 as an Independent.


9. Governor Rick Perry
Former Governor of Texas, two time Republican presidential candidate

The longest serving governor in Texas state history, Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1984. He supported Al Gore in the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries and worked for Gore's campaign in Texas. In 1989, Perry announced that he was switching to the Republican Party. As a Republican, Perry went on to become the Agriculture Commissioner, Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Texas, before running in both the 2012 and 2016 Republican presidential races


10. Teresa Heinz Kerry:
Teresa is the widow of US Senator H. John Heinz III of Pennsylvania and current wife of former US Secretary of State John Kerry. Heinz had been a registered Republican for most of her voting life, as was her first husband. She changed her registration to Democrat in 2003, a year ahead of her current husband's run as the Democrat nominee for President in 2004.


11. Senator Jim Webb:
former US Senator from Virginia, former Democratic presidential candidate.

Webb was originally a Republican, an assistant secretary of defense and former United States Secretary of the Navy. In 2006, he switched to the Democratic party to challenge Senator George Allen in Virginia. He went on to win that race as a Democrat and is now a declared 2016 Democratic presidential candidate.

12. Senator Joe Lieberman:
He was Al Gore's running mate in 2000, switched from Democrat to Independent Party after losing the Connecticut Democratic primary in 2006. He continues to caucus with Senate Democrats, but does not vote with them on many key issues. He is now tilting towards Republican party and has even been fingered as the next Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).


These twelve aforementioned are among the most prominent people out of over hundreds/thousand of notable politicians that made switch in the USA, which include Presidents, Vice Presidents, Governors, Senators, Representatives etc.

In 2017 alone, Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda of Florida and Mariellen MacKay of New Hemisphere moved from Democratic to Republican party, while Rupet Philips moved from Democratic to Independent. Similarly, Christine Scales of Indianapolis defected from Republican party to Democratic party. 

The summary is that politicians worldwide are famous/infamous for party switch depending on circumstances. Even the much celebrated French President, Emmanuel Macron, made a switch from Socialist party to Independent and finally to En Marche, a party he formed in 2016.

I write this piece to address the misconception that only politicians in this part of the world switch political parties.

Finally, politics is about interest not party nomenclature. While party loyalty is good and should be encouraged, the supreme loyalty should be to the country and the people.






May God Bless Us All And Bless Nigeria


shared on palmchat

just can't read those novels

Let me add that politicians switch parties when they perceive that their INTEREST is not protected in the party they belong to. Even Bola Tinubu left AD to form AC along with some PDP faithfuls like Audu Ogbeh in 2006 when his interest in AD was under threat. Similarly, President Buhari in 2010 left ANPP to form CPC when his interest was threatened by some ANPP Governors, and later merged with same people in 2013 to form APC when he saw prospects of his interest.

Another reason for party switch is injustice within the party or perceived hijack of party structure by undemocratic interests.

Anyway, Abeg no be only Naija politicians de defect. Na everywhere e de happen...

Nothing concern me,concern america
mtcheew
oga op how far, kastina by elections. I heard d sad story, take heart eee
go tell wike to gv u councillorship
make ur mind rest

Flip flop is not a virtue !

How about staying true to your convictions?

Resources:
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/12222198
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/16/donald-trump-changed-political-parties-at-least-fi/
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-famous-people-who-switch-political-parties/

krendo:
Flip flop is not a virtue !

Virtue or Vice, that is subjective, depending on your perspective

How about staying true to your convictions?

The only true conviction is loyalty to the country. If you can remember, Yahaya Bello was angry with APC and even left after he lost Primary to Audu Abubakar. Today, he is singing APC because his interest is protected.

If Macron had stayed in Socialist party he wouldn't have won the Presidential nomination, it was smart of him to switch to a new platform.

Politicians switch parties for different reasons that include but not limited to;

1. Injustice
2. Interest
3. Crises in the party (like what's happening in PDP)
4. Hijack of party structure by another interest (reason for Senator Barnabas Germade defection)
5. Convenience (Saraki, Kwankwaso and co)
6. Others....

What I am sure of is the fact that naija politicians cross carpet because two things!

1. To avoid corruption probe

2. To get access to more public fund.

They change party at will not because of Ideas or interest of the majority, but the chance to get the two points above!

decatalyst:
What I am sure of is the fact that naija politicians cross carpet because two things!

1. To avoid corruption probe

Uzor Kalu and Musliu Obanikoro

2. To get access to more public fund.

They change party at will not because of Ideas or interest of the majority, but the chance to get the two points above!

Senator Ita Inang, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri etc

TonyeBarcanista:

Uzor Kalu and Musliu Obanikoro


Senator Ita Inang, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri etc

@TonyeBarcanista spotspot on!

Mr Barcanista, waterin d ground & testing d waters to see weda we go raise eyebrow if u say u wan switch over to Sai Baba's APC abi?

kolewerk my Broda!

BTW ya attention is needed in dat katsina by election thread where APC thrashed ya PDP

Following.....

Defection is not a crime. Well done Tonye. Lalasticlala oya o.

MichaelSokoto:
Mr Barcanista, waterin d ground & testing d waters to see weda we go raise eyebrow if u say u wan switch over to Sai Baba's APC abi?

kolewerk my Broda!

BTW ya attention is needed in dat katsina by election thread where APC thrashed ya PDP

Kabiru Sokoto when did u defect to Christianity? Please face your business abeg.

dejiogundipe:


Kabiru Sokoto when did u defect to Christianity? Please face your business abeg.

ee dan tey, walahi!

Y'all should just announce your defection and stop looking for excuses.

dejiogundipe:


Kabiru Sokoto when did u defect to Christianity? Please face your business abeg.

ee dan tey, walahi!

shebi everybody I dey shout am say, ip I get am 4 Jesus I dan get 4 everything ne!

eh ehn, dats why me mallam I say "kawai", why I nor go get am for Jesus?

MichaelSokoto:
Mr Barcanista, waterin d ground & testing d waters to see weda we go raise eyebrow if u say u wan switch over to Sai Baba's APC abi?

kolewerk my Broda!

BTW ya attention is needed in dat katsina by election thread where APC thrashed ya PDP

Hahaha Haba!!!

No plans to join APC walahi! I'd have long joined if I had wanted to... But e no go happen, not now, not anytime soon... Not in the future (all things being equal )

dejiogundipe:
Defection is not a crime. Well done Tonye. Lalasticlala oya o.

Na Lala pinshure be that?

What could be the objective of this write-up this cool Sunday morning?

Political higihaga loading.....

Oh you thought It only Nigerians polithiefcian that switch party due a particular reason or the other.

Hmm we need to read more about the world at large to know what happening.

I laugh when people at high places display their ignorance when they said only in Nigeria this or that.


God help us

ifyan:
Oh you thought It only Nigerians polithiefcian that switch party due a particular reason or the other.

Hmm we need to read more about the world at large to know what happening.

I laugh when people at high places display their ignorance when they said only in Nigeria this or that.


God help us

Not me, but most people

TonyeBarcanista:
Not me, but most people

I didn't mention anyone.

But of course

Mynd44:
Y'all should just announce your defection and stop looking for excuses.

They defect for a reasonable course n pursue terrorist out their domain, unlike in Nigeria where defection is strictly base on corruption n accumulation of wealth.

watch out bro.... cant stand sheriff and his gangs anymor! ![author=Mynd44 post=56731994]Y'all should just annoince your defection and stop looking for excuses.

[/quote]

boss im tired of sherrif madness! how long do we allow sheriff to hold us to ransom

Firefire:

aieromon:
What could be the objective of this write-up this cool Sunday morning?

Political higihaga loading.....

as in. It is even boring sef, they should just defect and lets hear word

temitemi1:
boss im tired of sherrif madness! how long do we allow sheriff to hold us to ransom

My brother, PDP is DEAD!

Barcanista plottting already. Better declare your intention.

How many of these people took their party's mandate to another party. They mainly switched before contesting. Unlike our politicians that takes their party mandate into another party. Example, how many elected governors, senators or presidents in USA crossed to other party with their seats intact?