While a handful of swing-district Democrats are planning to vote against the impeachment of Donald Trump this week, only one lawmaker has grown so disillusioned with the party that he’s trading in his donkey pin for one with a big gray elephant. Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey announced Saturday that he was switching to the Republican Party, becoming the first congressman to leave the Democrats behind because of their outlandishly-partisan quest to throw the President out of the White House.
According to The New York Times, Van Drew actually discussed his move with President Trump on Friday. The president reportedly urged the lawmaker to go through with his plan, because…well, of course he would! What could be a greater slap in the face to Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and the rest of the impeachment-hungry Democrats? This guy is so disgusted with their circus that he’d rather join the other team than associate himself with their shenanigans. This move alone should be enough to show you just how far from their constitutional duties the House Democrats have traveled.
Only a month ago, Van Drew insisted that he would not change alliances.
“I am absolutely not changing,” he told the press at the time.
“But conversations between Mr. Van Drew and top advisers to Mr. Trump intensified in recent days, according to a Republican familiar with the discussions, with the lawmaker making clear that he was nervous about losing his seat, either in a Democratic primary or the general election,” reported The Times. “Those talks came after Mr. Van Drew saw the results of a poll conducted this month that suggested that a vote against impeaching Mr. Trump would damage his chances of winning his Democratic primary. The poll, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, showed that the overwhelming majority of Democratic primary voters — 71 percent — would be less likely to support his re-election if he opposed the charges against Mr. Trump.”
Left with a choice of either leaving the party or taking on the fanatical left-wing of the Democratic Party, Van Drew concluded that he was a man no longer welcome in his own home.
“I don’t see anything there worthy of actually taking a president out of office,” he said last week, speaking of the impeachment inquiry.
In an era where it is incredibly rare for a politician to choose principles and truth over partisan pressure, Van Drew’s example is one for any other remaining Democrats on integrity to follow. Sometimes, you have to make a hard choice. Especially when the party you belong to has gone as far off the rails as the Democrats have.
Good luck, Jeff. You did the right thing.
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