Judge In San Antonio Gives The Speech Maine Senator Susan Collins Should Have Given

The Dallas Morning News reported on a Republican judge, Carlo Key, getting so fed up with Republican extremism that he switched parties.

Bexar County Judge Carlo Key blamed the tea party for huge expenses to taxpayers and hardship to millions of Americans from the recent government shutdown.

“I cannot tolerate a political party in which hate speech elevates a candidate to higher office rather than disqualifying them,” Key said in a video statement posted on YouTube. “I cannot be a member of party that is proud to destroy the financial lives of hundreds of thousands of federal employees in a vain attempt to repeal a law that provides health care to millions of Americans across the country.”

The video depicts Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as Key describes the GOP as a party at war with itself, while its members abandon their founding principles in favor of “ideological character assassination. … Pragmatism and principle have been overtaken by pettiness and bigotry.”

Key adds: “Make no mistake. I have not left the Republican Party. It left me. I cannot tolerate a political party that demeans Texans based on their sexual orientation, the color of their skin or their economic status.” He excoriates the party for elevating candidates who use hate speech to win votes, when the party should be denouncing those antics.

Key said that his state's McCarthy-like U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, went into his decision to leave the GOP. This is exactly the speech Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins should be giving, as she heads for the exit of the crazy party the Maine GOP has turned into. I bet she isn't relishing running on the same ticket with Ted Cruz-worshipiing teabagger, Governor Paul LePage. But she will. And this time the Democrats have an Elizabeth Warren-like figure to put up against her, Shenna Bellows, former Executive Director of Maine's ACLU. She told me yesterday that she's not going to be able "out-moderate" Susan Collins and that's fine with her because she's going for authenticity, courageousness and an out-and-out progressive approach. This will be one worth watching!