Reply #40: Walter Jones is my representative. [View All]

[Island Blue]

For those who aren't familiar with him, he was a Democrat before he was a Republican. (Granted, he was a Blue Dog Democrat before they were actually called that, but he was a Democrat nonetheless) His father served as my district's representative for many years. Jones Jr. took over his father's house seat when Jones Sr. died. Jones Sr. was also a Democrat and a rather progressive one at that - at least for eastern North Carolina. Walter Jones isn't perfect. He helped coin the phrase "Freedom Fries" for example, and he's is very conservative on issues such as abortion, etc.

Since his initial post 9-11 craziness however, he's spoken out many times against the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan. (He's been doing this for quite awhile, way before President Obama took office.) One thing that I have to give him props for is that he has taken the time and had the courage to visit with wounded soldiers as well as with the families of dead soldiers. His district includes several military bases and he has attended many funerals - far more than most representatives, senators or presidents have done.

All things considered, he's not the worst representative one could have. I doubt he will ever be voted out of office (even if he were to switch back to the Democratic party) so I'm glad that he's come to his senses during these past few years, at least when it comes to important issues like he's talking about here.