John Burris: Principles, Policies, Politics And Party Switching

These days, it’s cool to be red, meaning Republican.

A trio of defecting Democrats re-emphasized that point last week. But party changes are funny things. The policy and platforms should motivate any change, but it’s almost always the politics. They don’t have to be exclusive, since good policy is good politics. Politicians are just more motivated by the latter.

Representative Mike Holcomb might be a unique case. He cited as reasons for switching the recent statements by the Democratic Party of Arkansas (DPA) defending Planned Parenthood funding and celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage.

He likely won’t be the last Democrat to leave the more liberal party, and his switch comes at a time when the DPA is trying to rebuild a now almost non-existent political bench. It highlights yet again how much the Arkansas landscape has changed and why it’s not likely to change back anytime soon.

That’s because the Democratic Party has become progressively more liberal as their caucuses have become smaller, with fewer rural, conservative Democrats steering the policy. The Republicans picked off most of those seats in 2010 and 2012, leaving Democrats with mostly minority and urban seats. For conservatives like Holcomb, the differences on priorities are impossible to ignore.

His switch shouldn’t be surprising. He enjoys a reputation for being conservative, even prior to serving in the Legislature. When he announced he was running for state representative in 2012, I called and asked him to consider running as a Republican. He was then the Democratic Jefferson County Judge, but several locals spoke highly of him and told me he would likely consider a switch. We chatted a few times, but he finally told me he “just wasn’t quite there yet.” He ran as a Democrat and defeated a top-tier Republican named Charles Roberts.

Even then, many believed Holcomb was the only Democrat who could have defeated Roberts. Both were talented retailers, but Holcomb had a well-known name, particularly in religious circles. He and his brothers comprise a gospel-singing group, known for entertaining at Baptist revivals. He is a licensed minister and his father was a Southern Baptist preacher.

Religion and faith play an obvious and public role in his life. He says it’s the defining role. For people who believe like he does, there’s usually no distinction between personal and professional decisions. The average Arkansas voter shares that expectation for their elected officials.

So when the DPA cheered at the overturning of our state’s ban on gay marriage, or when Chairman Vince Insalaco hurled mad criticisms at Governor Asa Hutchinson for eliminating the state’s contract with Planned Parenthood, I suspect Rep. Holcomb knew that his line had finally been crossed. He’ll run for re-election in a district no Republican has won. It was a courageous decision.

In Northeast Arkansas – the location for the two other switches – former representative Wes Wagner and current County Assessor Johnny Rye announced at a political function over the weekend their decision to become Republicans.

Both come from highly political and Democratic families. Wagner’s mother and father served in the House of Representatives. He served one term until he was defeated in 2014. All served under the Democratic banner.

Rye, currently in office, called his father “Mr. Democrat” and effectively described him as the county-boss type from years past.

Both are certainly conservative in many ways. Both are nice men. It’s fair to wonder, though, if the politics might have been a weightier factor in the decision-making process instead of policy.

As a member of the House, Wagner opposed the voter ID law, the 12-week abortion ban, and other conservative legislation. I am sure he had reasons to oppose these common sense bills. They were just reasons that no other Republican found convincing.

With only 51 House Republicans at the time, every vote mattered. For a conservative Democrat to oppose those bills could only mean that politics and partisanship mattered more than principle. Perhaps his logic has changed. He’ll have the chance to make his case to the people of his district.

Rye stated his desire to increase county turn-back dollars as his guiding principle in becoming a Republican. He defends by saying local control. I criticize by saying it’s more spending of un-audited state dollars to unaccountable county governments.

Regardless, the recent switches are good political news. Beyond individual politicians, it’s an indication of where the electorate is expected to be for the near future. That’s with the Republican Party.

More Republicans mean a better chance to pass conservative policy. To achieve that, quality matters as much as quantity. The politics is just a means to a policy end. Principle isn’t as easily acquired as a party label, but joining the right team is a good start.

Let’s hope for progress on the more important front.