Joe Walsh Leaps From the TEA Party to the Democratic Party

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23. I don't think it's necessarily sudden.

The announcement may surprise us, but he's become a lot more progressive on social issues over the past several years. And I'm not sure he was ever really MAGA, however conservative he was (and remains).

I agree that we should be skeptical of any former Republican joining the Democratic Party, but it would be misguided to dismiss the possibility of personal growth.

In my youth, I was a Reaganite. I began to seriously question my views toward #40 during his second term when I learned more about the CIA's involvement in Nicaragua. I also saw what was happening to the economy thanks to Max Headroom's policies. The final push was Iran-Contra, which I think was a bigger scandal than even Watergate. I've been a Democrat ever since.

I know people who used to have real problems with the LGBTQ community until they realized just how many LGBTQ friends and relatives they had. They decided to not be hypocrites and accept the wrongness of their prior attitudes.

Like I said, I think anyone who came from the distant right of the Republican Party has a high credibility bar to clear when they come to our side, but I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that such people are sincere. Walsh openly acknowledges his differences with many Democrats on economic issues, but is also clear about how, exactly, he's changed. This gives him some credibility, in my eyes.