Set your Staffords on "stun"

You can just imagine what's left of the Republican Party faithful scratching their heads over "why in the world" would state Rep. Debbie Stafford ditch the GOP? And why now?
Stafford rocked her former party yesterday when she announced she was joining the Dems for her final year in office as state representative to House District 40 in Aurora.
She was elected as one of the last of a long line of moderate Republicans in the state. Before her, the likes of Gary McPherson, Paul Schauer, Martha Kreutz and a gaggle of Jeffco moderates had pretty much run the state government for eons. I can remember a few years just after Stafford was elected that she was the Republican Party darling, embodying what they considered to be "compassionate conservatism."
Then came the run for the right. Politics as usual in Colorado mirrored politics as usual in Washington. The likes and antics of Dick Cheney and Karl Rove not only became irresistible to some state GOP lawmakers, they became business as usual. The former far-right-wing fringe of the party took control.
What's a moderate to do? Jump.
As GOP party leaders pointed out yesterday, Stafford had nothing to lose by changing parties. She's term limited and she's made it clear her tenure in the House wasn't a stepping stone to something bigger.
They missed the point. She had nothing to gain by switching parties. There is no new balance of power in the House, where Democrats now hold 40 of the chamber's 65 seats. The move not only restricts Stafford’s political future at the Capitol, it pretty much ends it. As a term-limited Republican, she could at least ran for the Senate District 28 seat in two years. The seat is held by Democrat Suzanne Williams. Come next May, Stafford is pretty much out of a job.
So why tempt scorn from the leaders of a party known these days for not only making their own walk the plank, but yelling at them to hurry it up?
Could it be that Stafford was telling the truth when she said that her decision had everything to do with her own values clashing with those of her political leaders? Could it be that she thought it was unconscionable to vote in support of homebuilders at the clear expense of homeowners?
I think so. I think Stafford's bolt was a slap in the face of political party that used to enjoy the ranks of Elsie Lacy, Al Meiklejohn, John Love, and Tony Grampsas.
I don't see anyone like that leading the party these days. Stafford didn't either.