Another southern Democrat casts his lot with the GOP

Since winning, Mr. Bright has been such a purebred Blue Dog that he is practically red. He has voted with the Republicans on every significant piece of legislation of his term, including the health care overhaul, the budget and the “cap and trade” energy legislation. The reaction to his rare party-line votes helps explain why: a largely pro forma vote to keep Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House has drawn the ire of some of his supporters…

“How do you campaign against a Democrat who votes like a Republican?” asked Cleveland Poole, the chairman of the Butler County Republican Party.

Mr. Poole thought about that and answered with another question: “When Nancy Pelosi finally comes down to him and says, ‘We’ve given you a pass on all this other stuff, I need you now,’ is he going to go with the party?”