Right Change: Former Democrat Davis to Speak at GOP Convention

Talk about Hope and Change! What a difference four years can make. Artur Davis, the man who “seconded” Barack Obama’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in 2008, will be one of the headline speakers at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida later this month. Davis, who is 44 years old and was seen by the Dems as a rising star in their party, served the state of Alabama in the House of Representatives as a Democrat from 2003 to 2011. He declared in May that he had switched parties and become a Republican.  

Davis now lives in Virginia and has been one of Mitt Romney’s staunchest supporters in that area of the country. The former congressman said he planned to give a new message of hope for those who, like him, had bought in to the campaign message Barack Obama presented back in 2008.

“The one thing that I can bring to the table is to be something of a voice for that group of people. Senator Obama — ran on two broad themes. One of those broad themes was reunifying this country. And another broad theme was turning this economy around.... I’ll certainly be talking about those two failures. Those were powerful sounding, tough words from a Democratic candidate in 2007 and 2008 who was trying, frankly, to reach out to the center. I think we all know, four years later, candidate Obama has been a very different person than President Obama."

At the Democratic convention in 2008, Davis carried quite a different tune when he addressed the crowd after Obama was officially nominated:

“This is the cause for which we stand: An American President named Barack Obama, who will lead and inspire the Free World,” Davis said then. “An American President named Barack Obama, who will stand for the rule of law, who will remember that torture is the way of the people who hate us, and not our way. (This) takes us closer to becoming what we know American can be.”

The announcement that Davis will take the stage also mentioned five more speakers set to encourage and excite the crowd sometime during the four-day convention. U.S. Senator from New Hampshire Kelly Ayotte, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Florida Congressman Connie Mack, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and U.S. Senator from Ohio Rob Portman were all presented as convention speakers in a statement by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus on Thursday morning.

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