GOP Has Driven Out the Moderates - Reagan Wouldn't Fit In Today

It is SAD that moderates have been driven out of the GOP, leaving only the fringe.

From my experience, the worst thing a Republican candidate can be called in a primary is a "moderate" (like TX Senate candidate David Dewhurst is being painted now). When I ran, I thought being the "most reasonable" would be a plus. It turned out I was wrong. Being the crazier guy in the room was a "plus" when running in a GOP primary.  I clearly did not win on that strategy.

Reagan was a moderate - he would have no chance in today's GOP. Neither would another moderate, George HW Bush.  There are no more "Rockefeller Republicans." They have been replaced with people like Rick Perry and Sarah Palin, who barely have a command of English and rational thoughts. Now we have Michelle Bachman's crazy ideas and Herman Cain spouting weird commercials: why anyone thought they were Presidential material is beyond me.

People like George HW Bush attracted me to the GOP.

People like Perry and Tom DeLay drove me away.  The GOP extremism drove me out after four runs for Congress against Tom DeLay (details in "Better Times Ahead: April Fool?" www.BetterTimesAheadAprilFool.com). Some people have affairs for their 50's crisis. I ran for Congress.

That leaves the the Democratic party as the only sane party left; it actually cares about ordinary Americans instead of the super rich 1% who are pumping billions into winning this election.

Despite the attempts at voter suppression, the Dems have a "big tent" of groups they represent instead of a narrow ideology. IF the GOP doesn't change, it will become a small, minority party of angry old (white) people who would rather sabotage solutions than help the President create jobs...which is exactly what they have been doing since Obama took office to clean up their economic mess that caused the worst financial disaster in over 70 years.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-witcover-20120723,0,3849476.story