McCain and Goldwater

Ironic!

That two senators from Arizona should lead the GOP into the wasteland - Goldwater and McCain.

Click HERE to check out this thoughtful article by Richard Cohen.

I've known a good many Republicans over the years who were fiscally conservative and supportive of our military, who wanted smaller government and tilted toward the needs of the wealthy ... but who would have nothing to do with the "bedroom politics" of anger and bigotry that has now captured the GOP.

I watched Palin on SNL - I couldn't help but think of a terrible disconnect between the fun she was obviously having and her religious ideology - who is Palin?

Like so many of her fellow travelers, it's a religion without connection - hence, without compassion, without reason, without a positive purpose, intent only on discrediting what others believe and wanting to impose restrictions and controls on sex and abortion, jealously infatuated with power!

The GOP today is not the party of Eisenhower or Dirksen - it crashed and burned in the ashes of Barry Goldwater, Nixon, Reagan and W. I mostly exempt the first Bush from this scenario, because I think H was more in line with earlier GOP traditions, although every Republican presidency has had to dance to the far-right tune of folks like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, especially since the days of Roe v. Wade.

Colin Powell is the quintessential Republican, but in his move to Obama, we see something of the greatness of a Senator Dirksen whose cross-aisle work enabled Johnson to pass his monumental civil rights legislation.

I'm a Democrat, and I made that decision when I was first eligible to vote - for me, the Dems are all about the people, and the welfare of all, not the few. It's a big vision, and for me, a person of faith, a Christian, entirely consistent with the way I see the world.

But to ensure a healthy political process, we need two parties (a third party won't do it) totally healthy. We need traditional Republicans - we need the GRAND Old Party.

May they find their way, and who knows, maybe in the next go-around, after Obama's 8 years, we'll see a REAL Republican enter the fray.