Okay, Let's Be Clear

I wanted to make sure that you know that I am a Centralist Democrat--socially progressive, fiscally responsible. Thank you, Bill Clinton. You know you are advancing in age when you find yourself wishing for the good ol' days.

Unfortunately, I look like a lefty as the Republicans drive hard to the radical right. Obama said that they drove the vehicle into the ditch. No, it was a U-turn into a tree, and the vehicle was totaled. A friend of mine use to call the Republicans Radical Fascist, Commie Pigs. Obviously, he leans a bit more left than I am, but I thought he was kidding. I'm not so sure now.

Wasn't it Ronald Reagan who said that the right hand doesn't know what the far-right hand is doing? It appears more true today than when he spoke in almost three decades ago.

The so-called Tea Party Movement

The so-called Tea Party Movement is not made up of a new segment of our population. There has always been a percentage of Americans who are socially and fiscally conservative. Let's say 20 percent. Think bell curve.

So why does it seem that they are the voice of Republican Party today? Quite simply, the centrist Republicans are weak and almost non-existent. Even George Will recognizes this. This trend gained momentum in the Reagan years. He was a great orator, and he said what people wanted to hear. Enough said.  I find it amusing that Reagan would not stand a chance in the current Republican primary election.

I long for the days of Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and, yes, Richard Nixon. These leaders represented the center of the Republican Party. They were socially progressive and fiscally conservative. Barry Goldwater said that "the government had no business in our bedrooms." Did you hear that you anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-Islam, anti-Mormon, anti-African American, anti-immigrant, anti-, anti-, anti-...

Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry and that bunch DO NOT represent the Republican Party, but they certainly have given a voice to a segment of it.

The Republican Party is in trouble. And, let's face it. The center elects presidents. Think bell curve.