Republican Party not what it was

I used to have a lot of respect for both the Democratic and Republican parties. Not so much any more. “Back in the day,” both were able to maintain their moderate-liberal/moderate-conservative points of view and still be able to compromise on issues that really mattered to the American people. Those were the days before nearly every Republican member of Congress took an oath to a tax lobbyist not to raise taxes under any circumstances. By doing that they, in essence, promised to place the desires of a lobbyist ahead of the needs of their constituents by removing “compromise” from negotiations.

It’s a shame the Republicans are no longer the party I liked: the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan. Unfortunately, they have become the party of Harding, Hoover and Nixon. That explains the Republican member of the House who called out “Liar!” during the president’s State of the Union speech; another from Florida who publicly claimed there were 78 to 81 Democratic members of the House who belong to the Communist party.

And last, but not least, the Senate minority leader who announced that the most important goal of the Republican party was to make President Obama a one-term president. If he had spent just half that energy working with his opposition to find compromises, this country would be in a lot better shape.

I am very proud of my votes for many Republicans over the years and am being so critical of the party because I want to continue my independent voting record. But this new Republican party is forcing me to wait for the Grand Old Party to return so I can be an independent again. Until then, I guess I’ll have to be a straight-ticket Democrat — a thought that sends chills down my spine.

Len Brauer

Palatine