Dole Believes The GOP Has Lost Its Way

I have posted several times about how far to the right the Republican Party has moved recently. It is now so far to the right that it wouldn't be recognizable to many famous Republicans -- and very likely wouldn't accept those men as being "good" Republicans. Presidents Lincoln and T. Roosevelt would be considered liberals by today's party, and totally unacceptable. Eisenhower and Nixon were moderates -- also unacceptable. Even such conservative icons as Reagan and Goldwater held views that would make them unacceptable to todays teabaggers.

Goldwater believed in equal rights, even for the LGBT community -- and he was opposed to the party giving in to the religious views of the fundamentalists. Reagan supported a ban on assault weapons, raised taxes when it was needed, and believed the rich should pay more in taxes than the middle class. The party still reveres the memory of Reagan, but they have to ignore many of his views to do so.

And this is not just my view -- the view of a progressive leftist. It is also the view of some respected life-long Republicans. One of those is former senator and Republican nominee for president, Bob Dole. This is what he told Chris Wallace on a Fox News Sunday interview this week:

WALLACE: What do you think of your party, the Republicans today?

DOLE: I think they ought to put a sign on the national committee doors that says “closed for repairs” until New Year’s Day next year — and spend that time going over ideas and positive agendas.

WALLACE: You describe the GOP of your generation as Eisenhower Republicans, moderate Republicans. Could people like you, even Ronald Reagan — could you make it in today’s Republican Party.

DOLE: I doubt it. Reagan couldn’t have made it. Certainly Nixon couldn’t have made it, cause he had ideas. We might have made it, but I doubt it.