The Republican Party, Then and Now

David Brooks (The Mother of All No-Brainers) writes about a normal Republican Party, and he goes on to state; "If responsible Republicans don't take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern." Exactly right! The present crop of Republicans is bereft of responsible leadership, as reflected by their titular leader's statement that" The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one term president." They are not in the Senate or the House to compromise and pass legislation. They are there to defeat President Obama rather than to work for the benefit of the American people.

How did it happen that the Republican Party became so inadequate, so miserable and pathetic? I can't help wondering whether my generation, the generation dubbed by Tom Brokaw as The Greatest Generation, neglected to participate adequately in government in favor of chasing the "American Dream". Plato said, "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in Politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors". Those of us of this greatest generation, Republicans and Democrats alike, must bear a large amount of blame for the present superficiality of our political leaders. We let it happen!

At other times the Republican Party stood for Civil Rights and was the first to support the Equal Rights Amendment. The 1964 Civil Rights legislation would probably not have passed if it had not been for Republican Senator Everett Dirksen. Robert Taft, Mr. Republican, stood in the Senate and denounced our internment of the Japanese – the only one to have the courage to do so at a time of national fear of invasion and hatred of the enemy. An example of statesmanship was President Dwight Eisenhower's warning of the military- industrial complex; a warning unheeded by subsequent national leaders. And Gerald Ford brought dignity and compromise to the office of the President after the tragedy of the Nixon scandal. These men were politicians practicing the honorable art of politics as committed leaders of our country. They were not just leaders of the Republican Party seeking political power, although they were that, too, but they recognized that the art of politics is compromise. These are the kind of leaders needed to "take Control" of the Republican Party and work for the best interests of the country. Unfortunately, they're dead.

Harry E. Berndt

150 Parsons Ave.

Webster Groves, MO 63119

Phone: 314-962-1749 ---Email: hberndt1926@sbcglobal.net