My father was a good man and a Republican all his life. A driven, hard working, over achieving man who grew up on a farm in Maine during the depression. He had his Doctorate in Agricultural Engineering and taught at UMASS Amherst for 30 years. He invented drip irrigation originally for Israel's orchards. He felt very deeply about the importance of WORK and hated the welfare system to its core. Dad died 3 months before Barack Obama was initially elected. I believe he was a little embarrassed by the GWB debacle and hardly ever talked politics after 9/11.
Republican Silvio Conte was one of Massachusett's all time favorite congressmen in the 60's.
The Republican party of my youth is extinct now. All moderate Republicans have been cast aside via the primaries. Dick Lugar, Bob Bennet are the last of a dying breed. The real Republicans have left the building.
Enter the Tea Party. Brought to you by FOX, Clear Channel and the Cock brothers from the onset. They have turned their frothing at the mouth clientele into a political party. This is their party and I'll cry if i want to.
Well the Tea Party is a MONSTER they cannot control. Their propaganda machinery has enraged,confused, terrified and dumbed down a lot of folks and they gone and made a MOVEMENT out it. More like a bowel movement. FOX has OUTFOXED itself. Their stock is going down folks....and so is the Republican party's.
In my canvassing travels to NH during the summer of 12' I met more than a few Republicans that said they could no longer abide to their party's present trajectory. They admitted they would voting for Obama.
So, if you are a lifelong Republican who is paying attention and is a little freaked out as to where your party is heading. Then perhaps, to bring your party back from the brink of insanity, you should consider joining those New Hampshire guys...or you'll just encourage this poor excuse for governing.