What happened to my Republican Party?

What happened to my GOP? I used to be a Republican –- my father served on the county GOP committee (in Iowa) and we supported Sen. Taft to challenge Harry Truman in his re-election bid in 1948. The first time I voted, while in the Air Force, was to re-elect GOP’s Dwight Eisenhower to a second term.

The GOP now is calling for state Sen. Jim Woodward – by far the best of our state representatives—to resign and leave his party. Nationally, they voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from the House leadership for telling the truth about Donald Trump’s big lie – that he had won the 2020 election.

“Tragically the Republican Party has lost its way, perverted by fear, lies and self interest. GOP attacks on the integrity of our elections and our institutions pose a continuing threat to the nation,” says a panel of former Republican elected officials and cabinet members.

The Jan. 6 insurrection was a wake-up call for many who had remained  loyal to the party.  Many have since left. The GOP has effectively become a privileged third party, ranking behind Independents and Democrats in voter registration, the panel points out.

Some former Republicans are talking about forming a new party

supporting honorable Republicans who stand up for truth and decency, such as Liz Cheney,  Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney. Perhaps they will succeed, but if not, they will be welcomed to join the Democrats (my party since 1960) — the inclusive party that represents the working-class people of this nation.

JIM RAMSEY

Sandpoint