George,

How did the "Party of Lincoln," the party of Eisenhower, the anti-slavery party, the pro Women's Right to Vote Party--the party that LBJ called one of its senators, "The Conscience of the Senate" (Charles "Mac" Mathias of Maryland), after shepherding the Civil Rights Act through the Senate in 1964.

Yes, how did this Grand Old Party become a haven for malcontents, wackos, women-hating "trans vaginal probe" advocates etc etc. A US Senate candidate claiming that she is not a witch; a party where another Senate candidate claimed if a woman is "legitimately" raped, she will not get pregnant.

The bigger question is how do the members and supporters of that old great party continue to watch as the lowest common denominators take control much as the KKK and White Citizens Councils controlled the Democratic Party in the South. The Night Riders, lynch mobs and the intimidation these low lifes brought to voters and their choices--strange men like Strom Thurmond, George Wallace, Ross Barnett and Orval Faubus hung around because extremist groups saw that they did!

Good people sat on their hands.

And terror ruled!

There is an old parable called the Boiled Frog. It goes something like this, if you put a frog in a pan of hot water, it will react quickly and jump out. BUT if you put that frog in a pot of COLD water and turn on the heat, it will stay in the water till it's too late and Mr Frog is cooked.

So it is with the Republican Party, the radical changes and transformation were gradual until the supporters woke up one day and never noticing the changes until they were "cooked."

And the horror show we are witnessing was a done deal.

How can ANY woman (or for that matter, man) who once voted for Keating in NY, Case in NJ, Percy in Illinoise, Danforth in Missouri, Hatfield of Oregon, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, Mathias of Maryland, Scott of Pennsylvania, Rockefeller--hell, Barry Goldwater of Arizona--not see the crass stupidity of Sarah Palin, the mindlessness of Michelle Bachman and the "know nothings" of the Tea Party as a contamination and blight on their once Grand Old Party?

Former senate minority leader Bob Dole noted recently that R. Reagan could not pass muster at the hands of these extremists in charge

With "malefactors of great wealth" backing them, and power far beyond their numbers, they more resemble the fringe groups who controlled politics in the segregated South

Unless and until some of the remaining more reasonable members of the Republican Party, on a state by state and national level, take control, the party will be doomed to permanent minority status at best and extinction as a real possibility. The American people have had it up to here with the inmates taking over the asylum--for nothing more than obstinacy,and obstruction impose a costly shutdown on the American people

I still believe there are enough Republicans who will choose to protect and save our Democracy.

Hopefully.

Harry Tenney (Electronic mail, October 20, 2013)