There is no doubt now that Republican Party is lost.  It has become the Party of fealty to Donald Trump.  The test for participation in the party is support of the big lie, that the election was stolen from Donald Trump, and that the insurrection wasn’t a coup attempt, but was a protest to uphold the democratic rights of the people. Witness the ousting of Liz Cheney, and the booing of Mitt Romney.   Further Mitch McConnell has said that the party’s stated purpose is to resist all Democratic led legislation.  They will not negotiate.  The Republican party has no intent to participate in our American Government, no intent to operate in a legislative way addressing problems and seeking solutions.  The Republican Party is solely about returning to power in Congress, to do so they are perpetuating the lie that Biden stole the election.  They are about the cult of personality, and they will seek all allies they can find, even if it is white supremacists.  There appears to be no shame, no embarrassment that is too much.

The Democrats are being pulled further left, with the intent of redefining our capital system.  Instead of guaranteeing fairness in opportunity, guaranteeing equity in outcomes drives us to a culture of dependency underwritten by big government.   Spending is needed, but not at the proposed levels.  Not all problems are solved with tax and spend, and certainly new problems will be created.   I think we can all agree that we need investment in our future, but in a meaningful and productive way, not in giveaways to those that don’t need and, or don’t value that it is other’s money and hard work from who they are gaining benefits.

We need a third party, one that is interested in law and order, supportive of our democratic principles including voting rights and justice.  A party that believes in ensuring equal opportunities for all, a strong national defense, as well as leadership in the world, while getting out of people’s lives.   We need a fiscally conservative problem solving governing party, one that can moderate the extreme left policies and plans as well as the extreme right bias.  Problem solving, not name calling is what is needed.   A strong party in the middle will bring both Democrats and Republicans to a problem solving middle.  Coalitions may happen, but these can happen only through compromise.

Compromise is a good word.  Fighting and extreme positions at the exclusion of solving problems are a result of failures in understanding the purpose of government.

As the Republicans devolve into a party of grievances and power grabbing, we need an alternative to the Democratic Party that will actually participate in the legislative process.  This is good for democracy, and good for the American People.