Republicans are fleeing Congress in record numbers.  The list is long.  32 at last count between the House and the Senate.

In some cases, like Jason Chavez, Trey Gowdy, Orrin Hatch, and Darrell Issa it’s good riddance.  But Jeff Flake, Charlie Dent and Bob Corker were relatively sane moderates compared to their peers.

While there’s little doubt I stand to the left of Bernie Sanders on most issues, I for one would not look forward to the day when there was one party rule.  I think it’s actually good to have a party there to keep things in check a bit.

This particular version of the Republican party — which Reagan would not recognize and it would be doubtful he’d endorse — is not fit to lead.  The reasons are obvious now and it’s not the main point of this blog post to regurgitate that issue one more time.  They just have no idea how to govern and are currently being lead by a would-be king who behaves as if he owes Putin a few hundred mil.

What I’d like to see is Democratic or Independent rule in the White House with Democrats in the majority of one or both houses, but with a strong Republican party to counter-balance all the wild ideas Democrats come up with.  We need a sane party in place to keep things in check.

Republicans have demonstrated they have no clue on how to lead so therefore, they must be relegated to the minority party.  Democrats, if left to their own devices will socialize every aspect of society and while some Americans would welcome more of a European lifestyle, I really don’t think that’s who we are as a nation.  It wouldn’t work here because as a people we are different from Europeans.

Democratic rule with a strong but moderate Republican party who is interested in keeping things in check and working to solve problems.  That sounds like the ticket to me.

So where are these moderate Republicans that we so desparately need?  Sadly some sensible Republicans are getting out because the environment under Trump is too toxic.  I don’t blame them for being discouraged.

In large part the problem can be traced back to Citizens United.   It takes money to get elected and lots of it.  Party bosses won’t fund but the most extreme candidates.  I read David McCoullough’s biography on Harry Truman several years ago.  As is typical with anything McCoullough writes, he goes into great depth on how party bosses ruled who could run and get support and who could not.  This was how it was back in the 1940’s and has not changed.

I can’t stress enough the need for a true clense of the Republican party right now.  It is in dire need of a tranfusion.  For the good of the country.