What happened to 'Party of Reagan?'

Dear editor,

As a once proud Republican, it grieves me it's no longer the party of Reagan.

Mitt Romney. Are you kidding me? The guy who couldn't beat a sorry president with a sorrier first term, and he's out there banging on Trump & Cruz? It was RINO's like Romney, with McConnell, Boehner, McCain, Ryan and the rest of their mainstream buddies who CREATED this primary situation.

Our party USED to stand for something. Today, they don't like Cruz because he's not "on the take" with the rest of them, and they hate Trump because they know what's likely to happen to THEIR little "empires if he gets elected.

Like the DNC with minorities and women, the GOP has ALSO taken THEIR followers for granted. Just donate money and follow the status quo. They weren't listening at the midterms in 2010 & 2014.

The right wing ground roots' effort gave the GOP not only the House, but followed that up later with the Senate. Even with Boehner finally gone, the first thing Ryan (Romney's old running mate) does, is pass a budget (if you wanna call it one), that STILL gave Obama almost everything he wanted.

They initially blamed the Obama administration that held all the power cards for the first term, and it's true, it's been the most useless government I can ever remember, no argument from ME anyway. But since the day we got both Houses, there was no further need nor excuse to keep catering to liberals bent upon selling America OUT.

We control the purse and the Senate. The voters fully expected a "Republican Congress" to step up and DO what they were voted-in to DO.

So MITT ol' buddy, sit down and shut up. It's two houses full of RINOs just like you who have made guys like Trump and Cruz NECESSARY now, because something has GOT to be done. I'd say the voter turnout we're seeing right now is a pretty fair indication of how angry the public actually is.

You guys refuse to do the job we SENT you there to do, so it looks like we just have to send somebody that WILL. The GOP establishment and their cronies have nothing plausible to say. YOU guys (and gals) MADE POSSIBLE, the situation you're all freakin' out over now. I understand what Reagan meant when he answered to that reporter: "I never left the Democrat party. The Democrat party left ME." I see it now the other way. And who'd have ever thought it?

-- Mike Bradbury, Mountain Home