When I reached voting age in 1965 I registered as a Republican. Over the last 48 years my relationship with the Republican Party has had its ups and downs but I will say it is rock bottom now. Where is the Republican leadership in Washington? Nowhere!

The Republicans had a golden opportunity to recapture the White House in 2012 and they blew it by promoting and selecting another moderate candidate (which guarantees a loss). Didn't they learn their lesson with Gerald Ford (1976), George H. W. Bush (1992), Bob Dole (1996) and John McCain (2008)? I held my nose and voted for Ford and Dole but not the other two. To those who blamed me for helping Bill Clinton and Barack Obama get elected I responded: Sometimes you just have to stand on principle.

The only hope for the Republican Party is that the Tea Party wing takes control and refocuses the GOP on its core values of limited government, low taxes and minimal governmental regulation: Read liberty and freedom. Until this happens America will remain on the precipice at best, or worse collapse after 236 years of existence. When Republicans run conservative presidential candidates they win, when they run moderates they lose. Albert Einstein is quoted saying: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Wayne Farber

Bellingham