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Oct. 2, 2023 Editor, The News- Gazette: May it rest in peace. May the Grand Old Party which has shown considerable signs of old age in recent years — the strength needed to be effective in a divided government, be allowed to go the way of all old elephants and find its burial ground.
It hurts this conservative reader to type these words. Nonetheless, let’s be honest: watching Fox News has not brought the elephant back to life. Nor will any party or cause stay alive by simply being negative. This, of course, applies to the Party of No.
Negative voices have never won a war, either the real kind or the one now being waged by two major political parties. Why do we give funds and offer our support to Ukraine? It is primarily to preserve freedom in the world; only a distant second because Russia invaded it. That’s a huge difference.
So, say goodbye to the Party of Lincoln: all those 19th Century Republican presidents you can’t name; the enthusiasm of Teddy; General Ike, who ran for president because he did not want us to be isolated from the world. And there was Reagan. You may not have liked his views. But how do you vote against a smile? We found out twice.
As for your “No Labels” readers, allow this truth to sink in. Third parties are good at bringing about change — but it is seldom permanent. America is strongest and runs best when it has two strong political parties, one to the left of center, the other to the right. The center is our nation’s stability. Try to name a more stable democratic government than ours? I can’t. Cheers. DAVID REYNOLDS Rockbridge County
