The way back for conservatives
Re “The GOP looking glass,” Opinion, Nov. 11
It’s amusing to read Jonah Goldberg’s rambling complaint that the Republican rift-healing is stifled by “an elephant named George in the room.”
It also raises the question: Gee, Jonah, who opened the door and let that behemoth in to stay? Finding the answer requires a look not into the “GOP looking glass” but in what Elvis Costello called the “Deep Dark Truthful Mirror.”
Blaise Jackson
Escondido
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The conservative principles of individual freedom and responsibility, limiting government excess and adherence to the founding fathers’ intentions cannot be denied.
The conservatives’ problem is their unholy alliance with religious fanatics who would force their beliefs on others; rabble-rousing charlatans like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter; the intentionally, proudly ignorant; and robber barons who would despoil the land and subjugate the working class in order to wring out every last dollar of profit for themselves.
The answer for conservatives is to free themselves from hate, fear and ignorance and to find a candidate who truly represents conservative values. Until then, they will likely wander in the desert aimlessly for many years.
Paul Moser III
Studio City
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As a liberal Democrat, I found Goldberg’s column informative and reflective.
I hope that there is much soul-searching going on in the GOP.
If Lincoln, Eisenhower or Reagan were to reappear among the living, I am sure they would go right back to their eternal rest. This is not their party anymore.
The two factions within the party that Goldberg describes hopefully will become one under the leadership of the so-called young Turks. The other faction, which follows the vile and often false pronouncements of the likes of Limbaugh, have no place in civic discourse.
It is my hope that a thoughtful and united GOP emerges from this defeat. My party, the Democratic Party, will need a forceful and vigilant opposition to hold its feet to the fire. Only a responsible and positive GOP can serve that purpose and keep us honest with the American populace.
Ed Nell
Los Angeles