Today's Democratic Party is no longer reflective of the values of most mainstream Americans. It's certainly not a party that would have nominated John F. Kennedy, who, like Mitt Romney, believed in a strong national defense and low tax rates for all Americans.
It's a shame that parties have turned people into religionlike-orientated voters that don't know or care to obtain the knowledge of what ideologies each party may stand for. Examples of this are some of the Hispanic voters who are more conservative when it comes to abortion, traditional marriage and religion but vote Democrat whereas the ideology advocates the antithesis of their beliefs.
I started out as a Democrat, but as the party changed so did I.
It was a good feeling for many to vote for the first black U.S. president. I wanted him to succeed, bring us all together and not be as polarizing as he turned out to be. Hope and change became more of the same in Washington with the lobbyists, crony capitalism and the outrageous spending. The people of the United States need to be united again.
President Barack Obama is a nice man, but nice won't save this country. We need leadership. It's OK to change course. He was given a chance, and he has made history. It is just time to move on, together.
Cindy Sue Clark
Chairwoman
Maui County Republican Party
Kihei
