It started in the Newt Gingrich era with his "contract for America" which turned out to be a "contract on America" that America did not ask for. It then morphed into the "read my lips" era of no new taxes. Then Grover Norquist pledge of no increase in taxes that so many republican elected officials gladly signed both on the federal and state level.
And now the latest GOP pledge that is currently in the news that the republican party's Presidential candidates signed onto promising to support who ever becomes the party's nominee. Rubio and Kasich were reported to have recently said they may renege on the pledge and not support Trump if he is the party's nominee.
Democrats do not sign pledges, not even to support the democratic Presidential nominee. What they do is hold up their right hand and swear under oath to fulfill their duties as elected officials. Of course, republicans take the same oath and then sign pledges that contradict their sworn duties. The GOP has no intention of doing anything that falls outside of their extreme ideology so they sign pledges.
More and more republicans from the past who did not follow a political ideology are coming out now and are speaking about the republican Presidential candidates and opposing their do nothing attitude.
Some are calling them a bunch of idiots and expressed their feelings that the only way to save the GOP is to break up the party as it stands today.
The real question that is hard to answer about the GOP in this writers opinion is this: Does a pathway really exist to change the GOP's direction away from such an extreme ideology on almost every issue, and if so, who will that person be to finally stand up, lead and articulate the needed change.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
