Elephant has turned into dinosaur

To the editor:

In the wake of Barack Obama's election as the 44th president of the United States, I, a former Republican, could not resist sharing my thoughts about the decadence of Republican Party of Honest Abe.

Over the past year I have listened to the hateful and vitriolic rhetoric of the right-wing Republican radio talk-show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh during my lunch break and Sean Hannity before dinner. Both of them make me want to puke in disgust. Their deviousness, fear-mongering, nastiness and duplicity perfectly complement their masterful demagoguery. Yet all well-known Republican stalwarts such as Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney routinely patronize these talk-shows with alacrity. Obviously these talk-show hosts are considered by the Republicans as the standard bearers of the Republican Party. The outrageous behavior of Limbaugh when Gen. Colin Powell endorsed Obama was emblematic of loss of decency in the Republican Party.

Senator Obama did not run against Senator McCain. He ran against ignorance, hate, bigotry, greed, deceit, dirty tricks and "me first" mentality that pervades the Republican Party of 21st century. "Win at any cost" mentality does not befit the GOP of Abe Lincoln. Wake up, Republicans. We are living in a new century with new horizons and ethos. Do the right thing. Don't let the dinosaur become the symbol of the GOP.

K.P.S. KAMATH, Cape Girardeau