The one thing that must be said about President Obama, politics aside, is he never sounds radical or extreme.  His composure, warmth and ability to stay on point, resonates well with his supporters.  This is in stark contrast to Mitt Romney, who seems cold and aloof at times, although he has been trying as of late.  The Republican party has been hijacked for years by extremists and no one in the more mainstream part of the party seems willing to challenge them.  We can speak about the poor economy, unemployment over 8% and the fact the country has never been more divided.  But if Republicans don’t find a way to move toward the center, they will lose in November.  The country has dramatically changed since the “Moral Majority” first surfaced in the 80’s.  Back then, the thought of a black President was inconceivable.  Gay marriage was so far off the charts, it wasn’t even discussed as part of public discourse.  Today, President Obama sits in the White House and gay marriage is legal in six states and the District of Columbia.   There may be several states that never allow gay marriage, but others will follow suit.  To be clear, the country is changing but the Republican party is stagnant.  The “old days” had some positives but just as many negatives.  Americans who long for those days need to move on or be lost in what was.  Restrictive, reproductive laws, sodomy laws, anti-gay laws are antiquated and have no place in the 21st century.  We have come to far to turn back.  As a “Progressive Conservative” my term, I recognize, accept and welcome the new world.  We will all be better off in the long run.  What I don’t accept are the regressive financial policies of this administration.  That’s what the Republican party should be focussed on.  The President and his party will continue to hurt this country with poor economic policy which will not easily be reversed should he be re-elected.  That is the number one message on which Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan should be focussing.  In addition, President Obama’s foreign policy, other that killing Al Qaeda operatives, has been horrible.  The Republicans should be hammering away on this relentlessly.  Plainly, he has no well conceived, thought out foreign policy.  He receives an “F” in this hugely important role.  If they can do this, and avoid the hot button issues such as abortion and restricting women’s re-productive choices, they might stand a chance of taking back the White House in November.  The extreme right can’t win this election for the Republicans so what’s the purpose of placating them?  It’s time to lead your party Mr. Romney.