Recent election results should cause the Republican Party to examine its strategy. Pre-election, Republicans seemed to have everything going for them:

* Widespread belief that the nation was heading in the wrong direction.
* An incumbent President unable to cure the national ills,
* And almost unlimited money to make their case.

But they lost. Why?

Some believe Governor Romney was too centrist, that a true believer from the Right would have made a better case for change, and invigorated the Tea Party base to work harder. Their answer: Tilt further to the Right.

Others point to demographics. More voters are Hispanic, or African-American, or female, or young, population groups that usually favor Democrats, and are expanding faster than white males. Answer: Work harder to convince these groups of the merits of the Party's agenda.

Before proceeding further, Purple reminds readers that he has been a long time Republican, voting first against FDR's fourth term. In business he battled union excesses, and watched them destroy the nation's steel industry. Later he served as a Reagan appointee, and on the GHW Bush 1988 campaign staff. Believing deeply in the two party system, he wants a thoughtful Republican Party that promotes sensible national policies. During the campaign Purple heard many people say: "I haven't left the Republican Party, the Party has left me." Evidence supports that view. A distinguished former Chairman of The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Indiana's Richard Lugar, was defeated for re-nomination by a Tea Party candidate who then lost in the 2012 general election. In 2010 in Delaware, the respected moderate Republican Congressman Mike Castle was defeated in the primary for a Senate seat by an ultra-conservative, who then lost. Former Connecticut Republican Congressman Chris Shays suffered a similar fate in 2012. Maine's Senator Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican, retired rather than face internal Party opposition. Purple knew each personally. He concludes the Republican Party leadership is deliberately driving any remnants of its moderate, policy-oriented intellectual wing from office.

If the Republicans are to help America succeed, a fundamental redirection of policies is called for, reverting to the mix that enabled Republican Presidents prior to George W. Bush (43) to win and govern effectively.

First, if serious about reducing the federal deficit, Republicans must agree to include tax increases in the mix. Reagan and Bush (41) raised taxes when needed. Bush (43) cut them while engaged in a war and enacted a costly prescription drug benefit program, exacerbating the debt problem. Congress members should not cede their tax decisions to an unelected anti-tax ideologue. And of course Democrats must help rein in unsustainable entitlement costs.

Second, Republicans must respect science. Evidence that carbon emissions are causing climate change continues to mount. The obvious answer is to charge a fee for emitting carbon, offset by tax reductions elsewhere if the budget permits. If we do nothing the impending Climate Cliff will make today's Fiscal Cliff seem miniscule. Yesterday, Republicans led in environmental protection. Today many Republicans discredit the realities of global warming and evolution. Their anti-environment stance is irresponsible.

Third, government must support effective education for all; it underpins our nation's future. Teachers' unions must join as allies – perhaps a problem for Democrats. But in Virginia a Republican governor, unwilling to raise even the gas tax, has allowed state support for UVA and VA Tech to fall below 10% of operating budgets. Localities, resistant to tax increases, handle stressed school budgets by increasing class sizes, reducing educational effectiveness.

The problem of illegal immigration cries out for political consensus to design and implement a reasonable and compassionate solution. Republicans believe in individual freedom, except when women want to control their own bodies. The list of problems goes on.

Purple believes the Republican Party should stop playing ideologue, and seek ways to join centrist Democrats to move our nation forward. Until it does so, it is unlikely to win elections, or serve America responsibly.