To the editor:

It seems to me that the Journal-World has missed the point in its editorial of April 17 decrying the lack of cohesion in the Kansas GOP and Gov. Graves’ role in this state of affairs. I agree that there are currently essentially three political parties of significant size and power in the Sunflower State.

However, they are not, as the editorial asserts, the Democratic Party, the conservative wing of the GOP, and the moderate wing of the GOP. The three parties, it seems to me, are: the Conservative Party, the Moderate Party and the Liberal Party. While the Conservative party is composed primarily of traditional Republicans, and the Liberal Party of traditional Democrats, the Moderate Party is composed of large numbers of both Republicans and Democrats who are disenchanted with the extremes of the other two parties.

The editorial is again missing the point when it bemoans that, “If Republicans had been united in their efforts, [Congressman Dennis] Moore would have been defeated by a sizable margin!” There was unity. The moderates, both Democrats and Republicans, of eastern Kansas united to support Moore, a moderate who supports such elements as business, and protection of the environment, and health-care reform, and fiscal responsibility, and who works diligently in an effort to balance his support for these “causes.”

Rather than lament the split in the GOP, I enthusiastically support the rise of the Moderate Political Party, peopled by moderate former Republicans, like myself, and by former Democrats.

Tom Hoffman,

Lawrence