With the 2016 presidential ticket getting more crowded by the day, the Republican party needs to see a massive shift in ideology and strategy if they ever hope to sit in the white house ever again.

The core of the party has been lost in the scramble to appease the most extreme conservatives of the tea party movement. It’s been that way since President Obama took office, where right from the start, the party took the stance to simply obstruct any and all progress in the House and the Senate simply to keep the president from being reelected. Indeed just as Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said in a speech made back in 2010, “Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term.”

However, the major problem with this way of thinking is it sends a clear message to the American people. The unwillingness to compromise, or otherwise known as governing, has left the people with a pretty bad taste in their mouth when it comes to the Republican party.

Republican is now a term synonymous with bigotry, ignorance and zealotry, which is exactly what the party does not stand for. Republicans primarily believe in a small government and a prohibitive military. Essentially, we don’t want the government to tell us what to do. That’s it. But that’s not what the party is about now. It has a victimhood complex, where Christianity is under constant siege and abortion doctors are going to come knock on your door, tear down your American flag and take your guns. And by God, if you disagree with them, you’re un-American.

There is a difference between criticism and treason. Realistic and fact-based debate is the only way to bring our country out of this transition from the nuclear age into the information age.

There is no shortage of sound-bites of stupid things politicians say on both ends of the aisle. Both Democrats and Republicans in our capital are out of touch and completely uninterested in actually doing anything to benefit the people. Make no mistake, I have no illusions about how many foolish decisions the Democratic party makes, but of all the parties that need a makeover, the folks in the blue ties are not nearly as much of a concern. Ultra-liberalism is just as dangerous as ultra-conservatism and meeting somewhere in the middle is the only solution.

If the Republican party wants to stand a chance against Hillary Clinton, or any other democratic nominee, it is going to need to show that it is willing to govern with people other than its own. Will the super-conservative base reject the party? Potentially. But if so, the super-conservative base needs to change.

Governing is about more than just getting what you want; it’s about helping out everyone. Yes, there are problems in social programs in the country. Does that mean everyone on welfare is part of this so-called entitlement generation? Is every illegal immigrant here to usurp our jobs and language and sell guns? Is what one person does in the privacy of their bedroom going to, in any way, affect you?

Please, Republicans, come back to reality. Give me back my party.