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A few weeks ago, I watched Newt Gingrich give a speech where he referenced President Reagan more than 30 times.

Mr. Gingrich is by no means the only leader of the GOP who cannot get off the Reagan bandwagon.

It seems most of the GOP's leadership cannot say 10 words without mentioning what Ronald Reagan would have done or how great he was.

I am not here to demean President Reagan, and I fully understand how much he was revered by many people in this country.

However, President Reagan died and is no longer with us. He is part of history, like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

The Republicans' insistence on referencing one of the leaders of the past, while offering nothing new, is more glaring than ever.

They remind me of my buddies from high school talking about the all-star halfback who helped win the district championship. That was good then; but who cares, if our current team is 0 for 10!

It baffles me that the GOP cannot see this, and I feel it reflects how antiquated the leadership has become.

They don't seem to realize that if you are not at least about 48 years old, you would have been too young to vote for Reagan. Republicans may as well be talking about Martin Van Buren when they talk about President Reagan to the young people of this country.

It's time to ring out the old and ring in the new and get with the program. There is a new game out there, different than 30 years ago.

The GOP needs to get with the program, or they will cease to exist, in my view.

Jeffrey R. Belcher

Spotsylvania