I read today that former Republican Congressman, presidential candidate, and vice-presidential nominee Jack Kemp died today. Although I am certainly no Republican, I did respect him as a person. He was wrong about supply-side economics, but unlike many Republicans today he was genuinely concerned about the plight of the poor and sought to bring everybody in this country into the debate. Instead of marginalizing and attacking groups like immigrants, for example, he sought solutions to the issues surrounding immigration.
With the national Republican party in complete disarray these days, they would be well-advised to take a look at people like Jack Kemp.
Edit: I just found (via Balloon Juice) this letter from Jack Kemp to his grandchildren after the election of Barack Obama. Can you imagine any other Republican in power writing this kind of letter?