Today’s L.A. Times letters to the editor, because our voices matter:

Re “Time to grow up, GOP,” Opinion, Jan. 15

Jonah Goldberg accurately describes some of the Republican Party’s problems, but he is deluding himself if he truly believes its main issue is that it isn’t doing a good job of persuading Americans.

The real problem for the Republican Party is the extreme ideological views of its core constituencies. The religious right believes God is on its side; economically conservative Republicans believe in failed policies of deregulation and trickle-down tax rules; climate-change deniers believe global warming is a hoax; the GOP money establishment maintains that giving money to politicians is free speech rather than legalized bribery; and the gun-rights wing is opposed to any sensible measures on firearms.

The problem is not that Republicans haven’t done a good job of persuading but rather that their views are unpersuasive.

Michael Asher

Valley Village

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Goldberg expresses his frustration that conservatism is not connecting with the masses. Could it be because many Americans rely on the basic government safety nets that the conservatives want to eliminate? And when the religious right hijacked the GOP, it turned off moderate conservatives.

Goldberg doesn’t address these issues, but they are a big part of the reason voters have turned away from the GOP. And until the party realizes that the demographic changes in this country don’t favor Republicans, it will continue to lose national elections.

Mike Lockridge

Mission Viejo