Amid talk of where the Republican Party should be headed following a generally poor performance in the 2008 general election, former University of Colorado regent Jim Martin wrote the Grand Junction Sentinel proposing that a new moderate political party be formed in Colorado.

"Today's Republican Party is history," Martin wrote in the letter. "The times call for a new political party, one that looks forward and appeals to a new majority of Americans, ones who find themselves between the Democrats and the Republicans. The best place to launch this party-let's call it the Progressive Party-is right here in Colorado."

From Martin's letter:

We've always been betwixt and between the parties. Ken Salazar is a perfect example of this. The one Democrat who won an open Senate seat in 2004, he charted a path that was neither Democratic fish nor Republican fowl.

Colorado has several political figures who would fit well in a Progressive Party: Scott McInnis, Tom Norton, John Buechner, Don Ament, Bill Kaufman, Hank Brown, Bob Greenlee, Nancy Spence, Norma Anderson, Dottie Wham, Paul Schauer and Pat Hayes to name just a few. None of this distinguished group can be accused of foaming at the mouth over guns, gays, and God while more serious problems face our country and the world. They are fiscal conservatives who understand where we need government and where we don't They are reasonable people who could attract the support of reasonable voters.

But aren't third parties the province of Ralph Nader and other cranks? Don't candidates need the machinery of a party to succeed? The Internet has changed politics forever. Howard Dean demonstrated the fundraising potential of the Web, and Barack Obama perfected it as a means of communicating directly with voters, mobilizing their support, and convincing them to underwrite his campaign.

Launching a new party nationwide would be difficult. Getting it off the ground in Colorado first makes much more sense. Once elected, Progressive Party state representatives and senators could caucus with the Democrats or form their own group of affiliates. As voters see an appealing third path, more of them will be inclined to take it, to the betterment of the state and, eventually, the country.