By James M. Perry

Every now and again, one or the other of our two major political parties wanders deep into the woods, far away from the mainstream.

It's happening now with the Republicans; it happened with the Democrats in the 1960s.

The fix is never easy and the Repubican problem this time may be especially intractable.

Arizona's Barry Goldwater firmly believed that the Eastern Republican Establishment, led by the likes of Nelson Rockefeller, was a bad thing. Goldwater agreed with others that those effete easterners were too rich, too patronizing, too liberal. And so he contested Rockefeller for the GOP nomination in 1964, and he won, beating Rockefeller in the decisive California primary. Lyndon Johnson crushed him in the fall. Nixon, something of a mystery as a candidate seemingly without any rigid beliefs, defeated Hubert Humphrey, LBJ's VP, narrowly in 1968, easily won re-election in 1972 and then, engulfed in the Watergate scandal, was succeeded by the moderate Gerald Ford who actually lost the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter.

Obviously, what the Republicans needed was a leader with something to say. They found their man in Ronald Reagan, not eactly the embodiment of Barry Goldwater but a conservative just the same, and a very classy campaigner. Voters liked Reagan, and millions of Democrats voted for him in 1980 when he swamped Carter.

Reagan moved the Republican Party.

All this time, the Democrats were having troubles of their own. It began in the Vietnam era when opponents of the war included kids with scruffy beards smoking pot who took to the streets in opposition to Lyndon Johnson and the war in Vietnam. "Hey, hey, LBJ" they shouted, "how many kids did you kill today?" It came to a crescendo at the rowdy Democratic convention in Chicago. I can still smell the tear gas.

The Democrats needed a leader who had something to say (Jimmy Carter didn't). They got one, too. His name was Bill Clinton and he was just as smart and just as classy a campaigner as Reagan. And he had something to say -- his party had gone too far to the left, and he wanted to correct it. He wasn't alone. The Democratic Leadership Council had been formed in 1985 following Mondale's shattering defeat and its goal was "to define and galvanize popular support for a new public philosophy bulit on progressive ideals, mainstream values, and innovative, non-bureaucratic, market-based solutions." Clinton, the governor of Arkansas, signed up. He defeated George H.W. Bush, Reagan's VP, in 1992 and served for eight years.

Clinton moved the Democratic Party.

To get back on track, the Republicans need to find a leader with at least some of the skills of Ronald Reagan and with something palatable to say to the American people. Their problem is that politicians such as Reagan and Clinton don't come along very often. The Republican Party, so set in its non-mainstream beliefs, may take a while to find one. First, of course, they have to agree that they need one.

James M. Perry, a prominent veteran political reporter, is contributing regular observations for post-gazette.com. Mr. Perry was the chief political correspondent of The Wall Street Journal until his retirement. Prior to that, he covered national politics for the Dow Jones weekly, The National Observer.

The Pittsburgh TV market will be blanketed with ads the next two weeks from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pushing for gun-buyer background checks.

The Pittsburgh ad features a Second Amendment supporter who says he believes in gun ownership for hunting and protecting his family but urges universal background checks "so criminals and the dangerously mentally ill can't buy guns. That protects my rights and my family." 

The ad ends by asking viewers to urge Congress to support the checks -- which in this case means U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. The Republican is one of 13 senators in both parties Bloomberg's group, called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, is targeting in the ad campaign. (Counterpart Bob Casey reversed course on gun control after the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre.)

A Quinnipiac poll in January found 95% of Pennsylvanians supported background checks for all gun buyers.

Political files kept at Pittsburgh network television stations show the ad (above) could begin broadcasting today and end April 5.

We swear, if we read one more story about Punxsutawney Phil...

1. Gov. Tom Corbett might have a Senate fight on his hands in filling the seat of state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who resigned after being found guilty of using state resources for her campaign. Democrats, who have enough votes to shoot down the governor's pick, say they're looking for a non-partisan with no ties to the Corbett administration. 

2. A bad day for Beaver County Sheriff George David, who stands accused of threatening to cut off a campaign volunteer's hands and eat them. Presumably exaggerating, but who knows? You can't trust these people with two first names.

3. Pennlive has the story on how the Supreme Court's rulings on gay marriage could affect Pennsylvania's Defense of Marriage Act.

4. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's television ads pushing for new gun control laws will target Pennsylvania, PoliticsPA reports. How fitting: After all, we are the state that clings to guns and religion.

5. Bill Peduto is in favor of market-driven "performance" parking, Keystone PA reports. Under the proposed system, drivers would pay less to park when there are more on-street spaces available, with the price increasing as spots fill up. One can only hope the city would hire a cattle auctioneer to keep things moving.

State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, says he's decided to remain as a candidate for mayor in the Democratic primary. "I'm full go,'' the lawmaker said Monday, two days before the last day for candidates to withdraw from the race without a court order.

While Mr. Wheatley had filed his nominating petitions for the May 21 primary he had said previously that he was giving himself until March 27, the withdrawal deadline, to decided on whether to press on.  He was one of several candidates who made last minute entries into a primary race scrambled by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's decision not to seek re-election. While all candidates have until Wednesday to withdraw, none of the other Democrats had indicated any hesitation about going forward.

At this point, the Democratic race looks like it will remain a six-person contest -- city Council President Darlene Harris; city Controller Michael Lamb; city Councilman Bill Peduto; A.J. Richardson, a community activist; former state Auditor General Jack Wagner; and Mr. Wheatley.