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The party of Lincoln and Liberty was transmogrified into the party of hairy-backed swamp developers and corporate shills, faith-based economists, fundamentalist bullies with Bibles, Christians of convenience, freelance racists, misanthropic frat boys, shrieking midgets of AM radio, tax cheats, nihilists in golf pants, brownshirts in pinstripes, sweatshop tycoons, hacks, fakirs, aggressive dorks, Lamborghini libertarians, people who believe Neil Armstrong's moonwalk was filmed in Roswell, New Mexico, little honkers out to diminish the rest of us, Newt's evil spawn and their Etch-A-Sketch president, a dull and rigid man suspicious of the free flow of information and of secular institutions, whose philosophy is a jumble of badly sutured body parts trying to walk.

Garrison Keillor#4

PoliticsCriticismLeadership

About this quote

What does it mean?
The author claims the Republican party has degraded from its historical ideals into a group driven by corruption, extremism, and ignorance.
In plain terms
The GOP has changed from a party of liberty to one of shady business and extreme views.
What can you take from it?
Political parties can drift far from their founding principles over time.

Where it applies

  • political commentary
  • election analysis
  • criticism of leadership

Putting it to work

  • analyze party platforms
  • compare historical values
  • critique current leaders

Questions to consider

  • How have political parties changed over decades?
  • What defines a parties core identity?

Another view

The quote uses highly partisan language that may not appeal to all readers.

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  3. Well, they're taking kids out of the country and sending them over there, National Guard kids and Army Reserve. They're sending kids who are barely prepared fo…

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