At the Reagan Library debate, the crowd cheered Rick Perry for the sheer volume of people he has put to death. At the CNN/Tea Party debate, the crowd cheered the idea of letting the uninsured die rather than having the government pay subsidies to those who can’t afford health insurance. Last night, at the Fox News/Google debate, the audience booed a soldier in Iraq because he’s gay and cheered when Little Ricky Santorum said he would reinstate the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.
It is now a pattern. However radically and aggressively stupid the Republican candidates try to be, they can’t match their audience. And they wind up distancing themselves from their own base after every debate. The point of debates is to learn about the candidates. But, so far, we’re learning more about what was left of the GOP after Bush and Cheney were done with it.
It isn’t pretty.