On the state of the Republican Party since Reagan, Doghouse Riley had this to say:

Since the wildly successful two terms of the Affable Dim Bulb President in the 1980s, Republicans have nominated clueless Patricians five times, and Senatorial War Heroes Safely In The Pocket Of Big Money twice. The war heroes lost. The idiots won.

I’m not sure how he’s counting, but the point is there. This also explains the existence of GOP walking caricatures Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and James Inhofe (R-OK).