The last time Americans trusted GOP rhetoric...

Additions and corrections welcome.

Does the GOP believe that Americans don't remember the last time they presented their candidates as Washington outsiders who promised to change the way Washington does business?

Last time the GOP candidates promised to simply reach across the aisle to find common ground, their actions made the government and the population more divided than any time in 2 generations, and ideology drove foreign policy, legislation, and the judiciary.

The last time GOP candidates had an ideologue on the ticket, abstinence-only programs were promoted, and unwanted pregnancies went up. I'd wager that STDs and abortions became more common as well. Now, in 2000, Bush's rhetoric was all about states' rights to make their own rules, so let's not forget how ideologues can sometimes sound like moderates or people who believe in evidence-based policy.

The last time the GOP promised a smaller government, the Fed grew more than ever since the New Deal.

Last time the folksy GOP candidates promised to clean up Washington, we witnessed more corruption than ever before. Do they think we forgot how chummy they got with Abramoff, Noe, Delay.... No-bid contracts to their own company. Billions of dollars unaccounted for.

Last time they railed against tax-and-spend Democrats, the middle class got hit hard. Per-capita income dropped by $6000 per year for working American families, while only the dirty-richest of the rich benefited. It did not trickle down to us.

The last time the GOP offered up two candidates connected with the oil industry, gas prices tripled and oil companies made record profits. They gave lip service to weaning ourselves off foreign oil but what have they done?

The last time their candidates claimed to be against government intrusion in your business, they did pushed hard to limit civil liberties, legislate morality, and asserted that they can spy on you if they feel like it.

The last time the GOP offered up an old man and another candidate who's "just like you and me," casting excellence as "elitism," they created a government that was less populist and less accountable, less responsive, and less competent than any previous administration, ever. Their "regular guy" candidate filled important positions with his buddies, and a great American city drowned. When the standard of electability became "who would you like to have a beer with?" we got a president who did not know what to do with the PDB reading, "Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S.," so he kept playing golf. Let the fake cowboy ride a horse, the hockey mom drive the minivan, and the smart guys run the country.

Last time they railed so rabidly against the unfair liberal media, it was an indication that they were getting a free ride in the press. All the networks and papers have archived materials, but how come only Jon Stewart spends any time juxtaposing the the Republicans and the Right-wing media are saying now versus what they said a week ago, with the same vitriol.

... there's much more, but I'm too steamed to write more. Hypocrisy and lies tend to tick me off.