BLOOD SIMPLE

If you want to gauge the pulse of the GOP, don't tune in their weekly debates to hear the same old tired cliches of the candidates lined up on stage. Tune in to hear the crowd reaction to issues of life and death and human dignity that will literally take your breath away with their heartlessness, insensitivity and plain old meanness.

First we had the wild applause at the announcement that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has presided over 234 executions during tenure as Texas governor. At the next debate we heard cries of "Yes", cheering and laughter at the question posed to Dr. Ron Paul whether we should let a seriously ill 30 year old uninsured man die. Just to show that Republicans aren't just for something, they booed and hissed when a gay GI Iraq war veteran asked whether the GOP aspirants would try to undue gains made for gay soldiers by the Obama administration.

After gauging the pulse of the new GOP, it appears to be bloodless, and GOP must stand for Grand Obscene Party.