The Republicans want to take us back to some other time, long ago and far away. You know, when everybody was, or wished they were, evangelical Christians, with family values, 2.5 kids and a Chevy in the garage. Never mind that hidden away to be dealt with in another time were American society’s cancers: divorce and its impact on the very idea of family; child and various other forms of abuse of the innocent; injustices against a wide range of minorities and the real “silent majority,” women; and poverty.

What I want to see is a candidate who recognizes that America is undergoing radical transformation as it absorbs and assimilates massive numbers of immigrants. The parallels between these years and the time between 1890 and 1920 are awe-inspiring. Just different ethnic groups.

Maybe the Republicans really do get this and are just afraid to say anything for fear of offending…anybody. Maybe they are thinking that preserving long-standing American character values is job #1 as our population swells with new minds who need educating about what we stand for, or stood for.

But I doubt it. By their own statements and positions, Republicans make it clear they are out of touch and out for ratings. They and the mainstream media make excellent bedfellows.