The Republican Party has been slowly transforming into a mess over the past 32 years.

The Political Party (80's, early 90's)

30 years ago, they were a cute party with little Congressional power.  They wanted "smaller" Government.

The Cankerous Party (The Clinton Years)

Then after President George HW Bush lost re-election, they turned into a cankerous party.  Having won a wave in '94, they became a party that attacked the Democrat President, investing tens of millions into an investigation that found nothing.  They would impeach the President because lying about having sex.   Gingrich led to shutting down Congress just to screw with the Democrat President.  When Clinton attacked camps in Afghanistan (where some bin Laden guy was camping out), he was accused of "wagging the dog", a term stolen from a movie most people didn't see.

The Limbaugh Party (The W Years)

The Republican became much more partisan.  Even more importantly, the attitudes of those in Congress adjusted.  During the Cankerous Party years, the politicians at least sounded like politicians.  Come 2003 and 2004 in the short time the Democrats would keep the Republicans from having complete power, the Republicans would begin sounding like Limbaugh.  They becme very spin heavy.

Dennis Hassert would actually complain on NPR about how the Democrats blocked more judge nominees under W than any President ever.   The number of blocked nominees was actually substantially (ridiculously) lower than those outrightly blocked under Clinton via a "pink slip veto" (a secret method of veto'ing a nominee by a Senator from the same state as the nominee).

They also became the party against dissent.  Ari Flescher infamously made the "watch what he says" comment towards Bill Maher, who himself had said a "coward" couldn't fly planes into buildings and that it took courage to do something like that.  In no way was Maher condoning the 9/11 attacks.   In this period, they would suppress voting in 2000, claim liberals hated America for even questioning any proposal by Bush, or the Iraq War.  Some who spoke out against an Iraqi invasion were actually accused of being paid off by Hussein!

It should be noted, during these years the Republicans never acted to limit the power or size of Government.  In fact, the created warrantless wiretapping and appropriated massive increases in spending.

The Web Board Partisan/Troll Years

The Republicans have continued their demise as an actual functioning political party.   In early November 2008, they adopted the Wagstaff Doctrine.  Anything that Obama proposed, they'd be against it... and without any sense of irony.  For instance, when Obama liked the idea of Cap and Trade, something Republicans liked years ago... the Republicans were against it.  Obama suggested a Bob Dole like Health Care reform bill... the Republicans said Bob Dole was just bluffing.  Obama wants to extend tax cuts... the Republicans don't want to.

The Republicans in Congress, e.g. Boehner or Cantor, sound almost exactly like Limbaugh or Hannity.   Boeher said the Democrats were playing politics with tax cuts, by trying to extend them in a tough economy.  Meanwhile the Republicans nearly drove the US off a cliff with a US Default.  The Republicans have attacked Obama for massive spending hikes that he was never responsible for, against his intervention in Libya (claiming him a war monger, while bitching he didn't support the Iranian protests?!),  claimed Obama was trying to create "death panels" in the health care reform bill, etc..

Now during the primaries, Santorum is claiming that Obama isn't leading via the Bible.  Seriously, this is web board troll crap.  It has gotten so bad, I want to put the Republican Party on Ignore.