While the stench of hypocrisy permeates both political parties, especially heavily among the elected denizens on Capitol Hill, the Republican Party, the party of everyone for themselves, the party of if you're poor, struggling, lost your job, can't afford health care, lost your home, it's your own fault seems to be the master of the phony, the deceitful, the sanctimonious.

For example, this from Hotline on Call at the National Journal: "....the GOP remains woefully underrepresented among women.

"It's the women that we've been missing in the past," says RNC co-chair Jan Larimer. "We're not going to miss them anymore."

Larimer has spearheaded the party's efforts to recruit and train more women candidates. And based on the GOP's efforts this year, the party needs the help.

"Women sometimes need a little more handholding, or they need their friends to help them make a decision."

That any intelligent, logical thinking woman could be a Republican is stupefying.

Another example from the inimitable Jim Hightower:

"....who needs Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien for comic relief, when we've got Andre Bauer? He's the Lieutenant governor of South Carolina (a state, by the way, that really is a comer on the political comedy circuit — especially after Gov. Mark Sanford's madcap schtick last year involving his disappearance, the Appalachian Trail and an Argentine mistress.

"But Sanford is leaving office, and Bauer, who is now a Republican contender for governor, is the state's new star joker. He had 'em rolling in the aisles recently when he did a wild, slapstick routine on food stamps at a town hall meeting. Andre proclaimed that much of his political thinking was shaped by his grandmother and that he had learned a valuable lesson from her.

" 'She told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why?" he asked, pausing for comedic effect. "Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce.' "

"I tell you, Andre Bauer is an absolute scream!

"But here's the real punch line: The need for food stamps has been soaring as more and more Americans are falling out of the middle class into poverty. From 2000 to 2008, 5 million more were added to the poverty rolls, and that was before the economic collapse of the last two years. In fact, check this out Andre, and laugh if you feel like it: About 6 million Americans today are living entirely on food stamps — they've lost their jobs and have no other income. That's one out of every 50 of us, and their numbers are growing rapidly. Now, isn't that a hoot?

"Republican member of Congress John Linder. This far-out Georgia right-winger is irked that America's food stamp program will grow to more than $60 billion this year. "This is craziness," Linder barked to a New York Times reporter."We're at risk of creating an entire class, a subset of people, just comfortable getting by living off the government."

"Comfortable? When was the last time this pampered lawmaker experienced the "comforts" of the food stamp life? Linder himself has been "living off the government" for 18 years, but at the high end — drawing $174,000 a year in pay, plus subsidized health care, a fat pension and generous perks of office.

"Hypocrisy aside, Linder is an anti-government, laissez-faire extremist who buys into Bauer's fantasies about lazy, good-for-nothing strays getting food stamps.

"Does knocking poor people make these guys feel better about themselves? How pathetic. Bauer and Linder are living proof that when it comes to leadership, America has too many 5-watt bulbs screwed into 150-watt sockets."

But then, the GOP has a sordid history of terrible governing.  Unfortunately, it's regular American who suffer the horrific consequences of greedy, selfish, incompetent, inhumane Republican policies.