] The dumbing down of the public discourse follows as the
] day the night, and so it comes as no surprise that both
] candidates in this year's presidential election present
] themselves as embodiments of what they call "values"
] rather than as the proponents of an idea.

Tentacles of Rage: The Republican propaganda mill, a brief history LEWIS H LAPHAM / Harpers Magazine v.309, n.1852, September 2004 1sep04