Out of the mouths of babes and analphabetics

A little neoliteracy from The Neo Republic

But [Republicaniac] elites don’t always control the process. Sometimes they can get together and virtually determine the winner in advance (i.e., George W. Bush in 1999-2000), but, often, they can’t pick candidates without THE ASCENT OF THE BASE, which is capable of winnowing out elite-approved candidates. Think John Connally, Phil Gramm, or others for examples of candidates who made it through the elite primary but were nixed by the voters.

Party Palæocomrade H. X. Adams diagnosed "ascent of the base" [*] on the occasion of Comrade General U. S. Grant’s appointin’ his first cabinet officers in the year of religionism 1285/1869/5628 -- an’ it's been all uphill ever since for the gran’ ol’ Partybase an’ Partyvile ever since.

Happy days.

[*]

With this thought in his mind, he went to the Capitol to hear the names announced which should reveal the carefully guarded secret of Grant's Cabinet. To the end of his life, he wondered at the suddenness of the revolution which actually, within five minutes, changed his intended future into an absurdity so laughable as to make him ashamed of it. He was to hear a long list of Cabinet announcements not much weaker or more futile than that of Grant, and none of them made him blush, while Grant's nominations had the singular effect of making the hearer ashamed, not so much of Grant, as of himself. He had made another total misconception of life — another inconceivable false start.