I personally think that American right wing attack dogs are very embarrassing for this great nation. They often are the very essence that smears America and has reduced it to a second rate country: greed, incompetence, distraction, war mongering, fear mongering, hate of others and most of all hypocrisy.
The GOP is obsessed with fighting causes that are irrelevant and don’t matter. Who cares if someone can burn the American flag or not? Who cares if gay people can marry or not? Who cares if Obama wear that bloody pin or not?
These issues are (brilliant) distractions from important stuff: America educational system (no child left behind?), the rampant militarism (no money for body armor, but for shiny new Star Wars systems), the pork & waste in Government bills (need a bridge to nowhere dude?) and care for the environment (the jury is still out on global warming and evolution).
The biggest shame is - that so many Americans still listen and CARE for these issues. The dumb discussions really have dumbed down American political culture as well (if you have ever read a speech made by Lincoln or any other great American president you know what this country is capable of).
Populism is certainly not an US invention, but they really made an new artform out of it.