A few years ago at the RNC:
“Hey, those Tea Party people are making quite a ruckus. Let’s invite them into the party. Then we can co-opt them and use them to defeat the Democrats.” <cackles with glee>
Some months later:
“Um, those Tea Partiers are quite robust, aren’t they? But still, letting them have positions of power in the party just shows we welcome them, right?”
Early 2015:
“Hey, are we still in control of our party? Those Tea Partiers and the even-crazier folks that followed them in think we are part of the problem and are calling us corrupt sell-outs.”
July 2016:
“Donald fucking Trump is the nominee? When did the lunatics take over the asylum?”
August 2016:
“Houston, we have a problem.”