Republicans displayed their passion for the little guy at Wednesday's debate. It was a total scam.

Judging by the rhetoric at the third Republican debate, the GOP has become a populist party. Or has it?

Ted Cruz
(Image credit: REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

If you knew absolutely nothing about American politics and tuned into the Republican presidential debate Wednesday night, you would have come away convinced that the GOP is the party of the little guy, the party that wants to advocate for low-wage workers, middle-class families, and those who are struggling. And the wealthy? Screw those guys — Republicans can't stand them. If somebody told you that this party's last presidential nominee got in a heap of trouble for contemptuously saying that 47 percent of Americans are lazy leeches who just want to live off government handouts while the morally upstanding wealthy do all the work, you'd respond, "Surely you must be mistaken."

In case you didn't tune in to this festival of populist passion, here are a few of the highlights:

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.