Republican hatred of Hillary Clinton has taken a harrowing turn

There are countries where in a national election one side promises to prosecute and imprison the other side's candidate if they win. America is not one of them.

"Guilty!"
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

We knew for days there were going to be heaping helpings of Hillary-hatred served up to the crowd at the Republican National Convention. After all, if there's one thing that brings together establishment Republicans and tea partiers, supply-siders and neo-cons, values voters and Ayn Rand acolytes, it's that they all hate Hillary Clinton. They don't just think she has bad ideas on policy, or that she can't match the limitless integrity and honesty of their nominee, or that she wouldn't manage the federal government with sufficient dexterity. They hate her, in a deep and primal way that goes beyond anything logical or rational, much less anything having to do with issues or the challenges of the presidency.

Even so, what's coming out of Cleveland is getting ugly.

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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.