It may be hard to believe, but there was actually a time in American history when the Republican Party stood for civil rights and equality for Americans. But in the century and a half since Abraham Lincoln was elected under the Republican banner, a lot has changed, and the party has more in common with people like Louie Gohmert and Ted Cruz than Lincoln.

Ring of Fire’s Mike Papantonio explains how we got here with author and Nation magazine contributor John Nichols.

This segment originally aired on an August 2014 edition of Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV.

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