In "Let me finish," Chris Matthews of Hardball explores the mind-blowing tactic Republican/Teabaggers have adapted of "re-branding" themselves. I feel this is a generous label which Matthews has given the threadbare but effective practice of looking Americans in the eye and contradicting themselves with outright lies. If you repeat it often enough, they will believe it. This is demonstrated well in the case of "Maverick" John McCain. After campaigning as a Maverick, and writing a book called "The Education of a Maverick" McCain now states unequivocally that "I never considered myself a maverick."
Matthews explores this phenomenon, including governor Rick Perry of Texas, the state which seems to have adapted the Clash’s remake of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" as a theme.