Here’s why I find it impossible to be a Republican: any crowd that instantly cheers the execution of 234 individuals is a crowd I want to flee, not join.

People who have worked for Mr. DeLay become, like other senior Republican staffers, members in good standing of a club and are accepted back by many members [of Congress] and staffers. The idea is that we are a team. What's good for one is good for all; anything to cultivate that team mentality is seen in a positive light.

We've changed in the sense that we flipped - and this is no longer the Republican party of Lincoln. This is the party of suppression.

When I first started talking about gay marriage, most people in the gay community looked at me as if I was insane or possibly a fascist reactionary.

Although I never publicly defended promiscuity, I never publicly attacked it. I attempted to avoid the subject, in part because I felt, and often still feel, unable to live up to the ideals I really hold.

I purge compulsively. I'm constantly shedding things.