Abby Huntsman: Reverend Al's Kind Of Republican

Turns out today is the 159th anniversary of the founding of the Republican party.  So who did Al Sharpton have on his MSNBC this evening to discuss it supposedly from the GOP point of view? "Republican" Abby Huntsman, daughter of Jon.

After somehow divining that if Abe Lincoln were around today he would want a "conversation" on immigration and gay marriage, Abby described today's Republican party as populated by people who want "absolutely no government."  View the video after the jump.

There was an amusing moment when Abby told Al "you remember" political events from 1912.  The normally somber Sharpton, seeming simultaneously stung and charmed, cracked a rare smile, responding "well, I read about it. I don't remember."

Rev: if you're going to discuss GOP doings, how about inviting someone not from the Meghan McCain school of Republicanism?
 

ABBY HUNTSMAN: I hate to think of hypotheticals, but if I could imagine Lincoln living today, he would probably be pushing for a debate on immigration. He would be pushing for a debate on gay marriage. He'd be pushing for a debate on equal rights. That's not being done as much as I would like it, as much as many Republicans would like to see. Unfortunately, we're a divided party; we're a severely divided party. But, Reverend, we've been a divided party before. You remember back in 1912, when Roosevelt stormed out of the convention

AL SHARPTON: Well, I read about it. I don't remember. But go ahead.

HUNTSMAN: But then he started the Bull Moose party, ran against William Taft and his own party; wound up losing to a Democrat. A divided party, that's not necessarily something new. But it's something that we are struggling with today. We've taken individual issues and we've taken them to the extreme. For example, I mean Ronald Reagan said we need to be fiscally conservative. We now have Republicans saying the government is evil. The government is a terrible thing. We should have absolutely no government.