How ‘Owning the Libs’ Became the GOP’s Core Belief

“For a political party whose membership skews older, it might be surprising that the spirit that most animates Republican politics today is best described with a phrase from the world of video games: “’Owning the libs,'” Politico reports.

“Gamers borrowed the term from the nascent world of 1990s computer hacking, using it to describe their conquered opponents: ‘owned.’ To ‘own the libs’ does not require victory so much as a commitment to infuriating, flummoxing or otherwise distressing liberals with one’s awesomely uncompromising conservatism. And its pop-cultural roots and clipped snarkiness are perfectly aligned with a party that sees pouring fuel on the culture wars’ fire as its best shot at surviving an era of Democratic control.”