Steve, your logic only works if you think conservatives don't believe (Democrats, HCR, unions, liberal judges) are an existential threat to this country.

But conservatives believe they ARE existential threats.

Yes, all those things are even more existentialierally threateninger than terrorism. And if you aren't spazzing out like an infant reacting to a balloon popping, then you aren't taking things "seriously".

Maybe I'll surprise you, but I partially agree with these guys: health care is vastly more significant than terrorism, and far more lives are at stake.

Let's suppose the underwear bomber succeeded, and that every three months another one succeeded. We might see 400 deaths per year. But lack of access to health care coverage is killing 45,000 people per year, which is 100 times more than the terrorists' wildest fantasies.

The party that could really fix this would have a lock on power for several decades. Fortunately for the Republicans, whatever bill survives Congress isn't going to fix it, though it might help a bit.

Well, ya just can't get the mileage out of comparisons to Hitler and Nazis anymore, while terrorism and them thar terr'ists are fresh.

it seems as if far too many conservatives aren't taking U.S. efforts to combat terrorism seriously.

And those liberals who take and have taken the "war on terror" seriously, the folks who so piously "rallied around the president after 9/11" and who have "supported the troops even though they opposed the war" are patsy's at best and often much worse.

Republicans do one thing well... hyperbole.

The party that could really fix this would have a lock on power for several decades.

This is, of course, the essential Republican point of view on Healthcare; Orrin Hatch has even said this outright. If the Democrats are allowed to actually fix things, then people will vote for them - which Republicans clearly can't allow to happen.

Steve is claiming that "no sane person" seriously believes that Obamacare will reduce the overall quality of healthcare.

And he makes this claim in a posting which accuses others of overheated rhetoric.

Steve is claiming that "no sane person" seriously believes that Obamacare will reduce the overall quality of healthcare.

Um, no. Steve is claiming that no sane person seriously believes that Obamacare will "kill" more people than "terrorism" (Boortz's moronic claim).

But then the article is only written in plain English, so I can see where you might have trouble.

Today's conservatives are actually worse than hormonal teenagers going through their first breakup. Teens have a biological excuse, today's conservatives have none.

This isn't entirely new. When Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah building in 1995, some conservative Christian commentator, I believe it was Cal Thomas, wrote a column before the ashes were cold equating it with the legalization of domestic partner benefits in Massachussetts. He argued that the latter, as an attack on marriage, constituted at least as great a disaster for the republic as the deaths of 168 people. Hyperbole is their stock in trade.

Do you know who else was an existential threat to the West but not as threatening as dozens of other things the Republicans have gotten worked up over?

Hitler.

Republicans' positions are only contradictory IF they took terrorism seriously. They don't "terrorism" is merely a political tool to attack their enemies -- and NOT a set of policy pronouncements. It was an excuse to attack Iraq.

Progressives assume that Republicans somehow care if terrorists attack America. They don't, especially not if that means they get to attack Obama.

If a terrorist attack occurs under a Republican president it's the fault of the last Democrat to hold office. If a THWARTED attack occurs under a Democrat it's because the administration didn't take "the terrorist threat seriously!"

But, NOTHING could possibly qualify as "taking the terrorist threat seriously" as far as Republicans are concerned -- except for Obama to resign and appoint Dick Cheney president.

Existential threat? No, just an existential stench coming from the shit the Republicans are spewling from their mouths! -Kevo

When it comes to the Republican Party we need to declare a War On Error.

This will be a costly battle and require much sacrifice but after all, we're Americans. We do what's right, not what's convenient. When the going gets tough the tough get going. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

Take no prisoners.

I am reminded of the old West when the heathen descended into a small town, gambling, whoring, spending money and the town folk who knew what kind of people they liked.

Problem is, we're all heathens to a certain extent, so how can you claim a heathen to be worse than another?

Terrorist is just a semantic.tic. tic.

The town folk of this town just didn't want to have to answer to anybody, so they slimed everyone.

Problem was, only a sheriff or town official could get the gambling, whoring stopped if enough money was spent. Theirs.

There seems to be a disconnect within the right-wing worldview. On the one hand, the standard conservative line insists that the threat posed by violent religious extremists, determined to kill Americans through acts of terrorism, is the existential threat facing the West in the 21st century. On the other hand, it's surprisingly common to hear conservatives suggest terrorism isn't as threatening as whatever issue has Republicans worked up on a given day.

It can't be both.

Existential threats aren't mutually exclusive, and that something is an existential threat does not mean that there cannot be greater existential threats, so indeed terrorism could be an existential threat and not be as threatening as other issues.

Ok cmdicely, that would mean Republicans think there are a half-dozen different issues each of which, by itself, is in imminent danger of bringing about the destruction of the United States America.

Why do Republicans think the U.S. is that easily destroyed? Why do they hate (or at least not have much confidence in) America?

The Republicans have NEVER had any really superior insight into "national security"; what they DID have was the ability to frighten voters into electing them, to "protect" them from the big, bad boogey..er, I mean, from terrorists. Republican political thinking has devolved into a one-trick pony: fear of terrorism won elections once, therefore equating Democratic policies to terrorism will win elections again.
The present Republican Party, to paraphrase FDR, has NOTHING to offer but fear itself, blind, unreasoning fear. Which is why the teabaggers are taking it over. Which is why the "independent" voting group is growing as more and more "Republicans" drop away from the party that has left them.
Seemingly sane "Republican" candidates will still have a chance at election time, but the speeches they will have to make to get that nomination should provide plenty of ammunition for their opponents. Democrats just have to have the guts to use that ammunition.