As an inmate who runs an asylum - no, really, it is true - I take this as an insult to inmates and asylums. These people are subhuman puke pustules.

So, throw one more tactic into the mix of how conservatives plan to disguise the growing extremism of what counts for conservatism today. The last bid was for conservatives like George Will and Krauthammer to defend the indefensible on the far right fringe by calling liberals condescending snobs for noticing that the right wing had gone off the rails. This tactic only worked, however, if conservatives refused to mention any of the whacky right wing ideas by name so that readers could judge for themselves how loopy the right had become.

Of course the tactic before that was to get dishonest word wizards like Frank Luntz to write talking points that made black seem like white, as when he advised Republicans that the best way for them to attack an Obama plan to defend consumers AGAINST Wall Street was to lie about the plan and pretend it was a measure to make consumers VICTIMS of Wall Street greed instead.

Crazy people rarely recognize the extent of their insanity. I know this. And so do I.

But seriously, ladies and germs, one of the constants in not only Republican philosophy but the individual philosophies of people who align themselves with Republicans is that they are relentlessly NORMAL. Perpetually AVERAGE. They believe they represent middle America, RIGHT down the middle. And they get really really antsy if you expose them as lunatics. The exceptions being the birthers and tenthers and their ilk, the ones that liken themselves as some sort of neocon Neo from the Matrix. They've taken the right colored pill and now they se the world as it is, and if they must be deemed insane, so be it, they've got work to do, arms to bear, ammo to hoard, enemies' lists to write. But the rest of the Republican party, no matter how kooky their beliefe may be, think that they're middle America and anyone else with half a brain in their heads feels exactly the same way. Which is why I try to pity them, no matter how hard they sometimes make it.

The only way this will happen is after a string of electoral landslides. As it stands, repubs can't even criticize a radio talker without facing an extreme backlash. Dems have to get over their fears of their own shadows and start calling crazy, crazy. I never understood why they seem to think that they can take the 'high road' and engage stark raving lunatics in adult conversation.

It will not be easy. Sometimes it takes courage to stand before a large crowd and proclaim that two plus two equals four."

Coming from the folks who spend 8 years saying "2 plus 2 = Sadaam Hussain has weapons of mass destruction" that's hilarious.

Slappy,

I agree in part. They consider themselves AVERAGE and NORMAL, however at the same time they consider themselves SPECIAL and PRIVELEGED. Which is why cognitive dissonance runs rampant among the GOP.

"...deprive Democrats and their allies of a potentially potent weapon to use against the GOP in November."

Even if the schism is successful, Democrats could just do what Republicans have always done: accuse their opponents of being extremists, regardless.

I don't have a clue what the Republicans are worrying about. After all the Village Press has their back. The Tire Swingers and "liberal" media would never let the truth about just how insane the Republicans have become become a topic of national conversation.

My feeling is that elected Republicans and their retainers want to purge the crazy right because they are afraid they will not be able to beat the kooks in primary fights this summer. Take a look at Arizona.

Good luck convincing the GOP to abandon its base.

"I'd likely invest quite a bit of energy in characterizing the modern Republican Party as stark raving mad, and its base as having gone hopelessly insane."

Likely? There should be no "likely" about it—it's freaking obvious... which means that the Dems will naturally quiver in fear at the prospect of doing so. After all, it might make David Broder mad at them, and Dems mustn't, mustn't, mustn't make David Broder accuse them of being too partisan.

So wait. Are the Republicans actually making any attempt to push back against its crazy elements? Or is the Politico just trying to make it look like they are? Cuz even if there's some Washington Post columns saying that the crazy elements are real bad, it still looks to me like the crazy elements are dictating policy. And winning primary battles. And etc. If you denounce the crazy elements but then continue to let them run everything that's just PR.

CPAC was going to have a panel to discuss Obama's birth certificate?? Wow.

I mean, as crazy as I think the 9/11 Truthers are, at least they were talking about a serious subject matter; even if they were describing an absurd theory that couldn't hope to make sense. But the birth certificate issue was a stupid dead-end from the beginning. While I suppose it might have made a difference before the election, at this point, there's zero chance we're going to replace the guy. And THEN what? Is President Biden REALLY their goal here? Perhaps they imagine they'll get an election do-over of some sort? Whatever it was, it's insane.

Conspiracy theories are one thing and might be an indication of insanity, but pointless conspiracy theories remove any possible doubt on the subject.

I would make Jim Bunning a poster child for Republican insanity. "Tough Shit" would be repeated over and over in campaign style advertisement featuring workers going home from their construction jobs. The campaign would start today. I would also feature a different crazy every week. If the MSN isn't going to report these nuts for the nuts they are, we ought to be highlighting their insanity on a daily basis. Even if the ads aren't broadcast more than once or twice in the nuts home district and DC they should be released on line. Maybe a catchy advertisement or two will attract a little attention. If not at least we will be firing up our base.

so, various gop operatives are now concerned that the gop astroturfers were too successful at tossing red meat to the easily swayed low info fauxnews citizen...a bit late, i think...[that a crazy like erikson is calling other crazies crazy is ....well, it's crazy]...if i remember the story correctly, it's a bitch to get all the stuff in pandora's box crammed back in once the lid comes off...

The GOP machine can "marginalize" its fringe-whacko right flank teabaggers all it wants; it'll keep coming back to them for money and votes regardless of the media presence, and there's already enough in-stock uber-toxic footage of GOPers sucking up to this grassroots "demon base" to destroy a couple of Hitler's Panzer divisions.

We're only talking a net-gain of a few Senators, and possibly a dozen or so 'critters in the other chamber for added political emphasis---right?

Of course a campaign emphasizing the Republican crazies isn't as effect when the argument is "Re-elect Democrat _____________, he might be a namby, pamby, gutless wonder but at least he isn't batshit insane."

In a functioning democracy, Dennis Kucinich would be considered a moderate and nearly all elected Republicans would be in mental hospitals. If the Republicans don't want to be the crazy party, they would have to toss out 95% of themselves.

If I were a Democratic strategist, I'd likely invest quite a bit of energy in characterizing the modern Republican Party as stark raving mad, and its base as having gone hopelessly insane.

Then Bob Somerby could accuse you of sneering at the little people.

Still, it's gotta hurt a little when Erickson decides you're too much of a nut for him.

Exposure...yeah that's the ticket. Just keep exposing republicans...they are self destructive and completely insane, representing only the wealthy and are puppets of the lobbyists.

The more they expose themselves the more apparent their hypocrisy becomes. Dems merely need to point at them, shake their heads and repeat how they are knowingly lying and obstructing democracy.

Birthers, the way our courts work is that you get a competent lawyer, verifiable facts and present them to a judge, if the facts are real and not half baked lies, then, and only then, do you proceed to trial. The Birthers seem to be having a problem with their so called �facts� that I keep reading about on the internetnt. Let�s face it no one will take you seriously until you guys win a case, but until then, you will continue to appear dumb, crazy or racist, or maybe all three. Keep plucking that chicken.