For those who are still in denial about the extremism of modern-day Republicans, the past week — hell, the past 24 hours — should have been a cold slap in the face, a big jolt of reality. Rush Limbaugh, praised for years by Republicans, declared an honorary member of the House freshman class in the Contract with America year of 1994, pal to Dick Cheney all through his time as vice president, attacks an advocate of contraceptive coverage as a slut and a prostitute and, after being criticized, doubles down, demanding that the woman “post [sex] videos online” in return for contraceptive coverage. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, honorary Arizona co-chair of Mitt Romney’s 2008 campaign, backer of Rick Perry last fall until he dropped out of the race, object of the entreaties of Rick Santorum, holds a press conference today to reassert that the long-form Obama birth certificate is a fake. (Santorum, when he met with Arpaio last week, was briefed on Arpaio’s birther “investigation” and didn’t immediately distance himself from the sheriff.) Oh, and what else? Nearly every Republican senator voted for the Blunt amendment? Andrew Breitbart died and much of the right concluded that President Obama murdered him? And, five days ago, Rick Santorum declared that anyone who wants more Americans to have access to college is a “snob”?
That’s just one week. And yet …
We will go into the fall election with Obama and Romney as the candidates and Romney will try to portray Obama as “extreme” and “out of the mainstream.” He, his running mate, and his surrogates will declare that Obama stands for an extreme, peculiar, bizarre, foreign worldview. And this will be taken seriously. One or two setbacks in the economy or the foreign-policy sphere, one or two good news cycles for the Romney campaign, and we’ll be right back to the premise that “real Americans” are Republicans and that it’s the Democrats who are the weirdos and freaks.
For the love of God, mainstream media, please remember this moment. And realize that there’ll be even worse moments to come.
(X-posted at No More Mister Nice Blog.)
