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.)
going to investigate the fraudulent charges on our debit card?
Seriously, there are hundreds of dollars charged on my wife’s credit card at some place called “Stallion’s,” on days that I know she was getting her hair done.
Help me, Sheriff Joe!
The problem with the concept of Peak Wingnut is that wingnuttery isn’t a resource that can be depleted. Hell, it isn’t even a resource that can be renewed. An honest look at the evidence reveals that wingnuttery is actually the sort of thing that, given the right conditions, will achieve a self-sustaining catastrophic chain reaction of ever increasing lunacy.
So no, we aren’t seeing Peak Wingnut. What is actually approaching is the Wingnut Singularity.
But isn’t is possible that there is only one moment in time when wingnuttua is at its maximum state of wingnuttiness?
That could be the last moment. Or the second to last moment. But it should exist, right?
Perhaps, but it is difficult to say what will go on inside the wingnut singularity. Its stupid will be so powerful that no sanity that crosses the event horizon will be able to escape. And the math seems to imply that the wingnut eventually just goes to infinity.
Yes. That seems right. Now I think I understand Captain Kirk’s methods somewhat better.
Ah yes, but the fact that humanity only experiences limits to genius but stupidity has no floor certainly makes anyone’s head ring from the laughter of the Gods.
if it’s a wingnut singularity does that mean the person from the reality based community getting too close is absorbed into the singularity?
No parabolas or quadratics, we’re talking about exponentials.
Yes. However, you are missing an important case.
In mathematics it is often the case that you attempt to logically declare that some specified value MUST exist, therefore you can ASSUME it exists and can use the point … even if you have no chance in hell of finding it! This is what you, Booman are doing. Such an assumptive theorem can be found in the Ham Sandwich Theory.
However, careful perusal of the aforesaid theory, will lead one quickly to the conclusion that there doesn’t have to be ONE slice of equality. Multiple possible slices CAN (although they don’t HAVE to) exist. Thus, the max or min point of wingnuttery can have one, two, or even an infinity (at least in theory) of max points. All of which have the SAME value (either in mathematical or political value systems).
In summation: You got it, Bro. But you didn’t get it hard enough.
2012: The End of The Republican Party. This is gonna’ be soooo good.
Wait it gets better:
Appeals Court Will Review Conduct Of Judge Who Sent Racist Obama Email
Excuse me while I laugh my ass off.
I posted this yesterday, but this is what I posted on my FB yesterday about that judge’s email.
“Ok, people let me tell you now, if you receive a forwarded email and you would feel uncomfortable sending the email to your minority friends but you forward it on to your friends and family who are not “ethnic” or minority, then guess what, I’m sorry but I’m gonna consider you a racist….TRUST!”
I Bet We’ll Top It Eventually
I’ll be pretty surprised it they haven’t topped it by next Wednesday or so.
I could swear that the Blount Amendment is just about the summit in demands that America choose, via their charming Rep Congressional surrogates, between religion and women. The question they’re asking is which is more important to you…the Bible or womankind?
If Obama lands a 2nd term expect even higher levels of winguttery for a few years. Eventually the GOP will have to tack to the centre as frustration forces pragmatism upon them. However even then a radical fringe will just get more resentful and angry so you could see ever more extreme instances of wing nuttery as the center of American politics shifts leftwards (largely due to demographic shifts).
It’s a shame America doesn’t have more politcal parties. In Europe most countries have a few uber right to Neo Nazi parties where nativists and racists can all go and waste their votes. In the US they’ve taken over the GOP.
Man, I have been saying that for so long. In the US, we have one major party that currently controls the House of Representatives that looks strikingly like the UK’s British National Party or Germany’s National Democratic Party. Imagine what those countries would be like if either of those parties could control a near majority of their respective parliaments.
Too right.
It would be funny if it weren’t so horrifying.