They put out a three-page article this morning proclaiming Rand Paul as the New Face of Republican Politics. Not what I want to read over my morning coffee. How about you?

Led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), libertarians hope to become a dominant wing of the GOP by tapping into a potent mix of war weariness, economic anxiety and frustration with federal overreach in the fifth year of Barack Obama’s presidency.

The country’s continuing fixation on fiscal issues, especially spending and debt, allows them to emphasize areas of agreement with conservative allies who are looking for ways to connect with Republicans who aren’t passionate about abortion or same-sex marriage. A Democratic administration ensures consensus on the right that states should get as much power as possible.

Ron Paul, who has been speaking at college campuses since retiring from the House to Texas at the end of the year, feels that more Republicans are either engaging or co-opting the ideas he spent a career espousing on monetary policy, foreign policy and civil liberties.

“The viewpoint of the libertarian is we’ve been doing the wrong thing for a long time,” he said in an interview. “The group that’s in Washington now is going to have tremendous opportunity because there’s a lot more disenchantment.”

“It’s better late than never,” he added.

Better never, I say.

Missing in Politico's celebration of libertarianism: Even the smallest hint of truth regarding why there has been such focus on the debt and deficit, why Rand Paul is not the right messenger for their message, and the millions upon millions spent buying think tanks, media outlets and politicians to amplify the message.

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Via ThinkProgress:

The real surprise came almost accidentally, when studying the content of the tweets members of the dataset sent out, with a substantial amount of it linked to the conservative movement in the United States and the Republican Party. Among the most popular hashtags used by those included in the dataset included “#tcot,” or top conservatives on Twitter; “#teaparty,” and “#gop.” The study also looked at the links these users sent out, categorized into mainstream, content-neutral, alternative, and extremist categories. More than half of the alternative links these users sent out were also to conservative websites, such as World Net Daily and Brietbart.com.

The authors of the study determined that the usage seemed to be “driven more by white nationalists feeling an affinity for conservatism than by conservatives feeling an affinity for white nationalism.” They were also quick to note that the data were pulled during a period of time surrounding the Republican National Convention, potentially providing a boost in references to the GOP. However, a comparison group — composed of left-wing anarchists — did not yield similar results linking them to progressive ideals or the Democratic Party.

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It's been evident for quite some time now that the Republican Party has completely gone over the bend. Their most popular leaders and media figures are reviled, and they've lost 3 out of the past 4 national elections.

But after President Obama was re-elected, Republicans blamed the lost "message" and that Romney was a poor candidate (and that ACORN stole the election).

Wrong, says this new CNN poll: it was the issues.

Just over half the public says that the GOP should give up more than the Democrats in any bipartisan solution to the country's problems, according to a new national survey.

And a CNN/ORC International poll also indicates that a slight majority of Americans sees the Republican party's policies and views as too extreme, a first for the GOP, and fewer than a third say they trust congressional Republicans more than President Barack Obama to deal with the major issues facing the nation.

53% to be exact. And that's not surprising at all since on just about every issue -- from taxes and gun control to global warming and gay rights -- the GOP holds fringe, unpopular views.

This is another good reason for the President to hold firm on the budget negotiations. People don't like it when you give in to extremists.

Right-wing extremists do love it when their followers get violent.

Oh dear. I suppose it would be too much to ask that these haters learn how to spell? I guess it is. And the extremist groups who benefit from spreading these disgusting lies don't really care about the violence that so frequently results:

President Barack Obama's campaign building in Des Moines, Iowa, was vandalized with the words "Muslim Lier" (intended to be "Liar"), spray-painted on a large banner.The Des Moines Register reports:

The blue banner is 16 by 8 feet and hangs on the south side of the building at 2307 Hubbell Ave. The words were written with red spray paint, police said.The vandalism occurred sometime between 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday, when it was discovered, police reports show. The same message was reportedly spray painted near the Iowa State Fairgrounds earlier in the week.The damage was estimated at $500.

Dating back to his 2008 campaign, a faction of Americans have falsely believed that Obama is a Muslim, even though he has openly discussed his Christian faith. According to a poll released in July, 30 percent of Republicans and 34 percent of conservative Republicans identified the president as a Muslim.

Remember when Bill Clinton was a Russian Marxist agent? God, I love right-wingers!

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Also in mid-September 2008, politician Geert Wilders said during a speech in Parliament that Moroccans are colonising the Netherlands. According to Wilders, Moroccans didn’t come there to integrate, but “to subjugate the Dutch” and rule overthem. “We lose our nation to Moroccan scum who go through life while abusing, spittingand molesting innocent people,” Wilders stated. “They happily accept our dole, houses and doctors, but not our rules and values”, he said. According to him there are “two nations.” The cabinet’s nation is that of “climate hysterics and uncontrollable Islamisation.”

The other nation, “my nation,” Geert Wilders said, “is that of the people who have to foot the bill and are being robbed and threatened by Islamic street terrorists.”

Dave Neiwert's question about whether we should ask who Sean Hannity hangs out with, or even just gives a pass to when he interviews them is a timely one. After all, Hannity tries to smear Barack Obama with the "extremist" brush on a near-daily basis while hanging out with a few himself. And just Tuesday night, he softballed an interview with the far-right wing Islamophobic extremist Geert Wilders.

In Europe, the radical right is rising faster than a full moon on a clear night and no single person might exemplify that rise more than Geert Wilders. After collapsing the Dutch government on April 21st, he's off on a book tour to pimp his extraordinary book about how the Muslims are out to kill him. Hence, the Hannitized interview to promote his peculiar brand of Muslim hate.

Via the Seattle Times:

Wilders — who spent time in his youth on an Israeli kibbutz — is pro-Israel and staunchly anti-Islam. Describing Islam as a religion of violence and hate that wants to "enslave" the West, he has called for the closure of Muslim schools, made a high-profile anti-Muslim film, and wants forced registration of all Dutch citizens holding two passports.

In 2010, he was put on trial on charges of inciting hate, though observers say the perceived liberal bias of judges and his eventual acquittal only elevated his popularity. It served him well at the ballot box, with his 6-year-old party winning so many seats in elections later that year that the center-right government required his support to stay in power.

His attempts to portray himself as a victim of the liberal elite has made him a darling of the right in the United States, where he has secured space on The Wall Street Journal's op-ed page. This week, Wilders is set to promote a new book published in the United States, "Marked for Death: Islam's War Against the West and Me."

Unlike our own right-wing extremists, Wilders is not above hijacking liberal causes in order to advance his extreme agenda, which seems to be to separate the Netherlands from the European Union and then cleanse it. His actions leading to the toppling of the Dutch government were a statement of resistance against the austerity measures imposed mostly by the German government. On its face, that would appear to be a good thing, except that Wilders offers no solution beyond peeling the Dutch away from the EU and then forcing registration of all residents who hold outside passports.

While the nuances of Dutch politics are far beyond my pay scale, it seems apparent to me that Wilders' ultimate goal is to ethnically cleanse Holland and rid it of all Muslims or people who might appear to be Muslim.

Here are some snippets from a speech Wilders gave on May 1, 2012. Read them and imagine Hannity going into paroxyms of paranoia if someone other than a right-wing extremist like Wilders had said them about Americans, or someone Hannity likes:

...we must stop the Islamization of our societies by restricting immigration from Islamic countries, and expelling those who violate our laws and commit violence. If you respect our laws you are welcome to stay; if you don't, you do not belong here..

And fourthly, we must reassert our national identities. The nation-state enables self-government and self-determination. This insight led the Zionists to establish Israel as the homeland of the Jews.

[...]

We are fighting for the future of our children, the survival of the Western spirit, the preservation of our liberty and democracy, our Judeo-Christian and humanist heritage.

These quotes are not all that different from what white nationalists say in this country. And yet, here's Sean Hannity, softballing an interview, not even mentioning the worshipful Breivik, and behaving as though it's perfectly all right to persecute people based upon their religious choice. (For what it's worth, Breivik not only cites Wilders some 30 times in his anti-multicultural "manifesto" justifying his rampage, he even traveled to England once to hear Wilders speak.)

Freedom must mean something different to Wilders than it does to the rest of us. And to Hannity, who thinks it's perfectly fine to smear the Occupy movement at will while holding Wilders up as a shiny hero.

The Tea Party Nation, via Judson Phillips, has laid down a set of ultimatums for the new Republican Congress, and all I can say to them is "good luck with that." In a very long screed to Senator Mitch McConnell and Speaker-Elect John Boehner, Phillips lays out what they expect this Congress to accomplish in the next two years. Here's a list, in their own words:

1. "[W]e want Obamacare defunded. There is no compromise on this issue and it is not negotiable."
2. "[W]e want serious reductions in spending." (No suggestions for what should be reduced, however. Philips instead falls back on the "waste, fraud and abuse" standby)
3. "[W]e must dismantle the liberal-political complex." He goes on to name ACORN and Planned Parenthood as agencies receiving Federal funding which should immediately be defunded and left for dead, as if one of them already hasn't.
4. "[I]f the debt ceiling is to be raised, this is the last time." Interesting to me that they'd concede this. It may be the most significant "demand" on the list.
5. "[T]axes must be reduced. The Bush tax cuts must be extended for everyone, made permanent..." He goes on to blather about how "small businesses" are being penalized. Small businesses like those holding companies pouring billions into Charles and David Koch's pockets? Those small businesses?
6. "[T]here can be no amnesty." A call to oppose the DREAM act and "any other effort." They seriously want to toss every immigrant out and let them all re-apply. And I thought I was an idealist.
7. "[F]ight the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The policy has worked well for the last fifteen years. There is no reason to change." He goes on to rail against "radical leftist groups" wanting to weaken the United States military but fails to acknowledge the near-unanimous opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the DADT policy actually undermines the military far more.

And I simply must quote Mr. Phillips' closing because it is so stunningly narrow-minded and insular:

We, the members of the mainstream Tea Party movement have a lot of expectations for you in this Congress. We realize the limitations you face. But we also realize the tools you have at your disposal. America is a conservative country. We expect conservative leadership from our country.

It's going to be a very interesting 2 years. I can hardly wait to see how wingers like Phillips handle the disappointment they're sure to feel when none of this happens.

From Michigan, some frightening news. Sounds like yet another fan of Glenn Beck!

Richard Scott McLeod of Brighton was arrested Monday in Webberville on weapons charges and is under suspicion for potential threats against President Barack Obama.

On the outside of the 48-year-old's vehicle were bumper stickers quoting Adolf Hitler. On the inside, police say there was a picture of Obama, a loaded gun, a bullet-proof vest and tips on how to build bombs.

The incident caught the attention of federal law enforcement. McLeod faces charges for illegally possessing body armor and a loaded gun.

He's currently behind bars in the Ingham County jail.

Another report states he had bombmaking materials in the car and information on his laptop is possibly related to members of the extremist group Hutaree.

Yes. One in five Americans believes the untrue but persistent myth that President Obama is a 'secret Muslim'. And because it's "let's be stupid because Congress is on recess and we like jumping over a cliff" month, the story actually gets some traction, because it was reported by the ever-vigilant Washington Post.

That the question was polled at all lends legitimacy to it. That it was reported simply offers the cynical and the stupid cover to believe what is just simply not true, not relevant, and not an issue.

Among those who say Obama is a Muslim, 60 percent say they learned about his religion from the media, suggesting that their opinions are fueled by misinformation.

That could possibly be the understatement of the century, and we're only ten years in. The very lethal combination of Fox News, talk radio, and a timid press with no stomach to actually speak truth without some form of "balance" is whipping up a toxic bacteria which has the potential to resist any cure.

When do we stand up and say "enough"? I loved this:

Palin could post a new amendment on Twitter: "Our God is red hot; your God ain’t doodley squat."

Yeah, just what we need. Palin cheerleading for God with her faithful sidekick Sharron Angle.

Via digby, Will Bunch paints a grim picture of just how dangerous this slippery slope is:

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John's already pointed out the recent inclusion of our book, Over the Cliff: How Obama's Election Drove the American Right Insane in a summer roundup of political books titled "Flame-throwing political books from the right and the left".

Naturally, we're grateful for the attention from the post. Books editor Stephen Levingston, who wrote the piece, was also kind enough to invite us to contribute an op-ed in support of the book, "10 fictitious Tea Party beliefs", a little while back. (Notably, Levingston also contributed one of the more notable nuggets of information we included in the book last year when examining the correlation of racist attitudes to anti-health-care activism.)

But I was frankly taken aback by the way it was all framed, notably this:

Yes, it could be a long, hot summer. But when does a swat from the left cancel out a snipe from the right? When do we reach a state of political imbecility where only the noise exists -- and all thought and reason have drained away? You judge. Here are the titles.

We're grateful that ours was the first title that followed. And the list included some other interesting contributions to the debate, including Markos Moulitsas' forthcoming American Taliban. But I was even more struck by the right-wing titles to which, apparently, we were being held up as the right-wing equivalent of the "flame-throwing" season:

THE BLUEPRINT: Obama's Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency

THE NEXT AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: The Populist Revolt Against the Liberal Elite

THE POST-AMERICAN PRESIDENCY: The Obama Administration's War on America

TO SAVE AMERICA: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine

THE MANCHURIAN PRESIDENT: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists

Excuse me, am I imagining things, or is the serious, factual, fully documented and completely transparent effort that we put into this book being equated, journalistically speaking, with a pile of conspiracist lunacy?

Maybe it's just me, but the entire right-wing list seems actually to prove the point of our title: these people are nuts, plain and simple.

They not only push beliefs that are provably untrue, they are clearly indulging in the kind of insurrectionist extremism that ultimately produces the kind of violent acts Over the Cliff details in abundance.

Instead of hand-wringing about whether both sides are just getting too extreme, it might be worth pointing out that it's actually only one side of the debate that's throwing flames and engaging in real extremism -- and the other side is being painted as extreme for simply pointing out that fact.

I don't know if this kind of false equivalency is actually Levingston's sentiments or just those of his editors, but it has become an all-too-common feature of the WaPo's approach to news: treat people who tell lies and people who tell the truth as merely opposing sides of an opinionated debate.

It's the fake culture of centrism that exists in newsrooms around the country. It's a product of a classic logical fallacy that is commonly adopted by journalists eager to escape accusations of "liberal media bias" -- namely, the argumentum ad temperantiam:

a logical fallacy which asserts that any given compromise between two positions must be correct.

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Are you ready for a flame-thrower? The Washington Post gives Over The Cliff a quick hit and review:

Over the Cliff: How Obama's Election Drove the American Right Insane

By John Amato and David Neiwert

PoliPoint. 284 pp. Paperback, $16.95

The gist: In November 2008, the right wing lost its mind and has yet to recover: Extremists prowl the land, fill the airwaves, preaching that America is doomed under Barack Obama.

In its own words: "The American Right's descent into madness, embodied in its takeover by right-wing populists, was more than a problem just for serious conservatives who understood that it would ultimately prove to be their destruction. The very nature of the insanity that was being unleashed posed a larger problem for the nation at large -- namely, the implicit threat of violence and extremist unrest, represented most vividly by the revival of the militia movement.

After we wrote our book there were many other violent outbursts that we obviously didn't cover. You know, like a pesky Mosque bombing or the father and son act of Jerry and Joe Kane. There are many more issues we take up in the book, but at least he got some of it right.

We're selling this book mostly through the prism of our online brothers and sisters. So far it's going very well. David and I didn't write this book because we hoped to cash in on it. Seriously, that was the last thing we thought about and it won't happen; but we thought it was important to document what we have all just witnessed and have a public record all gathered in one place.

We were interviewed last week by Mike Panantonio of Ring Of Fire, and he marveled that when he read everything in the book -- some of which he knew, some of which he did not -- it brought a new appreciation to the severity of the problem and what has unfolded before our eyes and he thanked us.

Please support your liberal authors. You can grab a copy here.

You can find it in other formats and book stores here.