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Republicans Fear "Crackpots" Becoming Face Of Party

First Posted: 11/11/09 05:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 03:00 PM ET

Gop

POLITICO:

Joe Wilson's outburst Wednesday night earned more than a personal rebuke from the president and a dagger-eyed gasp from the speaker of the House; it drew winces from Republicans worried that their party is becoming known less for the power of its ideals and more for the pettiness of its vitriol.

Read the whole story: POLITICO

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Joe Wilson's outburst Wednesday night earned more than a personal rebuke from the president and a dagger-eyed gasp from the speaker of the House; it drew winces from Republicans worried that their par...
Joe Wilson's outburst Wednesday night earned more than a personal rebuke from the president and a dagger-eyed gasp from the speaker of the House; it drew winces from Republicans worried that their par...
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COMMUNITY PUNDITS
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PhilipTaylor 05:23 PM on 09/11/2009
WHEN THIS IS YOUR SPOKESPERSON: BECK’S BACKGROUND
[Sources: LDS Interview and Wikipedia]

Beck has virtually no formal Co11ege education, dropping out of co11ege in the first semester. Beck considers himself the most inf1uent!ia1 M0rm0n in the media today, one of the smallest groups in America.

Beck, a rec0vering a1c0holic and dr_ug add!ct, makes him ine1!g!ble for  Read More...
06:46 PM on 10/25/2009
Um, Too Late!

Damage has been done!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
liberalOrgonian
05:38 PM on 09/14/2009
I hope EVERY PERSON IN THE PRESS, takes on the personal responsibility to let us (their audience) know what is facts and what is fiction. The fabric of our society is coming apart because inaccurate facts are being flamed and getting most of the attention. I am appalled when I hear more conservative BS, out and out lies, with few calling out the lie for what it is. Few follow up questions, few facts, few statement from the mediator stating "this is not a true fact"
Maybe everything said and written should be put through fact check.org prior to airing. I still like the idea of flashing lights, fog horns and signs saying not true when someone sits there on tv, radio or writes an article and lies their ass off.
With our new President there is change in the air. He has ushered in a new era, a new chapter for a new age.
We need to put Lee Atwater, and Carl Rove politics behind us. Stop tolerating the lies, stop the interview, correct the facts, ask the next question, be part of the solution. Be a modern day myth buster for the American people. Watch MSNBC, they do it and Sam Donaldson too.
Those of us brought up to believe that a lie is a sin are shocked at what is happening in this country.
HOPE FOR TRUTH

YES WE CAN,
HOPE, for TRUTH.
12:27 PM on 09/13/2009
I just listened to the video that is on the "Read the whole story: POLITICO" link on this page. I believe I hear Joe Wilson yell "You Lie" not once, but TWICE. The first time is a little buried in background noise. I believe I hear this when Obama repeats "The Reforms.....The Reforms" just before Wilson's voice is clearly heard.

Check it out.
Alaskan4Alaska
12:24 PM on 09/13/2009
This is ridiculous. Glenn Greenwald has an excellent post up at Salon addressing this very issue. This is nothing new. The Republican party has been full of crackpots for years!! Remember when they said Clintons had Vince Foster killed. Let's face it, the face of the Republican party and beliefs for decades has been people like Rush. And now we are to believe that all of the sudden, all of the crazies have gravitated right. No. Crazies have always been attracted to the Republicans. You have to be crazy to care so much about the rich and the corporations and your guns and making sure that gays don't marry and wanting to make sure that no one ever has sex (see the right wing nuts push to ban contraception in Florida), YOU have to be CRAZY to care so much about those things and so little about your neighbor who is dying because they can't get medical care.
12:16 PM on 09/13/2009
“The image of a bunch of white guys booing an African-American president is about as bad as it gets.â€

One thing I really hate about GOPers is they try to define me. They tell me what liberals think and how they think and they are almost always dead wrong. So I won't do that to them.

But I will say there must be quite a few reasonable conservative folks out there who don't agree at all with this fringe. I know a few. They are silently allowing this nonsense and it's destroying their party.

Seems to me the only viable and reasonable conservatives now are called blue dog Democrats. The others are so extreme and so unwilling to negotiate they have driven themselves and their ideas into the wilderness. I guess that's a good thing.
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12:39 PM on 09/13/2009
"But I will say there must be quite a few reasonable conservative folks out there who don't agree at all with this fringe. I know a few. They are silently allowing this nonsense and it's destroying their party."
- - -

That's what I don't understand. How can they stand by and let the lies about death camps and forced sterilization stand without speaking out. If they are so concerned about "crackpots" becoming the face of their party, why the he// don't they stand up and tell these "believers" that this nonsense is just that . . . nonsense. But, as wagthedog states, they just sit by silently and allow these wingnuts to spread their lies. What an outrage!!
04:09 PM on 09/25/2009
There may be some "fiscal" Conservatives left that are not looney. There are a lot of Conservatives who read Ron Paul, Peter Schiff, Bob Chapman, etc.

But it is the "Rush Limbaugh Conservatives", the Glen Becks, the Birthers, the Fox propagandists, the racists, the tea party shouters, the homophobics, the abortion clinic bombers, the fanatical Christians, etc. who now define the Party. It is amazing that the GOP, which has been catering to (and encouraging) these very people, now whine that these people are hurting their image. I'm not buying their phony angst.
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Horus45
Liberal Activist, anti-Fascist
12:11 PM on 09/13/2009
They sure show a weird way of fearing them.
Not one Republican Pol has the guts to denounce their behavior!
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12:39 PM on 09/13/2009
Exactly!!!
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
AllShookUp
Hug A Hater
11:20 AM on 09/13/2009
No need to fear, it's already happened. And they don't even need the white sheets, we can see right through them.
11:17 AM on 09/13/2009
The desperate new face of the republican party may indeed be these crackpot rats in that sewer, but it seems to be working. It is the dems that are all reeling about how to survive the 2010 elections. May sound unbelievable since the Republicans are the party of NO, the party of DOING NOTHING FOR AMERICANS, that is unless they are rich and part of the lilly white party of the rich for the rich. Shocking to think that Obma and the dems were handed it all on a silver platter, and they are being knocked around by a pack of rats doing NOTHING but spewing lies about all they try to do. Sickening and sad really.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Aerows
11:14 AM on 09/13/2009
The reason that Republicans are getting associated with crackpots is because they openly court the crackpots. Fundamentalists flock to the Republican party because the Republican party is militant, conservative and advocates authoritarianism. They feel comfortable and safe when that kind of authority is in power, telling to them (and everyone else regardless of what they believe) to obey laws that mesh with their religion. They want to be told to obey, but more importantly, want everyone else to be told to obey the "laws of God".

The Dark Ages is a perfect example of what happens when the "laws of God" as established by the Bible (and interpreted by leaders) are turned into law. Iran is a perfect example of what happens when the "laws of God" as established by their bible (and interpreted by leaders) are turned into law.

You aren't going to change certain people from being Fundamentalists. The only hope is to make sure that children who grow up around Fundamentalists get the opportunity to see a different perspective besides Fundamentalist thinking, and those who are Fundamentalists get the opportunity to leave that way of life if they choose to do so. Fundamentalists, of course, don't want that to happen and do everything they can to pressure their members into staying and toeing the line. Look at Iran if you want to see what is in store for our nation if we let them get their way.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
LarBear
10:18 AM on 09/13/2009
More MSM Corporate spin and fantasy to mislead the ignorant and gullible... The Corporate owned MSM is selling the propaganda this is a struggle between Right wing/ Left wing... Republican versus Democrat... The BIG LIE! The TWO PARTY SYSTEM is now, WE THE PEOPLE and our Elected Representatives versus Corporate "Legally Bribed" Representatives who are Elected by WE THE PEOPLE but Campaign paid by Corporate....

This is more about WE the People, the Union and non-union working class versus Corporate GREED... NOT..... Socialism, Communism, Capitalism... That is distracting spin to sell air time... WE elect and Corporate buys our Elected Officials with Campaign Contributions... And, so called Right/Left, Conservative/Progressive/Liberal has little meaning except as spin and misleading labeling...

Corporate bought, Voter Elected Representative deregulated Government so Greed could run rampant... Corporate Greed did and IS crashing the Economy... Ronald Reagan was a Corporatist... Lack of Governing in the face of Corporate GREED continues to crash the economy...

So called Health Care (Medical/Pharmaceutical Greed and manipulating ) is a shining example... Health Insurance decisions are about profit, NOT Health...
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Bloggerrogr
Thou shalt not whine
11:17 AM on 09/13/2009
Many, many good points here LarBear !

Fanned and Faved.

FWIW
10:01 AM on 09/13/2009
How appropriate that the picture includes Ander Crenshaw, one of the laziest representatives in Congress but he stills gets re-elected only because he has an R ater his name.
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08:56 AM on 09/13/2009
The "crack pots" already are the face of the Republican Party! A special thanks to Rush Limbaugh for all his help in achieving this milestone.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Ergon
Man From Atlan
10:01 AM on 09/13/2009
What came first, Rush Limbaugh or the crackpots? Or was Limbaugh the First Crackpot?
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Bloggerrogr
Thou shalt not whine
11:19 AM on 09/13/2009
Try William Jennings Bryan. You might also Google "John Birch Society" in your quest.

FWIW
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speakingtruth2power
Not motivated by fear & loathing
08:28 AM on 09/13/2009
The MSM is always looking for controversy and thus states that the Dems will likely lose

quite a few Congressional seats in 2010 but who does the MSM think we will be running against?

Most Americans have good instincts and voted for Obama because he wasn't Bush, Those same

voters have seen another years worth of rethug gross hypocrisy and now, blatant hill billy racism.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Ergon
Man From Atlan
07:46 AM on 09/13/2009
The funny thing is I could identify with moderate Republicanism in some ways, but the fact remains that whenever Republicans came into power, the looters moved right in with them, and the economy took a nosedive after.
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dems08
2012: 60 US Senators / 218 House Seats
08:59 AM on 09/13/2009
whenever Republicans came into power, the looters moved right in with them

the pubs ARE the looters, working for mega corporations
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Ergon
Man From Atlan
09:58 AM on 09/13/2009
Keating 5 should have been Keating 6, with McCain.
12:09 PM on 09/13/2009
What you are identifing with is conservative reasoning. Many people that worked so hard on the election aren't far left liberals, some aren't even Democrats. The unifing theme is that they are Anti-Republicans. Republicanism is a mean spirited private club. Conservatism is a school of thought. That bus left long ago. America needs REASONED discussion from all points of view. I doubt you will find many here that disagree.
To many extreme right wing types it is the discussion itself that infuriats them. The very thought that others might have valid information or that education and careful reason are a necessary part of political advancment is anathama.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Ergon
Man From Atlan
11:28 PM on 09/13/2009
Left wingers of the social persuausion are just as Intolerant, though perhaps not as dangerous.