Does the link in the details bring up shades of the Salem Witch Hunts that began in 1692, or, more recently, the "Red Scare"--the Communist Witch Hunts of the 1950's?

Yes… but I’ve seen stuff like that since 9/11, and my belief that only a very small minority of Muslims are terrorists has cost me a couple of friendships.

Still, we are talking about people who still think Obama is Kenyan-born, and that supply-side economics works. The only real news here is that the names of the Republicans pushing are different, but I needed no further proof that Michelle Bachmann was batshit crazy, nor that the current incarnation of the GOP is a bunch of irrational reactionaries.

@jerv Have the Republican always been this paranoid and nuts?? I once would have “identified” myself as more of a conservative Republican than a Democrat…until Obama got elected and all the insane hoop-la followed. Maybe I’m just now noticing it…but have they always been off the deep end?

@Dutchess_III I was so delighted to see the senior statesman of the remaining sane Republicans try to reign in his tin-foil hat party, but he is swimming against the tide. Too bad Mitt Romney has none of the courage of a John McCain. Romney is shamelessly pandering to the nut jobs on his party’s extreme right.

The inmates have taken over the asylum and one-by-one they are purging anyone who even tries to make any sense. This bat-shit crazy poopaganda from GOP Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann led to a near disaster for our Secretary of State. Apparently the good people of Egypt don’t realize the stuff Pam Geller and Michelle Bachmann regurgitate in our ears and Internet is not meant for consumption outside the USA, where there are people that don’t already know these characters are rabid lunatics.

What irks me is that these cowards who constantly run around with their hair on fire, fearing their own shadows, black helicopters, lurking commies under every rock, Islamists, terrorists, or whatever the threat-du-jour may be can claim to be strong on defense. Last time I checked, being a trembling coward who wets his/her pants every time a car backfires is not a sign of courage.

@Dutchess_III No, but they have been for the last decade. I think 9/11 brought them out of the woodwork.

@ETpro Courage is now defined as your ability to blame poor people for being poor, and for sticking to your guns regardless of what the facts are. Using logic, citing actual facts instead of making up your own, compromise, and compassion are all signs of weakness.

It also shows parallels to the 3rd Reich. Truly scary.

I would go a few years earlier than 9/11, maybe mid 1990s? That was when people started saying the SotH was a full on whack job. (Newt Gingrich, at the time.)

This would be completely disheartening if it weren’t for John McCain having the balls that the rest of the GOP have long since lost to stand up for the woman and defend her against these judgmental and unsubstantiated claims. In the 2008 campaign, I thought McCain was extremely conservative and I detested the thought of him being elected; but right about now, he’s looking like a pretty good alternative to how things could be under Romney.

I do think that we need to draw a distinction here, though-
John McCain: Conservative Republican (unsavory values and ideas from a Democrat’s perspective, but not necessarily insane)
Michelle Bachmann: Extremist Tea Partier (interchangeable with bat-shit crazy)

Sadly, though, the line between these two becomes blurred more and more every day.