The Crackpot Gap: Why It May Be A Boon To Democrats But
A Danger To America

Robert Reich
September 17, 2010
http://robertreich.org/post/1137498956

After the victories of many of the insurgent primary
candidates she's sponsored, Sarah Palin is off to Iowa
today (Friday) for a high-profile series of political
events. Is it possible she's looking to make a run in
2012? Do birds fly?

Republicans are being fueled by a so-called "enthusiasm
gap" but their biggest worry leading up to the midterms
should be the "crackpot gap."

In Delaware, Palin-endorsed tea partier Christine
O'Donnell is so far right she's called "delusional" by
Delaware's GOP leader. In Kentucky, Palin-favored Rand
Paul says the Civil Rights Act of 1964 shouldn't apply
to businesses. In Colorado, tea partier Ken Buck talks
of getting rid of the 17th amendment, which provides
for the direct election of senators. In Arizona, Palin-
favored Sharon Angle has called for "2nd Amendment
remedies" if Congress doesn't change hands.

Many Americans these days don't like Congress and are
cynical about government. The lousy economy has made
almost all incumbents targets of the public's anger and
anxiety.

But if there's one thing Americans like even less it's
people pretending to be legitimate politicians whose
views are so far removed from those of ordinary
Americans that they pose a danger to our system of
governance.

In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, a
third of undecided voters had a negative view of the
tea party movement. 13 percent of those who said they
prefer Republicans to win control of Congress this fall
also reported a negative view of the tea-partiers.

The latest CBS poll shows that 40 percent of voters
viewed Sarah Palin negatively in August; today, 46
percent do.

When Newt Gingrich, who has all but declared his
candidacy for president in 2012, says President Obama
exhibits "Kenyan anti-colonial" behavior, and that
allowing an Islamic center near New York's Ground Zero
is tantamount to permitting Nazi's near the Holocost
Museum, he doesn't sound like an ordinary American. He
sounds like a hate-mongering crackpot.

We're not dealing with "extremism in defense of
liberty," as Barry Goldwater put it in 1964 (and even
then, a large majority of Americans decided against
him). We're dealing with extremism that defies the
principles undergirding our Constitution.

Some Democrats think all this is wonderful because it
boosts the odds of Democratic wins, not only in the
midterms but also in 2012 when the Republicans put up
Palin, Gingrich, or someone equally bizarre. Even
voters who are are unenthusiastic about Democrats will
be motivated to turn out if they fear that crackpots
will otherwise take over our government.

I'm not as sanguine about what's happening. Political
discourse in America is important. What candidates say
can legitimize hateful or divisive views that would
otherwise never see the light of day.

We're in the midst of an ongoing economic emergency
that requires clear thinking, intense work, and
practical ideas. It also requires that we join together
rather than be pushed apart. The loonies who are taking
over the GOP pose a real and present danger.

_____________________________________________

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