Late Night: Only Socialism Can Save Conservatives Now from Firedoglake

Conservatives have nothing left but socialism. As a form of name calling, of course, not as policy. They don't do policy anymore, if they ever did, which they didn't, apart from "start wars and cut taxes," which is unfortunately more a spasmodic symptom (the disease known as "stupidity") than a program for responsible government, when you get right down to it. Not that name calling has been working out very well for them lately. But of course, in Greater Wingnuttia, the absence of ponies is merely a surefire sign that you need to shovel shit faster. Hence:

Republican state party leaders are rebelling against new Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele for failing to dub President Obama and the Democrats as "socialists." And the rebels insist that the label matters.

Even though Mr. Steele has called his Democratic adversaries "collectivists," at least 16 state leaders say the term lacks the pejorative punch needed to sway public opinion and want all 168 members of the Republican National Committee to debate and vote on it.

Right, because that's their problem, that Michael Steele isn't saying "socialism" enough. Or "fascism," even.

Their problem is that they are crazy. That would be the long and the short of it. And you sort of have to gaze in wonder at the slightly less crazy crazies who are dubious about the name-calling approach, like this puppy-Malkin, or Stratass, or, Lord help 'em, Charles Johnson (to whom I will never link, even by bankshot). Because "slightly less crazy" does not mean "not crazy." And because of the total failure to understand that the vaunted Conservative Messaging Machine has created powerful disincentives to not be crazy. Look, even 20% of the population is a lot of people, and 20% of the population happens to be comprised of shithead mouthbreathing hardcore wingnuts of the sort who think Sean Hannity isn't an asshole. You can get rich off the crazy, you know. Is it insane to think Tim McVeigh was obeying Bin Laden? Yes! But so? Will this video make money? Yes! Will shit like that help wingnuts get back every branch of government? No! That would be insane! But, again, ... so?

"Conservatism" now isn't about winning elections. It's about making hucksters rich. That the most successful and well paid hucksters (Hannity, Limbaugh, Ailes) are probably also quite sincere hardly changes anything. The crazy made them rich. Why dial it down just because it won't win the GOP any elections anytime in the foreseeable future? That would create cash flow problems.

It's interesting that we have the photo negative problem over here on the left, where a fuck of a lot of us who have had a fuck of a lot to do with the Democrats actually winning elections aren't exactly rolling in the dough right about now. Like freedom, sanity and principle aren't free, I suppose, but they sure seem to not pay very well.