Obstructionist, always. But now Republicans are barmy (Tomasky, guardian.co.uk)

[lindisfarne]

Beyond shutting off all of Obama's initiatives, the party harbours deniers of everything from climate change to his citizenship

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/26/republicans-barack-obama-citizenship
...
Hatch's decision reflects the degree to which, during the Obama era, American conservatism – already fiercely ideological and obstructionist, operating according to sets of "facts" produced and paid for by oil companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and other corporate interests – has contrived to go completely barmy.

In most countries, you have two major political parties or broad factions. They disagree on many things. But both begin by accepting certain suppositions. I would imagine that in Britain, for instance, both Labour and the Tories think healthcare for all or at least most people is a good idea. They have different notions about how to do it, but the goal is agreed upon. I gather also that the Tories accept the basic idea that global warming exists and that man's actions have contributed to it.

But American conservatism does not believe healthcare for all or most is a desired outcome at all. Conservatives believe people are responsible for their own healthcare, and that people who don't have it just aren't showing enough pluck and initiative. Last Thursday, one Republican congressman announced that the party wouldn't even offer its own version of healthcare legislation – and this man runs the party's so-called Solutions Group! And on climate change, of course, most deny its existence, and all deny that human activity has played any role in it whatsoever.

I could give you 50 examples, but you get the idea. We have a party that lives in an alternate universe. Wondering why Obama and the Democrats are having trouble lately? They've committed their errors, and the party's genuine ideological diversity can make consensus hard to come by. But the big issue is this. The alternate-universe party represents the views of about 27% of the people, as nearly as I can tell. More will label themselves conservative in polls, but when you analyse the percentage of Americans who endorse the extreme views the GOP represents on a range of matters, it comes to a little more than quarter of the population. But the Republicans hold about 42% of the power in Washington, with the ability in Senate, according to that body's rules, to block almost anything, almost any time.
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Healthcare is socialism. Saving the auto industry is liberal fascism. Trying to halt global warming is both. Negotiating with Iran – I didn't even get to foreign policy – is proof that Obama wants to obliterate the US. And to top it all off, the Great Obliterator isn't even a citizen.

Obama has to try to conduct the business of state with people who believe or lend cover to all these notions. Trust me. Be glad you have your Tories.

[RandomThoughts]

1. You make a point there.

The Republican platform has been the destruction of government, and replacing that with a feudal system based on money. But as in all things it ends up backfiring.

Once people realize that removing government, one person one vote, and replacing it with one share of stock one vote, is the Republican think tank's goal things will progress better.

They will be able to see the arguments for health care and any other government item better.

[PDJane]

2. It's enough to make a sane person

Hope that whatever the ailment is, it doesn't trangress borders......

[lindisfarne]

3. It's being transmitted via Alberta. n/t

[PDJane]

4. sigh.........you may be right.

Toronto may be an antidote, however.