I'd go so far to say the extremity of the right wing since the start of the Bush years has shifted the political center in the US a couple of notches over from the left. So if those on the far left now appear extreme, it's only because the center has moved.
Before this shift, people like Beck, Coulter, and (given her position) Palin would have been widely recognized for the morons they are. Now, they're actually given some level of credence they just don't merit, and a level of power and influence that is frankly dangerous.
And all the gun-toting would-be assassins are, unfortunately, on their side.
|