Good points.
The Bush administration ended up with a real credibility problem with regards to the war in Iraq,the DOJ, Katrina, wiretapping and torture.
Which is why I wonder why anyone with a brain is listening to Cheney now.
I would also add that the outing of Valerie Plame was put down to left wing conspiracy lunacy– yet Dick Cheney himself admitted that he did it unintentionally.

Ditto [great post BTW]

The popularity of talk radio and cable news shows who are mostly interested in ratings
The 24 hour news cycle- where events get hashed and rehashed.
Gerrymandering of congressional districts into liberal and conservative (safe) districts
The religious right's encroachment into politics
The internet and in particular the blogosphere – where rumors and innuendo take flight.

Leftwing “extremists” said:
BushCo lied about Iraq buying yellowcake, turns out they were right.
BushCo lied about Saddamn having WMDs, what do you know.
BushCo had a plan to invade Iraq from day one of the administration, now we have an FBI whistleblower finally released from her gag order, naming names.
Patriot Act wasn't about terrorism, turns out its mostly use for drug enforcement.
BushCo politicized the justice department to pursue political rivals, turns out its true.
BushCo lied when they said we weren't torturing people, what is revealed looks like torture to just about everyone in the world.

Righwingers are worried that Obama is Kenyan and will push us all into socialism if we get a national health system. I don't think they really know what socialism is, and apparently a birth certificate isn't good enough proof for them.

I think its dishonest to attempt to equivocate reasoned beliefs with lunatic ramblings in pursuit of some centrist nirvana where we are all just so cool and can say all of it is extremist.

Carrying a gun to a political rally. Language that borders on death threats. Thats extremist.

If you have beliefs that are considered extreme, and you defend those beliefs by citing historical examples in which extremists turned out to be right, then you really can't argue against extremists on the other side. By your argument, you are no more likely to be correct than they are. The argument sounds nice to people who believe something extreme and want to feel justified, but it's really meaningless.

If an extreme viewpoint is justified, should it not be supported by some good evidence? In which case it would no longer be extreme because the mainstream, seeing its rationality, would accept it.

What do you all think?

If you were honest and accurate you'd say it all too often is someone who not only is more protective, but is a proponent of it, and even provides grease and rocket propulsion for it on numerous occasions.

I can see myself answering that yes, I think GWB is the AntiChrist, and yes, so is Obama, just because of the sheer ridiculousity of the question.

Leonidas – Could be the 5% were religious zealots who, believing Obama to be the Anti-Christ, voted to elect him to usher in the “end times” and their ascension to Heaven.

Certainly a possibility. Just not one I put much stock in, maybe about as much as I put in such ridiculous polls.

Don't forget the GOP spin…lol…

Well the conclusion is pretty obvious, either 5% of Obama voters in New Jersey were Satanist, or the credibility of such polls is pretty laughable.

I'm reminded of the old saying “Ask a stupid question and you will get a stupid answer”.

[sigh]

Meanwhile, Obama's address to the UN General Assembly was so appropriate given the state of things here, currently. We have Qadhafi, Ahmedinejad, Chavez in the zoo known as the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, we have liberal Democrats like Pelosi, Waxman, Barney Frank in the United States House of Representatives. Same reactions to both from the mainstream…

Will you hang garlic around your neck, bleed yourself with leeches and continue to chant that we should ignore W's ties to the Bin Ladens and all the funny business that seems to add up to that which you, with a casual wave of your hand, deem “ridiculous”?