Conservative Mash Up
by digby
Chris Matthews called Ron Paul a "live and let live" Barry Goldwater conservative today. I think that's fairly indicative of the confusion among thick Villagers. Barry Goldwater may have been "live and let live" when it came to social issues, but he was a hawk's hawk. And Ron Paul the supposed libertarian may be an isolationist, but he is anti-choice and oddly sympathetic to the notion that there is no separation of church and state.
People are getting very confused what with the various permutations of the wingnut fringe bubbling up to the surface, fighting for supremacy as the Republicans cast about for a leader. But it's clear that villagers really don't understand the basic fundamentals of right wing tribal factions and they are doing a poor job of explaining it. And so it's going to be a very daunting task to try and keep in all straight, especially with new radical fringe groups forming all the time. Of course, when you have "mainstream" politicians saying stuff like this, it may not be that fringey after all.
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