Watching the Wingnuts

Didn't I say that I'd avoid the whole SCOTUS blogasm? Oh well.

This post from Political Animal resonates with me: Opening the Curtain

One argument that I hear frequently from moderate conservatives is that although they don't like the Christian right much, they continue to support the Republican party because they don't think it has that much influence. Liberals, they say, are just overreacting.

If there's anything good that might come from the impending Supreme Court fight, it's the possibility that these folks might realize that times have changed: the Christian right is no longer just a bunch of marginalized yahoos who get nothing but lip service from cynical Republican leaders. That was arguably the case in the 80s, but it's not anymore. If progressive groups have any brains, they'll do their best to goad the Dobson/Falwell/Bauer faction into revealing their real natures on a national stage once and for all. The more publicity these guys get, the better it is for the liberal cause.

It will take some goading, and some discipline from the left. The Bushies are busily trying to tell everyone on their side to cool it and let the left be the ones to overreact -- and we are playing defense so it will be up to our side to set the terms of the debate without staking out a position that will unite the Republican coalition. The key strategy should be to highlight the divisions on the right and not by turning the fight into a left versus right battle that the hapless minority Dems can't win. Either the nominee will be too moderate for the wingnut faction, or too Taliban for the centrists. Either way, out job is to accentuate the divisions.