The Republican Party's dogged determination to rid the congress and the country of all traces of Barack Obama, his party, his supporters, and anything even vaguely similar to his policies has driven few remaining GOP moderates of a pre-Goldwater stripe to embrace and empower a gaggle of disreputable mini-posses (or in some cases thinly-disguised lynch mobs), led by an odd assortment of self-appointed oracles-for-profit.

Worse, what's left of the GOP's moderate wing obviously believes it has no choice.

The best of the old-school must either cater to the very worst of their new up-in-arms supporters or die . . . or perhaps as Harry Truman's more highly-regarded analog of Obama's General McChrystal put it, "just fade away."

Reduced to the moral equivalent of bit players in Steven Colbert's forthcoming "Keep Hate Alive" rally-on-the-mall they're caught in a tragedy-turned-parody which, in turn, so closely resembles reality that Glen Beck will no doubt sue.

Fury driven by frustration all too often seeks leadership with simple slogans and made-up or non-existent track records.

ANYTHING or ANYONE is better, they say, than you-know-WHO . . . and HE's a you-know-what. (Pick your favorite object of contempt)

Facts be damned . . . or be gone.

Who's a Kenyan, Muslim, atheist, socialist, secret supporter of the goals of the worst of our enemies?

A third to a half of the "new" GOP has some very strange answers to all those questions. And worse, they believe they're true.

Where have we seen this before?

Almost anywhere people are desperate and there's money or power to be derived from exploiting their fears.

Better bread lines and beggars than FDR and a "socialist" New Deal.

Better faith and facism than doubt or socialism.

Better to close schools, libraries, hospitals, blood-banks and bible-schools than integrate them.

Better back-alley abortions than compromise our special insights into the nature of life and the mind of God.

Better tax cuts for the rich than jobs for the rest of us.

Better no health care than "government" health care.

Better gone than gay.

Better no government than big government.

Better Hitler than Blum.