Bogey men and John Galts

From Mr. Edroso, who enjoys the comedy gold of an army of Ol' Perfessers threatening to "go off the grid" in case Obama wins and leads us to a Workers' Paradise:

They really believe it. The greed and stupidity of investors far bigger than the Perfesser have done what untold cadres of socialists and communists couldn't manage in a century -- destroyed the good name of American capitalism and put the better part of its assets under government control -- and the would-be Galts are threatening to bugger off to China because America might elect a moderately progressive Democrat.

I'll be disappointed if Obama doesn't make it, but really, on the whole I must declare myself content as it stands: the very threat of something that would mildly discomfit their self-centered world view has excited these folks' ridiculousness to levels that surprise even this jaded observer of human folly. And the beauty part is, no matter who wins..., they're just going to get more entertaining.

It's baffled me for some time: Why, only 21 months ago, Sen. Obama represented a mild liberal but has lately become a perceived Socialist, planning to dismantle a capitalist system -- a debased and crippled system that he's inheriting, no less. They are afraid of his mild plans to return the tax margins to their Clinton-era level. Wha?

But I'm beginning to understand. The wingnutosphere feeds on fear and bogey men. Islamofascists poised to destroy our democracy. Saddam Hussein and his canisters of mustard gas. Those were easy. The GOP leadership sent out the memo and the nutosphere regurgitated it into the waiting mouths of their breathless readers.

But unleashing all that fear creates it's own vortex. And in the nutosphere, there must always be Some New Fear to point to, and establishment couldn't really keep up (how could they, they were still dealing with the consequences of the earlier fears they'd unleashed?). So it became increasingly orderless and unhinged: Illegal immigrants crashing like waves over our borders to turn us into Northern Mexico and force us to speak Spanglish; ACORN tearing at the very fabric of our democracy. It is always something. There has to be. And it has to be an enormous and terrifying thing.

And now it's led by Sarah the Governor and Everyman, Joe Plumber, esq., expressing terror at the notion that That One with his foreign name and nefarious tax plans so apparently complicated that it is duping the Em Ess Em not to reveal its obvious Marxist intent.

Which us brings us to today. We may learn tonight that the majority of voters in the United States of America has elected a slightly center left Senator from a midwestern state who also happens to be African-American. That can't be cause simply for disappointment that there candidate didn't win. That can't be cause simply for concern that policies they disagree with may be on the agenda. No, this is cause for nerve-rattling, jaw-clenching, take to the hills, they want our women folk, fear.

These are the same people who poked progressives in the eye for eight years with a shit covered pointed stick as their Dear Leader (the man they can no longer mention) really did rip the fabric of democracy with a 50% + 1 political strategy, and who along with his VeeP exhibited a deep, deep loathing for the Constitution*.

Maybe that's it. Maybe all the warm security they expected from the permanent Republican majority has fallen away and they're feeling a wee bit vulnerable.

Roy may find it entertaining. Maybe so, but it's entertainment in a "Saw X" kind of way.

* Original post I had written "Constitutional." I find that kinda funny.