Hysteria

That's what the repuke astroturfers have launched and that's what I believe they intended.

Hysteria is difficult to fight and hard to confine. You can't discuss anything with people who are in the throes of hysteria.

What's the point? Hysterical opposition to President Obama and hysterical opposition to liberalism. There's a certain, not insignificant portion of the society that's suceptible to believing anything. It's not a reach for these people to believe that President Obama is trying to brainwash children through an address to school children. They believe it. And they're scared. It's not hard to get them to believe that Obama is trying to kill grandma, that Obama isn't really an American, that liberal is another name for communist.

So how do you fight back against this? Or is it just futile?

the republicans attempted to shift the national discussion from rational to emotional. The two choices we have are: (a) continue to focus on the rational; or (b) to engage in an irrational, emotional conflict.

In a rational discussion, democrats out-number republicans in both houses of Congress. Hence, our focus should be on the democrats. And that means speaking the language they understand: dollars and votes. It means we not only have to make clear that any democrat who advocates a compromise on values will not get a penny from us, but that even the groups which back democrats in general aren't getting our contributions. Then, they too will put pressure on where it is needed.

Only a fraction of the minions have the stamina to maintain a useful level of hysteria and rage for any period of time, and even the strongest are faltering.

Now that they're all tuckered out and tired, they might sit and listen to what President Obama has to say on the 9th when he calls a joint session.