Is the anti-education hysteria the "Terri Schaivo" of 2009?

Many commentators have opined that the Terri Schiavo case was the tipping point where the right wing proved to Americans that it 1) didn't really believe in anything but political advantage and 2) couldn't be trusted to behave sensibly or morally on issues of deep concern to ordinary citizens. From the Schiavo controversy onward, religionist wingnutery began its slow death spiral toward irrelevance and Bush began his inevitable fade to embarrassing has-been.

Is the "stay in school" speech another such moment? With parents now realizing that right-wing crazies are ready to shit all over every child's education as long as they can shit on Obama; with parents now realizing the cowardice, shallowness, and ignorance of their elected and appointed school officials; with Obama firmly in possession of the high road in every debate that's come down the pike, will this latest kerfuffle be a body blow to the radical right?

Despite declines in the polls, I'm optimistic that Obama will be seen as having kicked ass when this upcoming legislative session is over (even if we don't get everything we want). I also think that the genuinely independent/centrist vote is increasingly hardened in its opposition to Republican assholery and a tectonic shift is just around the corner.

Opinions?

One poll even had Obama up on McCain 58 - 17 among Conservative supporters.

If only some of these people were more aware of how nutty Harper and his cronies actually are.

"There's been a major anti-intellectual sentiment in this country. Ever since around, oh 1980. Did you notice that?"

that stupid fucking moron Reagan was the worst thing for this country

in early 2005, the GOP thought it was invincible and had a long way to fall.

The GOP is already down to a VERY nutty base that has no clue how much they just humiliated themselves. However, stunts like this are going to help keep them from being taken seriously again by the "Middle".

Yet on the other hand, we're not sure whether this is yet another sign that America has essentially become ungovernable- at least in terms of responsible debate and enacting win/win public policy.

Krugman suggested as much in his "Missing Nixon" column last week -and several people on ABC 1233 Newcastle have recently mentioned this as well.

I guess my trouble with this- having been brought up as an old school, honest Oregonian is that over and over, I couldn't imagine how these types could not only go farther and farther off the deep end -but that sensible folks in positions of power wouldn't stand up and say: enough's enough! and have major go- if not a full on effort at halting the pathology.

1) Hope springs eternal. Liberals tend to think that (Republican irony alert) 'the better angels of our nature' can be called upon if you try hard enough.
2) Civil war seems a real possibility and who wants to trigger that by poking the animals' cage with a stick?
3) Obama still seems to believe he can rise above the fray, that his authenticity is based on calmness and lack of rancor.

If it were me I'd say that we tried bipartisanship and the 'Licans have decided not to honor their oaths of office so we must, reluctantly, carry on without their support to enact these essential reforms. At some point their party will come in from the wilderness but the rest of us just can't wait for them to see the light.

They were taken over by politics and greed.

When the Schiavo situation got into the news--or even before--it was clearly something that should have had no place in politics. It was nothing short of appalling, but you could see it coming; you could see how easily and revoltingly politicians latched onto it to appease their Christian fundamentalist constituents.

This situation doesn't have the same...imagery?...but it's clearly crazy that a presidential speech about doing well, staying in school, and planning for the future would be characterized as some kind of socialist or communist indoctrination conspiracy.

The birth certificate conspiracy will probably go down in history along with all of this.

The thing that is most bothersome about the student speech conspiracy theory is that it's completely contrary to our democratic republic and "peaceful transfer of power." Again, the media fuel this in order to gain ratings, making it appear more important than it probably is, but it still sets a precedent--if not legal, then certainly cultural.

Was that more than you wanted to know re what I think? ;-)

the Schiavo incident hit home with all stripes of folk because even if one had never been in such a dreadful situation we all know we could one day BE in such a situation - and most of us rightfully would not want the government making the decisions for us. The school thing - yes, I believe it could possibly hit a segment of the more moderate conservatives as utterly fucking absurd - heck, even Newt G and Laura got off that boat.