Will GOP Extremists Sink the GOP in 2012

After a weekend of undisguised batshitery and bigotry at the so-called "Values Voter Summit" - which might be better described as a mix of the Klu Klux Klan meets the Inquisition - the questions remains of whether or not a somewhat sane GOP standard bearer can win the nomination for 2012. The extremists in the Christian Right/Tea Party camp remain decidedly against Romney in significant part because he's "not a Christian" but also because he doesn't obviously drink Kool-Aid by the pitcher full. The GOP leadership that in past years cynically pandered to the unhinged and those who want to return society to the times of the Salem Witch Trials now is faced with the possibility that a viable candidate will be difficult to nominate because the insane asylum inmates have taken over too much of the GOP. Meanwhile, moderates and those who are not comfortable with unbridled religious extremism have fled, A piece in the Washington Post looks at the GOP quandary. Here are some excerpts:

There is a key bloc of Republican voters whose ambivalence has turned the GOP nomination contest into an erratic mix of roller-coaster ride and dating game. . . . . The one point on which they have been most consistent, however, is their resistance to the candidate who has been making his case the longest: former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

The anti-Romney activists, many of whom identify with the tea party movement, say they are hesitant about Romney because they simply do not trust his conservative credentials, recalling his past support of abortion rights and a health-care mandate.

Many Republican donors and establishment figures have flocked to the former Massachusetts governor in the days since Christie said he would not run, arguing that Romney is the strongest and most electable GOP candidate. In interviews over the past several days, key anti-establishment party activists say they are reevaluating the Republican field now that Christie and Palin have said they aren’t running . . . .

Rhodes [of the Iowa Tea Party], who attacked Romney as a “liberal,” says he is sticking for now with Bachmann. But the Minnesota lawmaker’s declining fortunes illustrate how many Republicans have ironclad beliefs about conservative policy but very mutable feelings about their candidates.

Bachmann’s support dropped from 26 percent in July to 7 percent in a survey this month. Perry plunged from 45 percent last month to 18 percent in October after a series of lackluster debate performances and controversial remarks on immigration.

The Republican field is effectively divided into two groups of candidates, with Romney and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. on the more moderate end, and Bachmann, Cain, Perry and others competing for the most conservative voters.

Some anti-Romney Republicans are beginning to acknowledge that their votes could be divided, leading to a Romney victory. “If Romney wins, it would show the weakness of us as a movement,” said Deace of conservatives.

But other Republicans remain confident that the party’s anti-establishment wing will eventually find a champion who will compete in a long primary battle with the former Massachusetts governor.

I love the way the media describes the Tea Party crowd as "conservative." Insane, ignorant, bigoted and delusional are all far better adjectives.