Manichean hate

Fox News radio host compares Obama to Hitler.

I expect that when a Democrat becomes president the dam is going to break and we're going to see full-blast the ugly rotten heart of movement conservatism unleashed.

[Edit - Meaning that we're going to see this sort of hateful rhetoric amped up beyond even what was experienced during the Clinton presidency.]

Update: Dave Newiert comments on the developing Obama as Hitler meme. As I said there, if movement conservatives consider "liberals" to be Nazis and fascists, maybe that makes it easier for them to justify all the horrendous things movement conservative pundits keep saying we ought to do to the Liberal.

Just ask Mike Gallagher, a case study in self-blindness:

You know, it’s a little bit ridiculous that we continue to watch these TV stars and movie stars who smear our leaders. I just wonder, Rob, if you’ll think for a moment what our enemies think of seeing TV personalities compare the outgoing defense secretary to Adolph Hitler. I mean, you know, conservatives never get a pass. Strom Thurmond is wished a happy birthday by Trent Lott and the sky falls in on Trent Lott. But Joy Behar goes on national TV and compares a good man like Rumsfeld to the evilest man in the world and nobody, you know, there’s no repercussions for Joy Behar. I think we should round up all of these folks. Round up Joy Behar. Round up Matt Damon, who last night on MSNBC attacked George Bush and Dick Cheney. Round up Olbermann. Take the whole bunch of them and put them in a detention camp until this war is over because they’re a bunch of traitors.

Recap: Mike Gallagher is outraged that someone would compare "our leaders" to fascists. Mike Gallagher thinks an appropriate response would be to "round up" critics of "our leaders" and put them in a concentration camp indefinitely.

It might also be important to note that by our leaders Gallagher means Republican "leaders," given the fact that Gallagher himself thought a political ad in 2004 comparing Al Gore to Hitler was "brilliantly done."

As Greenwald concludes (in the link above from which I'm borrowing):

By including advocates of these views in what is considered to be acceptable political discourse -- given forums by the likes of Fox News and treated with respect -- the scope of acceptable and mainstream viewpoints expands outwards towards its most authortarian fringes, until it squarely includes full-blown advocacy of tyranny. As but one example, by including pro-concentration-camp arguments from Gallagher and Reagan in our mainstream discourse, Fox renders the recent, repeated and truly radical calls from Newt Gingrich for a so-called "debate" on what the First Amendment "should protect" as moderate and mild.

The fact that one can turn on Fox News and regularly hear people who advocate the hanging or imprisonment of mainstream Bush critics for the opinions they express is a far more notable development than passive acceptance of it would suggest.

Meanwhile, Valentine Day hate from another "far left ideologue" who contributes to MSNBC

In a February 12 entry on her website, debbieschlussel.com, right-wing pundit Debbie Schlussel posted "Valentines," in the form of candy hearts, about Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The hearts for Obama were black instead of the usual pastel colors and referenced widely debunked allegations that Obama is, or has been, a Muslim; Schlussel also posted one black candy heart for Clinton. A number of the other candy hearts Schlussel posted for Clinton referenced MSNBC correspondent David Shuster's February 7 remark about Chelsea Clinton's work for her mother's campaign: "But doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?" Shuster subsequently apologized and has been suspended by MSNBC for the comments.

All of the candy hearts Schlussel displayed for Obama were black, including some with the following messages: "White House mosque," "obama & islam forever!" "islam hearts obama," and "barack HUSSEIN obama." Schlussel included one black candy heart that read, "cankles 4 prez," and posted a purple-colored candy heart that read, "hillary rodham cankles '08." Schlussel wrote of the black hearts, "[T]he black hearts are goth and are considered signs of hate, not love." Schlussel has highlighted Obama's middle name before, asking if "Barack Hussein Obama" is "a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?"

In addition to the "cankles" hearts, for Clinton, Schlussel displayed candy hearts that read "Pimp My Chelsea," "chelsea = pimped," and "Bill 4 First Pimp," referring to Shuster's remark about Chelsea Clinton. Schlussel also posted a heart for Hillary Clinton that read: "The Bitch is BAAACK '08."