Originally Posted by jayeff

Although I would hardly call Howard Dean left wing, his remarks certainly qualify as a Goebbels-like tactic. But as nothing more than a point-scoring tactic, those remarks are irrelevant to my statement about "extreme ideas, particularly those of the right wing". My point might have been clearer if I had used the word "policies" in place of "ideas", but in any case the crux was the word "extreme" and I did not claim that extremes were the sole province of the right.

Extreme ideas are much more appealing to a dumbed-down electorate, because they are already in tune with many peoples' prejudices and with the less savory aspects of the human character. In terms of electoral viability there is no left wing in the US, therefore the extreme right is the only extreme about which we need be concerned.