Thomas Frank: How Americans Have Gotten Played -- Over and Over and Over Again

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1. Let's face it: Collectively, we're idiots.

Mr. Frank, and probably every other socio-political commentator with a brain, knows that collectively Americans are stupid and getting stupider.
In today's news, there's a picture of an idiot with face paint and the now-ubiquitous tri-corner 18th century cap posing as a "tea-party patriot" that will be, mark my words, become the defining historical image of the impending collapse of the health care initiative. I'm sorry, but painting a red hand across your mouth because you think "socialism" is destroying your "freedom" is grounds for a long rest in a very quiet place in my world.
We now have large segments of the American population actually vigorously protesting against health care! Nuts! Of course, many of these ill-informed and socially deranged individuals also actually think that President Obama is a socialist and a Muslim. That's how whacked out we have become - these people are fringe lunatics but we have essentially, as a society, accepted them as legitimate political commentators and activists. They have, basically, become mainstream.
I am all for multiple political parties and diverse opinions, but how this country can support the idealogically bankrupt republican party as a significant political party at this point of history is truly telling.
Up is down, down is up. Racism is not racism. Elitism is populism. Stupid is smart. That's America in 2012, and that is simply unsustainable as a civilization. Unless a proverbial smart bomb clears the polluted air(waves) and brains of Americans, we are in for very dire days ahead.