In typical leftist fashion Fred can only go to the academic arena to judge an ideas worth….

I pointed him to the statement my dad had written, as president of my state’s Right to Life organization, condemning the most recent bombing and saying that we do not condone the violent taking of life. I also pointed him to the statements from the National RtL org, Operation Rescue, and every other pro-life organization he’d named, all condemning the violence in no uncertain terms.

In my experience, the right routinely and regularly condemns the extremists in their midst. Organizations on the right routinely issue statements against those who would use violence for political ends. I have yet to hear any left-wing organization issue a statement against the WTO riots or anything else of the sort.

I think it’s because abortion clinic bombers are the only thing even remotely rightwing that matches what Ayers et al did.

Democrats, interested (I have to conclude) in getting the butts into the seats and, they hope (though it seldom seems to work out this way to the extent they want or need), the votes into the box, have a tent so “big” and so utterly open that no one and nothing can be excluded: not criminals, not unrepentant terrorists, not people who parade naked but for their body paint and kneepads through the streets (NTTAWWT) to demonstrate how seriously we ought to take them, not the bigoted, not the overeducated but underlearned, and certainly not the silly.

The funny thing about Phelps is that his “church” only has around 50 members most of them related to him by his 13 children. In short, he is nothing but a weird little cult leader unaffiliated with any other group, much less mainstream christians or Republicans. Yet, he gets massive news coverage simply by being a jerk at funerals.

It shows a lot about how people like Fred view the world that they think Phelps is some kind of counter part to Ayers. I think Fred thinks that if he doesn’t like someone, they must be McCain’s (or fill in the Republican of the movement) best buddy.

Phelps is a Democrat:

Phelps remained prominent in state and local politics, working for years as a major organizer for the state’s Democratic Party. (He still calls himself a Democrat, refusing to change just because his party has.) In 1988, Phelps housed campaign workers for Al Gore’s first presidential run; in 1989, his eldest son, Fred Jr., hosted a fundraiser for Gore’s Senate campaign at his home.

Incidentally, here we have the same problem. All conservatives and people on the right bend over backward to distance themselves from any party or organization that has a remotely extremist view. The left happily swanks about its old Communists and Trotskyites. At best, they shrug their shoulders indulgently.

A simple principle, easily followed, leading inevitably to what we see today.

The occasional minor violation of this principle is so remarkable, it has a name: “Sister Souljah moment.” But only a moment.

I regard President Nixon – even as much as I hated him – as the more honorable and moral man than Clinton. He had the good sense to resign. Not so Bill. This makes him, as with Hitchens serial rapist charge, the more dangerous man among men.

[...] As we’ve been chronicling, Obama continues to lose ground in “safe” blue states: never mind the battle ground states he hopes to make up where Kerry and Gore lost, if the Democrat ticket can’t hold the blue states, all bets are off and we’re talking McCain Landslide of epic proportions. Our early posts on the matter back in May now seem eerily prescient: the docweaselblog team should play the lottery this week.
[...]

I don’t think the progression has been strictly linear — Clinton certainly doesn’t fit along the curve…

Yes, I think he does oversimplify in that regard but I do think his main point very valid. In the main, the left has not been as aggressive in purging leftist as the right.

the Right is just fine? and the types who blow up clinics and the preachers who wish gays dead and on and on

How many abortion clinic bombers are personal associates of Republican presidential candidates? How many abortion clinic bombers are members in good standing in rightwing colleges, academic groups and educational associations?

There are rightwing nutjobs to be sure but you make my point for me. They aren’t considered in any sense mainstream. If a Republican found themselves in any kind of meeting with an unrepentant clinic bomber, they would throw themselves out the window rather than be seen associating with them.

Not so with Obama and other members of the left

…and McCain kissing nutters butt in hopes of votes?

If they’re that extreme, why bother with them? By definition extremist holds views that only a distinct minority of Americans hold. Just because you personally do not agree with them does not make them extreme.

The really disturbing thing is that the leftist extremist don’t really seem to do anything positive for the left. Any benefit they might bring is outweighed by the moderates they alienate. Yet, they still won’t expel them

This stuff would not pass muster in a Freshman comp class.

Given the leftist crap my daughter had to put up in her Freshman comp class, I’m sure you are correct.