'Cranks and crazies' have taken over US Republicans

[malaise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/21/wayne-swan-republicans-cranks-crazies
<snip>
The Australian treasurer, Wayne Swan, in an unusually blunt criticism of US politics weeks before the presidential election, said "cranks and crazies" had taken over the Republicans and posed the biggest threat to the world's largest economy.

Swan, one of few world leaders able to boast his country had avoided recession during the global financial crisis, also labelled the Tea Party wing of the Republicans as "extreme".

"Let's be blunt and acknowledge the biggest threat to the world's biggest economy are the cranks and crazies that have taken over the Republican party," Swan said in a speech to a conference in Sydney.

The Republican party's position on the US budget had led a year ago to the deadlock in negotiations, Swan said, to prevent the looming "fiscal cliff" – nearly $600bn in planned spending cuts and tax hikes that will bite early next year.

"Despite President Obama's goodwill and strong efforts, the national interest was held hostage by the rise of the extreme Tea Party wing of the Republican party," he said.

Australian politicians rarely launch such blunt criticism of their counterparts in the US, a key strategic ally.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Blunt criticism? Nope!

Blunt TruthIness!

[liberal N proud]

2. The world is afraid

Very afraid.

[get the red out]

3. Unvarnished Truth

I love reading good, honest criticism about what has happened in our country. We certainly can't get that from our failed US news media.

[malaise]

14. In fairness to Tweety

He's been calling them loonies for a long time

[bullwinkle428]

4. Heard it this morning on NPR during my drive to work, and couldn't wait

to get in here and post it! Nice to see other DUers so on the ball!

[mlevans]

15. Yeah, I was also treated to this on public radio this morning.

Very enjoyable. I tend to be fond of our fellow travelers Down Under anyway; this was just icing.

[malaise]

16. Seriously the world is terrified of these

lunatics who have control of the ReTHUG party.

[porphyrian]

5. Beautiful. n/t

[Oilwellian]

6. "Crank" is the perfect word to describe the Republican party

"Crank" is a pejorative term used for a person who holds an unshakable belief that most of his or her contemporaries consider to be false. A crank belief is so wildly at variance with those commonly held as to be ludicrous. Cranks characteristically dismiss all evidence or arguments which contradict their own unconventional beliefs, making rational debate a futile task; this is the essential defining characteristic of the crank: being impervious to facts, evidence, and rational inference.

Common synonyms for "crank" include crackpot and kook. A crank differs from a fanatic in that the subject of the fanatic's obsession is either not necessarily widely regarded as wrong or not necessarily a "fringe" belief. Similarly, the word quack is reserved for someone who promotes a medical remedy or practice that is widely considered to be ineffective; this term however does not imply any deep belief in the idea or product they are attempting to sell. Crank may also refer to an ill-tempered individual or one who is in a bad mood, but that usage is not the subject of this article.

Although a crank's beliefs seem ridiculous to experts in the field, cranks are sometimes very successful in convincing non-experts of their views. A famous example is the Indiana Pi Bill where a state legislature nearly wrote into law a crank result in geometry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crank_%28person%29

[hifiguy]

10. "Kook" is the perfect descriptor for today's Repukes.

Kooks devoutly believe things that are demonstrably untrue or just plain nuts. Any attempt to refute a kook with extrinsic facts only makes the kook cling more desparately to their kookiness.

The modern Repuke party is composed of plutocrats and kooks. The plutocrats have the money but the kooks have the numbers.

[LeftinOH]

7. Not to be confused with Australian Republicans..

..which is something else, entirely.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. It's a necessary criticism because the cranks and crazies sabotage the world economy. nt

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Seems like the entire planet

Backs President Obama for another term. Now, lets hope we can get the people in this country, to provide a landslide over Romney, the likes no one has ever seen, in this country.

[ronnie624]

12. Interesting.

The Salon article that was posted here said, "...the cranks and crazies that have taken over a part of the Republican Party,”.

I wonder which is the accurate quote.

And I sure wish media would stop perpetuating this myth:

Democrats want to make up the shortfall by increasing taxes on wealthy Americans, while Republicans favour spending cuts.

The Republican party is primarily responsible for the deficits, and they do not favor spending cuts. What they favor, is shifting the tax burden more heavily to the working class, and spending the revenue on things other than social programs, like militarism and transferring public money to the wealthy class.

[Melinda]

17. Excellent point. n/t

[bobhuntsman]

13. Fair Dinkum!!

[treestar]

18. Very true mate, very true

The entire world and half of the US gets it, yet we still have our cranks.