The Party of Jerry Falwell

It's all well and good that reporters have finally noticed the fear and loathing sold by the GOP to its conservative base. But this is nothing new. This has been the right's bread-and-butter for over a generation. It is an ancient craft for the Republican Party. You can go back to Nixon, or Joe McCarthy, or the rise of Jerry Falwell and the Christian Right. They sell guilt, fear, paranoia and hatred.

This is a long unspoken truth in America, and it's damned time everyone finally admit it. What McCain and Palin are doing is nothing new. This is the party of Karl Rove, of Nixon. This is the party of Jerry Falwell:

As late as 1964, Falwell was attacking the 1964 Civil Rights Act as "civil wrongs" legislation. He questioned "the sincerity and intentions of some civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, and others, who are known to have left-wing associations." Falwell charged, "It is very obvious that the Communists, as they do in all parts of the world, are taking advantage of a tense situation in our land, and are exploiting every incident to bring about violence and bloodshed."