[Tishabet]

Originally posted by MichiganMat

I can understand how you might just play them off as a fringe influence, a byproduct of the ideology (Us lefties have the commies and the anarchists to deal with ). Is this the case for you? Do you consider them to be on the fringe?

Absolutely. I enjoyed your point about the commies and anarchists...consider the "riots" for the WTO. I don't think I would be stretching the truth to say that the ideologies of these people are on the left. But it's not like you identify with them solely based on your mutual dislike of big business, right?
Conversely, there are extreme right wingers who will picket a funeral if the deceased was openly gay and died of HIV. I think that is so far beyond the bounds of decency it makes me flush. There's no way I want people like that on my side. Yet, they're probably republicans too. The point is, we all have people in our "family" who embarass the hell out of us.
I think trying to paint republicans as anti-sexual revolution is living waaay in the past. consider that within that same era we had george wallace and lester maddox making their mark on civil rights, but I wouldn't use that information to jusge their party today. See what I mean?