The Paranoid Style in Santa Clarita

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

Of all the self-styled patriots at yesterday’s Sarah Palin Tea Party rally in Searchlight Nevada, the AP found one from Santa Clarita to quote:

Dan Weinland, a 59-year-old visiting California, drove with his nephew from Santa Clarita because “it’s time to overthrow the socialist regime.”

At the ballot box, he clarified, but added, “If they come for me, I’m clinging to my guns, my God and my Bible and my country.”

I’m glad he backtracked from treason there, but does he really think anyone is coming for him? Reminds me of Hoffstadter’s classic essay “The Paranoid Style of American Politics.” We have loons on the left too, but the ones from the right are really ascendant these days aren’t they?

Comments (11)

JakeMarch 28, 2010 at 7:59 am

What Dan said was clearly in reference to Obama’s insulting line about people on the right “clinging to their guns and religion”. I’m sure you knew that already, which makes me wonder why you left it out of your post.

spineflower2March 28, 2010 at 9:22 am

In the ’60s the radical left was feared for their talk of violent takeover of the country. In the ’10s it is the radical right. Neither is to be tolerated, and those who foment their radicalism with their words should be made public and shamed for their treason. Including Palen and others the left is seemingly afraid to call out forcefully.

FredMarch 28, 2010 at 12:26 pm

It sounds like the paranoid left a few years ago about Bush and the Patriot Act, banning gay marriage, etc.

BlazingmonkMarch 28, 2010 at 3:55 pm

doesn’t sound at all like a paranoid left…

FredMarch 28, 2010 at 4:14 pm

Said the leftist paranoid…

BrianMarch 28, 2010 at 2:55 pm

Is our government socialist? Is that a reason to overthrow our government? Who has the final word on if we have a socialist government anyway? So if we really do not have a socialist government, then Dan is advocating overthrowing our lawful government, and I am sure we have laws against doing that! Book ‘em!

BlazingmonkMarch 28, 2010 at 4:09 pm

These conservative nut jobs want to force their will on America… we are a democracy the people have spoken. Republican’s think America has forgotten the damage they caused the past decade…. I still waiting for an apology. They will never earn my vote till I see they have reformed their ways from the cut taxes and increase spending ways, then call it being fiscally responsible. Republican lack solutions, which is why they can only rely on threats…

Always a Petz FanMarch 28, 2010 at 7:31 pm

@BM Cutting taxes and increasing spending grows the deficit less quickly than increasing taxes while increasing taxes and entitlements. As government grows the individual diminishes.

BlazingmonkMarch 28, 2010 at 10:08 pm

Really? Because the past 30 years Republicans have put an average of 450 billion per year on the national debt while Democrats have only put 200 per year. Republicans have tallied 8 trillion+ of the 12 Trillion and change on the overall debt. Republican’s belief that they are somehow magically fiscally responsible is just not true. It isn’t fiscally responsible to cut taxes and increase spending. Give the military unchecked power to spend as much as they want. This collapse is on Republican just like the great depression is on them as well… both were proceeded by almost a decade of Republican power. Nice try but I don’t buy the stereotypes… I buy the facts and the facts say the Republicans of the past 30 years starting with Reagan have been horrible for our economy.

mikeMarch 28, 2010 at 7:48 pm

Conservative fantasy that tax cuts increase revenue. It took user six years to get back to the revenue levels we had before the Bush tax cuts.

BrianMarch 28, 2010 at 8:43 pm

Most of us know what “trickles down”! If tax cuts for the rich were so great and blowing a trillion on the military industrial complex didn’t turn the economy around, then wtf are the Republicans trying to sell us? Given a chance to engage in a participatory government, they chose obstructionism and now lies saying that they had input in only the good parts of HCR. Bus, meet Republicans!