Who is this national self?

Josh Marshal say this: "Tancredo doesn't cut much of a figure in the progressive blogosphere. But in the mainstream media circles he's treated as a respectable if rather outlandish figure. But it's worth pausing play for a moment and recognizing the guy as we would if read about him in the history books: a hate-peddler and huckster, the dark side of our national selves.

But I am developing a problem with this kind of observation.

Yeah Tancredo is a cretin.

Yeah his supporters are cretins.

But how exactly does he represent some (implicitly ) dark side of our national selves?

Our national selves have acquiesced in building a virtual fence along the border to keep out "those people".


Our nation selves have allowed a war criminal president and his war criminal minions to torture whomever he likes. And Our national selves do not stop him.

Our national selves have stripped a millennium old rule of Habeus Corpus from our national protections. And our national selves do not stop it from happening or correct it.

Our national selves are about to allow the telecoms to walk away from abetting a lawless, unconstitutional and criminal regime from commandeering information that they were constitutionally and legally required to protect. And our national selves do not demand that they stand up to their obligations.

Our national selves have allowed the rule of law to become the rule of fiat by the ruling party. And our national selves yawn.

Sure we have had able assistance from a Republican party whose members seemingly in every office and every position of responsibility have chosen a Stalinist one-party system over the Constitution. But our national selves tune into their prurient lies.

And sure we have had the miserable assistance of the Democratic majority in the House and Senate who have chosen - frankly I don't know what they have chosen but whatever it is, it superseded their oath to support and defend the Constitution.

SO no, I don't understand what "dark side" Josh Marshal is referring to. As near as I can figure. Tancredo and the rest are representing us pretty faithfully.