I think this “mainstreaming of bad craziness” is real, but I also think it is temporary. IMHO, there was a sense of shock among many GOP members after the elections of 2006 and 2008 that resulted in these formerly fringe groups pouncing on an opportunity to co-opt the Republican party. And while it was surely a bad thing, people like Charles have done a great job shining the light of truth on these creeps. I think that over the next few months, many in the GOP are going to wake up and see how damaging these associations are. I believe there are still smart people in the GOP like Mitt Romney who are going to play the game and attend conferences like this, but will not become one of these extremists. Because by the time the 2012 election rolls around, there is a very good chance that we’ll be in a period of job growth and Obama’s job approval will be better than it is today. And in order to defeat a possibly resurgent incumbent predident, a message of extremism will not work with Independent voters. And we all know that Independent voters decide most elections.