By sheer coincidence I’m in the middle of watching a long documentary about whacked-out far-right groups that sprung up in the early ’90s. There is an amazing similarity to what is going on now:

Militias, Christian Reconstructionists, violent (note: violent) anti-abortion protesters, etc. etc.

It seems they originally appeared during the Bush I era, due to his whole “New World Order” thing. But when Clinton got elected in 1992, there was a total meltdown on the far right, and it’s amazing to watch — the verbiage used then is almost identical to what is being used now. The “American Taxpayers Party” of the mid-’90s seems very very close to the Tea Party movement these days.

From this documentary, you’d have thought that the “right” would have been forever ruined and marginalized by this explosion of lunacy. But no: As we now know, the Republicans got back on their feet and won two presidential elections and gained many seats in Congress at one point.

So, as embarrassing and ruinous as this meltdown on the far right may seem right now, and as unstoppable as the Obama Juggernaut may appear, don’t give up hope: In 4 years or 8 years, everything could be different all over again.