We're All Teabaggers Now!

Well, not all of us. Just a majority of the Republican party. The results from Kos' massive poll of self identified Republicans:

OBAMA and AMERICA

Should Barack Obama be impeached, or not?

Yes 39
No 32
Not Sure 29

For what? Who the heck knows. Who needs high crimes or misdemeanors when...

Do you think Barack Obama is a socialist?

Yes 63
No 21
Not Sure 16

That's the power of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, after one year of relentlessly claiming Obama is the second coming of Lenin ... and Hitler!

Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not?

Yes 42
No 36
Not Sure 22

We still have over a half of Republicans who don't think Obama was born in the US or think it's a matter open to debate.

Do you believe Barack Obama wants the terrorists to win?

Yes 24
No 43
Not Sure 33

Not just a quarter of Republicans believe this ludicrous premise, but another third think it's a matter open to debate. How do you negotiate with a party whose rank and file are that divorced from reality? And speaking of divorced from reality...

Do you believe ACORN stole the 2008 election?

Yes 21
No 24
Not Sure 55

One in five Republicans think ACORN is so powerful as to magically make 10 million votes appear. Another 55 are open to the theory. In other words, just 24 percent of Republicans have an even passing relationship with reality.

Do you believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama?

Yes 53
No 14
Not Sure 33

Sigh...

Do you believe Barack Obama is a racist who hates White people?

Yes 31
No 36
Not Sure 33

I bet more people think Obama is racist, but were too afraid to tell a live operator the truth.

Do you believe your state should secede from the United States?

Yes 23
No 58
Not Sure 19

Holy fuck.

Republicans are officially the party of the teabagger, there's no question about it. And as kos points out in the post, this is exactly why striving towards "bipartisanship" is a completely pointless endeavor.

Say you're an elected Republican from a non insane district. You don't think Obama's a Muslim or should be impeached. Policy wise, you don't have that much disagreement with many of the administration's centrist/pro corporate proposals. Obama sees this and asks for your support on a reform that's been watered down enough to your likeness. From a self preservation standpoint there is literally no reason to work with him.

Option A is to work with Obama, leaving the door open for you to get crushed in a primary by people who will accuse you of attempting to aid his socialist Muslim agenda. If you don't get primaried, you risk alienating a majority of your base in the general election for having so much as worked with Obama.

Option B is to do nothing, not face a primary challenge, keep your cushy job, and maybe you'll have much more power in the majority next year!

While Obama may think being nice can change the climate on capitol hill, what he can't change is the craziness of the Republican electorate. Republicans would be insane to work with him, and Obama would be nuts to keep trying to gain their support.