The Mud Merchants

Via Matt Yglesias, I really like what Joe Klein has to say in this post. Klein is discussing the new book by Unfit for Command author Jerome Corsi on Barack Obama, The Obama Nation.  I’ve often wondered about the disparity between the relative level of crazy in the Republican and Democratic Parties. Klein says, “But we're not seeing those sorts of claims being made about McCain this year...because Democrats tend not to do that sort of thing.” This is true: by and large, those in the progressive movement do not write books trying explicitly to derail the campaign of one candidate or another. To the endless list of conservative activists who spend their time smearing progressive candidates and causes – Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, Jerome Corsi, Bill O’Reilly, Pat Robertson. These guys command major media attention, and work well within the mainstream of the Republican Party and conservative politics.

Which makes me wonder. Can you name anyone working for progressive causes whose views are as toxic and as obviously falsifiable as those of Sean Hannity and Jerome Corsi? Anyone who commands the kind of audience that these folks get? Or is taken as seriously? Michael Moore is the closest person I can think of. I’m not a fan of his work for any number of reasons, but mostly because I do think he often operates on the level of these people. Anybody else out there? Is there anyone else that you agree with, in large part, but wish would shut up, because they’re making everybody else look bad?