I believe that the far-right and the far-left can be equally insane - but there's no question that in the first years of the Obama administration, the far-right has been far crazier. In part, this comes from parties being out of power - without the responsibility of governing to ground them, the activists and the ideologues take over.
John AvlonRight now, politics follows the rules of talk radio - using conflict, tension, fear, and resentment to find new recruits.
John AvlonThe American people are smart. They've gotten sick of the predictable hyperpartisan talking points and canned anger.
John AvlonPolitics follows the lines of physics: every action creates an equal and opposite reaction.
John AvlonWe cannot hope to change human nature. There will always be cranks and conspiracy theorists among us. But we can try to improve things - we don't have to accept the debasement of civil discourse or civic decline. We can take steps to ensure that the lunatic fringe remains on the fringe and stops bleeding into the base and then poisoning the mainstream
John Avlon