Hangin' In the Clubhouse

The GOP '12 crowd is hanging out at the Values Voters Summit in DC today, where the Republican hopefuls get to kiss the ring of the Dominionist right.  This year's VVS is no exception.

All the big boys from the moral side of things are here: Bill Bennett, Gary Bauer, Liberty University Law Dean Mat Staver (perhaps best known for telling Newsweek just after the 2008 election that President Obama is not the anti-Christ, but he "can see how others might" think he is), Sean Hannity, Phyllis Schlafly, anti-abortion heartthrob Lila Rose, the xenophobic Bryan Fischer and many, many more are scheduled to speak. Of course the star is FRC's president Tony Perkins, the man who keeps hope alive for the moral warriors of the right, batting down any chance that the GOP will shift too far away from it's traditional, religious-moral core.

And despite the tea party's public arm's-length distance from social issues out on the campaign trail, virtually all of it' political stars will be glimmering from the podium, including the newest and brightest star of the week, Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell. She'll be joined by tea party heavyweights Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and wannabe tea party heavyweight Newt Gingrich. Other political contenders scheduled to appear include Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. 

And that's the important part of all this.  This event is to show the Tea Party that they need the Dominionists, and the Dominionists need to show the Tea Party faithful that they are behind them as well.  It's full and complete integration of The Crazy into the Republican Party here, and it will all be on display this weekend.

Should be as depressing as it is hysterical.