At a town hall meeting last night, US Representative Allen West (R-FL) declared that he has "heard" that up to 80 Democratic members of the US House are members of the Communist Party.

Really. Republicans are willing to go there.

And before you just dismiss West as crazy (which he is), his craziness is transforming him into a rising star in the Republican Party, with both Sarah Palin and Herman Cain recently suggesting that him as a possible vice presidential nominee. Really.

It's funny, sorta, but a little scary too. Maybe fear of communism is past its prime as an effective political tool, but McCarthyism is not, and the fact that Republicans always seem so quick to embrace fascistic rhetoric and tactics illustrates how vulnerable we are to the urge to turn in on ourselves, given the proper leader and circumstances.