When patriotism means not 'helping'

It seems many extreme conservatives detest all governments. But governments at every level are made up of their neighbors -- school teachers, firefighters, park rangers, soldiers and the folks who test the water in our lakes and streams. The government haters don‘t tell us how any modern society could get along without the contributions of such workers.

Of course, the grumpiest conservatives direct their most intense hatred at elected politicians. Not all politicians, mostly their enemies. Liberals! Which means rightwingers must save some of their loathing for their fellow Americans who support liberals ... maybe those wishy-washy moderates, too.

So when such throwback conservatives say they love their country -- U! S! A! -- to some extent, what that means is they hate what they’ve been taught to hate. Moreover, patriotism means opposing anything a Democratic president wants to see done.

Anything. 

“In the end it didn’t pass because we're so politicized. There were some on my side who did not want to be seen helping the president do something he wanted to get done, just because the president wanted to do it.” [Sen. Pat] Toomey admitted on Tuesday.

Click here to read more about Sen. Toomey's (R-Pa.) explanation of how that twisted sense of right-and-wrong worked to defeat a bill on background checks, post-Sandy Hook massacre prevention legislation.

And, yes, a vast majority of Americans still want to see it passed, but it seems today's most ardent conservatives don’t have much use for the concept of majority rules, either. They are cocksure the voters will have short memories.