Every so often a bunch of Congressional Republicans gather at the feet of their most politically radical peer to discuss policy. Our two favorite Representatives are involved!

Yes, Ron Paul, the simple country doctor Libertarian congressman who thinks we should use 1812-era letters of marque to fight the pirate menace, is the new new new new new face of the Republican party, and he is tutoring its even newer, crazier face, Michele Bachmann.

Which explains why Michele asked Tim Geithner that insane question about where exactly in the Constitution it says the Federal Reserve is allowed to exist.

Bachmann "goes to these luncheons on a weekly basis," said Debbee Keller, Bachmann's press secretary. Keller noted that Bachmann was reading "Meltdown," which argues that the New Deal failed and that the Federal Reserve is responsible for the current economic crisis.
[...]
"I had a feeling she'd have some interest in the book," said Woods, "because she asked some good questions. She was taking notes. She was asking if this or that point could be found in the book. I thought I recognized a sincere person who wanted knowledge, not the usual politician who couldn't care less about what the truth is and just wanted to propagandize."
[...]
"She's very open to studying," said Paul. "In fact, she's been working really hard to get me back to Minneapolis. She says, ‘You'll get such a great reception there!'"

Hah. Hah. The one thing this culture-warring baby-farmer who believes literally everything she is told needed to really round out the picture was a dash of parroting Libertarian propaganda without understanding basic economic or legal concepts.

It should just be noted that Ron Paul's brand of Libertarianism is a wing of the Republican party like Trotskyism is a wing of the Democratic party, except they totally embrace their radical friends (when it is politically expedient, like during a hilarious leadership vacuum) (and except on gays and drugs).

What if, after 1994, or after 2000, or after 2004, a dozen Democratic members had started going to weekly socialist book club meetings run by Bernie Sanders, highlighting portions of their Hal Draper texts and The Road to Wigan Pier? What if Carlyn McCarthy was quoting Rosa Luxemburg to Ben Bernanke? That would be awesome, yes, but it would also be considered proper nuttiness by one and all. (Except us! We'd be tickled pink if Democrats paid the lip service to leftists that Republicans offer their adorable minority of principled ideologues!)

Well, this Ron Paul stuff is considered proper nuttiness too but unlike the Socialism thing this is actually happening.