Larry, I'm kind of fascinated by all of it. I have a neighbor who is an extreme, paranoid left-winger, and twists and ignores the facts just like the extreme right-wingers on this board. The main difference is that my neighbor does not engage in the ad hominem attacks we frequently see here.
As an independent thinker, and moderate on the political spectrum, I find all of this both amusing and occasionally disgusting, as the extreme right has apparently decided to redefine "patriotism" as "think my way, or else!"
The "right" clearly feels persecuted, particularly in the mainstream media, to the point where the "Rush Limbaugh & friends" cottage industry has expanded to the point of eclipsing the much-despised, allegedly left-leaning "media". That in itself is an impressive development.
Anyhoo, the political threads here in GT provide an interesting glimpse into our social/economic/political ecosystem, in smaller - and therefore less mucky - samples than we'd see in a conventional political forum.
All just IMHO, of course.
PS - I should also point out that I've expressed disagreement with graphicgr8s, RML, Das Boot, and other opinionated folks here and have never once been insulted by them. Only once has anyone gotten a bit nasty with me, and that's only because he was (apparently) not in a mood to take my humor...
PPS - It will be very interesting after the 2010 elections, when I'm sure "team blue" will lose some juice. That will be interesting, too.