Problems on the Left

Lest we think that pseudoscience is only the hallmark of the right, with its consistent and troublesome flirtations with creationism, Steven Andrew of the Orlando Examiner reminds us that there is plenty of loopy science that is embraced by the left. He runs through the usuals: anti-vaccine supporters, 9/11 conspiracy holders and what he calls "new age quackery." He also reminds us, though, that the problem on the left is, currently, nothing like the problem on the right:

It should be noted that these groups and others like them have almost no influence over the Democratic Party and by extension public policy. But with recent electoral victories and the shift in power from the GOP to democrats, that could change. In today’s Republican Party, social conservatives who adhere to Young Earth Creationism, climate change denial, myths about Obama’s birth certificate, just to name a few, have become so numerous and well organized that otherwise well meaning and informed conservative politicians are forced to pay lip service to them. For now, their anti-cognates on the left are not nearly as well organized, numerous, or demanding. But given time, it’s entirely possible a similar phenomenon could take hold in the progressive movement and filter into the highest levels of Congress with potentially dire consequences.