The Southern Poverty Law Center paints anarchist extremists with the same brush as tea partiers and small-government enthusiasts.  I wonder if they draw the same lines between President Barack Obama and New York State Senate candidate Hiram Monserrate.

Monserratte – or “Monster Rat,” according to the New York Daily News – is running for re-election to the state senate seat he was kicked out of last month for his unconventional domestic conflict resolution methods.

His campaign slogan for next week’s special election is “Yes We Can,” and his paraphernalia features the Obama ’08 logo prominently.  The DNC has told him to knock it off, but it’s not clear if there’s really anything they can do – at least, not in time for the election.  (And if they do, they better get their arms over their faces quick, Monserrate reportedly likes to get stabby with broken glass.)

One can either accept that there are crazy people in both parties or we can take the extremists on both ends as the norm, but certainly neither side has a monopoly.  Despite best efforts by either side to brand opponents by the lunatic fringe, crazy may be the only place to find true bipartisanship.