So the left’s newfound respect for “civil discourse” lasted about as long as it took to link Sarah Palin to a completely unrelated murderous rampage, as it now looks like things are back to business as usual. At a protest against Koch Industries over the weekend, activists carried signs emblazoned with swastikas and 9/11 “truth” slogans, chanted “no justice, no peace,” and shut down a busy street in Rancho Mirage, California.

The demonstration, organized by Common Cause, was meant to protest the Citizens United ruling. Why the group’s ire was directed at Koch Industries — which had no involvement whatsoever in the Supreme Court case — is an excellent question.

According to Common Cause, Koch benefited from the ruling and supported groups that filed amicus briefs on behalf of Citizens United during the case. Fair enough. But that doesn’t explain why Common Cause invited labor unions to the rally, which have profited from the Supreme Court’s ruling as well.

Not to mention the ACLU, which also filed an amicus brief in support of Citizens United, arguing that it was a free-speech issue. Will Common Cause bus in protesters to scream eliminationist rhetoric outside the ACLU’s offices next?

Probably not — getting arrested while protesting the ACLU just doesn’t have the same charm to it as getting arrested while protesting an “evil” corporate titan. Though a bit more consistency would at least help make Common Cause look a tad less clownish.

Grasping irony, however, is clearly not the group’s strong point. This was apparent from the list of speakers at the “progressive” political conference that was held in conjunction with the anti-Koch demonstration. When protesters grew tired of yelling about the political influence of corporate fat cats, they could take a break and listen to panel discussions featuring an array of representatives from George Soros–funded organizations.