How does a Republican pol distance himself from the Kenyan-loathing lunatics while deeply French kissing them? Iowa's Steven King supplies the answer:
It would have been awfully hard to fraudulently file the birth notice of Barack Obama being born in Hawaii and get that into our public libraries and that microfiche they keep of all the newspapers published. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some other explanations on how they might’ve announced that by telegram from Kenya. The list goes on. But drilling into that now, even if we could get a definitive answer and even if it turned out that Barack Obama was conclusively not born in America, I don’t think we could get that case sold between now and November.
What's most intriguing about this, ahem, controversy is that the question of Obama's having been "born in America" is but philosophical child's play compared to the question of what fucking planet his inquisitors are living on.
Steven King is simply batshit insane and it goes beyond his birther-curiosity.
But I think the birther thing, as a general matter, is just one of many ways the GOP continues to try to paint Obama as some sort of nefarious "other," not to be trusted. For some among their base, this is simply racism. For the not-racist, it's a cynical political ploy they think can help at the margins to defeat him. For all of them, it stinks to high heaven.
I've said this many times, but if I was Obama, after all the bullshit he's had to (and still has to) deal with from his "loyal" opposition, I would have resigned long ago and held a press conference where I told this country, but particularly the GOP, to kiss my ass. And that I was impeaching them. Then walk off with middle fingers extended. Luckily for me and the world, Obama is a better man than I.
Posted by: Turgidson | August 01, 2012 at 12:40 PM
Turgidson: If we can get those darky Mexicans to "self-deport," then why not get our even darky-er President to "self-impeach"? The GOP is, if nothing else, consistent in its racialized lunacy.
Posted by: Chad | August 01, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Is there a proper way to tell your most ardent supporters that they are not helping and would they please shut up? We just don't have the time to go into this right now. 'Kay?
Posted by: Peter G | August 01, 2012 at 01:20 PM
The newspaper announcements of Obama's birth were not submitted by the Obama family. They were submitted by the Depatment of Health. No one from Kenya sent a birth announcement to a couple of newspapers in Hawaii. I know Rep. King didn't say this happened - he merely speculated. Even to blithely suggest such an outlandish possibility should be an embarrassment to his constituents. King must know how crazy he sounds, but the Repulican base demands crazy.
Posted by: Richard | August 01, 2012 at 05:05 PM
Ah, but it's in the time-honored tradition of Just Asking Questions, e.g., "Hey, didn't someone say that Glen Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1982? Now, I dunno if it's true; I'm just asking questions."
Also known as JAQing off.
Posted by: Janicket | August 01, 2012 at 08:49 PM