No one could ever have imagined that the litmus test for conservatives would be the birther issue, but Donald Trump doubled down on it and surged in the polls. The result is that The Donald has made it a legitimate question for those he opposes.
Problem is, birtherism polls pretty well with the Great Unwashed whose votes are so vital. And not very well anywhere that the average IQ exceeds the average temperature.
Another problem of the birther issue, at least for those who take it seriously and happen to be GOP politicians, is that it has no gray areas. The president is either qualified or he is not. It isn't a policy issue where one might get away with grandiose statements without a plan to implement them. It's the worst possible type of question.
Yes or no.
Today George Stephanopoulos uncharacteristically committed a minor act of journalism more worthy of a real journalist like Jon Stewart when he asked Michele Bachmann to take a side, in light of a document he showed her.
I have no opinion on the quality of the evidence, because I'm not a birther, but Mr. Stephanopoulos forced Ms. Bachmann to make the call, on the record, no weaseling, punting or, "Look! Over there!"
As we all know, she declared birtherism a dead issue, let's move on. But wait. That only means the ranks of birthers have declined by one. The rest are still out there, and quite a few of them are pissed, not so much at Ms. Bachmann for being on the wrong side of the issue, but at Mr. Stephanopoulos for having the unmitigated temerity, the gall sir, to ask Ms. Bachmann the same question that Mr. Trump ran to the top of the flagpole. It's a liberal plot to make a politician take a stand.
The busters of news (tm) [not gonna link] don't know which way to turn on this. Clearly Ms Bachmann has let them down, but the messenger must be the bad guy, because dammit, he's liberal and she isn't. Even if she's on the wrong side of the issue, she must still be righter than he is about it, somehow. So the title of the post is too ironic for satire: "Birther-Obsessed George Stephanopoulos Forces Michele Bachmann to Gaze at Obama's Certificate."
That's right. He's the one who is obsessed. You can't make this stuff up. The comments are a riot also, because the force is still strong within them.
Now that two important GOP figures have gone on the record, and more importantly on opposite sides, others will be forced to choose their poison. It's a Legitimate Issue, just like, say, abortion, but that one is settled. Now that they're ALL pro-life, it's the new litmus test. With us or agin us? Black or White? Citizen or not? Mr. Obama just laughs and pisses them off even more by giving the issue the attention it deserves, none.
Obviously not all Republicans are birther morons, but enough of them are that the issue will split voters decisively in primaries. Is should make a good subject for future video mashups.
Popcorn?