Disqualified by Birth

Republican Texas Governor James Richard Perry just disqualified himself from the U.S. Presidency in this Sunday's Parade magazine:

Q. Governor, do you believe that President Barack Obama was born in the United States?

A. I have no reason to think otherwise.

Q. That’s not a definitive, “Yes, I believe he”—

A. Well, I don’t have a definitive answer, because he’s never seen my birth certificate.

Q. But you’ve seen his.

A. I don’t know. Have I?

Q. You don’t believe what’s been released?

A. I don’t know. I had dinner with Donald Trump the other night.

Q. And?

A. That came up.

Q. And he said?

A. He doesn’t think it’s real.

Q. And you said?

A. I don’t have any idea.

It's like a crazy one-act play by Harold Pinter.

So he visits Donald Trump to try and get his donation if not endorsement, hears the Birther nonsense from el topo and parrots it back to a family magazine reporter.

Du-oh!

When even Karl Rove says you're wrong to join the nutbags in trying to delegitimize Obama that way, you're in trouble.

When you bring up that canard within six months of the President presenting his birth certificate and then taking out Bin Laden later that week, you're disqualified for Commander-in-Chief.

It's a judgement thing, Rick.

Certifiable

As of today, it is the most famous birth certificate in modern world history:



See how it glows and undulates, offering those with fixed opinions plenty of opportunities to hold onto their irrational, hatred-driven blindness. For, after all:

Props to Lawrence O'Donnell for calling out his bosses at NBC Television on the racist agenda of Donald Trump.

You know, that entrepreneur with the "great relationship with the blacks."

The Donald and the Birthers

He's not declaring his candidacy for President until the final episode of this season's Celebrity Apprentice, which makes sense since the show's rating have gone up every since he started beating the drum for birtherism.

I'm on the fence right now whether Donald Trump's taking brand control of the evil teabagger birther smear is a bad or good thing for America. On one hand, I don't like seeing it back in the news, either reinforcing this misapprehension/prejudice or sparking more belief in weak, hyper-partisan or bigoted minds. However, since Trump is such an outsized figure of ridicule, it might kill it once and for all. Maybe he can make it a task next season -- "Convince the most people of this racist lie."

And if you don't think race has anything to do with it, check out the latest evidence, an email sent by an Orange County GOP official:

Today’s installment of “heinous, unacceptable racism disguised as ‘jokes’” features a Republican official on Orange County, California, President Obama, and monkeys in photoshop. GOP official Marilyn Davenport is coming under fire for sending other Republican officials an email depicting President Obama as a chimpanzee, in the arms of chimpanzee “parents,” claiming, “Now you know why– no birth certificate! [sic].” Davenport is sticking to her guns, blaming the media for making too much of a fuss.

Among Davenport’s detractors (including, one would hope, “everyone else”), local news station KCAL caught up with former California Republican chairman Michael Schroder, who correctly posited: “no average person would send this out and feel comfortable with this, that this was just a joke.” Then again, Schroder also notes Davenport doesn’t come into this embarrassment with a clean slate– among the people in Orange County Republican politics she has defended are an official who sent an email with an illustration of the White House covered in watermelons and an official who opposed the installation of grass near beaches on the point that “grass attracts Mexicans.”

As for Trump, he can't say it's true, just sneakily imply that if it's being talked about, there must be something to it:



Opportunistic as always, Donald. But whether or not he leads the GOP field as some polls show, he's got more than his double comb-over working against him. There's that little problem of fiscal responsibility -- he's declared corporate bankruptcy four times.

Of course, none of those led to personal bankruptcy.

Not in corporate feudalistic America.

Buzzkills

Who wants to go to the Playboy Mansion and get sick? With all the airbrushing that goes on in the magazine, one wouldn't even expect at STD, yet suddenly:

The LA Times reports on a possible cause of the mysterious outbreak at the Playboy mansion:

The possible outbreak of legionellosis, or Pontiac fever, affected people connected with the DOMAINfest Global Conference, "with symptoms mostly consisting of fever, chills, general discomfort (malaise) and some cough," according to a statement by the county Department of Public Health.

Well, there is this old guy who walks around in his bathrobe all day living there. I'm expecting less excitement about a dip in the legendary grotto from here on out.

And how about a computer beating out the best ever human competition on Jeopardy? Isn't that a "who cares?" moment?

Even when he bungled Final Jeopardy, Watson (with his 10 offstage racks of computer servers) remained poised.

The answer: "Its largest airport is named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle."

Both Jennings and Rutter knew the right response was Chicago.

Watson guessed doubtfully, "What is Toronto?????" It didn't matter. He had shrewdly wagered only $947.

The trio will return on Wednesday, when their second game is aired. The overall winner will collect $1 million.

Where will "Watson" spend all that dough? PC Connection?

And then there's those wackadoodle buzzkillers who sprung up after the last Presidential Election. You know, the one where we elected a half-black guy. The Birthers.

Only it appears that Birthers now comprise more than half of the Republican party:

According to the poll, 51 percent of those likely to vote in a GOP primary in the next election cycle adhere to the conspiracy theory suggesting the president was born outside the United States and therefore is ineligible to serve.

Twenty-eight percent of respondents say they have no doubt that Obama is a citizen of the U.S., while 21 percent remain unsure, the survey shows.

With the birth certificate already in public record, there's just the growth of the Big Lie that, to any rational person, would disqualify Birther believers from having the judgment required to vote responsibly. On the other hand you have the GOP honchos like House Speaker John Boehner, who refuses to gainsay Birtherism:

House Speaker John Boehner became embroiled in the "birther" controversy on Sunday, saying on NBC's "Meet the Press" that, while he believes President Obama is a citizen, it's not his job to correct those who claim otherwise.

Wow. Leadership.

Maybe the Speaker needs to relax a little, take a trip to the Playboy Mansion.

Insulting

The GOP started their new run in the House by reading their own bowdlerized version the U.S. Constitution, for example conveniently leaving out slavery, much as their core constituency wants to believe slavery had little to do with the Civil War.

When they read the section on having to be born in America to become President they got interrupted -- a birther screamed to Jesus before being arrested by Capitol Police.

The GOP had two members vote illegally, i.e. not officially sworn in, and asked for permission from ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi to keep the votes in the record.

Their next big media event is a vote, without debate, to repeal the historic healthcare reform enacted this past session under Democratic leadership. Odd choice if they're really fiscal conservatives, as it will add $230 billion to the deficit and leave 17 million Americans uninsured, i.e. just like before reform passage.

They're claiming any new programs have to be offset by an equal amount to spending cuts, yet have exempted tax cuts from their proposed rule, as if they are magic beans. Yep, more deficit. Like they gave America with the Bush tax cuts they all voted for.

New House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is already backtracking on his party's promise to reduce spending by $100 billion this year.

And Rep. Darrel Issa (CA-R) has had to backtrack wildly from calling Obama "the most corrupt President", saying a day later he meant the Administration, not the President himself, and again today backing further by saying he meant "corrupt like a computer." WTF are you saying, Darrel? Awesome session start for you, sir.

Awesome session start for all these clowns.

At a time like this, there's only one thing to do:



(Groucho and Eddie Murphy rule.)

Spanked Birther

Anderson Cooper, God love him, performs journalism on a Republican Texas State Representative birther. Guys like this are either craven or moron -- or both:



The relentless lies of these people. I'm less inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt of sincerity each successive time. They're a blight on society.

And, yes, I think if they're still doing this after so much public evidence to the contrary, they're implicitly racist.

Better Debate

Libertarian Jon Henke writes in his blog today about the need for the Right to disassociate itself from the crazies:

In the 1960's, William F. Buckley denounced the John Birch Society leadership for being "so far removed from common sense" and later said "We cannot allow the emblem of irresponsibility to attach to the conservative banner."

The Birthers are the Birchers of our time, and WorldNetDaily is their pamphlet. The Right has mostly ignored these embarrassing people and organizations, but some people and organizations inexplicably choose to support WND through advertising and email list rental or other collaboration.

I agree, although to my own detriment, as I did not find myself in agreement with Buckley very often but do think the Conservative Movement will be a lot more powerful again if it can follow Henke's prescription.

On the flip side, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) shows not only how to chill out teabaggers with calm, sensible talk, but actually outlines in just under ten minutes most of the key issues in the health care/insurance reform debate, including the legitimate question of cost:



Good stuff -- Franken proving he's worthy of the office. Can you imagine Norm Coleman outlining the debate fairly, clearly, even while acknowledging the inherent complexities to be grapple with like this?

I didn't think so.

Enlarge the Conflict

There's a philosophy that some follow in war that when you're losing, enlarge the conflict. That's essentially what the Bush Administration did in the Middle East after Afghanistan, and we didn't lose that one. It's the whole GOP corporate operative idea behind the Brooks Brothers riots in Florida 2000, the whole idea behind the GOP corporate operative anti-health insurance reform lobbyists who are ginning up the stupidest, most fearful, most easy to anger amongst the American population. They're hoping that it spreads like the plague.

They're delighted that some teabaggers mixed it up with some union people last night in Florida. (That state again.) They're delighted that Representatives are being hung in effigy, demonized, having their lives threatened. I'm sure they're thrilled to pieces that teabaggers are tweeting to bring your gun to the next town hall and "exercise your Second Amendment rights."

They want blood.

I believe we're seeing a replay of the demonization by a prejudiced, reactionary rightwing combined with corporate interests, the least moral among the wealthiest individuals, of the kind that was building before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who also happened to be the first Catholic to win the Presidency. I'm not saying that this is going to lead to the untoward loss of our current President, but does anyone in their right mind think it's out of the question -- or less likely now than a year ago?

Even Satan Palin is getting into the act, claiming that health insurance reform will lead to her Down's Syndrome baby being killed by government order. Who in the motherfuck does she think she is to say something like that? Oh, that's right -- a profiteer-in-waiting, hungry like the wolf she's shoot from a helicopter, jaws dripping with anticipation of her book deal money, her next play to hopscotch from Governor title (just long enough to keep it) to amoral rapacious vampire.

Yes, I do think this is having a deleterious effect on the Republican Party, and may even be the very thing that turns the debate into a must-pass. If GOP Senators and Congresspeople, after gutting true reform anyway (no Single Payer, no drug price negotiation, possibly no public option or even exchange) and likely setting up private insurers for more government largess or even a mandate without public option so they can just keep raping our bank accounts for mansions-at-the-top, if these GOP govern-people vote no then they'll be in the same swiftboat with the birthers 'n' baggers, the dregs of American brainpower, the most reactionary of the right, the cranks and the scamalongs, the ones so fearful of losing their right to own a gun that could someday be used to eliminate a President they've demonized in their minds with a 180 degree relationship to reality.

Obama and the rightful Dems must be getting close to actually passing some sort of health insurance reform.

Otherwise why would these people be going so insane?

America vs. Our Brownshirts

The whole teabagging movement is a further development of the phony but devastating "Brooks Brothers Riots" that the GOP pulled together in Florida back in 2000 to disrupt the Presidential election recount. This was falsely reported as "populist rage" in the media and the result was George W. Bush as acting President with Richard Bruce Cheney as actual President and eight years of snowballing economic disaster (financial meltdown), catastrophic foreign policy (Iraq, isolation, clearing away Iran's enemies, continuing Israel-Palestine crisis), failure to deliver basic services (Katrina) as had been successfully executed under President Bill Clinton, fascistic practices (unauthorized wiretapping of Americans, torture of innocents along with any guilty) not to mention more and more Americans losing their health insurance or finding themselves not getting the benefits they paid for.

The danger is back.

With the fascistic shouting down of civil discourse by ignorant rightwing cranks both coordinated and egged on by the GOP and their proxy organizations and media, America risks dropping back into the rabbit hole that is decreasing our life expectancy against the rest of the world and threatening to permanently establish a class-tiered system for basic survival in the U.S. This threat cannot be understated. If the corporations behind and people in front in this brownshirt shout-down movement are allowed to succeed in scuttling real health insurance reform this summer, you'll see cowed Representatives, some dropping out for fear of violence, and status quo America as feeding trough for the parasitic rich for the rest of its history, until it collapses under the weight of it's own lack of foresight.

Here's how the DNC is finally laying it out and fitting the pieces together:



Here's the media struggling to reveal the truth, even if it's corporate parents would rather not:



It looks like they've picked up the Libertarian "LaRouchies" now, another crackpot group that used to be marginalized when I was growing up but, like birthers and Birchers, is poised for legitimization by Fox News and their fellow travelers.

Yesterday I called this fascist movement racist as well. Thomas Edsall backs me up today:

With Republican party leaders so constrained by ideological blinders that none of their positions is likely to produce gains among non-white minorities, especially Hispanics, the GOP is finding it has no real alternative but to revert to a "white voter" strategy.

To some extent, it's working. The party's opposition to President Obama's agenda -- particularly his cap-and-trade energy proposal and health care reform plan -- is resonating strongly with disaffected white Democratic voters. Republican grievances about Obama, combined with race-baiting commentary from the far-right ideologues who have become some of the most dominant voices of the modern GOP, have led to a precipitous drop in the president's approval ratings among whites.

It's all very reminiscent of the party's notorious Southern Strategy, which carried the GOP for decades.

Think I'm being alarmist? Think my racism charge is going too far?

Then why is our President receiving an unheard of thirty (30) death threats a day?

Even if you may consider yourself to the right of center, is this really where you want our Republic to end up?

All over a public option to guarantee all Americans health insurance?

Brownshirt Teabaggers

Psycho spokeslunatic for the racist anti-Obama birther movement, Laguna Niguel-based Dentist/Lawyer Orly Taitz, called the media "Obama's brownshirts" during her public breakdown on MSN today:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

As a refresher, the brownshirts were a strongarm force of Hitler's Nazi Party -- his "assault division" -- known for violent intimidation of Jews and other political enemies during his rise.

Who's acting in quasi-violent fashion right now? Those racists "anti-tax teabaggers" promoted by Fox News and hate-mongering Michelle Malkins of the world. They are working in co-ordinated fashion to disrupt any serious town hall discussions between Congresspeople and regular citizens regarding health insurance reform over the August recess. As they did in Texas today:



The shouting down of open political discussion is by its very nature a form of fascism, and when I say organized I mean by FreedomWorks, the health industry-associated conservative front organization that pretends to be "grassroots" but organized both the no-nothing "Tea Party" rallies earlier this year as well as this more aggressive form of brownshirting.

While the corporate anti-public option, anti-single payer campaign is not inherently racist, the teabaggers and birthers are, and with the health care brownshirting now tying them all together, it's not even me who's painting them all with the same racist brush. Check out the coat of whiteface in this new poster cropping up anonymously in Los Angeles:



If you thought the irrational fear and hatred to Bill Clinton was bad, add race to the mix and someone's going to get hurt.

I only hope it's not our man.