Speaking of anti-colonial worldviews

Gingrich goes full-on birther

Jonathan Chait at the New Republic dives into Newt Gingrich's headfirst dive into birtherism this weekend:

Citing a recent Forbes article by Dinesh D’Souza, former House speaker Newt Gingrich tells National Review Online that President Obama may follow a “Kenyan, anti-colonial” worldview.
Gingrich says that D’Souza has made a “stunning insight” into Obama’s behavior — the “most profound insight I have read in the last six years about Barack Obama.”

“What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]?” Gingrich asks. “That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior.”

As Newt finds himself being outflanked on his right by the Beck/Palin connection, he's found himself increasingly playing to the wingnuts because that's the path to the nomination.

But D'Souza is an equivocating nut, and I don't care if he recently became a college president. I wrote a piece about an evening spent with him. He's an arrogant apologist for the right who can operate only in the realm of his theoretical. His theories don't adapt well to the real world. Hell, his nickname is Distort D'Newsza. But both are smart, educated men embracing whackjob paranoid ideas. As Chait alarmingly notes:

"Gingrich was once the most powerful Republican in America and remains an influential figure within the party. D'Souza has done stints at the most prestigous conservative think-tanks. The line between man and kook is getting harder and harder to discern."

Or, as Bob Cesca notes: Everybody knows you never go full Birther.

Media Matters captures the Morning Joe reaction. Interesting that Gingrich makes Scarborough look reasonable.

BOMBSHELL: Obama's Kenyan birth certficate found!

THIS is who the birthers are following? No shit?

This pile of cra-da-zy is Orly Taitz. Dentist/lawyer/real estate agent. Really. and she's leading the already debunked fight to make "Barry Soetoro" prove he was born in America.

I don't think anything else needs to be said here. Just watch this video and ask yourself "is this a woman I want to be in any way affiliated with?"

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Oh Snap! Anti-Lou Dobbs ad to appear on Lou Dobbs' show

Media Matters has produced an ad targeting Lou Dobbs tacit support of the birther movement. The ad, which calls for CNN to take the situation more seriously than it has, is set to appear on Tuesday on Dobbs' CNN show, along with Fox and MSNBC.

"It's time for 'The Most Trusted Name in News' to live up to its slogan," the commercial proclaims. "Let CNN know there's nothing 'legitimate' about racially charged paranoia."

The Lou Dobbs Problem at CNN

Lou Dobbs, at odds with his own network's coverage of the "birther" non-issue, is becoming an increasing liability. Why? Because he's turning from a covert racist into an overt one.



And Chris Matthews says Beck is "talking to" the "hating tribalists ... living in nightly fear of the black helicopters"

Questions I have, part 2: what's worse, being stupid or hypocritical?

Thinking about Lou Dobbs and the birther nonsense, and then thinking about Hannity and Limbaugh and Beck, I wonder this:

Would it be worse if they really believed the nonsense and hate and animus and lies that they spit, or would it be worse if they were just feeding their audience?

As former CNN producer Chez puts it:

What's worth elaborating on when it comes to Lou Dobbs's alliance with the birther movement, though, is this: There's just no way Dobbs really believes the horseshit he's spouting in this case. He may be a demagogic buffoon; he may even enjoy playing the fascist paranoiac afraid of Mexicans infiltrating his precious bodily fluids; but he's by no means a blithering idiot. There's simply no way Dobbs is dumb enough to believe that Barack Obama isn't a U.S. citizen -- or even that the jury is still out on the issue. Like a lot of the nonsense Lou Dobbs spews, this is simply another case of a popular talking head knowing his audience and playing it like a badly tuned fiddle.

So is it worse that Dobbs will continue to spout what he knows are un-truths, just so he can keep up with the nutjobs who are beating him in the ratings?

I think it might be. We can't fault the insane for their insanity, but a sane man should know better.

Fire up the anti-logic machine, Igor....

"He produced a Certificate of Live Birth, which you can't even use to get a passport." - G. Gordon Liddy

Obama has a passport and has had one for the last 20 years.

So let's logic this out. How'd he get that passport? What I.D. must he have used? Guesses?

A VALID BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

Jesus. I've wasted too much time on this already, but the lunatic right won't stop.

BTW - is this normally Gordon's nappy time?

Wingnuts on Parade!

Two wars. A financial crisis. 14,000 people a day losing health care. Unemployment.

And what does the GOP choose to talk about?

Lunacy. Utter lunacy. If anyone questions you on Obama's birth certificate, you have my permission to punch them right square in the teeth.

Jon Stewart on birther movement

So the other day I posted a video of Chris Matthews going after a member of Congress who has bought in to the birther movement (CNN's Rick Sanchez also did a nice job). I realize that, as a rational adult who does not engage with the lunatic fringe, you might not know what a "birther" is.

This is a segment of the whack-job right who think that our president is not an American citizen, but instead a citizen of Kenya, who, through a massive government and familial conspiracy, tricked the American people into electing him.

Right.

"You're playing to the crazies" - Matthews rips birthers

"What you're doing is appeasing the nutcases. Here's his birth certificate. Mail this to the wacko wing of your party." - Chris Matthews