Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Arizona Republican Party Chair Tom Morrissey
I'd really hoped we were past this.
You might think that President Obama's comfortable reelection last month would put an end to the Republican birther conspiracy. But if you do, you don't know Arizona Republicans.
The latest battle for the movement that believes Barack Obama is ineligible to be President was fought Monday at the state's Electoral College vote, where a trio of Republican electors -- including state GOP chair Tom Morrissey -- once again raised concerns that Obama's birth certificate is a fake during the electoral college vote.
They were rebuffed by other Republicans in the room, including Gov. Jan Brewer. National Republicans have also distanced themselves from the birther movement. But in Arizona, the birthers aren't going quietly, even if they do recognize that they are going.
Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) flirted with the birther conspiracy theory in May before backing off, but it appears some of his GOP colleagues in the state just can't let go.
But it's the larger context that's worth keeping in mind: a few too many conservatives are just as uncomfortable with reality now as they were before the election, and the election was supposed to be their wake-up call.
Polls tell you what you don't want to hear? Assume there's a polling conspiracy! Economic data runs counter to your expectations? Assume there's a conspiracy there, too! Election results leave you feeling discouraged? Guess what: more conspiracies!
In Arizona, there are conservative activists still running around complaining about the president's long-form birth certificate, for crying out loud.
As I argued a month ago, if 2012 taught the right anything, there should have been one overarching lesson: if you perceive reality as the enemy, you're doing it wrong.
(Image: Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Leave a Comment:
It has nothing to do with his birth certificate and everything to do with his race. It's veiled racism of the worst kind.
I was ambivalent on this- until Wonkette reposted a bunch of comments- ALL using the N word- about how how Obama preempted their football game on the TV.
http://wonkette.com/493408/new-victims-of-newtown-identified-nfl-fans-whose-games-were-pre-empted-by-villain-president
that's rather amazing, Day. thanks for posting the link. The pure stupidity of those people and their cowardice are not surprising. The internet does do a service for allowing us to know that the fight against willful ignorance and outright lies is still to be won.
Has anyone seen Idiocity? I weep for the Republic
a few too many conservatives are just as uncomfortable with reality now as they were before the election,
Only a few? Try all of them. There isn't a single-digit positive number IQ among all wingnuts (theyre not "conservatives") combined.
Never thought I would miss the heady intellectual style of William F. Buckley
How much of a bonehead must you be not to understand that if there were the slightest substance to the birther nonsense that his birth status would have been challenged in court by Hillary and/or McCain in 2008 and by Romney this year?
How much of a bonehead must you be when you fail to understand that for a real journalists to reveal that Barack Obama's birth status was faked would earn a Pulitzer Prize? Even the "lame stream media" would not protect Mr. Obama if they could land a story like that.
remember folks - the fight never ends for these idiots. especially if they've won!
c'mon, there are a lot of otherwise sane, rational people out there who still think they are fighting the "northern war of aggression."
ok, ok. but give me points for saying "sane" and "rational" with a straight face.
At this point, I don't think they are trying to accomplish anything or even obstruct anything.
It is simply a matter of making the appropriate noises for your supporters to hear.
He's still in office, thus his presidency still needs continual delegitimization.
That may be their thinking (if I may use the term loosely), but my sense is that at this point they are having the opposite effect. They are making the AZ GOP look bad, which strengthens Democrats everywhere.
It's the bigots, they always have the biggest mouths and the deepest prejudices. Also the least to find out the truth before bitching.
I take solace in this excerpt: "They were rebuffed by other Republicans in the room, including Gov. Jan Brewer. National Republicans have also distanced themselves from the birther movement."
Follow the money. The Taliban/Teaparty is owned by a few wealthy people who buy others willing to do or say anything for money, like Stepford governor Brewer, and Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter. They prey on the fears of ill-informed people with no regard for the consequences of their words and deeds.
Murdoch, Trump, the Kochs, Adelson, etc., are quite willing to trade the lives of the sons and daughters of poor people, and squander the wealth of the nation for cheap oil and lucrative contracts for the military industrial corporations for short term personal gain.
#3.1 MANGST, So true.
Most people think of the T-Party as a populist, grass routes organization, but in fact, it was founded and funded by the Koch wealth as a vehicle to promote their agenda.
When I hear this racist idiocy from the right wing, I notice it always seems to come from places like Arizona, Texas, and Florida.
Maybe the sun bakes their brains in these states. It clearly baked Jan Brewer's and Tom Morissey's.
I know you're right, did you see those busses they were driving around the country for their wild election years. Only the Kook bros and their type drive those gas hogging monsters. The murals on the side of them must have cost a fortune. At least enough to feed a school of 500 poor children for a year. T-Party my a**Crotchety, grouchy, old rich Butt heads on vacation taking a flyer and following a crap headed candidate. Must have killed 'em to miss their coctail hour. I know they weren't drinking Tea.
This crowd believes high-tech is two soup cans and a mile of string. Racist-a-hole bastards.
Oh good heavens.
I mean, if even our ridiculous governor thinks you're nutty, you KNOW you're on the fringe. Ugh. I just wish these dorks would stop giving AZ a bad reputation.
They know they don't have long, though. We're going to be a swing state in 2016.
Be fair -- we were accomplices before the fact.
They're ready for that. It only takes a few hours to change the apportionment of electoral college votes.
I hope you are right, but the GOP has big ideas about changing the electoral votes so that no matter who you vote for, somehow a Republican will win. They did this already in the state elections in many states.
The thing you need to know is that they will do anything to win; anything.
Yes, Carie, they do bring us great shame. We're with you in sierra vista!
India,
The thing you need to know is that they will do anything to win; anything.
And they wave the bible in one hand, the Constitution in the other while standing under the flag. If the teapubs couldn't lie, cheat or steal, they'd wither away and the sad thing is, it's all part of their political platform.
carie, you had better become a blue state in 2014 because 2016 will probably be too late. being a swing state only makes you a bigger "shiny thing" to win. if AZ goes hard blue you stand to mitigate most of the gerrymandering and electoral damage they have done and can continue to do.
phenner, a quote for you. "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis
Off topic. Rachel, please wish Richard Engel a Happy New Year and my many thanks for his work as one of the greatest journalist of our times and please ask him to take it easy from now on. I am so happy and grateful he is safe and wish he would stay safe :)
RM does write this blog. If you want to tell her something even something as nice as this please email her.
And if there are two things that the Right learned during the Bush Administration, it's that:
"Reality has a well-known liberal bias"
-Colbert
As does truth.
And arithmetic.
What DO they put in the water in Arizona?!?
Whatever it is, has anyone told the Dept. Defense? Obviously it is a very effective weapon since it sure seems to work well at make everybody crazy who drinks it.
What DO they put in the water in Arizona?!?
Whatever it is, has anyone told the Dept. Defense? Obviously it is a very effective weapon since it sure seems to work well at making everybody just plain crazy who drinks it.
careful. i hear it also makes you repeat yourself.
He probably believes that the earth is flat too. Keep it coming Rep. party we need the laughs!
Apparently these birthers mistakenly believe that they are continuing to undermine the legitimacy of President Obama. In reality, they are beating the dead GOP elephant of ignorance, over and over and over and ...
And people vote for these clowns.
"But it's the larger context that worth keeping in mind..."
Psychotic break with reality, period! Can we speak truth here, as a nation we have been divided by: ethnicity, religion, sexuality, class, foreign born, naturalized, immigration status - the one thing that white people as a whole could count on was that they are "white" and therefore there are "privileges" in that status. I'm not saying all white people but I think it needs to be said and acknowledged. The Census numbers are showing that somewhere around 2035 "white" people will be a "minority" and to some that is extremely frightening as they feel they will lose that "privileged" status, and start to be treated as "minority" - it's not right but it is the way that it is.
In 2008 this nation elected the first African-American President - and that was a death knell in the coffin, which started the psychotic break. Ever since this President took the "Oath of Office" he has nothing but obstruction from the GOTP in Congress, and disrespect to the point of people coming "locked & loaded" with signs about "watering the tree of liberty with..." and ignorant people talking about his birth certificate - frankly I'm disgusted, tired and angry!
Shrub was horrible, little ignorant Manchurian candidate that lied this nation into war, outed a CIA officer, and started grabbing massive powers that he should never have been able to get all because of 9/11, and yet while he should be in the Hauge for "Crimes against Humanity", I hear crickets and his mis-administration goes on about their lives as usual, really?!? WTH!!
And yet, here WE have a black man, who is sharp as a tack mentally and even if he was born overseas - his MOTHER WAS A CITIZEN which automatically makes him a citizen of this nation (ala John McCain who was born in PANAMA)!! So NOW can someone defend why it isn't a mass psychotic break among (some) white people?
thank [some imaginary beard in the sky] that i'm pink.
Totally agree with you Zora. ex. "they're taking OUR jobs away." Were these jobs divinely handed out to white people?
Would be curious to read the new Amer. history books written by the religious right. To me the story is told as if it were one long religious freedom fest. It may have sparked for one second that way but all the rest is a-- more for me grabfest.
The land was stolen from American Indians-lumber, minerals, everything. Ever lived on a "reservation"?
Then blacks were brought here for BUSINESS.
Then Mexicans were moved all over the country for BUSINESS.
Now Bush/Cheney and "my friends the haves and the HAVE MORES" realized they don't want to share anything they've stolen. If you think it was all a happy accident..........
That's why I love Rachel's commercial about we don't do big things anymore cuz it's true. Even the rich are so busy buying cheap sh*+ from China at local-job killing Walmart to celebrate the next BUSINESS holiday, no one thinks of big things like Mt Rushmore, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of you know where.
Now I get it, conservative means focus on the past (40 y/o birth cert.) instead of future!
Open Limerick To Birthers
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Even now, we hear Birthers contest
Barach’s birthplace with zealotous zest.
Though he’s won two elections
Their baseless objections
Persist. They should give it a rest.
Would you expect anything different from a Mormon? Wasn't there a Mormom recetly who told a bunch of bald-faced lies while running for the Presidency? Bennett, another old white guy from a wealthy oil famly, also tried cheating, in this case, the citizens of Arizona into payiing for oil spill cleanups, so it's not surprising at all for his birther comment. What's surprising is that the voters of Arizona bought into the Republican rhetoric and put Brewer and the likes of Bennett in charge of the state, when all these Republicans care about is screwikng the 98% while protecting the 2%.