The GOP and the Birther Trap

Opinion Journal ^ | April 14, 2011 | Peter Wehner

[Jim Noble]

Thanks to Donald Trump—real-estate mogul, reality-TV star, and possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination—a fringe conspiracy theory is now front and center in American politics: the claim that President Barack Obama might not be a natural-born American citizen.

By focusing on Mr. Obama's birth certificate, Mr. Trump has garnered a lot of attention and some support. According to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, among Republicans he is now tied with Mike Huckabee as the most popular prospective GOP presidential nominee. If responsible Republicans don't speak out immediately against Mr. Trump's gambit, it will do substantial damage both to their party and to American politics...

[expatguy]

I'm glad Trump is in -

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[LibLieSlayer]

Maybe the repubicrats have done things just as UNCONSTITUTIONAL as the rats have. It would appear that our leadership is just as corrupt and weak as the dims are corrupt and strong. Our guys were happy to be #2 in the punchbowl for 45 years... seems all they know how to do is be subservient to the dims. They were trained to be good little slaves of the left... and they are good at it!

LLS

[Jim Noble]

I think the Republican Party has effectively ceased to exist. It is a hollow shell providing shelter to fools and pretenders, and it has failed and continues to fail in its only reason for existence, which is to oppose "Obama" and his clique by any means necessary in order to terminate their assault on the Republic.

The fact that a person like Trump can rise in the polls, albeit 19 months before the election, demonstrates how rotten the structure really is.

On all of the issues of major importance to the People, the Republicans and the Democrats are in perfect agreement. I'm not sure which one is worse - because the Republican fraud machine has produced tremendous damage. By pretending that you can have low taxes and high spending, and, more importantly, that you can have global commerce without global government, and that the immigration laws don't matter - they deserve to disappear.

Power is lying on the ground - who will pick it up?

[Daisyjane69]

In the old days, I used to think the people who spit out conspiracy theories about the “elites’ were nuts.

Now, I wonder if they are right.

[LibLieSlayer]

A sexual predator that buys his way out of trouble and court should not be used as a serious reference. The man cannot control himself and hides from who he is... his past is filled with indiscretions... he is a bribable fool.

LLS

[SonOfDarkSkies]

This author is like all the other gutless Republicans.

The country isn't listening to Trump because of the birther issue. They are listening because he is speaking his mind in blunt and unambiguous terms.

Americans are tired of the conspiracy of silence regarding Obama that has been crammed down our throats by the Left, the Media, and now the GOP establishment.

[LibLieSlayer]

I am hoping that a Tea Party candidate wins the nomination and starts to trivialize the old guard... stating that when elected... the PRESIDENT will work with NEW leadership... regardless of who corrupt party machine tries to appoint... things like that and we will own the elephant once again.

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

We are correct... Rush said back when he first started his program Nationally... when attending a GOP function in the Hamptons... the old guard asked him to get the SoCons to shut up... they told Rush that they did not like us attending the conventions etc... that we embarrassed them and especially their wives. They told him that they would never win elections as long as we always scream about abortion and guns. Rush told them to FO. That is your leadership... corrupt, evil and hateful.

LLS

[Cololeo]

Me too. Age and perspective change things. What I see happening now would have been unbelievable a few years back.

[jmaroneps37]

The Marxists are saying “No only will you not get an answer to you questions, but you have some damned nerve even asking.” These “responsible Republicans” are too stupid to understand this.

[y6162]

Its a bad idea to take advice from the enemy.

If liberals say to Republicans, marginalize the birthers or lose, the right thing to do is take we birther seriously and keep the questions coming.

[GilGil]

I remember that too. The GOP nominee would come out of nowhere.

[Flintlock]

RINO HUNT!
RINO HUNT!

The RINOs are all standing out for us to see—AND TARGET!!
Lock and Load for next November, boys and girls.
Get your primary challanges ready.

[MagnoliaB]

And perhaps some of them will go to jail?

[mad_as_he$$]

Long list of Reps out smearing Trump yesterday.
Go Trump, go.

[gussiefinknottle]

with a few minor exceptions, the bush administration
was absolutely filled with these lame guys. bush
really was a dem lite. refusing to get tough on southern
border after 9/11 was disgraceful.

[cripplecreek]

Hell I'm a paleo birther and I know this is the wrong hill to fight on. Its a quirk of our constitution that allows an ineligible person to run but doesn't allow them to hold office if they win.

The states however, have the right to declare candidates to be ineligible and they do it all the time. Trying to fight this on a national level is pointless and will only help Obama. Laser focus on this single issue allows Obama the freedom to further destroy the nation.

Not calling it a conspiracy theory because I don't think Obama is eligible but I also know that Cass Sunstein wrote a paper about conspiracy theories. How they're created, how they're destroyed and how they can be used against political enemies.

The paper written for Columbia university can be downloaded here.

Conspiracy Theories, by Cass Sunstein

[NCjim]

Me too. I cannot for the life of me figure out why everyone else so far that has started down this route has mysteriously stopped without further comment. There must be something very sinister going on and I pray that our country can survive whatever it is.

[kenmcg]

Don’t you just love it when we get all this advice from the commie/left wingers among us. Apparently the “birther issue” is hitting a nerve. All the “messiah” has to do is show us the birth certificate. The Donald should keep on “keepin’ on!”

[mad_as_he$$]

The Pakistan thing is somewhat over blown. I traveled there in about the same era. It was not forbidden just not recommended.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/passport.asp

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/travel/l-lahore-243000.html?sec=&spon=&scp=3&sq=lahore%20travel%201981&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/14/travel/lahore-a-survivor-with-a-bittersweet-history.html?scp=1&sq=lahore%20travel%201981&st=cse

Note the dates.