Chairman Steele believes that this is an unnecessary distraction and believes that the president is a U.S. citizen. Chairman Steele wants to move beyond this conversation and continue discussing the real and immediate concerns that face American families like the economy and health care. Americans are concerned with President Obama’s health care plan, a failed stimulus package and a ballooning deficit. Chairman Steele has many other issues to take up with the president that have to do with policy, not a birth certificate.
Frankly, that's not going to work either. If all it took to get people to stop being crazy was telling them to knock it off, there wouldn't be psychiatric wards. When you tell a wingnut they're way off base, they just dig in deeper. Anyone who's had a political argument with a fan of Limbaugh or Beck or Hannity or O'Reilly can tell you that. It's amazing that these guys don't know how their own supporters operate.
"This statement coming from the GOP’s public face and chief operative is probably the most direct condemnation of birtherism yet by a top party official," writes Sargent. "His willingness to risk the wrath of the bithers, not to mention some of the party's more strident voices, suggests he's aware of the damage they're doing to the GOP, by allowing Dems to paint the party as captive to intolerants and as more interested in discussing crackpot conspiracy theories than in debating real issues."
In other words, it allows dems to portray Republicans as their supporters. It strikes me that this all started coming to a head when the GOP staged their "tea parties" and now it's all gotten out of hand. In addition to relying on the ignorance of these people, the GOP bears additional responsibility here for continuously poking them with a crazy-stick. The Republican party is learning that there's no off switch on their kook machine.
