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What say you?
For the second day I find myself with a somewhat contrary opinion.
Who loves the birthers most? Barack Obama! he hopes they will gather momentum, make a lot of headlines, and draw in a lot of followers. Only then will he produce his birth certificate. And he'll do it in a way that casts the entire Conservative movement as loonies with nothing of substance to talk about.
dupe
I've thought about that, and if true, indeed it seems to be a good play by Obama. But in reality, only those pre-conditioned to hate the right, will actually believe it involves the entire conservative movement.
The problem is though, that they do have a legitimate gripe! Without actual proof, nobody can say for certain either way. Besides, if you think about it, "birthers" have far less ability to hurt the conservative movement, than say Megan McCain, David Frum, or Rich Lowry (progressives in sheep's clothing).
Oh, and the "birther" thing is pretty strong on the left too.
I would not consider myself a 'birther' [I, too, believe he meets the Constitutional requirements], but like Andrew McCarthy, the fact that he will not provide such a simple thing as his birth certificate makes me wonder what the hell else the man is hiding. Perhaps he is worried that giving in on this point, he have set a precedent and the pressure will really be on to release his college transcripts, etc.
Speaking of precedents ... what type of precedent does allowing Obama to skate on this issue set? Back during the campaign, McCain had to jump through some hoops, due to being born on a military base in Panama. So why is it so wrong then, to ask the same of Obama?
In regards to Democrats trying to paint "birthers" as some weird right-wing thing ... they can only be successful, as long as the Democrats continue to control the conversation (which they have, sadly, my entire lifetime).
One of the first things any good salesman learns, is how to effectively control the conversation. There's nothing diabolical about this, it's nothing more than keeping the conversation focused and on track.
Politics, is nothing more than salesmanship. So in this context, labels like "crazy birthers" and "teabaggers," are nothing more than objections. A good salesman never goes into a defensive position, by making excuses or agreeing with the objection. Instead, he stays focused, even turning the objection into an advantage.
What is it about "birthers," that causes the Left to reject them? This is the question folks on the right need to concern themselves with, not trying to distance themselves from "birthers." Is it because they don't believe being a natural citizen matters? Is it because Obama's a Democrat?
And therein lies the answer to controlling the conversation ... because he who is asking the questions, controls the conversation. It works the same way with hurling accusations ...