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Originally Posted by spence
While I've called out the racist elements I think gravitate towards the Tea Party I don't believe I've ever called the entire movement racist, rather I've asserted they need to own what's spread in their name...and a lot of Tea Party leadership have promoted these and other ideas along the same vein.
Regarding the Birther movement, it seems by the polls that this has infected moderate voters to some degree. While is sure seems like a crackpot theory to me a hell of a lot of Americans have responded to the constant drumbeat by the conspiracy theorists and Right Wing media. Why? I'd go back to the fear of the "other" and hence the race card...
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As for the racist thing, I'm surprised that you didn't use the opportunity to shape the strategic parly line and combine in Spencers fashion to use the words racist, birthers, republican, and tea baggers all in one sentence
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Part of the problem is the very wide brush being painted. Some people feel (myself included) that a Presidential Candidate needs to validate beyond a shadow of a doubt their eligibility to be President and on the key requirements is Natural Citizen. You can be a naturalized citizen and run for Congress, you cannot be a naturalized citizen and become Vice President or President. That is still the law. Back in the campaign days when people were harping on Obama, many on the left were bugging on McCain because he was born in Panama even though the children of Americans serving overseas (or Government officials) are considered born-here.
A lot of the kids I went to High School with were military brats born in Germany, Japan, and other corners of the world and
most were all qualified to be president. The exceptions were those that were born when one of the parents was dual-citizenshiped in the host country that child was born in. A few of my friends had Amercian fathers, German mothers, and were born in Germany when they toured there before. Those kids were considered dual citizenship as well and had to choose their citizenship on reaching the age of 18 and IIRC they were not eligble to run for President.
Now Obama was born in Hawaii, it was a state, his mother is American, that discussion SHOULD be over.
But when anyone wants a high standard to be held for meeting the born citizen requirements they are now painted as birthers.
/rant
Quote:
Originally Posted by spence
I'm not aware of any other tin foil hat issue gaining so much public support in recent history.
-spence
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I wish I had saved the link, yesterday on CNN (I think) I ran across an article where they were stating that 1 in 3 Democrats thought that Bush was either behind 9/11 or was aware of the plans to do it and did not prevent it. There's your foil hat. A few people here have made comments that indicate protecting their scalps from sunburn with shiny metallic headgear.