The Birther Issue and Donald J. Trump

Hi again folks,

I know some of you reading have been wondering where the politics in 'politalk' has gone, and I'm back again on the political beat about the latest (or according to NPR 2 year old) issue, and that is the question of Barack Hussein Obamas nationality.

This is only an issue because of much publicized statements from reality star Donald J. Trump. He has brought the 'birther' issue back to the forefront, with many republicans saying that with his economic prowess, Trump may be the best candidate to run again the POTUS in 2012.

Here is a short breakdown of various republican voices take on the matter...

Glenn Beck
He has been rambling on about the birther issue, but it is mostly incomprehensible drivel- so I'll skip his current position.

Sean Hannity
This from a recent radio broadcast: Conservative pundit Sean Hannity is entirely against the birther issue. Most people would assume that because he is on Fox he would automatically back the 'birthers', but recently came out against those who contend that the birth certificate issue is of any substance whatsoever, apart from "Hey, if you've got evidence that Obama was born in Kenya, I'd love to see it." He urged repiblicans to "look further and deeper" and barely even bothered to refute a caller who attacked his constitutional rigor on the basis of Hannity's unwillingness to get behind this issue.

Rush Limbaugh
Rush limbaugh is known to cavort with some of the republican party's top brass, and it was no surprise that he came out in strong favor of the birther issue and a Trump run in 2012. He did mention that Donald J. Trump had contributed money to Democrats previously, but denied allegations that he was a DID (Democrat In Disguise). He gave Trump a true and official endorsement without saying that he was doing so, and gave Trump's monetary credentials (i.e. worth 7 billion) a fair shrift in light of the U.S.'s current economic troubles. He further made several disparaging remarks about the mere fact that a U.S. president had acquiesced to a reality television personality by making a photo of his birth certificate public. It does seem that the POTUS seems more comfortable trading licks with Trump that doing anything substantive with Paul Ryan's budget plan.

The National Review
The NR, with its usual biting sarcasm, portrayed Donald J. Trump's emphasis on the birther issue with a fair amount of sardonic, if endearing, removal. They basically don't take the birther issue seriously at all, and readily acknowledge that Trump is deftly making a political move to motivate the republican base in a bid for a presidential run- and congratulate him for it. They are, however, sympathetic to birthers and characterize their position as basically saying, "we're just saying what if... we're not saying he wasn't necessarily born in America- but we're just saying what if he wasn't." (a position which apparently 60 something-percent of the population endorses) Apart from almost but not quite saying that Trump is catering to cretins, the NR seemed to see Donald J. Trump as a strong potential presidential candidate- not to mention an already established powerhouse of branding.

Alex Jones (prisont-planet/infowars.com)
This is for all of you conspiracy theory nuts out there (heheh only kidding, I'm one of em)-
Alex Jones has not only full on endorsed the birther issue, he also had a conspicuous picture of Trump on his main website that links to an article on Donald J. Trump attacking Obama for getting low grades in college and asking him to quote "now release your school records" (without a hint of anti-Trump commentary). While he did acknowledge that the birth certificate may be a bit of a distraction, he still insists that Obama's real name is Barry and that he was born somewhere in Africa. I listen to Jone's for kicks sometimes, but I have to say he has been one of the most outspoken Birthers for quite a while now, and the main perpetrator of the "Barack Obama's real name is Barry Soetaro" meme since the birther issue kicked off during the last election cycle. You have to give him credit for consistency, and he represents the millions of Americans who have SERIOUS doubts as to the legitimacy of the POTUS.

---

That's a short rundown on some of the conservative commentators of today and they're reaction to what was basically a monumental Donald J. Trump press run. On the liberal side, you see a hell of a lot of snarky dismissal, which may show that this issue could be a good way for the Repub's to play off the Left's 'elitism'. Much like the view that Sarah Palin is merely a 'stupid bimbo', this could play the Hawk's advantage in 2012, and the birther issue may prove a good starting point for trumps presidential bid...

My final opinion?

Trump.

For the love of God, he's better than Mitt Romney.