Instead of Exploiting Ignorance, the GOP Should Get Focused

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee

Now, here’s a guy who either has too much time on his hands or who believes he’s hit upon a rational way to exploit the irrationality of a few voters.

Bill Posey, a freshman GOP congressman from Florida, recently announced a plan for curtailing any future questions about the authenticity of any future president’s birth certificate.

Because he’s received so many calls from constituents in his conservative, central Florida district who don’t believe that President Barack Obama is a U.S. citizen, he said he plans to introduce a bill that would require presidential candidates to submit their birth certificates before running for office.

On its face, Posey’s bill seems reasonable. That is until you think about the fact that it was prompted by unreasonableness and intolerance.

You think about the fact that Obama’s birth certificate has been scoured and inspected by several legitimate news organizations and fact-checking organizations, and all have concluded that it is authentic. Hawaiian officials have vouched for its authenticity. And judges have virtually laughed the idiotic lawsuits challenging Obama’s citizenship out of court.

The Obama campaign also posted a copy of his birth certificate on its Web site.

But rather than try to explain to these fools that yes, President Obama is indeed a citizen, and that it’s time they resigned from the black helicopter conspiracy club and folded up their tin foil hats, what does Posey do?

He feeds their fanaticism.

Instead of Exploiting Ignorance, the GOP Should Get Focused....