Crazed Conspiracist Bemoans Crazed Conspiracists

Funny, but we have a guy here who still believes Trig Palin is not Sarah Palin's son, yet has a field day with the kook Birthers. While I agree with Sullivan the Birthers are cranks, he goes off the rails by implying it's some racist conspiracy against Barack Obama.

Memo to Andy: Get over your own paranoid obsessions before opining on those of others. It might add a bit of credibility to your argument.

This is the silly season. But this silly story seems to me an indication of something more ominous. The demographics tell the basic story: a black man is president and a large majority of white southerners cannot accept that, even in 2009. They grasp conspiracy theories to wish Obama — and the America he represents — away. Since white southerners comprise an increasing proportion of the 22% of Americans who still describe themselves as Republican, the GOP can neither dismiss the crankery nor move past it. The fringe defines what’s left of the Republican centre.

The chilling implication is that a large number of Americans believe the president has no right to be in office and has fraudulently manoeuvred himself there.

I hope the secret service is on alert. If we thought racial panic had ended with Obama’s election, the resilience of this story in key parts of the country is a helpful wake-up call.

Instapundit links. Thanks!