Remember all that talk about Rush Limbaugh being the leader of the Republican Party? Not anymore. It's clear beyond all doubt that the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer seized that mantle by strongarming Richard Grenell's resignation as Mitt Romney's national security adviser. To my mind, this officially makes the GOP a cartoon. How's that, you ask? Well, by forcing Grenell's resignation, Romney has kowtowed to a guy who believes HIV doesn't cause AIDS and believes that wages are not taxable income. Either one of those stances by themselves would exclude you from the debate in a sane world.
For those who missed Fischer making those statements, let's review. Back in January, Fischer's guest on Focal Point was leading AIDS denier Peter Duesberg. Fischer strongly supported Duesberg's contention that AIDS is caused by recreational drug use, not AIDS--a contention that has been debunked several times over. Watch part 1 here and part 2 here. Later, he doubled down in a post on his blog, Rightly Concerned, claiming that HIV is a hoax cooked up by cancer researchers wanting to keep their grants. While the AFA has been known to edit Fischer's work when he goes too far, it's pretty telling that it hasn't done so in this case.
Then, just a few weeks ago, Fischer argued that the 16th Amendment exempts wages and salaries from taxation. This is a common tax-protester argument that has been demolished several times over in court, and even making this argument is an open invitation to get sanctioned. And yet again, the AFA hasn't deleted or edited the video.
And yet, Romney was worried about picking a fight with this loon? The mind reels.