Since the
release of President Obama's long form birth certificate earlier today, we've had
Donald Trump bragging about promoting racism,
Sarah Palin pretending it was a White House created issue, and the
various players on the birther circuit saying it didn't change a thing.
So in the interest of fair and balanced coverage, let's get the official Republican leadership's take on today's events.
First, from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor:
HEMMER: So, you think the White House is actually giving it more credence than it should?
CANTOR: Absolutely. Again, I've said all along, this is an issue that does not belong in the debate. There are much more important issues for us to be dealing with,
obviously.
So, Cantor goes with the Palin approach of blaming the White House for the racism coming from his own Party. Replace that "obviously" with an "also" and it would have sounded like it was coming from Palin's own lips.
Speaker of the House John Boehner went with a statement delivered by his spokesman:
This has long been a settled issue. The Speaker’s focus is on cutting spending, lowering gas prices, and creating American jobs.
Dignified. Above the fray. And completely full of shit given that the only thing the GOP has been focused on since taking power has been union-busting and abortion ... and passing spending cuts that don't really cut spending, and voting unanimously to keep taxpayer-funded subsidies for big oil. As for job creation, if you count the $520 an hour lawyer Boehner hired to defend discrimination, the Republican controlled House has created exactly one job.
Of course both reactions are an effort to distance themselves from the birther movement that neither Boehner nor Cantor embraced—but one that they never denounced for being the race-based smear that it was. So they're looking to be above the birther nonsense without offending their birther base. Neat trick.
Both reactions are pathetic.