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Originally Posted by TheGame
I see where you're coming from prof, even in the video I posted the congressman seemed embarrased about it but still admitted that he thinks that Obama is a US citezen. The 10 republicans in the houise supporting the birther bill in the first place, mixed with the public reaction to it is why it got media play though.
Perhaps, but back to the main point, I don't think that gives reason to believe the entire party shares those views, especially when most came out against these ideas in one way or another.
[agreed]If 10 elected official democrats supported a bill that said that all US presidents need blood tests to prove that they don't have any ailen DNA strands before becoming president, while big mouth democrats were coming to town halls saying that Bush is from mars.. and there was a house democrat saying openly that they can't swear on a stack of bibles that Bush isn't from mars.. it'd get coverage too.
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I'll agree thats it makes it newsworthy, but thats an off-shoot of our main discussion on media concentration: Can you reasonably make assumptions about the entire party's views on birthers from the few fringe members? Remember you did make those assumptions in an earlier post I quoted and bolded, and think I've shown that you can't, especially given the evidence I've posted that the party has been pretty clear in their rejection of the whole mess.
Here is more evidence:
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“Chairman Steele believes that this is an unnecessary distraction and believes that the president is a U.S. citizen. Chairman Steele wants to move beyond this conversation and continue discussing the real and immediate concerns that face American families like the economy and health care. Americans are concerned with President Obama’s health care plan, a failed stimulus package and a ballooning deficit. Chairman Steele has many other issues to take up with the president that have to do with policy, not a birth certificate.”
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http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/re...is-us-citizen/
The sad part is that I didn't find this on any major news source. I don't think the media considers Republicans against the birthers to be newsworthy. So Republicans for birthers=news, and those that speak out against it are largely ignored, probably helping you to lead to your initial conclusion.
And you have referred to video, I'll do so myself showing how most republicans view the birther mess:
And even the left has admitted this is a fringe issue (although I think they overstate/misunderstand the racial element)
By the way, for every piece of news relating the fringiness of this whole mess, there are about 10 trying to pin it on the entire republican party, and almost all of them saying birther=racist (I'll admit I think that for a small part of the birthers (who are a tiny group themselves) thats the real reason) including Chris Matthews who I think is more responsible for this rediculous coverage than anyone else outside of Lou freaking Dobbs. Wow, he completely fell apart as a journalist during and after the election.