THE STORY IS THE - Hysterical - GOP BASE, NOT TRUMP'S LEAD.

[kpete]

23% of Republican primary voters -- nearly a fourth -- will only consider birthers when picking a presidential candidate, while 38% will only consider candidates to reject the racist conspiracy theory (the rest weren't sure).
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2011/04/trump-takes-lead.html

...................

The likely reason Trump's support is so high is his willingness to run around to media outlets, spewing conspiracy theories and bizarre ideas that resonate with easily-fooled extremists. And as the lunacy gets more intense, polls show more Republican voters gravitating to the guy.

The symptoms aren't as relevant as the disease. In this case, the GOP base includes a big chunk of very strange people who connect with a clownish television personality who's playing to their worst instincts.

And that's what's important here. What the polls tell us about Trump's support is secondary to what the polls tell us about the hysterical wing of the Republican Party and their prominence in the contemporary GOP.

A reality-show personality has been whining incessantly about the president's birth certificate, and a sizeable contingent of the GOP base has decided that's enough to make him an attractive presidential candidate. The question isn't whether Trump can win; the question is what we're learning about the strain of madness running through today's Republican Party.

the rhttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_04/028967.phpest:

[The Magistrate]

1. Exactly, Ma'am....

[yodermon]

2. Is Trump really this stupid? This makes him look like a crypto-Democrat

as he's ensuring the republicans' loss.

[DCKit]

3. The deluded 23% rear their ugly heads again. nt