For some birthers, I'm sure that racism is what motivates them, but I think the xenophobia that has been stoked by both parties (over nine-eleven and the economy/job losses to foreigners, etc.) is really the culprit. It's human nature that when fearful, we turn to 'our own'. It's actually how our brains are wired. Depending on the threat, 'our own' could be our family of origin, our race, the people of our neighborhood, those with whom worship the same religion, etc. I think the only way that human beings, all nationalities, will come together is if we're invaded by extraterrestrials.
I say that I have no doubt that we on the left would behave the same way because we have behaved the same way in the past. Bush and the TANG is one example that comes to mind. It took a distraction, much like what was done in the Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson situation, to rid the campaign of having to deal with it, i.e., diversion by destroying the messenger (Dan Rather).
The distinctions between the McCain and the Obama 'birther' controversies that have enabled the McCain controversy to die down and the Obama controversy to persist are, 1) there never was a question of where McCain was born, only if a citizen was born in Panama, would that meet the definition of 'natural born' as stated in the Constitution, and 2) Obama won the election, which made getting the courts' determination moot.
What also gives loft to the controversies is the prevailing attitude by those being doubted that they don't have to prove anything, don't have to present anything for evaluation. Not birth certificates (McCain refused, too, and ultimately only showed it to one Washington Post reporter), not Bush's TANG records (it turns out that Dan Rather was correct after all).
We are/were a nation whose distinction was that we don't take things on faith, we don't have to because we operate by the rule of law, and evidence. Tangible evidence that can be examined and tested. And withholding, suppressing, destroying evidence in government proceedings is now something that is the default position. The only information that has no expectation of privacy is that of private citizens.
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