I want to thank staunch Conservative purists for continually showing that “you’re with us or you’re against us” in absolutely every single detail of ideology. By purging the Republican Party of its awful RINOs – Republicans in name only – the small-minded, bigoted, and vicious Right has cleansed itself of the weak who paradoxically threaten then. Strength through purity and like-mindedness. Agree with me or die my enemy – the creed of “conservatives” around the world.

So, today, I announce the new AINO Movement for a Strong Fatherland Homeland– pronounced I Know, don’t you know: Americans In Name Only. If you think America is a Christian Nation, you’re an AINO. If you are afraid beyond any reassurance, you’re an AINO. If you’re angry to the point of violence, you’re an AINO. If you think guns and warfare are the only things keeping you free, you’re an AINO. If you deny that diversity is stability, you’re an AINO. If you despise change and difference, you’re an AINO. If you’re not sure you’re an AINO, find someone holier than thou to make the pronouncement. You shall be judged in every detail of your life. You will be tested in every action, every word, every thought, again and again. No one gets a free ride; no one pays sufficient dues to escape continual reassessment. The ground beneath your feet will never again be firm. Watch yourself, AINO.

Think Progress » Pro-Choice GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Says Republican Party Has ‘Morphed Into’ Something ‘I Don’t Recognize’

Binnie is not the only Republican falling victim to the “hostile takeover” and radicalization of the GOP. The so-called “reasonable Republican” Rep. Bob Inglis criticized Republican leaders for the “lowest form of political leadership” and Tea Party-driven “demagoguery” that is “dividing the country into partisan camps that really look a lot like Shia and Sunni.” Though he received “a 93 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union,” he lost in his primary run-off.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who fell victim to a Tea Party backlash, slammed the GOP for letting tea parties and Fox News lead it by the nose. Echoing Binnie’s sentiments, Bennett noted, “I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas.”

Think Progress » Pro-Choice GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Says Republican Party Has ‘Morphed Into’ Something ‘I Don’t Recognize’

I heard about Jan Brewer saying “we have did…,” but this is so much, so very much worse than I imagined. To be so terribly inarticulate, yet seeking to be governor. This is her closing, 60 pathetic seconds and she goes blank twice – perhaps 20 seconds of her time. Is that what Arizona wants in a leader?

But then, is she really any dumber than DUHbya or Saruh? What the hell happened to the self-proclaimed Deep Thinkers of the Republican party? Do the Mad Hatters really believe the Founders were anti-intellectual mouth-breathers?

[hat tip to newmexiken and AE]

At least 20% of the American public is horribly, woefully, tragically – proudly and intentionally – dumb as shit. Are our pipes made of lead? Does HFCS decrease intelligence? Maybe global warming makes people stupid?

Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim: OVERVIEW – Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency, a plurality of the public says they do not know what religion Obama follows.

A new national survey by the Pew Research Center finds that nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) now say Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is a Christian, down sharply from 48% in 2009. Fully 43% say they do not know what Obama’s religion is. The survey was completed in early August, before Obama’s recent comments about the proposed construction of a mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center. …

The belief that Obama is a Muslim has increased most sharply among Republicans (up 14 points since 2009), especially conservative Republicans (up 16 points). But the number of independents who say Obama is a Muslim has also increased significantly (up eight points). There has been little change in the number of Democrats who say Obama is a Muslim, but fewer Democrats today say he is a Christian (down nine points since 2009).

Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim: OVERVIEW – Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

OMG. You thought Tenthers are idiots – meet the Thirteenthers! Read the highlighted text twice.

Think Progress » Iowa GOP Supports Amendment To Strip Obama’s Citizenship Because He Won The Nobel Peace Prize

The Iowa GOP is not trying to overturn this amendment to reinstate slavery. Instead, it wants to reintroduce the “original 13th Amendment” first offered by senator Phillip Reed of Maryland in 1810. The amendment states that “if any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive or retain any title of nobility or honor” from a “foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen” and “shall be incapable of holding any office of trust.” In receiving only 12 out of the 13 votes needed for ratification, the amendment was never adopted.

Traditional supporters of the idea are known as “Thirteenthers,” who seek to prevent those with the title of “esquire,” such as lawyers and bankers, from participating in government. But according to its spokeswoman, Danielle Plogmann, the Iowa GOP supports it as an attack on President Obama’s Nobel Prize win:

There are, of course, other implications of Thirteenthism, such as ensuring that the United States never again suffers the humiliation of having a president win the Nobel Peace Prize. That was just what the Iowa Republicans had in mind, according to Plogmann, who wrote in an e-mail that the plank “was meant to make a statement about the delegates’ opinion about Mr. Obama receiving the prize.” (Presumably they didn’t mind if, in the process, they were also making a statement about any American scientist or writer unlucky enough to win a Nobel.) Unfortunately for them, the Department of Justice looked into whether Obama needed Congressional approval to accept the Nobel under the existing emoluments clause, and based on the meaning of “foreign state” (which would not cover the Nobel Prize Committee) concluded that he did not.

Iowa is currently “the only state where this type of plank has been introduced into the GOP platform.”

Think Progress » Iowa GOP Supports Amendment To Strip Obama’s Citizenship Because He Won The Nobel Peace Prize