What continues to mystify me about the Democrats (not the rank and file, but the putative leadership) is their overwhelming concern about what people who do not vote for them and who will never vote for them think. The insistence on worrying about what Fox News pundits or rightwing columnists blather on about makes no sense, since this is the base to which they either pander to or belong:

Data from a YouGov poll

Not only are they utterly unhinged to begin with, as seventy percent of Republicans are unsure or don’t believe Obama was born in the U.S.*, the conservative base is completely refractory to evidence.

The only way to stop these idiots is to stop worrying about what they think. By all means, point out that they’re unhinged, but having a serious policy debate with them is like having one with the crazy guy on the subway: there’s no point.

Ignore them, and then do what needs to be done.

*According to the Constitution, a president must have been born in the U.S. to be eligible.