At some point, it seems, a political party's addiction to malicious, self-defeating lunacy takes on a life of its own.
Case in point: the GOP, a plurality of whose rank and file, according to Pew Research, now believes President Obama to be Muslim (31 percent) rather than so obviously Christian (27 percent)-- an advertised belief of frightening proportions that could very well rob the party of what was recently a virtually guaranteed successful November.
The GOP had going for it the most prized political prize there is: a re-dipping economy and high unemployment in the ruling majority hands of its opponent. Republicans could have slid into home plate with nary a dust-up.
But, because their party has become thuggishly addicted to unscrupulous tactics and the very basest of any means to an end, it just couldn't resist the emotional kick of a headlong dive into even deeper sewage.
From the outside looking in, such a tactical blunder makes so little sense that one is hesitant to call it a blunder. But I simply can see no upside to this GOP-ginned Obama-as-Muslim "controversy," stoked yesterday by no less than the Senate minority leader.
This was a blunder, despite what national polls say about the NYC mosque dispute per se -- one of such enormous potential it easily could reverse, and possibly already has, whatever electoral gains the GOP had made. Thirty-one percent of Republicans may be malicious and lunatic, but I still doubt that 51 percent of all Americans are.
Stay tuned for the next generic poll about party preferences for Congress.