Birthers Get A Trump Card, Part 8

Didn't take the rest of the 2012 GOP field's opposition research guys long to Google The Donald's past political positions over the weekend and discover that's he's been all over the map, including deep into "Socialist Redistributionist" territory.

The Club For Growth wants The Donald's hairpiece on a pike, and organization president Chris Chocola came out with all weapons set on "swiftboat".

And for those who would rather he stay more sideshow than serious contender, Trump's past is providing plenty of ammunition with which to take on his maybe-maybe-not-campaign. As Dave Weigel first pointed out last week, Trump's previous flirtations with presidential politics have left him with a political history that's full of single-payer health care advocacy and massive tax increases on the rich to pay off the national debt.

Other issues include his past support for prominent Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY), to whom Trump's donated cash. That along with what appears to be some concern over Trump's birtherism and you've got a recipe for some blowback.

But don't worry, conservatives, Trump told TPM over the weekend: he's not the man he used to be.

Chocola's concerns stem from Trump's 2000 campaign tome, The America We Deserve. In it, Trump calls for a Canadian-style health care system and a one-time 14.25% tax on the wealthiest to pay down that era's $5.7 trillion national debt.

"Donald Trump has advocated for massive tax increases that display a stunning lack of knowledge of how to create jobs," Chocola said in the statement. "His love for a socialist-style universal health care system and his alarming obsession with protectionist policies are automatic disqualifiers among free-market conservatives."

Get that?  Donald Trump, mega-millionaire businessman, isn't enough of a free-market conservative.  I love it.  That's how you know the right is taking the threat of Trump very, very seriously.  They want him gone now...so they can run some other clown with no chance against Obama, I guess.  Trump is not that clown, apparently.

Who knew?  I thought he was plenty clown enough for the GOP.  And like I've said, he's giving the rabid anti-Obama dog whistle birthers who make up a majority of the GOP primary vote precisely what they want to hear.

No wonder the rest of the party is scrambling to destroy him.