Eugene Robinson has a column today about the birther nonsense and how the GOP has been hijacked by fanatics. The idea that the GOP has lurched far out of the mainstream is popular among liberal columnists (see E.J. Dionne’s “The GOP’s Extremist Dilemma” yesterday), but it’s not consistent with events on the ground. In this year’s gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, the Republicans are fielding solid candidates with appeal to the center who are, at the moment, beating their Democratic opponents by 14 points. Pretty good for a hopeless fringe.