I’m loath to post something from the supremely irrelevant Janeane Garofalo or the slightly-less-irrelevant Keith Olbermann, except that this clip encapsulates perfectly how intellectually vapid the Republicans-are-racists argument truly is.  If African-Americans don’t do well among Republicans, it’s evidence of racism, and now if they do get support among Republicans, that’s also racism. It’s an unanswerable assertion that not only is completely circular in its logic, it’s also lunacy. Basically, Garofalo is kind of like a cult member who insists that every data point supports her religious belief, regardless of whether it contradicts with other data points that are also used in defense of groupthink. That means she’s making the argument in the right venue, anyway.

In an appearance on Wednesday night’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” on Current TV, Garofalo explained her theory.

“Herman Cain is probably well-liked by some of the Republicans because it hides the racist elements of the Republican Party, conservative movement and tea party movement,” Garofalo said.

“People like Karl Rove like to keep the racism very covert and so Herman Cain provides this great opportunity so he can say, ‘Look: This is not a racist anti-immigrant, anti-female, anti-gay movement. Look: We have a black man.’ And look he’s polling well and he won a straw poll.”

So Karl Rove is the secret force behind Herman Cain? Well, that’s certainly … ridiculous. It fits right in with the paranoia that cult members usually exhibit, however. All that’s left is a rant about Halliburton and corporate America, and … oh, wait. Just saw the rest of the clip, and it’s all there.