Indeed they are, and they don't mind putting their cards on the table. Quite a remarkable development, really. And the further they go with this, the more they have at stake and the more outlandish their behavior.
However, the Repubs are used to this headwind. They have dealt with it since that "dumb, inarticulate" Eisenhower ran against "smart, sophisticated" Adlai Stevenson.
Stevenson had a metrosexual taste in ties, like Obama. What's that about?