Donald Trump has correctly identified and is ferociously exploiting one of the real hot buttons in the Republican Party: Birtherism. And there’s no doubt that it’s working for him: CNN Poll: Trump tied for first in GOP horserace.

Nineteen percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents questioned in the poll say that as of now, they’d be most likely to support Trump for next year’s GOP presidential nomination. Trump says he’ll decide by June whether he runs for the White House. An equal amount say they’d back Huckabee. The former Arkansas governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate says he’ll decide by later this year if he’ll make another bid for the White House.

Twelve percent say they’d support former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who was the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, with 11 percent backing former Massachusetts Gov. and 2008 White House hopeful Mitt Romney and the same amount supporting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Seven percent say they are backing Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, another 2008 presidential candidate, with five percent supporting Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who enjoys strong backing from many in the Tea Party movement. Everyone else registers in the low single digits.

The psychos have taken over the Republican Party, from the ground up, with the willing consent of the Party’s bigwigs. They all do it, but Donald Trump is just a little more open about pandering to the crazies.

And Trump’s dog-whistle Birther racism is not being missed by African-Americans: Trump courts black backlash.

Trump’s shows boast a solid African-American viewership and black cast members, some of whom he’s likely alienating. “As a people, we celebrated his business acumen; purchased his books and anything else with the Trump name we could get our hands on,” Goldie Taylor wrote on The Grio. “Now among African-Americans, the once gilded Trump brand is about as worthless as a plug nickel.”

“I’m not calling Trump a racist. But he ought to quit quacking before people start believing he’s a duck.,” she wrote.