Does Obama need the birthers? I think he needs them. Badly. Here's why:

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Obama recently said this:

"Surely you can question my policies without questions my faith, or for that matter my citizenship."

This quote is significant, and IMHO desperate.

Progressives play political games. Especially with words; political correctness is only one fascet of this. Many times, they throw stuff out hoping someone will pick it up. I think that's what this is. They are out there thinking "pick it up, PICK IT UP!" whether it gets picked up or not in a day, week, month, or more.

For all the anger that conservatives had that the progressive media didn't go after van jones for a multitude of things, it was that Jones was a 'truther' that did him in. 'Truther' has become synonymous with whackjob, and the media have been successful in getting 'birther' to also be synonymous with whacko.

As the beneficiary of most of the media's propaganda, surely Obama knows this and is in a position to capitalize upon it.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Your post makes a lot of sense, and you're right. These people are nuts.

But it isn't just about the administration. They should be called 'the media administration' because of how in bed the media and the government have become.

Here:

Big Hollywood: Why We Fight

No, no, no, no. What the right is experiencing at the moment is a phenomenon called “cultural para-stimuli.” You can read all about it in Tom Wolfe’s wonderful novel I Am Charlotte Simmons. It’s sort of like peer pressure on steroids. It was discovered by Nobel Laureate Victor Ransome Starling, who found that when he surrounded normal cats with cats whose behavior had been bizarrely altered by brain surgery, the normal cats began acting like the crazy cats all around them.

That’s us–surrounded by the mainstream media. So steeped are we now in their lies about our representatives, their ridicule of our commentators, their demonizing dismissal of the causes we know are just, that we’ve begun to adopt their attitudes toward ourselves! And perhaps chief among the lies they’ve sold us is the lie that they’ve won, that the media are theirs for good and all, and that Americans are going to be hoodwinked and brainwashed by their constant barrage of misinformation forever.

As conservatives, we need to understand that the media is always one step ahead of us. That will remain a given as long as they are a majority. Thankfully, we are winning the battle. But it isn't over yet.

And as far as the quote in my original post, I think Obama is trying to capitalize upon the media's works to discredit "birthers". Like it or not, the media have been successful here.

[Uncle Chip]

Frankly, this administration seems to be all avid students of the premise put forth in the bestseller, THE SECRET, where BELIEF in something makes it TRUE. They feel that if they say enough times that 'birfers' are nuts, that then that will happen, because EVERYBODY will believe them ....

There is a clinical term for such ideation. It is called, magical thinking AND it is considered very unhealthy, a sign of psychological derangement.

Very astute observation --

[hennie pennie]

You know, I've been surprised that I've not seen any commentary about this anywhere, as it seems so obvious to me.

It's one of the reasons that I do NOT despise Michelle Obama, but I cannot stand Oprah Winfrey --- Oprah believes all that b.s. that her billionaire authors spout on her show; Oprah hasn't ever settled her own "issues" so doesn't notice that all this pop psych crap she's mainstreamed into America doesn't WORK.

Michelle's too street smart, too real, to EVER believe that "Thinking makes it so."

The rest of the administration, sans Hillary, ALL of them seem to believe that BELIEF creates reality, that EVERYTHING is perception.

Michelle is probably the only one of these insufferable Beltway Elites who has has day-to-day regular contact with regular Americans for most of her life.

NO wonder she doesn't "fit in" ---- and that's a compliment on her, LOLOL --- who'd want to ever FIT it to D.C.?????

[FrankR]

"Obama has sequestered his birth records in Hawaii specifically to FUEL this kind of speculation, allowing him then to paint his opposition as a bunch of fringe whacko nutjobs. "

We can only be bothered by the media calling us names if we let those names affect us.

If we need to define "whacko nutjobs", I'd say the person who spends over a million bucks to hid his birth certificate and othe facets of his past, is much more of a "whacko nutjob" than people demanding to know if our pResident is actually eligible to hold office, given the self-professed facts that we know about him already.

Where there is smoke, there is fire...and you don't call the firemen "whacko nutjobs" for seeking out the fire...you save that for the pyromaniac.

As far as "birthers" go, that moniker was foisted upon us by the media anyway, so I refuse to use the term.

[Pan_Yan]

Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
- Napoleon Bonaparte

[classified]

When the truth and documents are revealed releasing all the imformation that has been hidden from the public, the people who were privy to the truth will also be revealed. Pelosi, Biden, etc., will have a tremendous amount of explaining to do. This will be interesting. Chris Mathews may have to cut his leg off for the amount of pain going up it.

[dumpthelibs]

The MSM fall into the category of the Communist’s “useful idiots”.

[Uncle Chip]

And as far as the quote in my original post, I think Obama is trying to capitalize upon the media's works to discredit "birthers". Like it or not, the media have been successful here.

Have they been successful with you???

[IamConservative]

If that happens then it will be because the media will want some other liberal to run for POTUS in 2012.

Kennedy mounted a strong challenge against Carter in 1980. Perhaps these current events will lead us to another strong conservative President.

[Vaduz]

Yep

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

No.

[gunnyg]

relATED...

http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/false-flags-false-friends-and-false-family-by-greg-grisham/

[1234]

...Obama can not run for reelection as he would have to prove natural born citizenship in at least several states...

WHICH?!

[GBA]

"Surely you can question my policies without questions my faith, or for that matter my citizenship."

Who doesn't question his policies, his faith and his citizenship? I'd love to know if he mentioned citizenship on purpose or if it was a slip. Same for his faith. What faith is he?

Otherwise, he's saying more or less the same thing as people here who don't think there's anything to the BC issue when they say to let it go, that there are more important things to focus on.

[Red Steel]

Does Obama need the birthers? I think he needs them. Badly. Here's why:

False. It's not helping not 1 bit. Anyone who thinks that the "Birther" eligibility issue will propel Obama to highs in popularity against his failed policies and administration is not looking at the facts and are just silly fool. I want these same fools to keep saying the Birthers are helping Obama or the Dims in November when they lose both houses of Congress.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

—————Anyone who thinks that the “Birther” eligibility issue will propel Obama to highs in popularity——————

I doubt even Obama thinks that.

He is looking for a distraction.

A discreditism.

This has proven to slow the decline. All presidents and politicians do this, but those with the media on their side can have a higher rate of successful ‘brake applying’.

[Red Steel]

The “distraction” is not going to get people to forget what a loser that he is. And besides, I would say it’s better than even money at sometime in the future we find out what Obama is hiding. Again, he will turn up being the loser.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

————The “distraction” is not going to get people to forget what a loser that he is.——————

We agree.

But he is clearly trying. There’s no other reason. This hasn’t been a hot media topic for a while. He’s trying to get it started.

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like many picked it up like he hoped.

[RightOnline]

You’re both dead-on right. Obama and crew are absolutely counting on their accomplices in the MSM to keep this A) covered up, and B)labeled as some sort of idiotic, lunatic fringe conspiracy theory promulgated by wild-eyed, ultra right wing nutcases.

Of course, we know better. Further, I wonder......what will be the reaction by the general public if/when all of this eventually comes out? Will they finally be livid at the MSM for their lack of diligence; for their obvious cover-up? What about the non-existent vetting process? Do you think there will be genuine outrage that all of this was ever allowed to happen in this country?

[jamese777]

Hawaii: Obama Birth Certificate Is Real
July 28, 2009
USA TODAY
By Dan Nakaso, The Honolulu Advertiser
In an attempt to quash persistent rumors that President Obama was not born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961, Hawaii’s health director reiterated Monday afternoon that she has personally seen Obama’s birth certificate in the Health Department’s archives:
“I, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the Hawaii State Department of Health, have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen. I have nothing further to add to this statement or my original statement issued in October 2008 over eight months ago....”

On Oct. 31, Fukino originally tried to put an end to the belief among “birthers” that Obama was born in Kenya and thus was ineligible to run for the office of president.

Despite Fukino’s statements, the issue has continued to resonate from Capitol Hill to the national airwaves.

Last week, CNN’s Lou Dobbs demanded Obama’s original birth certificate. CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein told staffers of Lou Dobbs Tonight that the issue is a “dead” story, Kline told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Sunday.

In an e-mail, the Times reported, Klein wrote that CNN researchers determined that Obama’s 1961 birth certificate no longer exists because Hawaiian officials had discarded paper documents in 2001 — a claim denied Monday by Hawaiian health officials.

In 2001, Hawaii’s paper documents were reproduced in electronic format, but “any paper data prior to that still exists,” Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said.

Okubo would not say where Obama’s original birth certificate is but said, “We have backups for all of our backups.”

A congressional resolution introduced by Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of island statehood was delayed Monday.

The resolution includes a clause noting Obama’s Hawaiian birthplace. The line “Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961” appeared to be construed by birthers as a thinly veiled attempt to get Congress to affirm Obama’s U.S. citizenship, said Dave Helfert, an Abercrombie spokesman.

As the issue came to a vote Monday, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., rose to object, saying there was not a quorum present. The House later voted 378-0 to approve the resolution. Bachmann voted in favor of the resolution.

Birthers denounce the notion that Obama was born in Kapiolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961, despite court rulings and statements by Fukino and Hawaii’s Republican governor, Linda Lingle.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-07-27-obama-hawaii_N.htm