Posted on 02/19/2011 7:18:52 AM PST by Zakeet
For the past couple of weeks, I've been writing about Republican politicians' birther problem.
Whether or not the issue is one of mere symbolic belief or genuine agreement among large segments of the Republican base, GOP leaders feel obligated to mollify those among their base who believe the outlandish conspiracy theory that president wasn't born in the United States or that he's secretly a Muslim. But now former President George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove has come up with a new conspiracy theory that is less dumb than the original one, but not by much. According to Rove, the White House wants Republicans to continue raising doubts about Obama's citizenship in order to make the GOP look kooky:
[Snip]
The problem, of course, is that at least one recent poll showed that a majority of Republicans have doubts about the president's citizenship, which explains the rise of "post-birtherism." Republican leaders don't want to anger a large section of their base by flatly calling this stuff what it is, which is nuts. So the new approach is to joke about it or to carefully avoid denouncing the idea completely.
[Snip]
The idea that the issue is a "trap" is belied by the ease with which Republican leaders could shut the entire matter down. All they have to do is say it's silly.
(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com ...

If Pub leaders would just say it's "silly" to believe the Wee Wee is not natural born, then you stupid Freepers would "shut down" and believe the Hawaii governor
It is silly.
Not at all an outlandish theory; we may have already had a Canadian president, Chester Aurthur. But the certificate quest probably is a trap in that Bammy’s minions have had years to forge both the paper and the background records.




There seems to be an inordinate number of stories warning Birthers that they are wasting their time. Sounds like the media is getting worried about something. So much for concept of investigative reporting.
The establishment up there is getting nervous. All the Globalists are.


First they ignore
Then they ridicule
Then they attack
Then they claim it was their idea all along...
Several have tried, and they're just labeled "RINOs," even Sarah Palin.
will the dem and media come out against their base who believe in the conspiracy theory that Palin is responsible for the tuscon shooting?
National politicians WILL be demonized if they say anyhthing like, “ well yeah, an original BC with doctor signatures and baby footprints is the only legitimate BC in Hawaii”.
Best to say nothing and let individual States pass laws that force Presidential candidates to prove conclusively they are natural born citizens.
This is so bizarre. They act like it’s our fault that bozo has produced zero documentation of his life, starting with it’s beginning.
It’s like he is the one person in the world that must be blindly trusted and never questioned.
If you question him you are either a racist or a nut.
I think anyone running for president must answer the questions and back up their answers.
There is just too much at stake.
The Obama spin machine has slyly made the location of his birth the issue.
So that Conservatives who question his eligibility can be portrayed as “kooks” if he was really born in Hawaii.
But as we know, the real issue is the citizenship of his father. This issue is never brought up, but it’s essential.
And a secondary issue is his history, school records, passport records, voting records, etc. These are never brought up either because of the birth location thing.
I wish we could find a way to overcome this.
We in this country have become a nation of "weak sisters" who are frightened to death of challenging people who transgress in this manner and set out, from the very beginning, to game the system. WAKE THE HELL UP, AMERICA!!!
“It is silly.”
Maybe, but please explain why he’s spent over a million dollars to prevent his long form BC from being produced.
Please explain why you think he has.
“There seems to be an inordinate number of stories warning Birthers that they are wasting their time.”
Stephonopolous and David Gregory are going bonkers trying to shut down the inquiry.
Obviously, we’re on to something.
Why is he also hiding every other document from his life. Silly? I don’t think so. Suspicious? Hell yes.
I am a birther.
Show me the Kenyan Impostor’s birth certificate.
“There seems to be an inordinate number of stories warning Birthers that they are wasting their time. Sounds like the media is getting worried about something. So much for concept of investigative reporting.”
No. They are trying to keep the whole birther thing in the spotlight to make conservatives look kooky. Look how they keep asking our potential candidates if they believe Obama was born in the USA.
The statement above is an unsupported assertion, and is best characterized as leftist nonsense.
People are wondering how Mr. Obama meets the constitutional requirement of a natural born citizen. Congressional hearings were held to determine whether Sen. John McCain was constitutionally eligible to be president as a "natural born citizen." In contrast no controlling legal authority ever sought to verify Obama's claim to be constitutionally eligible to serve as President of the United States. Why?
Plus there are additional concerns relating to lack of information and access to his writings, his kindergarten records, Punahou school records, Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia thesis, Harvard Law School records, Harvard Law Review articles, scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, passport, medical records, selective service registration records, social security number irregularities, files from his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records and adoption records.
The people of this country know very little about our President. Such a dearth of knowledge about a sitting president is unprecedented.
But of course the Washington Post wants to categorize these omissions and questions under "birthplace" or "religious affiliation." Ha ha!
If dad is Obama Sr., a British Subject, then Mr. Skittles is not a NBC, and therefore ineligible.
The only rational explanation is he is hiding something. I have stated an easy way for Republicans to handle this but they refuse for some reason to see the obvious and politically painless way in which to deal with the matter.
It is not about Obama. It is about precedence and the Constitution and establishing a governance process (which doesn't exist) to ensure our Presidents comply with the eligibility requirements in the Constitution. It's that simple. All candidates and/or Presidents should be required to prove they are eligible just like I have to prove who I am to even get into elementary school.
There were no hearings to determine Sen. McCain's eligibility.
And a secondary issue is his history, school records, passport records, voting records, etc. These are never brought up either because of the birth location thing.
I wish we could find a way to overcome this.
Absolutely!! It makes no difference where he was squeezed out. IMO, the items you listed as "secondary" are of the same priority as the citizenship of his sperm donor. This needs to be thoroughly investigated and reported.
“The idea that the issue is a “trap” is belied by the ease with which Republican leaders could shut the entire matter down. All they have to do is say it’s silly.”
Please, don’t assume that any of us actually listen to the purported “Republican leaders” in this quest for the truth. The fact that some RINO’s choose to shirk their obligation to the Constitution does not blindly drag many of us along.
I, for one, don’t accept him as a legitimate holder of the office he occupies. Further, I don’t subscribe to the idea that he simply has something embarrassing to hide; as the American people are quite forgiving in that regard.
Nope...one doesn’t spend millions to keep hidden that information which would resolve this issue, unless that resolution would require relinquishing the office.
He ain’t legally qualified to hold the office. He’s well proven he’s not competent, also.
Under Islamic law Obama is, in fact, a Muslim, simply because his father was. It’s like they’re trying to claim that his father wasn’t actually a Muslim.
there is something on certificate he does not want
revealed. how can media be so complicit?
You are correct about the media. However, weak kneed republicans fail to call them on it. They should say, “You’re only asking this question because of a political bias against my party.” We should be putting the reporters on the defensive. By making the point you made - what’s wrong with republicans?
I don’t know where he was born - but he’s hiding information. Personally, I would be glad to have a Socratic discussion on this topic with anyone - as opposed to a typical short sound-bight, gotcha, MSM interview.
You are correct about the media. However, weak kneed republicans fail to call them on it. They should say, “You’re only asking this question because of a political bias against my party.” We should be putting the reporters on the defensive. By making the point you made - what’s wrong with republicans?
I don’t know where he was born - but he’s hiding information. Personally, I would be glad to have a Socratic discussion on this topic with anyone - as opposed to a typical short sound-bight, gotcha, MSM interview.
Yeah it is all nothing.
I know that you know that I know that they know that if we say what we think that we know then everyone will know that it is all stupid.
I say, resolve the matter and stop spending money to maintain the mystery.
I won’t feel the least bit stupid for having demanded that a sitting President present evidence that he is sitting there legally.
This ain’t Kindergarten.
This is the United States of America.
There are rules.
That fact is not in dispute..
Why not do a little investigative journalism. As the political newspaper of record, why doesn’t the Washington ComPost as obama to produce his birth certificate and lay all these questions to rest?
It seems to me that they spent an inordinate amount of time digging into President Bush’s national guard records. But this question is a good deal more central. Just think of all the newspapers they could sell! Maybe even issue their first EXTRA! in the last decade or so!
This now has to be done regardless of who the President is. But of course, there is a 900 lb gorilla in the room: Obama and the election of 2012.
The country is awash with state legislators making harrumphing conservative noises, but none of these eligibility laws has made it to the floor of any legislature, and certainly none has been signed by any Republican governor. So far, bullshiite. Stop talking. Start legislating.
If truth be told, ANY state AG now already has the power to keep Obama off the ballot in his state on Constitutional grounds that depend upon nothing other than his interpretation of Article II. In other words, that is an arbitrary power the state AG has to either accept or reject the certification of eligibility presented by any national party. Team Obama could then choose to challenge it in court, triggering discovery, and a decision on NBC.
More likely: if only one or two states that would vote Republican anyway refused Obama, he would ignore them and campaign around it, just as Abe Lincoln did when he was refused a place on the ballot in the some states in 1860.
Both scenarios require some rather involved thought processes on the part of the electorate. ROTFLMAO.
The situation is confusing from the beginning because there is the "Birther" issue of where the guy was born, which is related in an indirect way to the citizenship of his father. IOW, were BHO, Jr./Soetoro to found to have been born in Hawaii, that still would not make him a "Natural Born Citizen," in fact, Obama has never claimed that status! His website says he is a "Native Born" citizen, which might even be true but remains unproven. He has spent millions to convince the nation that the word "Native," means "Natural."
People on this site, MSM commentators, and lawyers on TV promote that point of view every day when they quote the 14th Amendment, or claim that the children of illegal aliens are citizens.
Obama or nobama, that requires the SCOTUS to be properly presented with the case on appeal.
It’s not silly but it is foolish, pointless and divisive.
That boat is never going to float.
There are two more years of Obama and we need to concentrate on getting a good, conservative candidate and uniting behind her (or him).
Of all the things that will stop 0 from winning an easy re-election, this issue is the least likely.
U.S. Senate ends McCain citizenship debate
If you feel the need to lie about anything else, just let me know.
That's just my opinion and I could be wrong.
I wish we could find a way to overcome this.
They're overcoming it for us, because they keep talking about it. The issue is getting explored more and more, including the real definition of "natural born," and the consequences of having one parent who wasn't a citizen. I didn't know this stuff before.
The longer they keep nattering, the more dirt gets turned over, just out of boredom. You will see lamestreamers mentioning his parents' citizenship and his school records, just to have a story to write. This is how the narrative gets out of control.
Funny how those among their base who think that he isn't a natural born citizen didn't get grouped in.
Things that aren't said are as important as those that are.
From the article:
"The Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution"
Passing a resolution is not the same thing as holding hearings. As I said, no hearings were held to determine McCain's eligibility.
There were hearings. On April 30, 2008, "Senate S.Res.511 - A resolution recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen," was passed after appropriate hearings on the matter of his eligibility.
I see. A debate isn’t the same thing as a hearing.
I guess that it really does depend on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.
However, in the real world, the only evidence that exists is payments made by the Obama campaign to the Perkins Coie law firm for unspecified services rendered. This law firm has an office of 70 attorneys in the Chicago area and was involved in the Blagojevich trial.
Of the millions paid to the firm, no one knows if in fact a dime of it went to any “eligibility” cases, since most never required legal response.
But back to the birther-freeper universe...speculation = facts, so yes, it is a fact.
Totally agree. I heard Jeffrey Tubin on CNN the other night making the same kind of comments. The media has realized the “birther” label has not worked and are now changing the label to “nutty”. That will not work either. It is not just the BC it is ALL OF OBAMA’S SCHOOL RECORDS. They may get away with keeping the BC sealed but why the school records? We have been told by a reporter that he is the most intelligent President ever to serve, shouldn’t we be able to look at his school records to confirm that statement? The only “nutty” part of this whole thing imo is Obama’s secrecy and the media following their leader.
There was a Congressional resolution declaring McCain a NBC.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:S.RES.511:
S.RES.511
Latest Title: A resolution recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen.
Sponsor: Sen McCaskill, Claire [MO] (introduced 4/10/2008) Cosponsors (5)
Latest Major Action: 4/30/2008 Passed/agreed to in Senate. Status: Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.
The interesting list of co-sponsors:
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 4/10/2008
Sen Coburn, Tom [OK] - 4/10/2008
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 4/10/2008
Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 4/10/2008
Sen Webb, Jim [VA] - 4/10/2008
***********************
To date there has been no such action taken in Congress in regards to Barry....not even to put “This silliness”(as people are saying) behind them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.