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 ...
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.
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