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The birthers and their support

A

Anonymous

Guest
When lawmakers return home for recess in August, they can expect to hear tough questions from constituents on the economy, health care and government spending.


But Republicans are preparing for something else: the birthers.


As GOP Rep. Mike Castle learned the hard way back home in Delaware this month, there’s no easy way to deal with the small but vocal crowd of right-wing activists who refuse to believe that President Barack Obama was born in the United States.


At a town hall meeting in Georgetown, a woman demanded to know why Castle and his colleagues were “ignoring” questions about Obama’s birth certificate — questions that have been put to rest repeatedly by state officials in Hawaii, where the birth certificate and all other credible evidence show that Obama was born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961.


When Castle countered that Obama is, in fact, “a citizen of the United States,” the crowd erupted in boos, the woman seized control of the gathering and led a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The video went viral; by Sunday, it had been viewed on YouTube more than half a million times.


And birthers say members should expect more of the same in the coming weeks.


“Absolutely,” says California resident Orly Taitz, the Russian-born attorney/dentist who has become a kind of ringleader for the movement. “It is a very important issue, one that politicians should have taken up a long time ago.”


Moments after speaking with POLITICO Saturday, Taitz posted a call to arms on her blog:


“I believe it is a serious concern and I hope that each and every decent American comes to town hall meetings with a video camera and demands action,” she wrote.


Having seen his colleague Castle come under attack, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) is taking no chances.


“Before I got back to Michigan before the break, we’ll go through it, so that we’re versed in it,” Hoekstra said recently. “Just like anything else, if you see a hot issue ... it’s sort of like, ‘Let me go take a look at this and see what the status is.’”


Hoekstra believes there’s no “compelling case” questioning Obama’s origins. But after talking to Castle about his town hall, he knows that he’d better be ready with an answer.


The trick: What do you say?


Of the various approaches a put-on-the-spot pol can take, each carries its own risk of alienating constituents. Pick up a pitchfork in the cause of this conspiracy theory, and you risk damaging your reputation in the mainstream while aligning yourself with a movement some regard as having racist undertones.


Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), co-sponsor of legislation that would force candidates to show their birth certificates, was widely mocked after he told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that Obama is a U.S. citizen — “as far as I know.”


However, members who decide to challenge the conspiracy theory, as Castle did mildly, risk ticking off a shrill minority who can upend their events and then post the video on the Web.


And those who try to split the difference may find themselves getting doubly burned.


At a Wyoming town hall in April, birthers jumped on freshman Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis.


“I’m not questioning your concern,” Lummis told the crowd, according to the Wyoming Eagle Tribune. “I am questioning whether there is credible evidence.”


The congresswoman ended up asking for anyone who had “evidence” to send it to her.


At a walk-in meeting in Sen. Tom Coburn’s Washington office, birthers gave the Oklahoma Republican’s chief of staff nine pages of documentation in support of their claims. The group later billed the meeting a success on one of Taitz’s blogs.


But when asked about the meeting, Coburn spokesman Don Tatro said that the office was simply trying to be “polite” and that “it is possible to mistake politeness for agreement.”


According to his office, Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn has received 33 inquiries about Obama’s origins, with 10 coming in over the past week.

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So far, Hoekstra hasn’t faced any such questions.


“When you’re in a state with 15.2 percent unemployment,” he said, “most people have other things on their mind than this.”


But as if to illustrate the touchiness of the subject, Hoekstra quickly added: “Not that this isn’t important.”


Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) has also tried to find the elusive middle ground.


"They have a point," he said of the birthers last week. "I don't discourage it. ... But I'm going to pursue defeating [Obama] on things that I think are very destructive to America."


Inhofe put out a statement Monday clarifying his comment:


"The point that they make is the Constitutional mandate that the U.S. president be a natural born citizen, and the White House has not done a very good job of dispelling the concerns of these citizens," he said. "My focus is on issues where I can make a difference to stop the liberal agenda being pushed by President Obama."


Out-party politicians have long had to deal with conspiracy theorists on their side — the people who think that the Clintons killed Vince Foster or that the Bush administration helped orchestrate the Sept. 11 attacks.


“Twenty-five percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down,” said Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat who represents a conservative Republican district in Minnesota. “That’s why I don’t do town meetings.”


But the birther phenomenon may present a bigger challenge — a potent blend of race and politics, fueled by conservative TV and radio pundits, and played out in a day when all that stands between a town hall meeting and Web omnipresence is a $100 flip cam.


Republican pollster Whit Ayers says that a member confronted with birther questions should immediately pivot the conversation back to big issues.


“You simply indicate that in a country where our fiscal policy is driving us toward bankruptcy, where we are wrestling with major issues of health care reform and fighting two wars for our safety, you don’t have time to deal with wild conspiracy theories,” he says.


That’s the approach House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana takes.


“On that issue, I’m pretty distinctive that the president is from Hawaii,” he said. “I just don’t know where he’s coming from on health care.”


Such a response might satisfy many, or even most, but Taitz says that until Obama is removed from office, America’s other problems cannot be addressed. The fact that a few members of Congress have taken up her cause, with 10 Republicans signing onto Floria Republican Rep. Bill Posey’s legislation to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, has only encouraged her to buckle down in the fight.


As Taitz sees it, Campbell, who represents her congressional district in Southern California, was moved to co-sponsor the “Birthers’ bill” for fear of people like her.


Campbell spokesperson Muffy Lewis flatly denied that being the case, saying the issue of Obama’s birth certificate is a low priority in the congressman’s district. Plus, Campbell has stressed that the bill would apply only to future candidates — and is really just about avoiding these kinds of controversies in the future.


“It really wasn’t as much about constituents as it was his own principles,” said Lewis. “He thought it was a common-sense bill. Castle had a major issue [in his district], but it hasn’t been much of an issue in ours.”


But Taitz said that lawmakers everywhere should be prepared to “resign or be removed” if they “do not have the guts to stand for the Constitution and this country.”


Asked whether Republican lawmakers should be “afraid” of the birthers, Taitz said: “I wouldn’t say the word ‘afraid.’ I think they should be willing to resign or be removed. That is what they should do. ... Resign if you do not have the guts to stand for the Constitution of this country.”


Taitz has made nine trips around the country to rally support for her cause. In March, she traveled to Washington to personally hand out packets of documents to senators in the Hart Senate Office Building. Additionally, she says she has sent documents by certified mail to each of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, arguing that Obama is “totally illegitimate to be president.”


While the movement could be “politically threatening for particular Republicans,” Taitz says that the GOP as a whole has a chance to gain from it if it takes the right course of act


Orly Taitz, the California attorney-dentist leading the charge of the so-called birthers movement, is boasting on her blog that she’s made some high-profile “friends” on Facebook: Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor and GOP Reps. Mary Bono Mack and Cynthia Lummis.


“I am in total disbelief and greatly honored,” Taitz wrote on her blog today after Cantor appeared as one of her Facebook "friends." “To me it means that the leadership of the Republican party understands the importance of the issues and legal cases I brought forward. I hope more congressmen and senators join and either become additional plaintiffs or bring to the House and Senate judicial committee hearings the issues of Obama’s illegitimacy to presidency as well as suspected illegal activities by Obama and his supporters. “


The birthers argue that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore not eligible to serve as president. Obama’s birth certificate and all credible evidence show that he was, in fact, born in Hawaii.

Republican National Committee press secretary Gail Gitcho said she has been deluged with calls about Steele's "friend" status with Taitz today — a day when the RNC was trying to roll out its health care counter-agenda.

Asked whether Steele’s “friendship” with Taitz constituted an unofficial endorsement of Taitz’s views, Gitcho said: “The chairman has thousands of Facebook friends – obviously he is not going to agree with the agendas of all of them.”


A Cantor spokesman also cautioned against making too much of the “friendships.”


“It is a bipartisan practice and common sense that when a person signs up to be a ‘friend’ or ‘supporter’ on an elected official’s social networking site, they are signaling support of the elected official,” said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the Virginia Republican. “It does not signal an endorsement of the views of any individual or group.”


Lummis spokesman Ryan Taylor said that Lummis “friended” Taitz at the suggestion of one of her other Facebook friends. Taylor said Lummis’s “friend” status “does not” represent an endorsement of Taitz’s views.


“I think this is an issue that comes up from time to time in Wyoming,” Taylor said. “[Rep. Lummis] understands peoples’ concerns but I think she also believes that there may not be credible evidence to such. And people are happy to talk to her about it, and she is happy to talk to them.”


Lummis was confronted by birthers back in April, during a town hall in Wyoming.


“I’m not questioning your concern,” she told them at the time. “I am questioning whether there is credible evidence.”


A spokeswoman for Bono Mack said it means nothing that the congresswoman is "friends" with Taitz.


"The congresswoman has over 2,200 Facebook 'friends'," said Bono Mack press secretary Jennifer May. "As you know, Facebook and Twitter and other social media sites are places for the congresswoman and colleagues to connect.... It doesn't indicate the congresswoman subscribes to any of her 'friends' positions."



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25471.html#ixzz0MVjzF5Tl
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
maybe if enough of them get sick of answering the questions, they'll sign onto the bill requiring candidates to show proof of their natural Born Citizenship, before the next election.
 

Lonecowboy

Well-known member
I guess politicians could try a novel approach and try truth--

If they don't know if obama is qualified just say so!

Governor Richardson called obama an emigrant.
Maybe he knows something we don't!
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
I quit reading after " questions that have been put to rest repeatedly by state officials in Hawaii, where the birth certificate and all other credible evidence show that Obama was born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961."

This person isn't a reporter. Those aren't facts.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Yep-- kind of a hard question for Repubs to answer- when their party was in control of the Administration- and the Justice Department- and they know that if the nutcases allegations just happen to be true- they were the ones that dropped the ball and didn't check it out- or else were knowingly part of this mass conspiracy the nutcases say exists... :roll:
And then afterward everyone of them agreed to the qualifications of Obama and his election and certified it without objection from anyone of them...

Awful hard to explain to those nutcases back home- but then again most those nutcases don't understand explanations anyway- don't want to- and would prefer to fearmonger/hatemonger and promote anarchy so they have some reason to use all this ammo they're spending their life savings on :roll:
 

Tam

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
maybe if enough of them get sick of answering the questions, they'll sign onto the bill requiring candidates to show proof of their natural Born Citizenship, before the next election.

Chris Matthews Wrong on Obama Birth Certificate

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 6:33 PM
By: Jim Meyers

MSNBC's Chris Matthews got into a heated exchange with a congressman on his show Tuesday as he revisited the question of President Barack Obama's birth certificate — or lack of one.

Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., is a co-sponsor of the so-called "birther bill," which would require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificates.

“Birthers” are those who believe Obama is not qualified to be president, based on a belief that he was not born in the United States.

Campbell is not a “birther” and never has claimed that Obama was born outside the United States or should be disqualified from being president.


On the show, Matthews seemingly undermined claims by some that Obama never has released his birth certificate, producing what Matthews said was a true copy of it.


But Matthews made a false claim. Obama never has released his actual birth certificate. He has released another document, which state authorities often provide in lieu of a birth certificate, called a certification of live birth.

Matthews on Tuesday said Campbell was "playing to the crazies" by supporting the "crazy" bill, and the congressman shot back that it was all about "putting the matter to rest."

Matthews also accused Campbell of "feeding the wacko wing of your party," and held up what he called a copy of the supposed Obama birth certificate.

Case closed?

The indisputable fact is that Obama has not released his birth certificate, which the state of Hawaii issues for all citizens born there.

Instead, his campaign has released only his certification of live birth from the state of Hawaii, which is a document that offers a summarized version of the birth certificate.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, GOP nominee Sen. John McCain quickly released his birth certificate when liberal bloggers raised questions about his eligibility to be president. McCain was born at a military hospital in Panama.

Obama likewise could put the matter to rest by releasing his actual birth certificate, which would show, among other things, the place of his birth and the doctor who performed the birth procedure. This information is not provided on the certification of live birth.

As it stands, Obama is the only president in history whose birthplace is unknown to the public – a fact that would be stated on the actual birth certificate. Interestingly, his family has mentioned two different hospitals in Hawaii as the place of birth.

The fact that Obama has refused to release his actual birth certificate does not mean conspiracy theorists are right when they claim he was born in Kenya and therefore not eligible to be president. Investigators who have reviewed the claims have found no evidence Obama was born outside of Hawaii.

But Obama’s refusal to release his birth certificate does mean that Obama remains one of America’s most mysterious and opaque presidents ever.

Obama, for example, has not released many other documents regarding his public and private life.

Many of these documents were sought by reporters, who easily acquiesced when Obama said he would not release them – though most presidential candidates release them as a perfunctory matter.

Among the key documents that Obama continues to shield from the public:


Obama released just one brief document detailing his personal health. McCain, on the other hand, released what he said was his complete medical file, totaling more than 1,500 pages.


Obama refused to offer his official papers as a state legislator in Illinois. Nor did he produce correspondence, such as his schedules of appointments or letters from lobbyists, from his days in the Illinois state Senate.


Obama did not release his client list as an attorney or his billing records. He maintained that he performed only a few hours of legal work for a nonprofit organization with ties to Tony Rezko, the Chicago businessman convicted of fraud in June 2008 but did not release billing records that would prove this assertion.


Obama ignored requests for his records from Occidental College, where he studied for two years before transferring to Columbia University.


Obama’s campaign refused to give Columbia, where he earned an undergraduate degree in political science, permission to release his transcripts. Former President George W. Bush and presidential contenders Al Gore and John Kerry all released their college transcripts.


Obama did not agree to the release of his application to the Illinois State Bar, which would have cleared up intermittent allegations that his application may have been inaccurate.


Obama did not release records from his time at Harvard Law School.


During the presidential campaign, McCain’s campaign released a full list of all online donors. Obama’s campaign still has not released the names of those who donated at least one-third of the $750 million he raised.

Ironically, Obama accused the Bush White House of being "one of the most secretive administrations in our history," and chided then-Sen. Hillary Clinton for not releasing her White House schedules.

Chris Matthews, get your facts straight and demand full disclosure — that’s the best way to keep an honest government.

See what happens when a Republican asks to have regulations put on.
The Dems are not signing on and the liberal bias Media is backing their play to protect their man. They sure would not want to allow anyone to know they didn't do their jobs when they were a** kissing Obama during the election. :wink:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
I don't see this bill as being against Obama, but for the US.

What good is it to have criteria outlined in the Constitution but never verified.

Obama or not, what happens the next time when a President refuses to release these types of documents
 

Tam

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
I don't see this bill as being against Obama, but for the US.

What good is it to have criteria outlined in the Constitution but never verified.

Obama or not, what happens the next time when a President refuses to release these types of documents

I agree this should have happened hundreds of years ago but If this passes and Obama runs again in 2012 would he not have stop the ducking and dodging and show his birth certificate to be qualified to be put on the ballot? :?
 
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