Birthers refers to those people who apparently believe President Obama is not rightfully our sitting President, for those of you who don’t know what mashugana means, it’s Yiddish for crazy. How many time does the state of Hawaii have to verify President Obama’s birth certificate. Will the third time be the charm? The congressmen in this very aggressive interview with Chris Mathews looks VERY uncomfortable to me, like he has been set up to do something he may not totally believe in, just my perspective though.
When George Bush won the presidency in 2000, by the final ruling of the Supreme Court, I accepted that he was my President and THAT was certainly a conflicted election! That is how this country works, its truly a miracle that we have such peaceful elections. Now it’s time for the other side to start governing and accept that they lost.
I love how Chris Mathews refuses to let Rep. Campbell off the hook and insist he answer the question whether HE believes President Obama is a U.S. citizen. By the end of the interview, the congressmen capitulates and finally answers that he believes President Obama is indeed a citizen of the United States.
Go Chris Mathews!! I think it’s utter lunacy for Campbell to say that “the other side” would have questioned McCain’s citizenship after the election (had he won). The only reason I ever heard Dems pointing out McCain’s place of birth was in response to crazy claims people made about Obama’s citizenship.
Lou Dobbs is apparently a birther also.
Sounds like a cult to me. I wonder if they will all get dressed up in trekkie clothes and go to a convention every year?
Diversity Gal, I agree. Perhaps the Dems understand the Constitutional requirements to be president a little better?
What’s this crap about some major in the army who won’t follow orders because he doesn’t think Obama is a citizen? Can he say busted back to buck private, court martialed, and dishonorable discharge?
I have never heard of such a thing!
Moon-howler, Stars & Stripes released an article on the Army Major this morning. Read it here:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63941
FactCheck.org has a superb piece on the valid Obama birth certificate here:
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen and is the valid president of the United States. The “Birthers” who choose not to accept the facts will likely continue to spin their bizarre conspiracy theory long after Obama leaves office. But ultimately that’s all they have: a bizarre conspiracy theory.
Liberals will need to hang onto little fringe movements like this with all their might, because people are really beginning to wake up and see that regardless of his citizenship, Obama’s policies are Jimmy Carter on steroids and will completely ruin the nation. Hold on tight!
Oh, Slowpoke, nobody wants this ridiculousness to continue, no matter what you think. It is simply maddening.
It always amazes me how fast a Congressman or Senator can sponsor such legislation, and have a bill in Congress – when it is an issue such as this – BUT, when it is a real issue that needs to be considered, it can be years before a bill is sponsored.
I wish they could just move on to real issues.
This is nothing more than a bunch of conspiracy theorists, and there’s always going to be those. Look at how many people still believe 9/11 was some big conspiracy by the US gov’t. There’s even a huge amount of people that still believe the US manned moon landings were faked. This falls into the same category. And it’s not surprising there’s some members of congress that are conspiracy theorists. Hopefully next election their constituents will wise up and vote them out. Then again, I’d be more concerned about the number of representatives who succesfully attach all the pork to bills, and get that passed, then this stuff. It’s a small distraction, and that’s all it is.
Actually, I’m glad congress has slowed down with the health care reform, rather than try and ram it through based on Obama’s timetable. He did the same thing with the energy legislation. There are some things Congress SHOULD move slowly and deliberately on, and healthcare reform is one of them. If Obama had his way, it would have passed with a gov’t run insurance plan that many people would have been forced into against their will (even though Obama denies that would have happened – the facts of economics are against him – whether he believes what he says or not). Fortunately we seem to have dodged that bullet. So, there’s some things Congress shouldn’t move fast on, and healthcare reform is one of them. Hopefully whatever they come up with, will be a whole lot better than what Obama wanted to ram down our throats.
Morning R.J. Pearson!
Thanks for visiting us, we’ve missed you 🙂
Is that THE Robb Pearson? We have a celebrity in the house! Welcome back. I have to go see if you commented on Gospel Greg’s latest meltdown.
Does it need to be said about the birthers that they are fixated on Obama’s skin color and ethnic sounding name? This reminds me of the people who talk about “real Virginia.” Their concept of an American citizen is warped by their insulated and myopic realities.
Shellyb, You know, I can relate to those who talk about REAL Virginia. I am from central Virginia but have lived in Northern VA my entire adult life. I still think of the rest of Virginia as REAL Virginia, in my mind.
Now here is the difference, I am not a political operative who is dumb enough to say it. Northern VA is a land undo itself and certainly has a lot different flavor and attitude than the rest of the state.
Thanks Robb. I think that guy deserves a little time in Leavenworth.
M-H, did you experience that there was a big switch of segregationist voters from “Dixiecrat” to Republican in the late 60’s? Some would argue that this birther thing is from the same crowd. Only these are the ones who did not evolve over the years as the rest of America was transformed into a more tolerant and egalitarian society. They are infuriated that a Black man is President and combining that with anti-immigrant hysteria which makes people capable of believing almost anything. But also they see Republicans as being the only protection against further steps toward equality for people of color and gays. If so, then maybe these GOP Congressman are pandering to maniacs in order to reassure them that the Republican party is still the party to preserve white and hetero power. Good on Chris Matthews for making one of them confess to being a reasonable adult. None of these politicians are as stupid as the pretend to be. Except that Virginia Fox woman. And maybe Virgil Goode?
I think the Dixiecrats are mostly dead now, Shellyb. They are more of Strom Thurman’s era. I don’t know, in other words.
The other Virginia seems to be more of a pace and a different state of mind. There was even a difference in people from Northern VA when I was in college. (from the rest of the state). Basically, it is like Northern VA is a different state. I am very used to being here, and I don’t adjust well when I am outside of NoVA. An example might include how many stores are open on Sunday, how late a restaurant stays open…that sort of thing. Pace and business. Accents. Countryside.
I actually wasn’t thinking in political terms when I made the above statement. I certainly don’t feel it had anything to do with race relations.
i can’t explain the birthers. I think they just latched on to an idea and ran with it, and now it is difficult to break the bad habit. That notion has been absorbed into their believe system, never to see the light of day again.
Israel was behind 9-11!!
Johnson planned Kennedy death!!
Roosevelt master minded Pearl Harbor!!
Lincoln shot by own guard!!
Walk on moon a fake!!
Etc.
(You can add “birthers” to a long list of conspiracy theorist –
same on BS).
Those kinds of pacing differences also exist between town and country. Am I going out on a limb to say race has something to do with these people refusing to accept Obama as American, let alone as our 44th President. And isn’t racial breakdown a big part of how the cities and suburbs are different from the rural areas? Anyway, maybe these people aren’t crazy. Just racist.
Exactly Poor Richard! The birthers are just another in a long line of conspiracy theorists! They probably think the state of Hawaii aided in fabricating the birth certificate.
@ShellyB
>>>Am I going out on a limb to say race has something to do with these people refusing to accept Obama as American…
Alan Keyes is white? Long limb and won’t hold much weight.
Shelly, in a word, no. I don’t think you can make generalizations like that at all. And for the record, i am not from a rural area in central Virginia.
Not everything has to do with race, at least not in my world.
As for the birthers, I have no idea what inspires their insanity. If i had to venture a guess, I would say they don’t like Democrats and they latched on to this theory and it became a part of their belief system. There are also people who think that the US ran the plane into the Pentagon. Go figure.
Frankly, Chris Matthews is a jerk. Republicans passed a constitutional amendment about term limits? I thought it required ratification so the entire country was republican?
And, what is wrong with having people prove that they are eligible for office? What is Matthews so worried about? Does he believe that there is a problem? Why would he fight so much about it?
By the way, before anyone jumps all over me like happens on here, I am no birther.
@An Ordinary Joe
>>>Frankly, Chris Matthews is a jerk.
Well, there’s an epiphany! He is useful though, along Lenin lines.
@An Ordinary Joe
>>>By the way, before anyone jumps all over me like happens on here, I am no birther.
The Founders of this country wouldn’t be welcomed here. They were just old, white men.
They were ‘birthers’ too (Constitution – Article 1, Section 1, Clause 5).
Joe, 1787-2008 without a hitch. Now, we need to prove it. Ok. I think the reason is a bad one. I think it is a waste of time. There are so many things to accomplish as a nation. I just don’t think we have the time or the energy for such nonsense because of the voices in a few nut jobs heads.
Just out of curiosity, where does Obama’s mother fit in to all this? Is she an alien? (as in another planet, not from another country)How about those grandparents. Are they alien also? What does the conspiracy say?
The time lines, places, actions, motives, when analyzed, support, and are consistent with, what is the answer to the Obama birth puzzle:
Obama’s grandmother is his mother and his mother is his sister.
Think about it. Review all the facts and claims.
Then I guess you don’t remember Romney, Goldwater and the rest? Oh wait, they were republicans weren’t they?
It has nothing to do with nutjobs, so I am sorry to differ with you. The Obama campaign fueled this by not authorizing the state of Hawaii to release everything they could. So it relies on a state official making a statement that he saw the original paperwork and it was fine. Tell me would you believe “Corey” if he was the state official and he was telling you it was fine?
The Obama campaign could have ended it by waiving the privacy act concerns and having it verified officially. So by not doing it, the campaign fueled the controversy. It is really that simple. Release the information so we can be over with this nonsense.
In my opinion, the birthers are nut jobs. Sorry.
Birther conversations are wacko. I don’t participate. The man has a mother who was a US citizen.
Joe, are you sure you aren’t a birther? (raising an eyebrow)
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
My plea to all you “birthers”…….enough ALREADY, move onto REAL issues based in reality and ones that affect our daily lives. Debate health care, debate the war, debate ANYTHING of substance! Stop beating this dead horse already!
jack maybe you are your own great grandfather. Think about it!
http://www.searchingwolf.com/howl.wav
Elena, the problem is the Birthers don’t think they’re beating a dead horse. They think they’re beating a zebra (a horse-like African animal which is found in Kenya).
The Birther’s silly agenda exists for three reasons: (1) Obama is black; (2) they want people to think he is a Muslim (because Birthers hate Muslims); and (3) Obama is a democrat (the least of their concerns, really).
I am going to bet that the vast percentage of Birthers are white. And I can only imagine that nothing erks ignorant, angry white voters more than the fact that a black man is now in the “White” House.
Moon-Howler, no not a birther. My only message was that there has been an opportunity to put an end to things by the Obama campaign and they didn’t do it other than put a document up. I seem to recall that at the beginning of the controversy the state of Hawaii said that there are two forms, the certificate of live birth which was posted as well as a longer form. They said they couldn’t give it to anyone other than the person involved. Like tax records which are routinely released nowadays to stop rumors, the Obama campaign (through the candidate) could have gotten the document and released it.
But they chose not to which fueled the rumor as reasonable people (I am not a reasonable person either 🙂 ) started to ask why the campaign didn’t get the longer form document to post. It could have ended months ago. I am tired of the discussion and that tiredness started when the controversy started. And that was my only message in my post.
An Ordinary Joe, I don’t think reasonable people even questioned Obama’s citizenship. This birther movement seems to be a contingent of loons which the Republican party has pandered to at a time it’s driven away Hispanics, Independents, and moderates from its fold. Nature and politcial parties abhor a vacuum and the birthers rushed in!
🙂 ROBB
How much REAL attention was paid to the bizzare theory that George Bush or Israel was actually behind 9-11 from MSM……practically NONE. Because if you acknowldege nuttiness like it’s based in fact, deserving of an answer, you are….anyone(pause) anyone(pause) anyone(pause) (ferris bueler reference here), giving the stupid question validity it does not deserve to begin with!
I missed out on all of that. Do nutwings usually ask to see everyone’s birth certificate or was a special case made out of Obama because his father was a “furiner?” I just miss out on this part of politics and I sure am glad!
Thank goodness Bill Richardson isn’t President! Think of the furor. His mother is Mexican and she came across the border to give birth. Of course, she was married to his very American father who worked in Mexico City. Just think though, we could have had President Anchor Baby! That would have driven the birthers insane!!
Moonhowler, you are right on the money:)
Great post M-H! I love it!!!! Very entertaining, thank you 😉
So why not release the official birth certificate and put this distraction to rest once and for all? Then Obama can move on to the really important business of the country, like bitterly dividing the American leadership and citizenry with Bush-era “war crimes” indictments.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/206300?tid=relatedcl
What is Holder waiting for? If health-care reform fails, watch the indictments fly.
Move along Emma.
Oh, right, Robb, you disagree with me, so therefore I have to shut up.
What does that say about you?
Robb, where do your snide comments on this thread fit in with your devotion to “Reason, humility, self-discipline, wisdom, grace, and compassion”?
Just curious.
I didn’t encourage you to shut up Emma. I simply encouraged you to move along. Though I suppose shutting up wouldn’t be the worst thing you’ve ever done.
To answer your other question about what you perceive as “snideness” on my part: Jesus of Nazareth is a model character I often look to. He was devoted to Reason, humility, self-discipline, wisdom, grace, and compassion. Yet at times even he engaged in sharp criticism toward others (such as calling people hypocrites, or snapping at his followers for being obtuse) that, to some, may have seemed mean-spirited and contrary to his values. But of course his sharpness or “snideness” was didactic and a demonstration of the depth of devotion he had to his values.
I follow his example accordingly. In this case, the issue of the Obama birth certificate is a non-issue. The birth certificate was released last year and was certified by authorities in Hawaii. And so it srikes me as bizarre how intelligent people like you allow yourselves to focus on such mindless, fruitless, and counterproductive minutiae.
Therefore my “move along” remark was nothing more than my way of encouraging you to feed your intelligence with far more worthy and creative sustenance than this Birther junk, which quite frankly is beneath even you. It would be the course of Reason, the course of humility, and the course of wisdom, grace, and compassion, to say nothing of a worthy exercise of self-discipline.
Excuse me, but I thought the purpose of starting a thread was to encourage discussion. I guess this is the “shut up and deal with it” thread that only wants to hear one side. My bad.
And I didn’t miss your very thinly-veiled insults, Robb, while you invoke Jesus. “Beneath even you”???
Laughable hypocrisy which is unworthy of any further attention on my part.
It actually wasn’t an insult, Emma. It was a compliment. Re-read it.
And then please, move along.
The purpose of the thread actually was to encourage people to get the facts, accept the clear facts, and then,as Robb put it….move along 😉
Emma,
You are clearly a pretty bright person, you picked up on the fact that miller and rishell BOTH have bio’s on that web page that Greg is castigating rishell over in addition to other inconsistencies. It just really surprises me that you would fall for the silliness over Barak Obama’s citizenship.
Elena, you are giving Emma credit for something that was posted by a Prince William Resident. I believe he or she used to post here periodically. No one noticed that both candidates have a ‘page’ on that California voting intiative until PW Resident pointed it out. Even then, I guess its ok to castigate one person for something and not the other.
As for the Obama birth certificate, I seriously doubt if he is losing any sleep over it. Why should he do anything. He should just let the birthers stew over it. Did anyone ask RR or Tricky Dick for their birth certificates?
Actually, I never said I bought into any of the birth certificate stuff. I only said it was providing a distraction that is clearly benefitting both parties right now. In the meantime, Eric Holder is working behind the scenes on indictments that will rock this country to its core, and no one is paying any attention.
Elena, I don’t have a clue what you are referring to.
@Emma
That’s his flavor of the month. Changes from time to time. Kinda of like Kerry voting for something and then voting against it. 🙂