Birthers, for those of you who aren't conspiracy-nut watchers, are people who do not believe that Obama is a natural-born American - and therefore is not legitimately eligible for the job of President. There are a large-ish number of them, but (the topic of the thread) they have been increasingly visible in recent weeks. Bear in mind, Birthers aren't inherently GOP stooges - one of the most visible ones was a Hillary operative.
Their case initially had far more legitimate claims than many would pretend - it was even brought up to the Supreme Court. It continues to hinge on the fact that not only has Obama played his cards extremely and unnaturally close to his chest when allowing public release of his personal historical information, but that the document released is more or less the "short form" Certification of Birth which doesn't carry the same standards as the "long form" - which he has refused to release.
However, almost no GOP types or conservative pundits are giving this any legitimacy - Lou Dobbs recently re-ignited the claim, but even as he did so he stated that the issue is sufficiently resolved. So why does it keep coming back up? Yes, as Truthers and Lincoln Assassination nutters evidence, conspiracy theorists never die... but there's an interesting twist on this.
Attack dogs such as Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter have denounced the claims but have also noted that the White House and the mainstream media seem to be interested in keeping it alive. The media, in fact, are apparently quite interested - and as one conservative pundit put it when it made the White House Press Corps briefing, Gibbsy must be saying "please, please don't make me talk about an issue that makes conservatives look like a bunch of nutjobs".
Seems to me that if there's one thing the Executive Branch is doing well, it is deflection.|||I find the whole issue distasteful and humorous. So, what if they actually do prove Obama isn't a legitimate President? He leaves, Biden steps in. Good show.|||First heard of Birthers on the Colbert Report, where he interviewed Orly Taitz. Awesome interview.
I find it great that the American people are so focused on getting certain presidents out of office by using any means necessary (see loopholes and technicalities), while apparently having no problem keeping certain other presidents in office.|||America's most trusted newscaster is, as usual, the only one who treats this as a news program should.
The actual "issue" isn't an issue at all. He was born in America, as proved by not only his birth certificate but also announcements in several Hawaii newspapers at his time of birth. That makes him an American. His parents were both American. That makes him an American.
As for why "news" networks cover it... because a nice "decide for yourself" segment draws viewers. As opposed to "this is nonsense, here's all the proof" which isn't interesting for people who already believe he's American, and just alienates people who don't believe it.|||Quote:
The actual "issue" isn't an issue at all. He was born in America, as proved by not only his birth certificate but also announcements in several Hawaii newspapers at his time of birth.
As with all great conspiracy theories, that's got enough questionable circumstances for the believers to cry foul. First, the short form doesn't bear the same legal standard of evidence that the long form does. There are even claims, which are almost certainly spurious, that the short form was issued carelessly to individuals without sufficient burden of proof.
In reality, the short form may be the only form ever issued - and while THE ONE <is> spending money lawyering up on the issue, it hardly follows "smoke -> fire" logic. But imagine that Hawaii destroyed the internal copies of the long form? Incidentally, my birth certificate resembles the one in that article, so it is entirely likely that the claim of long forms no longer even being issued is legit.
But secondly, (and here's what I think the Birthers are really after) - that the announcements in the newspapers infer some sort of "Manchurian Candidate" status (which was an election theme, and a damn legitimate one - pity it was false). There were, without a doubt, a small number of deep agents from the old USSR who were "installed" in the U.S. with cover documentation. I would imagine that any of them still alive and living in the U.S. are now indistinguishable from happily retired Baby Boomers vacationing in Key West, but they were a reality of the Cold War. I think the Birthers want to paint Obama as a deep cover agent such as this.
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His parents were both American. That makes him an American.
B.O. Sr. was not, but I believe maternity is sufficient for citizenship.|||This "issue" keeps coming back because even while the GOP types are dismissing the claims, they still blast Obama for the very "reasons" these birthers are using to fuel their paranoid conspiracies, effectively negating their dismissal. If you're going to try to defuse the situation, don't in the next breath imply that there IS some deceit and deception going on.
But of course, the GOP doesn't want to piss off it's own constituents by telling them how nuts they are.|||The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 593, which says "the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii." It passed 378-0, with 55 not voting.|||I came here expecting a thread about breeders. You know. People like this.
You cannot imagine my dissapointment.|||Quote:
The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 593, which says "the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii." It passed 378-0, with 55 not voting.
Meaninglessness of such Resolutions aside, one has to wonder why the 55 didn't vote. One would hope they were simply not present...
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I came here expecting a thread about breeders. You know. People like this.
You cannot imagine my dissapointment.
I think that's one of B.E.'s anti-Christian threads from a while back. Sorry.|||Mood: Still dissapointed.
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