Yesterday, I posted a piece about the absurd "Barack Obama isn't a citizen" conspiracy theory floating around the wing-nuttiest of right-wing websites (and probably talk radio). They are apoplectic that Obama has not released the original, "long form" certificate of live birth (which they usually refer to as COLB). To them, this means--obviously--that Obama is not a citizen, and that he is therefore ineligible to become President. Even though Obama's mother was an American Citizen, the theorists cling to a Constitutional provision that a President must be a "natural born citizen," a term that is not defined.
In my previous post, I provided links to FactCheck.org, which has concluded that the "short form" birth certificate is genuine. Also included in that post is an excerpt wherein the State of Hawaii confirmed that it is legitimate. Links in the FactCheck.org article provide further evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii, with a birth announcement provided by the hospital 6 short days after his birth.
To believe that Obama was born outside the country requires a belief that Obama's mother colluded with hospital officials or a newspaper editor to fake his actual birth date, presumably because he'd need the evidence 47 years later when he would run for President. Preposterous.
But there is one more thing that should put a nail in the coffin of this idiotic theory. Namely, even if Obama was born outside this country, he'd still be eligible. This, from Wikipedia, regarding the candidacy of Mitt Romney's father, George:
[Excerpt]
It is notable that while [George] Romney was born in Mexico, he was still considered to be a viable and legal candidate to run for office. His Mormon grandfather and his three wives fled to Mexico in 1886, but none of them ever relinquished their citizenship. While the Constitution does provide that a president must be a natural born citizen, the first Congress of the United States in 1790 passed legislation stating: "The children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond the sea, or outside the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural-born citizens of the United States." Romney and his family fled Mexico in 1912 prior to the Mexican revolution. Source: Wikipedia
And if you don't trust Wikipedia, how about The Washington Post?
It also must be said, that these conspiracy theorists have a peculiarly selective outrage as it pertains to "unreleased" documents. They're all pissy that Obama won't release the "long form." Forget why he won't, why should he? It isn't necessary. His birth certificate is genuine, and has been used to get a passport, a Social Security number, allowed him to become an Illinois State Senator, and a United States Senator. It's good enough. I don't give a flying fig why he doesn't find it necessary to give these yahoos more.
Do these people have any comprehension of what documents their current leaders have had classified and re-classified? Do they realize that Sen. McCain hasn't released the entirety of his medical records by any objective standard, and neither has his running mate? Why are they so concerned now? It's because they think the only way they can win is to have their opposition disqualified on a technicality.
Thanks to friend and contributor, John, for the link.
Moreover, there is excellent evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii and none whatsoever that he was born anywhere else. The right-wing conspiracy theorists hold that Obama was born in Kenya during a visit there by his parents in 1961, but they have never shown any proof of this.
ReplyDeleteHere's the evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii:
State declares Barack Obama's Hawaii birth certificate is genuine
By Associated Press
6:43 PM EDT, October 31, 2008
HONOLULU (AP) _ State officials say there's no doubt Barack Obama was born in Hawaii.
Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino said Friday she and the registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, have personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate.
Fukino says that no state official, including Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, ever instructed that Obama's certificate be handled differently.
She says state law bars release of a certified birth certificate to anyone who does not have a tangible interest.
And this slightly different account:
Friday, October 31, 2008 - 11:51 AM HAST (That means Hawaii/Aleutian Standard Time)
Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate confirmed
Pacific Business News (Honolulu)
The director of Hawaii’s Department of Health confirmed on Friday what Barack Obama has been saying all along: the presidential candidate was born in Honolulu.
“There have been numerous requests for Sen. Barack Hussein Obama’s official birth certificate,” said Chiyome Fukino. “State law prohibits the release of a certified birth certificate to persons who do not have a tangible interest in the vital record.”
Citing her statutory authority to oversee and maintain Hawaii’s vital records, Fukino said she has “personally seen and verified that the Hawaii State Department of Health has Sen. Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.
“No state official, including Gov. Linda Lingle, has ever instructed that this vital record be handled in a manner different from any other vital record in the possession of the State of Hawaii,” Fukino added.
Lingle, a Republican, has been campaigning on the Mainland for Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu. He graduated high school at Punahou School in 1979.
End Quote:
"...put a nail in the coffin of this idiotic theory..."
ReplyDeleteOh really? Allow me the brief pleasure of putting the proverbial nail in the coffin of this idiotic post: your two primary sources for supporting your argument are (1) Wikipedia, which is legendary for its unreliability, and (2) the Washington Post, who openly admitted after the election that they leaned heavily toward Obama in their coverage of the 2008 election. What would they have to gain by giving an honest assessment of this controversy? Nothing. In that sense, neither of these sources are especially terrific at supporting your view of this issue.
You also neglect to mention the fact that more than a few of the lawsuits regarding Obama's birth are being brought by Democrats, not by right-wingers. These are simply Constitutionally-concerned citizens who are hearing about and looking at the abounding evidence regarding the murkiness of his true citizenship (much more than you outline here), and are genuinely concerned about Obama's efforts to dance around this rather than address it. John McCain (one step from being a Democrat himself) quickly addressed similar concerns when they were raised during his campaign -- why should Obama be held to any less standard / requirement?
Spare me. The "Democrats" in question are die-hard PUMAs, people who hardened against Barack Obama when Hillary Clinton didn't win the primary. They were too rare a breed to affect the election, but there are apparently a few tenacious ones.
ReplyDeleteThe State of Hawaii has verified that Obama was born there. His birth certificate was good enough to get him a passport, and to become a state and US Senator. What the hell more does he need to prove?