Time to Stop Candy-Coating It: Birtherism Is Racism

The excuses aren’t working any more

WingnutsApril 2011 • Views: 28,079

John Cole reaches a state of fed-up-ness with Birtherism:

I think the thing that pisses me off the most about the birtherism and the coverage is that no one will come out and state that what is obviously motivating this crap is racism. Period. End of story.

If Obama was white, we wouldn’t be politely rebutting lunatics questioning his birth certificate for four fucking years. But because he is black, we can spend tens of thousands of hours listening to drooling idiots wonder whether or not he is a real Murrikan.

It’s really that simple.

I’m not shy, and I’m not afraid to say it: Birtherism is racism.

The real fear is that Barack Obama is either: a) a sekrit Muslim, or b) a sekrit Kenyan African. Either way, it’s xenophobic bigotry dressed up in a conspiracy theory, pretending to hide right out in the open.

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113 comments

Mostly sane, most of the time. Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:52:26pm

It burns! It burns!

Make it go away, somebody please.

Obdicut Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:52:53pm

The very conspiracy itself is nonsensical.

If they wanted Obama to be a natural-born US citizen...

Then why wouldn't they stay in Hawaii to have him?

Why would they flee to Africa and then simultaneously invent a conspiracy that he was born there?

It makes zero sense.

Four More Tears Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:54:10pm

re: #2 Obdicut

The very conspiracy itself is nonsensical.

If they wanted Obama to be a natural-born US citizen...

Then why wouldn't they stay in Hawaii to have him?

Why would they flee to Africa and then simultaneously invent a conspiracy that he was born there?

It makes zero sense.

Especially when you add in the fact that his mother was an American...

So much wasted over this nonsense.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:54:43pm

re: #2 Obdicut

The very conspiracy itself is nonsensical.

If they wanted Obama to be a natural-born US citizen...

Then why wouldn't they stay in Hawaii to have him?

Why would they flee to Africa and then simultaneously invent a conspiracy that he was born there?

It makes zero sense.

No, no, see...

They're so good they can, forty plus years later, plant a fake document in the Hawaii archives, then travel around to dozens of libraries and substitute fake copies of microfilm of Hawaiian microscopes--without missing a single library!

TedStriker Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:55:49pm

I think the thing that pisses me off the most about the birtherism and the coverage is that no one will come out and state that what is obviously motivating this crap is racism. Period. End of story.
If Obama was white, we wouldn’t be politely rebutting lunatics questioning his birth certificate for four fucking years. But because he is black, we can spend tens of thousands of hours listening to drooling idiots wonder whether or not he is a real Murrikan.

It’s really that simple.

It's mindblowingly frustrating to see Birtherism be as rampant as it appears to be.

The people who engage in it are extremely ignorant, at best...at worst, they're just pure evil.

Iwouldprefernotto Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:57:25pm

Of course it's not racism. It's because we love the constitution.

Obdicut Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:57:36pm

re: #4 EmmmieG

I like the birther conspiracies that his father isn't his real father, and that it was Stokey Carmichael, the best. That's one of the most obviously racist ones too-- Obama looks like his father, not like Carmichael. It's very obvious his father is his father-- unless you're really bad at telling black people apart.

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:57:43pm

Quite Concur. Happily, the Birthers are getting some much-needed pushback as this week has seen both Mitt Romner and Marco Rubio clearly the birther theorum. Perhaps the sickness will soon be in remission.

Iwouldprefernotto Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:58:00pm

re: #5 talon_262

It's mindblowingly frustrating to see Birtherism be as rampant as it appears to be.

The people who engage in it are extremely ignorant, at best...at worst, they're just pure evil.

They are both ignorant AND evil.

What, me worry? Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:58:52pm

re: #6 Iwouldprefernotto

Of course it's not racism. It's because we love the constitution.

Sadly, they're just about as ignorant about that, too.

Lidane Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:59:07pm

If Obama was white, we wouldn’t be politely rebutting lunatics questioning his birth certificate for four fucking years.

This is why I love John Cole. He doesn't hold back on calling out bullshit.

His follow-up, where he calls out the Dems for being emo is hilarious and spot on.

What, me worry? Tue, Apr 12, 2011 7:59:58pm

re: #7 Obdicut

I like the birther conspiracies that his father isn't his real father, and that it was Stokey Carmichael, the best. That's one of the most obviously racist ones too-- Obama looks like his father, not like Carmichael. It's very obvious his father is his father-- unless you're really bad at telling black people apart.

Get out! Stokey Carmichael? OMG I never heard that.

I thought it was Malcom X. Silly me.

Four More Tears Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:00:06pm

So, assuming they succeed beyond their wildest dreams and manage to de-legitimize the Obama presidency...what the fuck are they going to do to get rid of Biden?

Lidane Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:00:34pm

re: #3 JasonA

Especially when you add in the fact that his mother was an American...

So much wasted over this nonsense.

Oh, but she was a white woman in thrall to a black man. As soon as that happened, she lost her citizenship, don'tcha know.

///

Gus Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:00:44pm

It is indeed racism. It's an offshoot of the infamous phrase "go back to Africa". To those that are not members of LGF and are reading this. If you're a birther, you're a racist and in the same company as the Nazi Party and the KKK.

goddamnedfrank Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:01:17pm

Haha, fuckin' Trump ad.

TedStriker Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:01:21pm

re: #7 Obdicut

I like the birther conspiracies that his father isn't his real father, and that it was Stokey Carmichael, the best. That's one of the most obviously racist ones too-- Obama looks like his father, not like Carmichael. It's very obvious his father is his father-- unless you're really bad at telling black people apart.

Dontchaknow, black people all look alike?!?

///extremely dripping

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:01:55pm

re: #12 marjoriemoon

Get out! Stokey Carmichael? OMG I never heard that.

I thought it was Malcom X. Silly me.

It's whichever "evil black man" the teller hates the most. It's out-and-proud racism, not even a dog-whistle.

What, me worry? Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:02:26pm

re: #13 JasonA

So, assuming they succeed beyond their wildest dreams and manage to de-legitimize the Obama presidency...what the fuck are they going to do to get rid of Biden?

Hmmm... I'm sure they could dig up a torrid affair. Oh wait, he's an alcoholic who loves muscle cars right? They're planting the heroine needles as we speak.

jaunte Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:03:00pm

re: #4 EmmmieG

No, no, see...

They're so good they can, forty plus years later, plant a fake document in the Hawaii archives, then travel around to dozens of libraries and substitute fake copies of microfilm of Hawaiian microscopes--without missing a single library!

"It's not racism, it's simple fear of time-traveling magicians."

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:03:03pm

re: #16 goddamnedfrank

Haha, fuckin' Trump ad.

Goggle ads strike again. Well, it helps pay the bills for the site, so I'm not complaining.

b_sharp Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:03:15pm

re: #17 talon_262

Dontchaknow, black people all look alike?!?

///extremely dripping

To people who can only see skin colour, that is true.

freetoken Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:03:43pm

It's not just racism, but a special kind of racism.

You see, the President's mother was white... and she chose to have sex with a black man instead of a white male.

This strikes fear deep into the psyches of Farah and his compatriots.

jamesfirecat Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:04:52pm

re: #8 Dark_Falcon

Quite Concur. Happily, the Birthers are getting some much-needed pushback as this week has seen both Mitt Romner and Marco Rubio clearly the birther theorum. Perhaps the sickness will soon be in remission.

Dark Donald Trump Captain Birther is now tied for first place in a poll mentioned recent today.

If you think that Birtherism is getting push back from the GOP base, you my friend are only fooling yourself because you're afraid to face reality. And as a catnip smoking liberal, I am a MASTER at fooling myself because I'm afraid to face reality!

engineer cat Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:05:25pm

how much worse will it get before the election is over? how much crazier after that?

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:06:05pm

re: #24 jamesfirecat

Dark Donald Trump Captain Birther is now tied for first place in a poll mentioned recent today.

If you think that Birtherism is getting push back from the GOP base, you my friend are only fooling yourself because you're afraid to face reality. And as a catnip smoking liberal, I am a MASTER at fooling myself because I'm afraid to face reality!

And other polls this week had Trump losing badly to Romney in Florida. The polls aren't definative right now, James.

ProMayaLiberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:06:34pm

re: #11 Lidane

You don't know how pleased I was with the post, especially the WoW video with the whiny music. Sometimes other Democrats tick me off.

Ojoe Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:07:48pm

Info on the "Free Gaza Flotilla"

jaunte Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:09:42pm

John Legend to Donald Trump: Quit 'Saying That Racist Bulls--- About Obama'

Henchman 25 Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:09:43pm

It's absolutely racism: If he were white and maybe had a different name, this would not come up.

goddamnedfrank Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:10:37pm

re: #26 Dark_Falcon

And other polls this week had Trump losing badly to Romney in Florida. The polls aren't definative right now, James.

Haha, remember when Rudy pinned all his hopes on Florida. Good times.

Donald Trump has revealed that he will “probably” run for president as a third-party candidate if he does not win the GOP nomination.

Oh please, oh please!

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:10:56pm

re: #28 Ojoe

OT

Info on the "Free Gaza Flotilla"

Is there a non-Powerline link, Ojoe. I'm wary of that site.

webevintage Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:11:20pm

re: #11 Lidane

This is why I love John Cole. He doesn't hold back on calling out bullshit.

His follow-up, where he calls out the Dems for being emo is hilarious and spot on.

and then in the comments?
Emo Dems.
hahahahaha

ProMayaLiberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:11:44pm

re: #29 jaunte

I like John Legend. Ever hear Green Light?

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:13:01pm

re: #31 goddamnedfrank

Was that needed? I was being nice, positive and sane. i wasn't bothering anyone and there you go with post that just comes across as hostile a gloating. That's not being a fact-checker, that's just being a jerk.

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:14:53pm

re: #28 Ojoe

OT

Info on the "Free Gaza Flotilla"

That post is fairly good though. I wish it wasn't where it is, but its a good article.

goddamnedfrank Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:17:38pm

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

Was that needed? I was being nice, positive and sane. i wasn't bothering anyone and there you go with post that just comes across as hostile a gloating. That's not being a fact-checker, that's just being a jerk.

Were you a big Rudy fan?

Youtube Video

Lidane Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:17:43pm

re: #29 jaunte

John Legend to Donald Trump: Quit 'Saying That Racist Bulls--- About Obama'

John Legend is awesome. His awesome skyrockets when he works with The Roots:

Youtube Video

Epic. Simply epic.

ProMayaLiberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:20:58pm

re: #38 Lidane

Thanks for the new song for my MP3 (suck it Apple).

Four More Tears Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:22:14pm

re: #39 ProLifeLiberal

Thanks for the new song for my MP3 (suck it Apple).

Down with iTunes and their proprietary format!

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:22:22pm

re: #37 goddamnedfrank

Were you a big Rudy fan?

[Video]

No. I didn't think he could win, being too far to the left for the party and having a flawed primary strategy. I was just trying to contest all the "GOP is Doomed" talk, but I don't agree with it.

ProMayaLiberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:25:47pm

re: #40 JasonA

That's minor. I think that, for all the crap Microsoft gets, they're the more moral company. This informative but funny article from Cracked has insights.

[Link: www.cracked.com...]

Lidane Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:27:23pm

re: #33 webevintage

and then in the comments?
Emo Dems.
hahahahaha

That's why I gave up on left-wing blogs after 2008. All the emo and wankery pissed me off. John Cole is the only blogger who leans to the left that I bother with anymore. The rest tend to fall into whiny mode at the slightest thing.

ProMayaLiberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:28:01pm

re: #42 ProLifeLiberal

Also, I noticed that many of the people arond me who use Apples are somewhat pretentious and snotty. So I've associated the brand with that and Hipsters. And I F&%^ING hate hipsters.

Usually refered to as anyways Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:32:20pm

re: #44 ProLifeLiberal

Also, I noticed that many of the people arond me who use Apples are somewhat pretentious and snotty. So I've associated the brand with that and Hipsters. And I F&%^ING hate hipsters.

/ Ewww, your one of those guys who have their pants done up just below the tittie line.

Four More Tears Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:32:37pm

re: #42 ProLifeLiberal

That's minor. I think that, for all the crap Microsoft gets, they're the more moral company. This informative but funny article from Cracked has insights.

[Link: www.cracked.com...]

Yeah yeah. I've read that a million times. :)

ProMayaLiberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:35:06pm

re: #45 ozbloke

I think you know what I'm referring too.

Usually refered to as anyways Tue, Apr 12, 2011 8:38:00pm

re: #47 ProLifeLiberal

I think you know what I'm referring too.

No offense meant, just my humor.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:08:37pm

re: #7 Obdicut

I like the birther conspiracies that his father isn't his real father, and that it was Stokey Carmichael, the best. That's one of the most obviously racist ones too-- Obama looks like his father, not like Carmichael. It's very obvious his father is his father-- unless you're really bad at telling black people apart.

Just back from a long errand. I actually think he looks like his mother, but maybe I'm biased in favor of mothers.

moderatelyradicalliberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:20:46pm

re: #23 freetoken

It's not just racism, but a special kind of racism.

You see, the President's mother was white... and she chose to have sex with a black man instead of a white male.

This strikes fear deep into the psyches of Farah and his compatriots.

Sexual race mixing of the black man/white woman kind was the greatest fear of segregationists. Defending white womanhood and keeping black boys away from white girls was constantly used to scare white people during the Civil Rights Movement. They were afraid that an army of mixed race babies would take over. They look at President Obama and all of their fears are confirmed.

Heh.

moderatelyradicalliberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:22:24pm

re: #49 EmmmieG

Just back from a long errand. I actually think he looks like his mother, but maybe I'm biased in favor of mothers.

He actually looks like his maternal grandfather. His sister looks like their mother.

blueraven Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:29:35pm

re: #32 Dark_Falcon

Is there a non-Powerline link, Ojoe. I'm wary of that site.

What are your issues with Powerline? Serious question. I have only been there a couple of times following links, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

moderatelyradicalliberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:31:56pm

re: #11 Lidane

This is why I love John Cole. He doesn't hold back on calling out bullshit.

His follow-up, where he calls out the Dems for being emo is hilarious and spot on.

That was awesome. I've felt like punching hippies lately too.

moderatelyradicalliberal Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:41:15pm

Also too, birtherism is racism, but white people are going to have to say it. Out loud and often, on TV to other white people. Republicans need to say too. It won't matter if black people say it, we'll just be accused of playing the "race card".

Dark_Falcon Tue, Apr 12, 2011 9:55:54pm

re: #52 blueraven

What are your issues with Powerline? Serious question. I have only been there a couple of times following links, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

We had some problems with it a while back. If things have gotten better there (and from what you say they have), then I'm glad to hear that and consider my objection rescinded.

SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 12, 2011 10:52:42pm

re: #7 Obdicut

I like the birther conspiracies that his father isn't his real father, and that it was Stokey Carmichael, the best. That's one of the most obviously racist ones too-- Obama looks like his father, not like Carmichael. It's very obvious his father is his father-- unless you're really bad at telling black people apart.

Now that's interesting. I don't see much of his father in him. He looks, to my eye, almost exactly like his mother's father.

But he definitely doesn't look like Stokeley Carmichael.

SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 12, 2011 10:53:18pm

re: #13 JasonA

So, assuming they succeed beyond their wildest dreams and manage to de-legitimize the Obama presidency...what the fuck are they going to do to get rid of Biden?

Probably lie down and cry. They hadn't thought that far ahead.

SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 12, 2011 10:56:22pm

re: #23 freetoken

It's not just racism, but a special kind of racism.

You see, the President's mother was white... and she chose to have sex with a black man instead of a white male.

This strikes fear deep into the psyches of Farah and his compatriots.

This thought just occurred to me: how much would the craziness mount up if Obama was married to a white woman?

blueraven Tue, Apr 12, 2011 11:07:50pm

re: #55 Dark_Falcon

We had some problems with it a while back. If things have gotten better there (and from what you say they have), then I'm glad to hear that and consider my objection rescinded.

Thanks DF. Understand though, that I am not vouching for them. I have been there maybe twice and only read a couple of articles.

They seems to be a pretty conservative.

RIRedinPA Wed, Apr 13, 2011 4:27:22am

He's neither a sekret Muslim or sekret Kenyan, he's a sekret Davos Man, which is actually worse.

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 4:30:37am

I think the birther talk is more about legitimacy than racism. The argument behind it isn't that he's a different color, everyone can see that, but that he's not eligible and therefore it's an illegitimate presidency. I compare it to the bush/florida vote. We heard for the first 4 years of Bush2 that he stole the election and therefore he's illegitimate. It also comparable to Clinton, "He never managed to get 50% of the vote".

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 4:57:19am

re: #61 RogueOne

Why do the birthers speculate he was born in Kenya, and not Hawaii?

What reason is there to believe that?

aagcobb Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:01:11am

re: #61 RogueOne

The specific way they are trying to de-legitimize him is racist. he's not a "real" American, he's an African, and he's probably a sekrit moozlum because he has a funny furrin name. It shows more clearly in the Gingrich/Huckabee version of birferism, in which they accuse him of being a supporter of the Mau-mau rebellion and harboring sympathy for African savages killing and violating whites.

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:01:15am

re: #62 Obdicut

Foreign-born would equal illegitimate. I think it's wrapped around "he shouldn't be president, he cheated" . Sore losers will use just about anything to validate themselves.

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:04:42am

re: #63 aagcobb

The accusation that he's a muslim is just a happy (by their standards) by-product of the accusation that he's not really a natural born citizen. If you don't believe he's a natural born citizen then you can run with the conspiracy theory from there. If you want to make the accusation that someone is a different religion than they claim you don't have to go through the hoops of arguing about where he was born.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:39:33am

re: #64 RogueOne

But why Kenya, Rogue?

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:52:58am

re: #66 Obdicut

But why Kenya, Rogue?

Isn't that where his father is from? If his father held citizenship in Brazil that's what we would be talking about:

Does Barack Obama have Kenyan citizenship?
[Link: www.factcheck.org...]

When Barack Obama Jr. was born on Aug. 4,1961, in Honolulu, Kenya was a British colony, still part of the United Kingdom's dwindling empire. As a Kenyan native, Barack Obama Sr. was a British subject whose citizenship status was governed by The British Nationality Act of 1948. That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.'s children:
....
In other words, at the time of his birth, Barack Obama Jr. was both a U.S. citizen (by virtue of being born in Hawaii) and a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies (or the UKC) by virtue of being born to a father who was a citizen of the UKC.

Obama's British citizenship was short-lived. On Dec. 12, 1963, Kenya formally gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Chapter VI, Section 87 of the Kenyan Constitution specifies that:

1. Every person who, having been born in Kenya, is on 11th December, 1963 a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies or a British protected person shall become a citizen of Kenya on 12th December, 1963...
2. Every person who, having been born outside Kenya, is on 11th December, 1963 a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies or a British protected person shall, if his father becomes, or would but for his death have become, a citizen of Kenya by virtue of subsection (1), become a citizen of Kenya on 12th December, 1963.

As a citizen of the UKC who was born in Kenya, Obama's father automatically received Kenyan citizenship via subsection (1). So given that Obama qualified for citizen of the UKC status at birth and given that Obama's father became a Kenyan citizen via subsection (1), it follows that Obama did in fact have Kenyan citizenship after 1963. So The Rocky Mountain News was at least partially correct.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:54:00am

re: #67 RogueOne

Why does his father coming from there make a difference, though? Why would they be at all likely to go there for the birth?

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:57:14am

I'm having a difficult time posting for some reason. Lets try again:

re: #68 Obdicut

I'm not sure what you're getting at. If his father had citizenship from Brazil do you think they would be talking about Kenya or Brazil?

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:58:38am

re: #68 Obdicut

Why does his father coming from there make a difference, though? Why would they be at all likely to go there for the birth?

I See! I don't think they would be likely to go there for birth. I didn't say the conspiracy theory made sense.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 6:00:30am

re: #70 RogueOne

No, but why do the birthers think that they'd be likely to go there for his birth? That's what I mean.

RogueOne Wed, Apr 13, 2011 6:14:19am

re: #71 Obdicut

No, but why do the birthers think that they'd be likely to go there for his birth? That's what I mean.

I got it, a little late but I got it. I'll repeat, the conspiracy theory doesn't make sense.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 6:22:54am

re: #72 RogueOne

It is certainly possible to construct a birther conspiracy that isn't racist, like believing he got indonesian citizenship which somehow invalided his US citizenship. But those theories were not the root of birtherism, they are not the majority of birtherism. There are, in fact, more racist spinoffs of birtherism that show this-- I mean, there's a whole section of birtherism that doesn't deny Obama's eligibility, just smears him in other ways. Like the people who believe Malcolm X or Stokey Carmichael were his father.

That one's double-racist because not only is it just a baseless 'That white woman liked the black men' style smear, but it's pretty obvious Obama's his dad's son-- he looks like him. He looks nothing like Malcolm X or Stokey Carmichael.

It is not accidental that birtherism and racist sentiment are shown to overlap statistically. Some people can't stand that his father was a black Kenyan.

S'latch Wed, Apr 13, 2011 6:31:59am

It is not necessarily racist to ask whether a person is a natural born citizen of the United States and is therefore not eligible to be President of the United States under Article Two of the United States Constitution.

However, racism is the most probable explanation for someone engaging in Birthirism, i.e., refusing in the face of all the contrary evidence to give up on the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States.

iceweasel Wed, Apr 13, 2011 7:00:37am

re: #74 Lawrence Schmerel

However, racism is the most probable explanation for someone engaging in Birthirism, i.e., refusing in the face of all the contrary evidence to give up on the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States.

It's xenophobia and the need to portray Obama as 'not one of us'. And John Cole and Charles are right: it absolutely is about racism.

S'latch Wed, Apr 13, 2011 7:37:29am

re: #75 iceweasel

Well, I think John Cole makes the point, and any reasonable person would acknowledge, that if Barack Obama were not "black," we wouldn't even be discussing Birthirism. If here were Caucasian, the conspiracy theory that he isn't a natural born citizen would be a short footnote to the list of political attacks on the 44th President of the United States.

Fozzie Bear Wed, Apr 13, 2011 8:33:14am

Birtherism is getting so much traction because, lets face it, the GOP is composed of mostly racists. It is what it is.

Fozzie Bear Wed, Apr 13, 2011 8:36:03am

re: #77 Fozzie Bear

Birtherism is getting so much traction because, lets face it, the GOP is composed of mostly racists. It is what it is.

However, lets not forget where this crap got started: Hilary Clinton's primary campaign. The Clintons fight as dirty as the GOP ever has. They are just better at it, and they don't get caught doing it.

kirkspencer Wed, Apr 13, 2011 8:50:47am

The key thing the birther argument hinges upon is a clause in the naturalization and citizenship laws as of 1961; that five out of ten years of the mother's US residency must have occurred before the 21st
birthday.

It is a sad thing that assumes the question of an 18 (or 19 or 20, but Ann Durham was 18) year old becoming a mother while outside the US never happened; that they just accepted the fact their children weren't US citizens. It also assumes the court does not differentiate between residing and visiting outside the US.

Stephen T. Wed, Apr 13, 2011 9:31:16am

re: #13 JasonA

So, assuming they succeed beyond their wildest dreams and manage to de-legitimize the Obama presidency...what the fuck are they going to do to get rid of Biden?

That one's easy, at least in the minds of birthers. This is what I heard from a birther when asked directly: "If Obama's presidency is de-legitimized, then the whole election is moot. All decisions made and bills signed are nullified. McCain and Palin assume the Presidency and Vice-presidency immediately, it's in the Constitution"

They couldn't find it in my copy, so they claimed that I don't have a real copy of the Constitution. Mine was fake, put out by the Democratic party.

You've got to love cognitive dissonance.

scienceisreal Wed, Apr 13, 2011 10:09:20am

Republicans have a habit of portraying anything they oppose as the "other," foreign to good true patriotic (white christians with high school educations) Americans. They often do it by pointing out someones educational background (they went to Harvard, you didn't go to Harvard, so they're not like you, and they don't understand you). In this case it's obvious that the most defining difference between Obama and the Republican base is his race, so they have to use that to prove that he doesn't understand "real" America. Only catch is they can't come right out and say his race makes him unqualified, so they have to pretend like he's simply foreign, since we all know foreigners have a fundamentally different and twisted view of the world.

hugh59 Wed, Apr 13, 2011 10:10:45am

I am sorry, but this is about as nonsensical as the birther argument itself. This is just the same old foolishness of calling conservatives racist at every opportunity. All you manage to do is dilute the meaning and the impact of the word.

iceweasel Wed, Apr 13, 2011 10:10:51am

re: #81 scienceisreal

Great comment. For what it's worth I agree.

iceweasel Wed, Apr 13, 2011 10:13:31am

re: #81 scienceisreal

Republicans have a habit of portraying anything they oppose as the "other," foreign to good true patriotic (white christians with high school educations) Americans.

This also explains why blatant xenophobia and isolationism a la Birch Society has always been at home there.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 10:44:51am

re: #82 hugh59

Please make an argument rather than an assertion.

And are you really saying all conservatives are birthers? They're not.

hugh59 Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:03:22am

I am saying that it appears that some people want to act as if all Republicans or conservatives are birthers as a way of discrediting them. I know some birthers. I don't think they are racist. I question their judgment.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:05:26am

re: #86 hugh59

I am saying that it appears that some people want to act as if all Republicans or conservatives are birthers as a way of discrediting them.

Who's doing that?

I know some birthers. I don't think they are racist. I question their judgment.

Were do they believe Obama was born?

unwashed masses Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:19:00am

re: #81 scienceisreal

Black people are not Real Americans™, period.

Never have been, never will be.

Real Americans™ are white, straight and Christian.

If Bill Richardson had somehow won the presidency they’d be running this birther stuff on him, too, except he’d be a suspect “anchor baby” born in Mexico and snuck across the border.

Birther = “I can’t believe this black guy is the President!”

eachus Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:52:31am

Sorry, I don't understand any of this. Was it racism in 1964 when Democrats tried to get Barry Goldwater's name removed from the ballot? He was born in Arizona before it became a state. His parents were US citizens. End of the story for almost 50 years. In 2008, one candidate, born outside the United States, preemptively dealt with the issue. John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone while his father was serving there in the US Navy. The status of the Canal Zone didn't matter, his parents were both US citizens, so he qualified as a natural born citizen.

Even if as appears likely, Barack Obama was born in Kenya, his mother was a US citizen. Barack Obama never did anything to renounce his US citizenship, so he is qualified to be president. If he was, in fact born in Kenya, any lies involved are not his, and no stain on his character.

So why hasn't this issued died down and blown away? Because the only evidence that he was born in Hawaii is exactly the opposite. It is the type of certificate that would be filed for someone born while their mother was traveling. Not necessarily out of the country, or even out of the state, but no actual US birth certificate from anywhere else has turned up.

If the press didn't worship Obama, I'm sure some enterprising journalist would have tried to find a Kenyan birth certificate. Maybe in the future some historian will do so. But as in the cases of Abraham Lincoln, Barry Goldwater, and John McCain. you don't have to be born in the confines of a US state to be a natural born citizen. (And the founding fathers never dreamed that this issue would come up. The first few presidents were all born in what were at the time British colonies.)

Varek Raith Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:56:07am

re: #89 eachus

Facepalm.

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:57:47am

re: #89 eachus

Because the only evidence that he was born in Hawaii is exactly the opposite.

Nope. He has displayed his birth certificate which is absolutely valid for all proof of identity, acceptable as proof of birthplace and citizenship.

You've been misinformed.

blueraven Wed, Apr 13, 2011 11:59:34am

re: #89 eachus

Sorry, I don't understand any of this.

You should have stopped right there. It was the only factual statement in your ridiculous screed.

wrenchwench Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:01:24pm

re: #88 unwashed masses

Black people are not Real Americans™, period.

Never have been, never will be.

Real Americans™ are white, straight and Christian.

If Bill Richardson had somehow won the presidency they’d be running this birther stuff on him, too, except he’d be a suspect “anchor baby” born in Mexico and snuck across the border.

Birther = “I can’t believe this black guy is the President!”

Richardson's father had a great deal of foresight on that. He took his family from Mexico City to Pasadena, California, for Bill to be born, then moved back to Mexico City, where Bill spent his first ten years or so. His mother still, or again, lives in Mexico City.

Yeah, they would have made something of it, just not quite the same thing.

SanFranciscoZionist Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:02:42pm

re: #89 eachus

"If the press didn't worship Obama, I'm sure some enterprising journalist would have tried to find a Kenyan birth certificate. Maybe in the future some historian will do so."

You do understand that many, many people have desperately been trying to find such a document, and that this is the best they've been able to do?

Obama was born in Hawaii. All the documentation from the State of Hawaii says it. Linda Lingle says it. It is a fact. There is ample evidence to that effect, and no evidence at all to the contrary.

So the question of exactly why people are still hammering on this does tend to arise.

Varek Raith Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:07:01pm

re: #94 SanFranciscoZionist

"If the press didn't worship Obama, I'm sure some enterprising journalist would have tried to find a Kenyan birth certificate. Maybe in the future some historian will do so."

You do understand that many, many people have desperately been trying to find such a document, and that this is the best they've been able to do?

Obama was born in Hawaii. All the documentation from the State of Hawaii says it. Linda Lingle says it. It is a fact. There is ample evidence to that effect, and no evidence at all to the contrary.

So the question of exactly why people are still hammering on this does tend to arise.

SFZ shoots that one outta the air.
Image: z130934153.png

tnguitarist Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:07:17pm

re: #89 eachus

Oh, Orly, you silly goose.

aagcobb Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:13:57pm

re: #86 hugh59

Not all, just a majority of likely GOP voters, which is bad enough.

General Nimrod Bodfish Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:33:01pm

If the President was named James Smith, is white, and born in Texas, this nirther nonsense won't be happening. There are many, many in the Tea Party that truly believe that he's from Kenya (see here and here, to name a few).

CJMAC Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:48:50pm

Assuming that a birth certificate showing he was born in the USA really exists, Obama could put the entire matter to rest by providing it to the press.

The fact is that he either can not or will not. And that causes people - whether racist or not - to speculate about the reasons.

And I for one am sick and tired of the racist label being used as a bludgeon against those who disagree with Obama's policies or values.

There are plenty of real racists out there. Skinheads. KKK. Black Panthers - all races have them.

Let's save the accusation for those who truly deserve it. Failing some measure of restraint, the "racist" label becomes a caricature and loses all meaning.

100

Obdicut Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:52:47pm

re: #99 CJMAC

Assuming that a birth certificate showing he was born in the USA really exists, Obama could put the entire matter to rest by providing it to the press.

He already has. Why can't you understand this?

[Link: www.factcheck.org...]

101

jaunte Wed, Apr 13, 2011 12:56:04pm

re: #99 CJMAC

Assuming that a birth certificate showing he was born in the USA really exists, Obama could put the entire matter to rest by providing it to the press.

The fact is that he either can not or will not. And that causes people - whether racist or not - to speculate about the reasons.

#NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement

102

blueraven Wed, Apr 13, 2011 1:35:34pm

re: #99 CJMAC

Assuming that a birth certificate showing he was born in the USA really exists, Obama could put the entire matter to rest by providing it to the press.

The fact is that he either can not or will not. And that causes people - whether racist or not - to speculate about the reasons.

And I for one am sick and tired of the racist label being used as a bludgeon against those who disagree with Obama's policies or values.

There are plenty of real racists out there. Skinheads. KKK. Black Panthers - all races have them.

Let's save the accusation for those who truly deserve it. Failing some measure of restraint, the "racist" label becomes a caricature and loses all meaning.

Strawman

Read this:
Birthers are racist.
People who disagree over policy...not

103

tnguitarist Wed, Apr 13, 2011 1:41:53pm

re: #99 CJMAC

Idiot. Move along.

104

William Barnett-Lewis Wed, Apr 13, 2011 2:04:58pm

re: #99 CJMAC

Take your racism and go home, troll.

105

garhighway Wed, Apr 13, 2011 2:13:03pm

re: #99 CJMAC

Assuming that a birth certificate showing he was born in the USA really exists, Obama could put the entire matter to rest by providing it to the press.

If you are born in Hawaii and ask for your birth certificate, you get what Obama got. It is that simple. There is nothing else for him to produce. His campaign showed it to the press during the 2008 campaign.

A teenager with dial-up internet access can find this out in 15 minutes. The sheer simplicity of this makes arguments to the contrary suspect, and therefore puts the motives of those who advance those arguments into question.

106

hugh59 Wed, Apr 13, 2011 2:42:27pm

re: #89 eachus

Sorry, I don't understand any of this. Was it racism in 1964 when Democrats tried to get Barry Goldwater's name removed from the ballot? He was born in Arizona before it became a state. His parents were US citizens. End of the story for almost 50 years. In 2008, one candidate, born outside the United States, preemptively dealt with the issue. John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone while his father was serving there in the US Navy. The status of the Canal Zone didn't matter, his parents were both US citizens, so he qualified as a natural born citizen.

Even if as appears likely, Barack Obama was born in Kenya, his mother was a US citizen. Barack Obama never did anything to renounce his US citizenship, so he is qualified to be president. If he was, in fact born in Kenya, any lies involved are not his, and no stain on his character.

So why hasn't this issued died down and blown away? Because the only evidence that he was born in Hawaii is exactly the opposite. It is the type of certificate that would be filed for someone born while their mother was traveling. Not necessarily out of the country, or even out of the state, but no actual US birth certificate from anywhere else has turned up.

If the press didn't worship Obama, I'm sure some enterprising journalist would have tried to find a Kenyan birth certificate. Maybe in the future some historian will do so. But as in the cases of Abraham Lincoln, Barry Goldwater, and John McCain. you don't have to be born in the confines of a US state to be a natural born citizen. (And the founding fathers never dreamed that this issue would come up. The first few presidents were all born in what were at the time British colonies.)

I don't buy it. Okay, let's assume his mother was traveling. I doubt that a pregnant woman close to term is going to travel to Kenya in 1961. Traveling was not as easy then as it is now. Pan Am started offering jet airliner service from Hawaii to the mainland in 1959, but it was not as easy a matter as it is today.

If anything, might be willing to believe that his mother flew to the mainland to have her baby. I lived in the Virgin Islands a while ago and that happened all the time. But then, he was still born in the US. For crying out loud, there is no way the President is going to know this anyways. There are probably friends of the family who were alive at the time who remember his mother being in town around the time he was born.

107

Charles Johnson Wed, Apr 13, 2011 2:49:29pm

Wow, we still have a couple of Birthers hanging around, I see.

Don't bother trying to bring up facts or logic, folks. They're not going to read anything you write.

108

Charles Johnson Wed, Apr 13, 2011 3:00:33pm

I have a theory about the predilection of Birthers and other kooks to leave their rants on inactive or dead threads. I believe that subconsciously, they realize that they're about to type something mind-bogglingly dumb and post it on the Internet where everyone in the world can see it, and so they're torn between two conflicting compulsions: to blather about Birtherism, and to avoid embarrassing themselves. So they deal with the disconnect and cognitive dissonance by posting at the end of a thread that comparatively few people will read, preferably a day or more after the blog has moved on to newer subjects.

This way, they get the obsessive's satisfaction of having the last word, and also mitigate the conflicting need to avoid embarrassment at the sheer stupidity of that last word.

That is my theory.

109

Fozzie Bear Wed, Apr 13, 2011 3:12:25pm

re: #108 Charles

Perhaps an alternate (or rather, complimentary) reason is that they are finding out about these threads from sources outside LGF that are criticizing LGF. There are other blogs that often discuss stories here (not just the stalker blogs) so some part of the delay may be accounted for by the posters not being aware of the thread until a day or two later.

I think what you said is part of it, too, to be sure.

110

garhighway Wed, Apr 13, 2011 3:13:09pm

re: #109 Fozzie Bear

Perhaps an alternate (or rather, complimentary) reason is that they are finding out about these threads from sources outside LGF that are criticizing LGF. There are other blogs that often discuss stories here (not just the stalker blogs) so some part of the delay may be accounted for by the posters not being aware of the thread until a day or two later.

I think what you said is part of it, too, to be sure.

Or maybe they're just slow.

111

Iwouldprefernotto Wed, Apr 13, 2011 3:26:13pm

re: #108 Charles

I have a theory about the predilection of Birthers and other kooks to leave their rants on inactive or dead threads. I believe that subconsciously, they realize that they're about to type something mind-bogglingly dumb and post it on the Internet where everyone in the world can see it, and so they're torn between two conflicting compulsions: to blather about Birtherism, and to avoid embarrassing themselves. So they deal with the disconnect and cognitive dissonance by posting at the end of a thread that comparatively few people will read, preferably a day or more after the blog has moved on to newer subjects.

This way, they get the obsessive's satisfaction of having the last word, and also mitigate the conflicting need to avoid embarrassment at the sheer stupidity of that last word.

That is my theory.

Who says that this thread is dead? Prove it. Show me the death certificate.

112

polruan Thu, Apr 14, 2011 9:36:01am

it would have been interesting if john mccain had bee elected, as he was born in a foreign country-panama.

113

General Nimrod Bodfish Thu, Apr 14, 2011 10:56:35am

re: #112 polruan

Except that he's white and doesn't have a funny name. Such thing would be confined to the extremes, unlike President Obama where every-fucking-one in the Republican Party believes it or won't stand against it.

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