james,
Thanks for your comments.
It's been a very busy week, so no chance to respond.
I spent 15 minutes browsing through your archive.
At first glance, your politics are unknowable.
You post many articles of interest to Conservatives, but you never comment in them.
All your comments appear to be directed only at Birther style articles.
Strangely, in those comments, you often display a sense of satisfaction - even pleasure - at the legal, political, and ethical frustrations of Conservatives.
At any rate, I have a few comments of my own...
james writes...I could have sworn that conservatives have been demanding Obama’s documents since he was first nominated by the Democrats.
Besides the Conservatives at Free Republic, World Net Daily, and a few other minor websites, no influential Conservative has demanded anything from Obama. Quite the opposite, I would suggest. Many well known Conservatives openly mock or condemn those who demand documents from Obama.
You appear to me to be a bit politically naive. “Demanding full disclosure” from candidates is pointless.
You missed my point completely. The political Left has artfully smeared all those who wish to see Obama's LFBC as fanatics or imbeciles. Taking back the initiative is simple. Every Conservative running for political office can voluntarily submit his own Long Form BC to his own local newspaper. As I pointed out, there is no political defense to "What's He Hiding?"
It is responsibility of the political opposition to any candidate to uncover that which is hidden.
Your idealism is admirable. Unfortunately, the political playing field is not level. The political Left dominates government bureaucracy, popular culture, education, news, and commentary, and America's courts can hold up or rebuff any legal challenge for years.
Did you really expect Bill Clinton or Mark Sanford to hold press conferences and announce that they had mistresses prior to the uncovering of that information by third parties?
No, and nothing in my comments suggests I ever did. I called for the routine political disclosure of "Documents," namely, BC's, school records, test scores, court records, passport records, financial records, etc. As a Conservative, I EXPECT Conservative candidates to tell me everything, not because it is politically helpful, but because it is ETHICAL. If a Conservative is afraid to disclose his past (like Bush and his DUI), then I do not want him to represent me. If Conservatives lead the way on "Full Disclosure," which is our completely instinctive way, then the rest of political America will be relentlessly pressured to follow.
If a candidate or an elected official isn’t forthcoming enough, you have the right to vote against them.
A double shot of naive idealism. As to "rights," In 2009 America's courts and lawyers can torture our Constitution into any meaning they please. As to "voting," American Conservatism is being overwhelmed by demography. In 2009 America naturalized 1.8 million new citizens. 75% of them will vote for Democrats. 65% of their children will vote for Democrats. America's racial and cultural profile has been irretrievably moved Leftward since mass immigration began in 1985.
“Besides the Conservatives at Free Republic, World Net Daily, and a few other minor websites, no influential Conservative has demanded anything from Obama. Quite the opposite, I would suggest. Many well known Conservatives openly mock or condemn those who demand documents from Obama.”
I guess you don’t consider Alan Keyes to be an “influential conservative”. He has sued Obama over eligibility issues.
“You missed my point completely. The political Left has artfully smeared all those who wish to see Obama’s LFBC as fanatics or imbeciles. Taking back the initiative is simple. Every Conservative running for political office can voluntarily submit his own Long Form BC to his own local newspaper. As I pointed out, there is no political defense to “What’s He Hiding?”
Smearing one’s political opponents is a time honored political tradition. It is the job of the political opposition to any candidate to dig up the dirt on their opponent. Ever heard of “swift boating?” It was highly successful, take what your opponent considers a strength and turn it against him.
In my humble opinion, Obama will not release any birth document as long as HE and his political advisors feel that this issue is working for him and not against him. My opinion is that Obama believes that the birth certificate issue works to solidify his base, particularly with Latinos who are often considered not “real” Americans and the issue has the added benefit of dividing the conservative movement which also works to Obama’s benefit. Any conservative who endorsed the birth certificate fight gets immediately castigated as a kook and a racist by Obama’s supporters while Obama himself stays above the fray. However the old Truman cliche’ “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” is still apt.
The answer to your question “what is he hiding” is anything that would give ammunition to his political opposition. Kerry got “swiftboated” and Obama is determined not to let that happen to him. “Fool us once...”
And for the record, the REPUBLICAN Attorney General of Hawaii could subpoena Obama’s original, long form, birth certificate any time he wants and Mark L. Bennett has statuatory independent subpoena power under the laws of Hawaii.
“No, and nothing in my comments suggests I ever did. I called for the routine political disclosure of “Documents,” namely, BC’s, school records, test scores, court records, passport records, financial records, etc. As a Conservative, I EXPECT Conservative candidates to tell me everything, not because it is politically helpful, but because it is ETHICAL. If a Conservative is afraid to disclose his past (like Bush and his DUI), then I do not want him to represent me. If Conservatives lead the way on “full disclosure,” which is our completely instinctive way, then the rest of political America will be relentlessly pressured to follow.”
Obama may well do a “document dump” like Bill Clinton did, at a point in time when it is the most advantageous for HIM to release information. As long as only people who would never vote for Obama in a million years are the only people demanding full disclosure, its probably not going to happen.
“Your idealism is admirable. Unfortunately, the political playing field is not level. The political Left dominates government bureaucracy, popular culture, education, news, and commentary, and America’s courts can hold up or rebuff any legal challenge for years.”
I guess I have more faith in the skill of conservative political operatives than you do. You appear to have a defeatist attitude. No one ever said that winning in national political politics would be easy and yet in spite of the left media, the government bureaucracy, popular culture, education, news, commentary and the courts, there have been DECADES of conservative majorities. Those days will come again and all those liberal institutions will still be intact. Think Ronald Reagan, Speaker Newt Gingrich, George H.W. Bush, George Bush and the 12 straight years of a Republiacn majority in Congress until 1998.
All of that occurred with the liberal institutions firmly in place.
“A double shot of naive idealism. As to “rights,” In 2009 America’s courts and lawyers can torture our Constitution into any meaning they please. As to “voting,” American Conservatism is being overwhelmed by demography. In 2009 America naturalized 1.8 million new citizens. 75% of them will vote for Democrats. 65% of their children will vote for Democrats. America’s racial and cultural profile has been irretrievably moved Leftward since mass immigration began in 1985.”
More “loser” mentality. Did a conservative win in liberal Massachusetts and take Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat or didn’t he? Is Obama’s job approval rating in free fall faster than any modern era president or isn’t it?
I don’t mean to be unkind but I’m through here. Discussing issues with you is depressing.