Blame the Media for the Birther Movement

Townhall.com ^ | February 22, 2010 | Nick Rizzuto

[Kaslin]

As President Obama's approval numbers continue to spiral downward, the left has purposefully tried to tie the increasingly popular small government conservative movement to the largely fringe "birthers". In the spirit of full disclosure, I am not a birther. I happen to believe that President Obama was born in Hawaii and was therefore eligible to be sworn in as President of the United States on inauguration day. That being said, I can't help but feel a little bit of sympathy for the birthers. Ultimately, the rise of the birther movement is the fault of a deficit of curiosity about Barack Obama on the part of the media.

As a result of his lack of experience in both the private and public sectors, coupled with his relative youth, President Obama's personal records are extremely thin. There are huge gaps in what we know about Barack Obama, whereas previous presidents have been open books. The media normally seems to revel in uncovering the seedy and controversial side of every political figure, but they have never exhibited the same interest in President Obama. Every president has had embarrassing issues arise from their past, but President Obama's level of secrecy, meant to maintain his squeaky clean veneer, only serves to fuel speculation.

Since day one Barack Obama has maintained an extreme amount of control over his image. One of the most important elements of that image has been the narrative of his past. To this end Mr. Obama has written two book that serve as the primary basis for this narrative. The media, whose very purpose is to be inquisitive, seems all too willing to accept it without question. Both Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of hope received scant scrutiny or fact checking. For comparison, the Associated Press devoted 11 reporters to pore over every word of Sarah Palin's Going Rogue.

Another example of the difference in inquisitiveness that the media has shown for this president as opposed to previous ones can be seen by the 2004 investigation of President George W. Bush's military records. The search for dirt on President Bush was so fevered that some seemed willing to throw journalistic standards to the wind in pursuit of something that would stick. Distinguished careers were destroyed in the attempt to uncover details about President Bush’s past.

At the time Bush began his stint in the Air National Guard, he was 22 years old. When Obama was 22, he was still a student at Columbia University. An investigation along the same lines as the Bush Air National Guard investigation would be impossible because Obama has not allowed the release of his college records. Unfortunately, the media seems to be perfectly content with this lack of access to key events in our presidents past and for all intents and purposes considers the matter to be a non-issue.

The birthers are naturally being drawn to and are fueled by the alternative media because nearly all of the negative press Barack Obama has received, including his controversial associations from his past, has originated with these sources. While most of the media treated us to puff pieces during the 2008 election, investigations into Obama associates like Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers percolated and exploded almost exclusively out of traditionally conservative outlets and the blogosphere. Mainstream sources on the other hand fiercely fought to discredit these stories, even when these controversies deserved scrutiny and provided a rare insight into candidate Obama.

President Obama's secrecy about his past and the media's apparent lack of interest in it does not assume that they are colluding to cover something up, but it does leave plenty of room for people who are conspiratorially inclined to fill in the blanks. Seeing as the left increasingly sees the birther movement as an albatross to tie around the neck of their enemies on the right, we can most likely chalk up the media’s lack of curiosity to good old-fashioned left wing bias. But even if bias is to blame, it's only natural that some would confuse their lack of investigation to be evidence of malfeasance.

Presuming the media’s love affair with President Obama continues, we can assume that their lack of curiosity will as well. For those who profess such admiration for the President but don’t seem to care much about whom he was prior to his emergence on the public stage though the question remains: Are you scared of what you'll find?

[Godebert]

You’re pathetic.

[lucysmom]

Mr. Odinga and Mr. Obama were nearly inseparable throughout Mr. Obama's six-day stay. The two traveled together throughout Kenya and Mr. Obama spoke on behalf of Mr. Odinga at numerous rallies. In contrast, Mr. Obama had only criticism for Kibaki.

The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church, but I'm sure they are credible now and then.

Nairobi — Kenya President Kibaki has hailed US President Barack Obama on his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize win.

He said the award was a fitting tribute to the US President for his efforts in initiating dialogue aimed at bringing about sustainable peace in various parts of the world.

'On behalf of the government and the people of Kenya, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on being declared winner of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200910090793.html

Mighty big of Kibaki don't you think particularly since Obama campaigned for the opposition.

Now, can you truly say that you have the utmost confidence in Obama's ability to not side with Kenya and metaphorically push that red button if the Kenyan government were to "go nuclear" on America?

A-a-a, I guess that makes sense to you, however your logic entirely escapes me.

[DJ MacWoW]

Mighty big of Kibaki don't you think particularly since Obama campaigned for the opposition.

PLEASE tell me you aren't that clueless? I will explain slowly so that even you will understand.

Mwai Kibaki won the election. Raila Odinga sent his murdering thugs out and 1,500 people were murdered. The outcome of this was that Kibaki is President and Odinga was made Prime Minister. Except that they are not speaking to one another at the moment. Google it. Peace is fragile.

That said, do you REALLY believe that Kibaki would say anything to or about Obama that wasn't nice? Most of Kenya worships Obama. Kibaki doesn't want another bloodbath.

[Canedawg]

Yes, we’re “birthers” because he has concealed his true past, and we’re racists because we disagree with his policies.

It’s really working, too! His approval rate has gone from 62% to 44%!

Snort

Long form, baby. Free it.

[DoctorBulldog]

lucysmom wrote: "[...] http://allafrica.com/stories/200910090793.html...Mighty big of Kibaki don't you think particularly since Obama campaigned for the opposition."

Oh, I see that AllAfrica.com is a somewhat credible news source for you. After all, if you didn't trust them at all, then you wouldn't have quoted them, right?

Then why do you give the Constitutional Disciples such a hard time?

I mean, you must have missed this one from AllAfrica.com:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200908200781.html

"Little wonder then why Kenyan-born Barack Obama, America's first Black President, [...]"

Oh, yeah! Now I remember, we have some screenshots, too!

And, you missed this other one at AllAfrica.com:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200802180051.html

"Kampala — Ugandans have formed a group to mobilise support for Kenyan born-senator, Barack Obama for the US presidency."

Of course, AllAfrica.com has made that one available by subscription only, but not before Red Steel managed to take a snapshot of it for me!

(Many thanks, Red Steel! You da' man!)

So, I am at a loss as to your lack of curiosity when a news source that you have decided is credible enough to cite, publishes at least two articles that refer to Barack Obama, Jr. as Kenyan born.

Yeah, I know, those articles from AllAfrica.com don't prove anything. But, one does wonder how AllAfrica.com got the impression that Obama was Kenyan-born...

Aren't you even the slightest bit curious about that? Given such confusing reports, don't you think that the Birth Certificaters actually DO deserve to see Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate?

After all, it's not like Obama has been exactly honest with the American people. Why, just today, even birther-denier Glenn Beck showed Obama's willingness to outright lie straight to our faces.

After watching that, it is beyond me why Beck would not understand why the Birth Certificaters think Obama is lying to them and just want some sort of satisfactory proof one way or the other---satisfaction which Obama is denying them and sadistically taunting them with by fighting against the release of his vaulted long form birth certificate.

But, that is not of my immediate concern.

My concern is very simple, yet you claim my logic escapes you. Simply put, the actual, stated intent of the Natural Born Citizen requirement for President was an attempt by the Founding Fathers to insure that the office of the President was free of all foreign influence and that its holder has sole and absolute allegiance, loyalty, and attachment to the U.S.

By actively campaigning for Odinga in 2006 (one among many other examples) Obama has demonstrated that he DOES NOT possess absolute allegiance to the United States and is therefore in violation of the original intent of the Natural Born citizen requirement and cannot be trusted to have America's best interests at heart when dealing with Kenya, Indonesia, or just about anything else.

Yes, the metaphorical "Red Button" issue that I raised in my previous post is an extreme case. However, sometimes it takes the extreme to help illustrate the consequences and dangers of having allowed someone with split allegiances into the Oval Office.

Cheers

P.S. - I screwed up my hotlink to the Washington Times article in my last post. This is the correct link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/12/obamas-kenya-ghosts/

[DoctorBulldog]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking when I first read lucysmom's reply.

However, while I was typing my reply (#285) to her, I felt my reply was getting way too long and that the whole Kenyan election situation, along with the U.N. and Kofi Annan's interference, would become yet another distraction point for her.

Thank you for picking up my dropped baton and covering that tidbit of information for me.

Cheers

[DJ MacWoW]

You’re welcome. It annoyed me because talking points are being used without having any real knowledge or having done any research.

[lucysmom]

Yes, the metaphorical "Red Button" issue that I raised in my previous post is an extreme case. However, sometimes it takes the extreme to help illustrate the consequences and dangers of having allowed someone with split allegiances into the Oval Office.

Do you worry about the split allegiances of the Russian/Israeli/US citizen who would oust the man who sits in the oval office?

[DJ MacWoW]

You sound like an Obama operative. The worry is the marxist who sits in the Oval Office bent on destroying America. Go love Obama some place else.

[FelixFelicis]

I wasn’t calling you racists, just pointing out that Obama’s friends in the media have an all-too-easy time portraying you that way. And if you don’t like the term “birthers,” I guess I can call you “people who obsess on the question of Obama’s eligibility and induce migraines with your hair-splitting analyses on the definition of ‘natural born’ when there are an infinite number of more important issues at hand,” but “birthers” is just more concise.

[lucysmom]

In contrast, Mr. Obama had only criticism for Kibaki. He lashed out against the Kenyan government shortly after meeting with the president on Aug. 25. "The [Kenyan] people have to suffer over corruption perpetrated by government officials," Mr. Obama announced.

"Kenyans are now yearning for change," he declared. The intent of Mr. Obama's remarks and actions was transparent to Kenyans - he was firmly behind Mr. Odinga. "

From the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom:

Corruption is perceived as pervasive. Kenya ranks 147th out of 179 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2008. Corruption has led to foreign disinvestment and has drained resources needed for education, health, and infrastructure. Kenyans view the police as the most corrupt public institution. Corruption involving food and fuel oil may have far-reaching consequences as the administration of President Kibaki tries to tackle a looming food crisis. The government has taken some halting steps to address judicial corruption.

http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Kenya

Apparently corruption is a BIG issue in Kenyan politics and economic life; would you say that the Heritage Foundation also supports Odinga by taking note of it.

Hasn't Obama, as president, said similar things in Africa outside Kenya?

From the CIA World Factbook: Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister.

The 2007 election was widely (universally) viewed as flawed and failed to get a seal of approval from any independent outside observers. Both sides seem to be guilty.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html

BTW, Kibaki was for the creation of the position of Prime Minister and power sharing before he was against it - could we say he flip-flopped?

Actually I think Kibaki is a fairly decent man by African standards, swimming is a sea of corruption. I also think Kenyans are fed up with the corruption endemic to their government and angry just as our tea partiers are. It is too easy to blame Obama, Odinga, or even Kibaki for the violence following the 2007 election. The issues are more complex and long standing than their small part.

[lucysmom]

You sound like an Obama operative.

Do I? Well it ain't so.

The worry is the marxist who sits in the Oval Office bent on destroying America.

There is a Constitutional process for removing Obama from office - Impeachment. It is difficult, but then the founding fathers, in their wisdom, meant it to be.

Are you among those who would wish to shred the Constitution in order to save it?

Go love Obama some place else.

There ya go, playing god, creating reality by speaking a word (with credit to parsifal).

YOU create love for Obama by writing the words and then tell me to go away because you don't approve your creation.

In general, I do not take responsibility for the creations of those with god complexes (noting that The God does take responsibility for His creations).

lucysmom, who is not feeling amused this morning

[parsifal]

But you’re giving ‘em hell, Babe! You know what irritates me? These clowns think Saul Alinsky invented laughter and humor. You laugh at something that is hilariously stupid, and dang if you ain’t part of the Comintern.

Parsy, who reserves the right to laugh at stupid stuff!

[DJ MacWoW]

I now take ANY reply from you with a grain of salt. You have NO idea what you’re talking about as per my post 283 to you. You make wild statements based on no knowledge of events or facts.

[DJ MacWoW]

But you’re giving ‘em hell, Babe!

No. She isn't. What reality do you occupy? See post 283. To give someone "hell" one needs a basic grasp of facts.

[lucysmom]

Parsy, who reserves the right to laugh at stupid stuff!

You marxist, you.

[parsifal]

I don’t even want to hear the word “Facts” from you! You were too fraidy-cat to even go to that site I gave you where they had all the natural born citizen stuff. I submit that one can not really have the facts when they are too afraid of cooties to even read anything which doesn’t support their view.

So here’s the link again:

http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2009/01/the-great-mother-of-all-natural-born-citizen-quotation-pages/

Get your fraidy-cat booty over to that site right now, and start reading! And if you get cooties, I will perform an online exorcism and get you back to normal.

parsy, who is looking out for you!

[DJ MacWoW]

You are making assumptions. That’s not new for you. I told you that I do not give lefty sites hits. I also do not click on the many blogger links posted on FR. I also do not frequent biased sites. And the only one you are looking out for is Obama.

[DallasSun]

Excuse me? Pathetic I am not. I am alot of things. Pathetic is not one of them.

[DallasSun]

And...are you this rude to everyone with whom you disagree? I obviously disagree with you about whatever it is you are referring to...you were not specific..but I think we simply disagree. I do not think you are pathetic. I do think you are rude though.