Jake Tapper Asks Axelrod About Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate

Monday, October 11, 2010 | Kristinn

[kristinn]

During the course of questioning about the Obama administration's attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ABC News White House Correspondent Jake Tapper brought up the issue of Barack Obama refusing to release his long form Hawaii birth certificate in an interview today with senior White House adviser David Axelrod.

Axelrod said that Obama's birth certificate "has been available to people."

When Tapper followed up by asking if the long form version (aka the original with more information than the shorter publicly released version) has been released, Axelrod ducked the question with this bizarre rejoinder, “the only people who want to keep things secret are folks who have something to hide.”

Before people get too excited, Tapper later Tweeted his disdain for birthers:

jaketapper Periodically it becomes clear that I need to warn folks: I block birthers (and truthers). Keep that nonsense out of my twitter feed. Thanks. 11 minutes ago via ÜberTwitter

However, Tapper had no problem raising the issue with Axelrod:

TAPPER: But what do you say to people who argue you are demonizing an organization for a charge that nobody knows if it's true or not?

AXELROD: Well I’m not demonizing the Chamber of Commerce. I’m simply suggesting to them that they disclose the source of the $75 million that they are spending in campaigns and put to rest, put to rest the questions that have been, that have been raised.

TAPPER: Isn't that like the whackjobs that tell the president he needs to show them his full long-form birth certificate so he can put to rest the questions that have been raised?

AXELROD: The president’s birth certificate has been available to people.

TAPPER: The long form?

AXELROD: Someone once in the course of this debate about whether we should have a law to force these organizations to disclose where they’re money is coming from in the campaigns, someone said, and I think they’re right – “the only people who want to keep things secret are folks who have something to hide.” If the Chamber doesn’t have anything to hide about these contributions, and I take them at their word that they don’t, then why not disclose? Why not let people see where their money is coming from?

Outside of the likes of Les Kinsolving, this appears to be the first time the long form birth certificate issue has been publicly queried at the senior White House level.

H/t Amanda Carpenter

[cvq3842]

Anything is possible, and that is less unlikely than some other scenarios I can think of.

[cvq3842]

That’s a good line!

[edge919]

Nice overreaction. You did notice the word “IF” at the beginning of my previous post?? I’m going by what the best avialable evidence tells us. We have evidence Granny and SAD (not Barak Sr.) lived at the address listed in the newspaper birth announcement, and that SAD was in Washington state the same month the baby was born. The HI DOH has admitted through responses to UIPA requests that Obama’s birth records were amended, meaning the original birth records DO NOT prove Obama was born in Hawaii. The law allows unattended births to be registered by anyone with knowledge of the birth. All this explains why Obama doesn’t want to show the LFBC. It would call into question the veracity of the claim of Hawaiian nativity. It also explains why the DOH doesn’t want to release the LFBC, yet still claims other vital records verify his birth in Hawaii (which are probably supplementary records filed later with the state). It would also explain how the birth announcements were placed in the newspapers in 1961. Feel free to provide an alternate explanation.

[edge919]

Do you know what the term ‘hypocrite’ means?? Tapper undermines his pointless namecalling by following up on Axelrod’s claim that a birth certificate has been available to ‘people’ by saying, “The long form?”.

[curiosity]

Hillary will be VP early next year. The zero will be forced from office 3+ months later.

Wanna bet? If Hillary is VP before June 2011, AND Obama is gone by September, you win. Otherwise, I win. Sound good to you? How much are you willing to stake?

[curiosity]

I assume the US recognized his first marriage, in which case he could not have been legally married here, since we don’t recognize polygamy.

If that's the case, then he would be a Natural Born Citizen no matter where he was born.

However, I suspect that Obama Sr.'s first marriage was some sort of triabl ceremony that did not carry the force of law even in colonial Kenya.

At any rate, it's all moot, as the short form the Obama has publicized is just as good for the purposes of proving birth in the US as is the long form.

[Tex-Con-Man]

Are you suggesting Tapper is being a hypocrite?

He's made it clear he thinks birthers are “whackjobs”. He equates them with truthers. He was using the “long form” birther argument to illustrate the absurdity of the defense Gibbs was using to justify their foreign money accusations against the Chamber of Commerce. Tapper was suggesting neither was supported by evidence, and both were equally nutty. Consistent in his point...nothing hypocritical about it.

Tapper has made it clear he is not a birther, and wants nothing to do with them.

Only in birtherville is this seen as a validation of their quest.

[rxsid]

Thanks R.S.

[edge919]

Are you suggesting Tapper is being a hypocrite?

Were there words I used you don't understand?? He asked for a clarification he shouldn't have needed if he really think this is a 'whackjob' issue. You offered a rather dumb explanation in his defense.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

What no points or odds. I don’t hear any scenario’s. Just like a republican part of ‘No’.

[rxsid]

"Whether Jake Tapper is a moron or not is not the issue in this case. Think about it. There is no way Tapper would have broached that subject a year ago. He had to have been allowed by higher ups to ask that question. There is something much deeper going on with that question.

Are they getting ready to dump Obummer? By they, I mean the powers that be within the Democratic party.

That's how I see this re: Tapper.

The fact that he inquired (albeit, once with no follow-up) about the long form specifically shows that he knows (knew) the distinction between the alleged short form on the WWW, and the not released copy of the original long form.

Couple that with other recent developments, such as: Dem Whip: GOP majority will issue birther subpoenas and it seems like the RAT's are starting to worry that the truth may finally see the light of day it deserves!

b.t.w. I would ask Tapper how someone born (by birthright) a subject to the crown of her majesty the Queen of England could possibly be a Natural Born Citizen of the U.S. regardless of where he was born?

That's assuming Sr. was his legal father at birth. If he wasn't, then the follow-up questions become...what was he legal name at birth? Was it "Obama?" If not, why did he take his oaths under that name? Also, what then, of the forged gov't document on his campaign website?

Any way it's looked at, ole' Barry is the largest political fraud perpetrated on the United States of America.

[curiosity]

Look, sport, you predicted that Hillary would be VP by "early" 2011. I'd say I'm being pretty generous by giving you till June for that to happen.

Similiarly you said Obama would be out 3 months later, so I translated that to mean September. The end of September is exactly three months after the end of June. But okay, I can give you another few months if you want. Say year-end 2011.

So you win if Hillary is VP by end of June of 2011, AND Obama is gone by year-end 2011. Do you find that acceptable?

[Kleon]

Tapper undermines his pointless namecalling by following up on Axelrod’s claim that a birth certificate has been available to ‘people’ by saying, “The long form?”.

I believe he was just clarifying which specific birther nutjobs he was referring to.

[hoosiermama]

Speculation....
OTOH Check out the line of succession:

Vice President Joe Biden
2 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
3 President pro tempore of the Senate Daniel Inouye
4 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
5 Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
6 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates[2]
7 Attorney General Eric Holder
...

All but two are appointed by, BO: Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate.

All laws he has signed, all appointments, ExO would be null and void. Hillary would have to be confirmed by the congress to be VP in a small window after legal after BO is found not eligible and before he is removed in order to be on the list legally...and IMO even that would be null and void.

Hill/billy have known about his “situation” and would be part of the conspiracy....Even the Berg case, since she was not a party to, but Berg a follower of Hill, will not save them. The case would be used to prove she knew, but not excuse her from complying....IOW she's got her tit in a ringer.

Ask Justice Thomas said the problem is evasive (2nd meaning of the word- meaning needing a great deal of study)

[Red Steel]

That's assuming Sr. was his legal father at birth. If he wasn't, then the follow-up questions become...what was he legal name at birth? Was it "Obama?" If not, why did he take his oaths under that name? Also, what then, of the forged gov't document on his campaign website?

Hannity about 5 minutes ago, brought up where is Obama's birth certificate?

[rxsid]

Really? Good to hear!

[Red Steel]

It was in the context of Obama acting illegally using the IRS to go after political enemies and companies and other non-compliance of laws where Hannity made the point that Nixon was accused by the Dems using the IRS to go after his political enemies and that it was an impeachable offense, but not for Obama.

Hannity then brought up where is Obama's birth certificate?

[curiosity]

All but two are appointed by, BO: Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate.

Tisk, tisk. You obviously don't know the Constitution very well. The President does not appoint the Vice President. Go back and read the 12th Amendment.

[Yaelle]

Will we see this used against Obama in the 2012 Dem primaries by the Clintons?

I have this feeling Clinton and Obama have each other in a Mutually Assured Destruction standoff. Obama probably holds some pretty bad info on them and they on him.

[Yaelle]

Nope. Even in his first book, Obama admits he didn’t know for sure if his parents were ever married, and he didn’t really want to know. So it’s something more embarrassing than that. Also, coming from an unwed single mother is NOT something to keep a good person out of the White House any more.