Posted on 05/06/2011 7:06:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The good news: It’s a heavy blow to the Trump boomlet. The bad news: … none that I can think of, really.
Actually, the bad news is that I lose a vein of easy content to blog. Help me, viral videos, you’re my only hope.
More crosstabs from WaPo. The “Honolulu/Hawaii” column is the big one, obviously:
This poll was conducted before Obama’s announcement of the Bin Laden killing, in case you’re inclined to attribute the huge bounce to goodwill rather than evidence. Needless to say, the key lines are the ones for Republicans and Conservative Republicans; in both groups, the number of Birthers was cut by more than half after the birth certificate revelation. (In fact, it was likely deeper than that. Birtherism had been spiking in the last few weeks since Trump mainstreamed the issue, so it was probably higher than the April 2010 numbers shown here.) I argued a few weeks ago that, contrary to big media’s received wisdom, Birthers aren’t a homogeneous group but rather a mix of hardcore and softcore believers, the latter of which were simply misinformed because they weren’t following the issue closely. These numbers bear that out. Which, for Chris Matthews, means … what? Republicans are racist, but maybe not quite as racist as he thought? What happens to the narrative?
Some people were hassling me in Headlines over this poll because I suggested yesterday in the post about the Bin Laden photos that evidence doesn’t convince skeptics anymore. Fair enough; at the very least, I should have qualified that by specifying that I meant skeptics with an agenda. But give the Birther issue time. I’ll be mighty keen to see if the numbers still look like this in six months — which, theoretically, they should — or if they start to creep back up as discontent with Obama’s policies rises and/or hardcore Birthers regroup and start challenging the long-form birth certificate. Trump had better hope so. Somehow, I don’t see the “trade war with China” platform carrying him to the nomination.
“Oh my: Release of Obama birth certificate cuts number of Birthers in half”
Not everyone “feels like a nut.”
The 14th amendment states clearly that anyone born in the US and who is under US jurisdiction is a citizen.
It doesn't matter what some dead guy's opinion is if it does not match the words of the Constitution of the United States or US citizenship laws.
I have recently figured out something from the Available evidence that convinces me that Barack Obama is indeed a "Natural Born Citizen." It was the presence of the Jazz Album "Cuban Fire" in one of the photographs of Stanley Ann Dunham. I would be happy to explain my evidence and my reasoning to anyone who is interested in hearing it.
If 0bama could have held out to release this right before the 2012 election it would have been to his advantage.
Agreed. The birther issue would have dogged the GOP candidate all the way up to the election and it would be a complete loser for the GOP. We do have to give Trump a lot of credit for having the guts to go after the president on this issue and removing this very potent political weapon from his arsenal. We can now continue to criticize the president for his handling of the economy, debt situation and other problems he helped to create or exacerbate without having to be distracted by birther-related BS.
What if a U.S. born person of a mother who is a U.S. citizen whose father is not known? Is that a “Natural Born Citizen” or does the father need to be identified?
Might not have been a big problem back in 1789 but today you just disqualified a huge chunk of the U.S. population for eligibility to the U.S. Presidency.
I disagree completely. The correct meaning of the term can be discovered by reading what the founders wrote. Whatever interpretations by Judges occurred later is irrelevant. I believe Obama is a Natural born citizen by the most stringent criteria, that being born of two American Parents. I believe I have deduced sufficient information from the available evidence to draw that conclusion.
Attention all birthers....regardless of what people say, you guys and gals are tenacious....now, drop the birth issue, and unleash your tenacity on an issue that can get him impeached....project gunwalker...otherwise know as operation fast and furious...we got half the administration on the ropes right now...
“The fact is that US law makes no distinctions among people who are citizens by birth. There are either citizens who acquire citizenship through birth, and naturalized citizens. The latter may not serve as President or Vice President. We have to conclude that since the President was born in Hawaii and that his mom was a US citizen, that he is indeed a “natural born citizen.”
It is time to drop this issue. The President’s revealing of his birth certificate has taken what was a potent plurality of people and turned it into a fringe minority. It has 0 political power anymore.”
100% Correct. Anyone with a basic understanding of the law - or even just a good dose of common sense - would get this by now. Unfortunately Birtherism has become the right’s version of 9/11 trutherism.
NBC Ping.
Be sure to check out WND this coming Monday (5/9/11).
I understand, but you have to look at US citizenship law (I linked to it in a previous post). The Founding Fathers' opinions may come up in court cases regarding this issue but they are not the law. As the law currently stands, there are just people who are citizens by birth and naturalized citizens. That's it.
Has anyone ever asked Obama why he wouldn’t release the completely exonerating document until HALF the people in the country didn’t believe he was born in Hawaii?
I thought before the election that he’ll just delay, hope it goes away, and produce a forgery eventually if he has to. Just generally not tell the truth, and deny access to anything. Be as non transparent as possible.
How about the rest of his paper trail?
The majority of voters, and by extension, the citizens of this country are so hopelessly ignorant and naive, that they could not identify a stone cold marxist who was running for president. All the evidence was there, plain to see.
These people don’t recognize communism as a bad thing. Though he may or may not be a citizen, Obama is not an American, and neither are the people that could vote for such trash.
And the irony of that was that it was started by supporters of Hillary Clinton.
They appear to be on autopilot, with no link to consciousness. Some of them do have a fairly good flight plan though.
Do you think Obama's dual citizenship should be an issue?
Two points.
1. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It over rides any Federal or State "citizenship" laws in conflict with it.
2. The 14th amendment, if interpreted correctly requires that the parents of children owe no allegiance to any foreign state.
The 14th amendment would be more properly titled "The Freed Slaves Citizenship act", for that was EXACTLY what it's intended purpose was. It did not repeal Article II.
But no, instead the focus was “Where is the Birth Certificate?”.
Now imagine if 0bama could have held out until 2012 - and the damage that would have caused the GOP - and you wonder why he didn't release it sooner?
Gee, why didn't Hannibal spring his ambush on the Romans sooner? Because he waited for them to march into the jaws of the ambush FIRST.
Compost polls are as reliable as Packystan intel re where the top al Queda serial killers are.
0 political power to help conservatives. All that pursuing birtherism will bring us is a well deserved reputation for being conspiracy theorist kooks.
Is Obama a shady liar? Yes.
Is he hiding something? Yes.
Can we use that to remove him from office. No.
It's time to face facts. The American people aren't willing to go along with birtherism without solid proof. Gnash your teeth. Call it unfair. Pout. All irrelevant. If there's a hair of doubt, the vast majority of Americans will give Obama the benefit of it. Even the ones that don't like him. There's no appetite to remove a sitting President over a technicality that most people don't understand, and no court or opposing politician wants to touch.
We can convince ourselves on the internet that this is a slam dunk, but it's far from settled law. If the idea is to defeat Obama, then it's time to admit that birtherism is a dead end, and let it go. We can beat him on the issues, and we will. The man is self destructing in slow motion, and all birtherism does at this point is build sympathy for him.
Orly Taitz on Peter Tilden show NOW!!!
790 KABC LA, 7:30 AM Pacific Time.
Call 1-800 -222-KABC
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