Obama Laughs About 'Crazy' Birth Certificate Questions

President Barack Obama reminisced about the conspiracy theories surrounding his birth certificate during a speech at the National Action Network convention in New York City Friday afternoon. Obama referenced the doubts about his citizenship that led him to release a copy of his birth certificate in 2011, while criticizing voter I.D. laws that require people to present documentation like passports and birth certificates to vote.

"You remember that? That was crazy," said Obama. "Haven't thought about that in a while."

What exactly are you suggesting? That when the agent approached Obama to pitch the book she wanted him to write, she had no idea where he was born? And Obama opted out of the blue to lie about his birth place? Why would he do that? The agent was already anxious to represent him. In the event he had no idea what happens to authors who sell themselves on the basis of a blatant and obvious lie, the agent would have told him. It’s not pretty. The deception may, and often does, hold for a while [the length of time depending on how easily discovered the truth happens to be]. It doesn’t hold up indefinitely, however, and when the truth hits the fan the author is tainted for life—and his/her agents don’t fare a lot better.

You really think Obama wanted to begin his post-Harvard career being known as the ‘lying fraudulent author’ he would certainly have been exposed to be? That was his idea of a career enhancer?

Your theory isn’t practical. Either Obama had a suicide wish, career/future-wise, or he was willing, back in the day, to tell the truth. No third option.

That was my feeling about the born in Kenya. I sure he got a lot of mileage out of it with black people.

And I might feel that the "born in Kenya" was some conscious attempt (by Obama) to make his profile seem a bit more exotic were it not for 1) national media reporting the year or so prior that he was born in Hawaii (and the source for that had to be Obama) and 2) the "born in Kenya" being omitted from the "Dreams" book text and the book dust jacket, showing up only on a pamphlet the agency put out where Obama's bio was one of about 90 such bios that were sent just to a relatively small set of publishers.

So, yes, taking all this into account, the "born in Kenya" appears to be an error on account of it not being part of something warranting close checking.

‘the “born in Kenya” appears to be an error on account of it not being part of something warranting close checking.’

Now you’re just being funny. The agency prominently marketed Obama as being born in Kenya, but couldn’t be bothered to ascertain whether or not this was true? Are you here all week? Should I try the veal?

One thing I will grant you. Something changed between Journeys in Black and White and Dreams. Journeys was advertised as telling the story of a person born in Kenya, and Dreams tells an entirely different story.

What happened?

One of two things. Either Obama had aspired for the Oval Office all along but had no idea his Kenyan birth would be an issue, and by the time of Dreams’ writing he was informed otherwise.

The other possibility is that the Punahou choomer/coke snorter had not previously seen himself as POTUS material. But someone, perhaps Ayers, realized he had a shot. Thus the narrative was changed accordingly.

Obama always had the option of going either way. His birth was registered in HI, likely as a result of Granny Dunham’s machinations. So he could claim in truth a Kenyan birth, as he did with Acton & Dystel, or he could claim a HI birth, as he did whenever that was more beneficial. However, from the time of Dreams onward, he had to leave his Kenyan beginnings behind. The birth narrative coalesces from that point onward.

No, the agency acted faithfully as Obama's agent and put out a story Obama and they thought would enhance interest in him and sell books for them and him.

Though the agency can still be acting faithfully (i.e., acting in Obama's interest with no conscious knowledge of impropriety) while nonetheless making an inadvertent mistake.

But, no, she maintained it was a "fact checking mistake"

It that necessarily different in this context from "proofing error?" The agency put together a short bio to include (along with a host of other author bios) in a pamphlet to distribute to some publishing companies. It's dubious to assert "born in Kenya" came from Obama, given the year prior he quite obviously told the New York Times and Washington post he was born in Hawaii. (4Zoltan puts forth the rather plausible theory that the agency simply conflated the idea of "son of a father born in Kenya.")

But "fact checking mistake" and "we didn't carefully proof-read what we wrote" seem about the same thing here.

Of course, Obama's lie in the book blurb notwithstanding, the evidence is quite overwhelming that he was no immigrant, that he was born in Honolulu and thus is eligible to elected to the highest office by the clueless Sheeple of our land.

I've been challenging the tunnel-vision approach taken by some here where conclusions about the agency bio are made in complete disregard for the other evidence on point to the birth question. Your comment here saves me yet another post on that point.

The agency prominently marketed Obama as being born in Kenya, but couldn’t be bothered to ascertain whether or not this was true?

If the agency had directly asked Obama -- you know, the same Obama that the year prior had obviously told the Times, Post and Tribune that he was born in Hawaii -- then the bio would not have ended up saying "born in Kenya."

(Are you ever going to acknowledge those national media reports happened? Your denial by silence technique is long past the silly stage.)

Should I try the veal?

I suggest crow instead.

I've already covered this. Insofar as anyone at the agency envisioned a "born in Kenya" book, vision confronted reality and Obama's prior reporting he was born in Hawaii meant that book didn't (and couldn't) get written.

Here we observe the difference in our arguments: my argument rests on national media reports that DID get published; your argument rests on a supposed book in a form that DIDN't get written or published.

One of two things. Either Obama had aspired for the Oval Office all along but had no idea his Kenyan birth would be an issue, and by the time of Dreams’ writing he was informed otherwise.

The other possibility is that the Punahou choomer/coke snorter had not previously seen himself as POTUS material. But someone, perhaps Ayers, realized he had a shot. Thus the narrative was changed accordingly.

Or how about choice C) the one where Obama says "while 'born in Kenya' has a nice exotic ring to it, as I told the newspapers last year, I actually was born in Hawaii."

Sound the bells! We have a winner!! It's C.

The agency took Obama on as a client and prominently advertised him as ‘born in Kenya’, but they never asked him if this was true. They never told him they were advertising him this way. They never discussed the book with him that was hooked with the ‘born in Kenya’ opening line, and for which Obama accepted not one but two advances to write. They never even fact checked the ‘fact’ of his being born in Kenya. They just assumed that if his father was born there, the son must have been born there too...or something equally stupid.

It’s totally incoherent. It’s the kind of weirdness only the people on Fogbow would believe.

The agency took Obama on as a client and prominently advertised him as ‘born in Kenya’,

A short bio which is one of 90 such bios in a pamphlet sent only fo some publishing companies is hardly "prominently marketed." But then to you, the words "born in Kenya" are like blazing, flashing lights obscuring any other context or consideration.

but they never asked him if this was true.

It seems not, as we all can reasonably figure Obama would have told fhe agency the same thing he told the Times, Post and Tribune -- that he was born in Hawaii.

They never told him they were advertising him this way.

Perhaps focusing on getting the book written and published took precedence. And perhaps this little bio blurb didn't have the monimental significance you're desperately trying to give it.

They never discussed the book with him that was hooked with the ‘born in Kenya’ opening line,

The book as a whole no doubt got discussed, and the absence of any "born in Kenya" statement in the book as actually written suggests that any "born in Kenya" approach which was pitched was tossed out.

Newsflash to Fantasywriter!! The year before the agency drafted this bio blurb, Obama was the subject of national media reports which reported he was born in Hawaii!! I'll bet you didn't know this. (Maybe it's less about crow here and more like ostritch.)

Now you’re getting surly. It makes you sound desperate.

The idea that the agency would dare to advertise Obama as Kenyan born without his permission, much less without his knowledge, is beyond absurd. The only way you can put forth such a claim is by forgetting you’re not posting on Fogbow. In the real world agents don’t make up fake countries of birth for their clients. They don’t describe a Journey that begins in Kenya and ends in Harvard without their client’s complicity. The client is, after all, the one who has been advanced money to write this Journey.

The more you argue that it all happened without pure, honest, innocent Obama’s knowledge the dumber you sound. The surlier you get, the more desperate you sound. Lets see how far you can go in either direction. You’re doing great so far.

PS: You keep confusing Journeys with Dreams. It makes you sound stupid.

Now you’re getting surly.

Maybe a bit snarky. I generally try to avoid that, but I admit I sometimes get a bit lightheaded after I've been laughing hard like this. Each go-round just makes it worse.

The idea that the agency would dare to advertise Obama as Kenyan born without his permission, much less without his knowledge, is beyond absurd.

Oh, I think the agent fully believed the information came from Obama; it's just that I think the agent got the notes wrong or perhaps (as 4Zoltan has suggested) conflated "born of a father from Kenya" into "born in Kenya." Likewise, the NYT article the year prior had Obama as moving to Indonesia about the age his parents divorced rather than about the age his mother remarried. Mistakes happen. And the agent has admitted that.

They don’t describe a Journey that begins in Kenya and ends in Harvard without their client’s complicity.

Another view, the one I put into my prior post which you ignored as usual, is that the bio wasn't something anyone was much focused on as opposed to the actual book (which says nothing about being born in Kenya).

The more you argue that it all happened without pure, honest, innocent Obama’s knowledge the dumber you sound.

My analysis accounts for all the relevant data, including the 1990 Harvard Law Review articles which reported Obama was born in Hawaii.

Everyone here is wondering how you account for those.

PS: You keep confusing Journeys with Dreams.

Insofar as they were different in concept, the former was discarded and the latter the one actually written and published to the general public. And the one published to the general public says nothing about "born in Kenya."

Notice just how stupid and incompetent Acton & Dystel have to be for your scenario to work. Too stupid to ask Obama where he was born. To stupid and incompetent to discuss with him the book described in the bio/book promo they themselves published. Too stupid and incompetent to differentiate between Obama and his father. Too incompetent to allow Obama to read his own promo blurb. Too incompetent to figure out the easiest way of fact-checking their facts re: Obama. Too stupid and incompetent to even be in business. The list goes on.

Here’s a little something from veteran journalist Howie Carr, who’s published a few books in his day:

‘Howie Carr: Obama is the one who put on the sell sheet for his first book that he was born in Kenya. Not Birthers. That is a incontrovertible fact! People suspect he continued to say he was born in Kenya when he applied to college. Very simple way to answer these questions once and for all is for Obama to release all his college applications.’

Howie knows how this process works. Plus he hasn’t drunk so much Obot Kook Aid that he’s obliged to sound like a moron. He can speak the obvious. Listen & weep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S5EG7hI_GQ&feature=youtu.be

I’m sorry, btw, that you can’t grasp the difference between Journeys in Black and White and Dreams. Too much Kool Aid atrophies the brain...evidently.

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