On birtherism, Donald Trump’s campaign manager wants him to be somebody Trump doesn’t want to be

WaPo ^ | September 9, 2016 | Chris Cillizza

[Seizethecarp]

Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's campaign manager, sat for an interview with CNN Friday morning in which she became the latest prominent surrogate for the Republican presidential candidate to attempt a walk away from his long support of the disproved notion that President Obama was not born in the United States.

"So, he believes President Obama was born here," Conway said of Trump, quickly pivoting to an argument about Obama's performance in office.

That's a smart pivot by Conway! There are many more people open to an argument about the allegedly poor job Obama has done as president than to one about how Obama was actually not born in the United States.

There's just one problem with Conway's case. The candidate has never given any indication that he is convinced that Obama was born in the United States.

"I don’t talk about it because if I talk about that, your whole thing will be about that,” Trump told reporters earlier this week when asked whether he believed Obama was born in this country. “So I don’t talk about it.” That's a very similar argument to the one Trump made to CNN's Brian Stelter in July. While acknowledging he would "love to" talk about birtherism, Trump added: "If I do talk about it, then what happens, is, that takes up — then we're not talking about the horrible economy."

Despite the best efforts of Conway and Trump surrogate Rudolph W. Giuliani, who has also insisted Trump knows Obama was born in the United States, there is simply no evidence to back up that claim. In fact, there's plenty of reason to believe that Trump still holds that view but has, for political reasons, just stopped talking about it.

[DiogenesLamp]

Yes, my immediate reaction... What has been disproved? What has been proved is that the GOPe are a bunch of spineless worms who have refused to do a thorough investigation on this matter.

Amen. The F***ing "moderates" could not wait to join forces with the Democrats to mock and humiliate anyone who deemed Obama's history worth looking into.

This is why the Republicans are known as the "Stupid" party.

[DiogenesLamp]

Yes, my immediate reaction... What has been disproved? What has been proved is that the GOPe are a bunch of spineless worms who have refused to do a thorough investigation on this matter.

If you take away their weapon known as "A MONOPOLY ON ALL BROADCAST COMMUNICATIONS", then they can't shoot you either.

We keep worrying about their ammunition instead of worrying about the fact that they have this massive weapon pointed at us which they can fire at us whenever they choose to do so.

Let us assault their position, Seize their weapon, and then turn that motherf***ing thing back on them and start firing at them until they are wiped out.

Let us seize their weapon and stop worrying about their ammunition.

[DiogenesLamp]

Why would you even post this garbage? No one cares.

That opinion is incorrect.

[DiogenesLamp]

I’m a committed birther, but with Obama on the way out and with Obama and the media having convinced the American people that Obama proved his eligibility years ago, this issue isn’t a winner for Trump. If Trump wins, he can get it all sorted out.

Exactly right.

[DiogenesLamp]

For the same reason your records can’t be released, they need his written permission. (Same reason a “complete set” of John Kerry military records weren’t released. They needed his written permission. He did do a partial incomplete release.) They are using the “privacy laws” to hide “inconvenient” personal information. .

But in a correctly functioning Republic, 50 state election officials would have said " I don't give a D@mn about Hawaii's privacy laws. You either produce proof that you were actually born within the United States, or you are not getting on the ballot."

I think this course of action is implicit in their being a constitutional requirement. You have to be some sort of f***ing idiot to believe that the constitution did not expect this requirement to be enforced at every level of government.

[Reily]

Over my life time I have met some state secretaries of state and idiot does describe them. Anyway some of these privacy laws are federal, for example your son or daughter’s college grades you need their signature to have the college let you see them, medical records and other stuff. For example the reason the VaTech shooter was such a surprise was VaTech authorities or even his parents had no right to see his medical records once he turned 18. He had to give permission.

Back to the state SOS discussion most even the GOP ones are only dimly aware of something called a US Constitution. And back in 2008 no SOS wanted to go down in history as to have questioned the validity of the first serious black candidate. Kiss of death to a budding political career. (Please note I am not saying I approve I am just recognizing what they did!)

Did you know that back in the 90’s someone (a Latin American & hard hard core leftist) got on the ballot in 17 states and he openly acknowledged he wasn’t a citizen. Those state SOS’s did their job there didn’t they? I view him as a probe.

[Reily]

I mean surprise to VaTech authorities.

[DiogenesLamp]

Over my life time I have met some state secretaries of state and idiot does describe them. Anyway some of these privacy laws are federal, for example your son or daughter’s college grades you need their signature to have the college let you see them, medical records and other stuff.

I have no conception of a federal law that can thwart constitutional law. Isn't the constitutional law the highest authority?

For example the reason the VaTech shooter was such a surprise was VaTech authorities or even his parents had no right to see his medical records once he turned 18. He had to give permission.

That's Disease riddled Bill Clinton stuff. He's the guy that pushed HIPPA because everyone had found out the vile bastard had herpes.

For example the reason the VaTech shooter was such a surprise was VaTech authorities or even his parents had no right to see his medical records once he turned 18. He had to give permission.

And that is the plain truth. That is EXACTLY what happened. Had this been a white guy who had been claiming to have been born in a foreign country, every one of those SOSs would have demanded a candidate prove he wasn't.

Did you know that back in the 90’s someone (a Latin American & hard hard core leftist) got on the ballot in 17 states and he openly acknowledged he wasn’t a citizen. Those state SOS’s did their job there didn’t they? I view him as a probe.

Yes, I have cited him often in these sorts of discussions. His name is Roger Calero, and he was born in Nicaragua.

He only got on the ballot in some states, and in several he was kicked off precisely because he had admitted to being born in another country to foreign parents.

And so we ended up with some ridiculous court rulings that said a Secretary of State could kick ineligible people off the ballot if they wanted to, but the public could not force them to use this power.

Idiocy.

[Reily]

I don’t think Calero was even a citizen at the time.

[DiogenesLamp]

I don’t think Calero was even a citizen at the time.

I don't think Obama was either.

[Reily]

I have no idea whether he is or he isn’t.
There is one thing that’s apparent something is screwed up about his personal records & documentation. It’s something they clearly don’t want us to see.