CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Aug. 3, 2009 – 4:35 p.m.
Reid: Obama Birth Skepticism ‘Absurd’
By Kathleen Hunter, CQ Staff
Ignoring the people who think President Obama isn’t a natural-born American didn’t make them go away, but Democrats haven’t been especially eager to engage in debate on something they generally consider to be illogical — if not looney.
But clearly, the “birthers” got under the skin of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid .
The Nevada Democrat complained Monday that the birthers have been getting too much attention. But he said it on the Senate floor — as high a profile venue as he has.
“An artificial controversy is getting far too much attention lately, one that ignores the undeniable and proven fact that President Obama was born in the United States,” Reid said.
“Let’s be clear, it’s a phony issue and does not deserve even a minute of our attention on the floor of the United States Senate. It’s absurd, irresponsible, baseless and the false claims of long ago been refuted.”
The majority leader lambasted what he views as an effort to distract attention from efforts to find a consensus on health care overhaul.
“The American people have every right to expect us to solve real problems before creating fake problems,” he said. “They should know that rather than helping them get ahead, some of our colleagues would rather spew ludicrous conspiracy theories.”
Last week, the House and Senate indirectly addressed the birthplace skeptics by including in resolutions honoring a half-century of Hawaii statehood (
Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the majority leader chose not to ignore the birthers because he felt it important to make the point that “instead of having a real debate, Republicans are focusing on distractions like conspiracy theories, forging letters, saying our health care bill will kill Americans and generally acting outside of the mainstream.”
Comments
Being born in the United States doesn't necessarily make a person a 'natural born citizen'. Even if Obama was born in the United States, he may still not meet the qualifications spelled out in the U.S. Constitution for the office of President.
@bartlebee - You're correct. based on US SUpreme Court precedent, if you're born in the US and your parents are (1) representatives (not merely citizens) of a foreign government or (2) enemy combatants, then you are not a natural born citizen. Otherwise, you are. Orly Taitz's inventive claims to the contrary are balderdash.
The only "proof" that I have seen Obama produce is a "Certification of Live Birth" that was "Filed", but not "Accepted," by a State Registrar. And while this document may be a legal document, it cannot prove where Barack Obama was actually born. The best it can do is state that as far as it knows, Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. ex animo davidfarrar
bartlebee -- That's not my understanding. A natural born citizen is somebody who obtains citzenship through being born in the United States. The constitution does not define a "natural born citizen" but in the case United States v. Wong Kim Ark it held that common law indicated that "every child born in England of alien parents was a natural-born subject" in its verdict. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_born_citizen.
He does meet the requirements. The Constitution states, an individual must be a natural born citizen, meaning someone who is born in the United States, be 35 years old, and have lived in the United States 14 years continuously before the election. Senator Obama met those requirements, which is the reason he's president now.
Harry just gave this issue validity. It may have been due to Orley Taitz presentation of a copy of a Kenyan Birth Certificate that she has posted. If you go to the World Net Daily site you can see a high resolutoion photo of the document and decide for yourself. Taitz has asked the court to help her determine the valitity of the document. Is this the smoking deep throat. Ask Harry Reid why he brought it up on the floor of the senate. Obama might be toast. This is unprecedented, because Harry acknowledged it.
Reid is the one that's looney. All of us have, with our important papers, our birth certificate, or can get it without any trouble. Obama REFUSES to show his certificate. Not only is he an illegal President, he committed a felony when he ran for the United States Senate, if he is not a US citizen. All these ultra-liberal, left- wing extremists that are ruining our country, need to be thrown out of office. These radical politicians are destroying the United States, and the Cap and Trade obscenity will destroy the middle class with a huge tax increase and do the same to business. Throw the bums out!!
Reid's right. The "only document" commenter David has seen is the certification from the State of Hawaii, issued with the Great Seal of the State of Hawaii to attest that it is accurate and backed by the authority of the State of Hawaii and the Kingdom of Hawaii, to the effect that Barack Obama was born to a U.S. citizen in Honolulu, U.S. soil. There is no other possible requirement to be a "natural born" citizen. David, for example, cannot prove that he is not a squid from his birth certificate, since it does not mention his species. But of course, the Constitution does not mention species limitations, either. Obama is more eligible than David, merely by species. Is that claim any crazier than what David said?
@Mr.Mike: It's a forgery based on a now-widely circulated Australian birth certificate, seen here http://tinyurl.com/mltdg8 (and many other places by now). Compare them side by side. There are so many ways to prove it's a fake (not the least of which is the fact that the "Republic of Kenya" didn't even exist when Obama was born), it's laughable.
DONALD FAHREKRUG is the one that's looney. Funney, too. Keep posting. I need the entertainment of the nutty hate-filled racist right wingers.
davidfarrar -- OMG you freaking nutlogs. What the heck do you think a birth certificate is? Mine says "certificate of live birth", my son's says "certificate of live birth". The fact that there is no where on the certificate to list "accepted" doesn't stop you from trying to bring it up as an issue. The fact that it is signed by a Hawaii official, bears the raised seal and is in fact accompanied by a copy of the birth announcement in the Honolulu Advertisor published in Hawaii on August 13, 1961 just doesn't break through your impenetrable field of partisan ignorance. So while he was being born in Kenya they secretly planted a birth announcement in Hawaii because they knew he would run and be elected President one day as a secret plant of the left wing liberals in order to destroy America right!?! Here is a high res copy of the document Obama supposedly refuses to show: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html morons
rtipton, you sound like the typical Obama supporter--a left-wing extremist nut case. You are an idiot. You call me a racist because I'm against Obama. You leftist nut jobs love to play the race card since you can't come up with any ideas. I guess that's why you voted for hope and change, but didn't bother finding out what that meant. What it meant was change to socialism, and hope that the American people are too dumb to see what is being done to them.
rtipton, I apologize for calling you an idiot. I don't like being called a racist just because I disagree with Obama. I am NOT a racist.
Obama is the president because he won the election, the Electoral College voted for him, as well as the House and Senate, and Supreme Court Justice Roberts swore him in, twice, just to make sure it was all done legally. That is called the will of the people. It cannot be undone by a tiny thuggish minority. Everyone knew about the Birth Certificate controversy before the election and that did not stop Obama from winning the election, and it won't stop him now from remaining in office for the remainder of his term. That is why Obama is indeed the president of the United States. If you want him out of office, you will have to get Congress to impeach him. Good luck with that!
This extends beyond simply his eligibility to be President, as important as that is. No one disputes that Obama birth announcements were published in two Honolulu newspapers in August of 1961, so if the birthers are right it must mean that Obama or whoever is controlling him has mastered time travel to go back to plant those. If they can do that, what else have they tampered with? How can they be stopped?
The public did elect him. That's not the issue. You people that voted for him have no idea what you have done. I don't care if his birth certificate was found to be a fraud. The Congress, or what ever group put him in power, will find a way to get around the Constitution. You elected him, not sit back and watch him destroy this country.
Be serious folks, if Hillary couldn't find a problem then there is no problem to be found. And Donald if you want me to vote for someone else, give me someone else to vote for. Not that worthless gutter trash the GOP has given us for over twenty years.
Donald - perhaps much of the problem is the fact that some folks say "you elected him" and see it the same. We elected him. We remain one nation. Please remember Lincoln's "house divided"
WDRussell, I agree that the GOP doesn't have anyone worth voting for, just like the Democrat party. I'll telling you, Obama and his bunch of socialist friends will destroy this country. Anyone who could sit in a church for 20 years and listen to that moron preach racism, black liberation theology, and hate for American, is NOT what I would consider Presidential material. The people that voted for Obama can not watch him raise taxes for everyone, raise the price of energy, force people into these awful pregnant roller skates, called economy cars, and watch him give away the sovereignty of the United States to a global government. Vote for the Constitution Party. At least then you would not be voting for the lesser of two evils--which is still evil. When you know what good is and what evil is, and you compromise, evil wins. http://www.constitutionparty.org/
BAllison , I didn't vote for the guy. Our nation is divided between those that want the nanny state, and those of us who think you should keep what you earn and not be subjected to legalized plunder. I still have a very difficult time understanding how anyone could vote for a guy with the slogan of "hope and change, and yes we can." I find Obama absolutely repulsive, extremely radical and a danger to this country. He sits in a church and listens to "Rev" White preach racism and how bad America is. He has no excuse for that, except to admit that he agreed with that racist moron. We are divided between those that remember what this country used to be like, and those that think Obama will bring hope and change, whatever that means.
I wish this site had an edit button. It should be the "Rev. Jeremiah Wright," Obama's so-called Reverend. Also, should read "the people that voted for Obama CAN watch him destroy this country."
From over here in Australia on the other side of the Pacific Ocean reading these posts always brings a wry smile to my face. One of our humourists often talks about 'going into the room of mirrors for a bit of self-reflection'. I think Donald F could do with a few months of self reflection to help him 'get over' his 'birth certificate' mania'. Using another Aussie saying 'only in America' could such things happen.
David Graham, you need to reread my posts. I couldn't care less about Obama's birth certificate. Even if it proves to be a fraud, the Courts and Congress will get around the Constitution and keep him in office. Only in America could someone so incompetent, coming from nowhere, not only to beat Hillary Clinton, but find enough people ignorant enough of political philosophy, to actually elect this guy President. I'd take your Prime Minister any day, over this Obamanation we have here. Perhaps you could benefit from some self-reflection, and reading. Maybe get a copy of Frederic Bastiat's "Essays on Political Economy." Then maybe you will understand why I think Obama is destroying our country. The problem is, he has just begun. Wait another couple of years then see what you think of the guy. If losing our sovereignty to a global government can happen in the United States, it can happen in Australia.
Hmmm, Donald you just can't seem to get over the fact that the repubs lost this time around. But they are stuck because rush is the head of the repubs and nobody is going to vote for him for anything with his history. You lost, get over it. This birth certificate nonsense may get a lot of attention but for independent voters like me. It's just one more reason not to vote repub. And yes, i have voted many times in the past for repubs and dems.
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