Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Birtherism: The Antidote/Sedative for the Obama Administration
Share:
by Karen Hatter | April 28, 2011 at 12:27 pm
679 views | 8 Recommendations | 26 comments
Photos
Videos
Imagine if you will, waking up in a world in which you believe all that you knew and loved has been turned upside down. In general, it’s a feeling that is borne out, by all the indicators you feel are valid, that something is terribly wrong.
The Constitution of the United States of America lists the criterion for anyone seeking the office of the President of the United States as:
- An individual must be a natural born citizen
- An individual must have lived in the United States for 14 years and
- An individual must be at least 35 years of age
Senator Barack Hussein Obama II had met all three criteria when he tossed his hat into the ring to run for the office of President of the United States of America in February 2007.
However, since taking office in January 2009, President Obama has been dogged by a fringe idea that he did not meet the first criterion set forth by the Constitution, that being he was born outside of the United States or he isn’t a citizen because of his father’s nationality or a number of dizzying variations of this conspiracy theory, depending upon how far one is willing to crawl into the birther black hole.
There are those that will argue that this fringe idea has not abated because Americans, having grown disillusioned with the Obama presidency after his election, are now seeking the relief that was not forthcoming when the initial wave of birtherism splashed onto America’s shores.
Those who embrace birtherism subscribe to the belief that the policies that have been instituted by the Obama administration are illegitimate because he was not eligible to be the elected president of the United States.
It is their belief that all that has been done by President Obama and his administration, because President Obama was not a legitimately elected president because he is not an American citizen, once they have proven he is not the legitimate President of the United States, all that has transpired during the Obama administration, the policies initiated and enacted will be declared unconstitutional since the President’s election was unconstitutional.
As a placebo antidote/sedative, birtherism provides all who embrace the belief that President Obama should not be President because he never should have been elected president with a cause to pursue that may aid in controlling their reluctance to accept America being governed by Barack Obama.
With birtherism moved out of the shadows and placed prominently within the 2012 presidential campaign cycle, since highlighted by alleged millionaire/billionaire, former Democrat supporter turned Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump, all of the tangential detail gleaned by proponents and promoters of the birther cause for the past 4 years, if left unchecked, will now be re-played to a larger audience of voters, much to the chagrin of mainstream Republicans, since the majority of identified independents or members of the Democratic Party do not find birther rationale a credible issue.
Despite President Obama, after requesting the state of Hawaii waive the state’s official policy of not releasing long form birth certificates, acquiring his long form birth certificate and allowing the press to examine it and offering the original long form birth certificate to the world, hardcore proponents of birtherism refuse to be placated, even though they had previously called for the President to produce this document.
In those circles, hours after the long form was made public, it was declared a fake, as had been the previous reaction by birther adherents to the release of the short form birth certificate, released by then Senator Obama’s campaign nearly 4 years ago, which the campaign had offered when the birther cause was first articulated, it is rumored, from somewhere within the campaign of Senator Hillary R. Clinton. Since that time, birtherism has received a place of honor, acceptance and a home within the Republican Party.
Will the release of Obama's long form birth certificate this week change any of these attitudes? "The odds aren't good," says Brendan Nyhan, pointing to a series of experiments that he conducted with fellow political scientist Jason Reifler. Their experiments, Nyhan writes, "found that corrective information in news articles often fails to reduce misperceptions among the ideological or partisan group that is most vulnerable to the false belief" and, in some cases, made those misperceptions worse.Nyhan's expectation is consistent with an overnight national poll conducted on Wednesday by the firm SurveyUSA. Their poll (which combined automated calls to landlines and live interviewer calls to cell phones) finds 19 percent of adults, and 33 percent of Republicans, still believe Obama was definitely or probably born outside the United States. About half as many -- 10 percent of adults and 18 percent of Republicans -- tell SurveyUSA that they are "sure the birth certificate newly released by the White House is a forgery."
Birtherism: a placebo antidote/sedative for those unable to accept Barack Hussein Obama II as President of the United States; available in a variety of brands and dosages.
Take a handful to help calm and focus the anxiety/reluctance of being governed by the Obama administration.
**** Note: To date, approximately 50 lawsuits have been brought in U.S. courts on local, state and federal levels challenging the citizenship of President Barack Obama.
Less than a week after the release of President Obama's long form birth certificate on April 27, 2011, oral arguments were offered on May 2, 2011 at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento, California by Gary Kreep and Orly Taitz, appealing a lower court's ruling on the matter of the President's citizenship.
Ms. Taitz, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, has come to be known as the Queen of the Birther Movement.
The birthers are instead turning to another claim against Obama’s legitimacy: an Internet rumor that questions the Obama social security number. On October 3, 2011, the Washington Post reported the United States Supreme Court refused to hear a lawsuit brought by conservative Republican and former U.S. presidential candidate Alan Keyes that challenged the legitimacy of the presidency of Barack Obama by raising the birther issue. UPDATE On Friday, November 18, 2011, Orly Taitz, having traveled from California to New Hampshire, filed a complaint contesting President Barack Obama's citizenship, arguing his name should be removed from the state's ballot as he seeks re-election as President of the United States.
The state government (of Hawaii) can legally ignore repeated requests for President Obama’s birth certificate – a blow (or perhaps a publicity boost) to the birther movement, which claims that Mr. Obama was not born the US, and is therefore not eligible to be president.
The high court on Monday refused without comment to hear a challenge brought by conservative activist Alan Keyes and other members of the American Independent Party. They contend Obama wasn’t eligible to be president because he was not born in the U.S., and thus not a citizen.
Taitz, the Soviet-born lawyer-dentist-real estate agent, has been on a multi-year mission to prove Obama is secretly Kenyan, and no amount of evidence will dissuade her. But she’s not alone – nine members of the NH state house signed on to her complaint.
New Hampshire’s electoral governing body, the Ballot Law Commission, turned down the complaint in a public hearing via 5-0 vote. It got pretty ugly shortly thereafter.“Traitors!” screamed the members of the attending public. “Treason!”
“You have no decency! You have no honesty! You’re committing treason!”
Will Right Wing Madness Totally Consume the Republican Party?
The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter
Advertisement
NowPublic on Facebook
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
Karen Hatter
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Barry ORegan
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (26)
at 13:25 on April 28th, 2011
Radical rightism has undermined the two-party system by introducing major distractions away from collaboration and consensus building and draining energy from honest attention to our most critical needs. Surely there are differences in the way ahead, and the differences need diligent debate and consideration. In the end, the process should lead to the best solutions, independent from extraneous ideologies.
Republican leadership would do well to clamp down on distractions.
at 15:00 on April 28th, 2011
Jim, almost 4 years ago on cable access television, I predicted that there would be a true split in the Republican Party.
There were many who believed that the TEA Party, as it was originally presented, represented that possible newly developed third party many within the United States have thought necessary to promote something other than the change of ideological 'hats' that occurs every 4 or 8 years.
The TEA Party has proven itself to be the extreme Right Wing element of the Republican Party, based upon the identity that has emerged from a variety of polls that have sought to identify TEA Party supporters or adherents.
Whatever percentage of the TEA Party that represents an element of the birthers, and birthers are greatly represented in the TEA Party, along with other hardcore anti government types, they say they're small government but, the policies that are being pushed by TEA Party types to further extreme conservative issues say otherwise, it may indeed come to a split within the GOP IF the GOP discontinues its support of those things the TEA Party have identified as most important to them that tend to be extreme.
For now, the TEA Party has been content to lend their support to the Republican Party however, that may change dramatically.
at 19:10 on April 28th, 2011
Yawn.
at 16:33 on May 28th, 2011
Also at NowPublic:
======================
The Obama birth certificate forgery: Shaking the belief system
New anomalies discovered in the "Obama Birth Documents"
The Obama "White Out" Document Exposed
The "White out" document "cover up stamp"
======================
Obama - photographic forensics - "Graduation" and "Red Faces"
Obama-photographic-forensics-hidden-horns
======================
Personal Opinion Story on the subject:
Legal Birth Certificate vs Actual and Original Birth Certificate
======================
at 16:46 on May 28th, 2011
A very curious hodgepodge of disjointed information indeed.
at 17:13 on May 28th, 2011
Karen Hatter,
I am glad you have an opinion.
We all should be glad of our right to have an opinion and overjoyed that right is still protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Now with the pleasantries aside, and in reference to your comment/post which was in response to my listing links to all of my recent stories as a comment/post which was done because in several of them you yourself posted a link to this story of yours..... I must say the intended negative connotation of your comment/post is quite apparent. Was this a request for a dual of opinions?
I have no wish to battle anyone here and indeed I make effort not to initiate wars of opinion. But as I was returning, in kind, the favor you paid to me (by posting links), and as I can not recall disparaging your posting of the link to your story in my stories, I am left to wonder what you intentions are with this comment?
Swords crossed or occasional debate with honor? It is really up to you.....I detest war, but stand prepared to defend myself and am quite capable of taking the offensive once a battle is declared.
at 21:00 on May 28th, 2011
I often post links to my articles that address similar subject matter.
Birtherism, addressed in my linked article, appears to be related to what it is you have been contributing here.
Alleged hidden devil's horns in photos, written of in your most recent offering, while addressing perceived faked documents, forgeries and the rest does qualify as a heterogeneous mix of dissimilar things, therefore, a hodgepodge, as I stated in my comment above in reference to the devil's horns article and the other links you've posted here.
WG, freedom of speech, as a constitutional guarantee, does not elevate or render all points of view to be equal in merit nor does freedom of speech make all expressed speech qualitatively substantive.
Any possible war or perceived battle would emanate solely from some desire on your part.
at 13:33 on April 28th, 2011
Who really cares anyhow. All our yadda yadda on the issue just takes away from legitimate dislike for the irresponsible way this administration is driving the U.S.into bankruptcy. This has nothing to do with citizenship or color. Just plain honest to goodness disagreement on the path America is heading. This admin. is one of the most pro-business governments the U.S. has seen. The freebees and conspiracy to help companies that should have folded out of poor performance such as GM is just the tip of the ice berg.
Leftists and liberals just gotta love all the backtracking on issues that were the promise of this admin to the core constituency. But then again the name of the game in the Obama admin is to get re-elected. Who can blame him and his crew. Obama is just following in the footsteps of the best of politicians.
at 16:20 on April 28th, 2011
Tikun, I agree that all of the birther lunacy does not address the pressing issues that must be dealt with if the country is to move forward.
Unless the Republican Party goes into overdrive to squash this bizarre tendency within its ranks, they run the risk of alienating all citizens and prospective voters by providing concrete proof, due to the GOP's reluctance to distance themselves FROM this issue, that the Republican Party has become the home of a lunatic base that so frightens the GOP that the GOP will allow the lunatic base to continue to push their bizarre agenda items.
at 19:11 on April 28th, 2011
I am posing as a liberal.
at 15:23 on April 28th, 2011
I wish we could sedate the birthers.
at 16:01 on April 28th, 2011
LOL! Well, if we did, LCoastMom, what would we do when they wake back up?
at 19:11 on April 28th, 2011
Because the non-birthers are already comatose.
at 16:25 on April 28th, 2011
What 'a ya mean when they wake up? We can't just put them in stasis for a few years or something? LOL
Never mind...
Here you go:
http://www.cafepress.com/+obamas_birth_certificate,520849392?utm_medium=cp_social&utm_source=addthis&utm_campaign=PDP
at 16:31 on April 28th, 2011
Well, LCM, .... I guess we could do a continuous IV drip of some sort but, .... yeah, I agree, never mind!
I like the tee at the link! I may get one, just on GP!
at 16:48 on April 28th, 2011
One point that may be getting overlooked in regard to this current Tea Party movement and birther conspiracies is the Administration that was in power when all this right wing political and religious fanaticism seemed to get it's rebirth in America. That those specific driving factors were instrumental in re-energizing this moment.
at 16:50 on April 28th, 2011
Good point, The 1.
at 07:02 on April 30th, 2011
Karen = Rosie the Cat
at 22:41 on April 28th, 2011
I'm really surprised there has not been a "birthers" reality series, where we could follow a racist family throughout their day and see what other insane beliefs they subscribe to.
at 02:53 on April 29th, 2011
TCO, as the leading front runner for the Republican Party's nomination for president and birtherism's most famous advocate, being the showman he is, Donald Trump may see a reality show, to fully explore the cause, as a good business opportunity.
at 07:09 on April 30th, 2011
Spoken like a commie-nazi. Mind your own business, Mr Surveillance Camera.
at 04:37 on April 30th, 2011
An observation worthy of note:
Source: tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com
at 05:41 on May 2nd, 2011
Thank you, Staff, for addressing the previously posted comment posted by someone using my name.
at 20:13 on June 4th, 2011
The latest tactic circulating within TEA Party circles such as the Tea Party Patriots and the US Patriots Union, a campaign called Who's Your Daddy?. The plan is to launch a national billboard and ad campaign raising this question.
From the email circulating regarding the campaign:
Source: irehr.org
The claim is nonsense but, nonetheless, it is embraced within these circles.
at 03:17 on June 6th, 2011
I am still interested to learn what or who are these circles or people. Sounds like the days of old and the use of racism, anti-Semitism, etc to demean your political or social opponents in order to justify your "lofty" sense of the "truth". Dangerous territory you are playing in. When it hits you in the backside are you going to scream FOWL-RACISM.
at 03:27 on June 7th, 2011
Indeed, Tikun, the tactics being used by those involved in this campaign do seem akin to past tactics of racism and anti-Semitism. Both have been on display for some time with many known racist and anti semitic speakers being allowed to headline and speak at various local TEA Party rallies across the United States.
Source: teapartynationalism.com
Re: the above mentioned Martin 'Red' Beckman, who was an invited guest on the TEA Party Radio hour, praised by Dale Robertson of the 1776 Tea Party, also known as TeaParty.org:
Source: hcn.org
Do a search for the Who's Your Daddy campaign, Tikun, to find a link to the US Patriot Union, the TEA Party Patriots or any other TEA Party or Right Wing entity that is promoting this strategy. My search turned up over 2,300,000 hits. The first five I surfed through seem to mainly address President Obama in some form.
In actuality, this plan of attack allegedly set to launch soon is another of the various birther virus offshoots that has been around for quite some time. It uses as its basic belief system the writings of a Swedish philosopher from the 1700s.
Birtherism is an ongoing strategy that has been embraced by those attracted to the Right Wing of the Republican Party, with this bizarre movement's existence most likely a possible artifact of the GOP's embrace of the racist and bigoted campaign strategy they instituted to pit one group of White voters against another and to scare the targeted group whose votes they sought by raising the specter of Negro/Black/African American voters' assumed migration into the Democratic Party after the Democratic Party's inclusion of a civil rights plank in their party platform.
Source: time.com
The Southern Strategy, suggested by Richard Nixon, allegedly named by Kevin Phillips, his campaign strategist, was addressed by Ken Mehlman, former chief of the Republican National Committee, in a speech before the NAACP in 2005:
Source: washingtonpost.com
There's no reason for anything to hit me in the backside, Tikun. The reality of many of those inhabiting the Right Wing of the Republican Party and the thinly veiled racism found within the birther movement is what it is.
Oh, and I think you meant to type 'scream foul', as in to indicate unfairness.