Birthers In The Mainstream

Published Jul 22 2009, 09:45 AM by David S. Bernstein

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"Birthers" -- those who suspect that Barack Obama was not really born in the United States and is thus Constitutionally barred from serving as President -- have forced themselves into the limelight these past few days. In case you haven't seen it, there's a video making the rounds of GOP US Rep Mike Castle getting heckled on the issue, That video prompted gape-jawed coverage on the blogs and cable news shows (especially MSNBC). And that prompted conservative media titans (Limbaugh, Dobbs, etc.) to engage in serious discussions about why it's actually an important issue.

This is all a perfect example of how the conservative marketplace -- that I wrote about recently -- is driving the right, to the detriment of the Republican Party.

Birtherism is much, much more prevalent than most people realize. It comes up constantly on the right -- it did throughout the campaign, and never really slowed down after. And that's because from a marketing perspective, it sells.

In my conversation with Howard Phillips, head of the Conservative Caucus, I asked him what issues are driving good response rates among organizations on the right (his and others) that raise funds through direct-mail and telemarketing. He said that he expected opposition to Sonya Sotomayor's confirmation to become hot. (This was about two weeks ago, when it didn't seem that way. Indeed, GOP Senator John Thune had complained that Sotomayor opposition “doesn’t have the punch out there in terms of fundraising

and recruiting, I think — at least so far.” Phillips was right; the conservative marketers drummed up the Sotomayor issue, and it became big enough that Republican Senators are now scrambling to try to appease that anger from their base, without looking like total pricks to mainstream America by lining up against a qualified, and dare I say wise, Latina.)

Anyway, Phillips went on to say that conservative organizations that raise money through the mail are honing in on key button-pushing issues like the "death tax," English as the official language, and ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Clearly, three of the most important, pressing issues facing the US at this moment.

He then added that while he personally does not subscribe to the skepticism surrounding Obama's birthplace, that issue is one of the hottest (and most lucrative) topics of all. Alan Keyes, he noted, has been extensively collecting online signatures on petitions on that issue. (Keyes's online-petition site, which has been a terrific source for generating precious mailing-list info on movement conservatives, went down recently, so I did not include it among his vast empire in that recent article.) Phillips also mentioned Jerome Corsi, who included birther speculation in his 2008 book "The Obama Nation," and repeatedly pushes the theory on the birtherism-obsessed (and extremely popular) WorldNetDaily site. Phillips told me that Corsi is hunting a new theory that involves Obama's Kenyan "grandmother" being the actual mother, so stay tuned for that. (Corsi's next book, however, is on a different topic: why Israel must go to war with Iran. It's coming later this summer.)

Movement conservatives are bombarded with birther stuff, constantly, and it shows. It came up repeatedly among conservatives I spoke with at events during the 2008 campaign -- including the Sarah Palin rallies in New Hampshire. Prior to the "Tax Day Tea Parties," one of the Massachusetts organizers put out a list of recommended signs to bring, and the first two suggestion were birther references. And then there's Dan Itse, the New Hampshire state rep whose "state sovereignty" bill I wrote about a few months ago. Itse told me that states had to fight back because the national governmental structures had become corrupted in the interests of those in power. When I asked him why he felt that the federal courts had become corrupted, he replied that it was apparent by the concerted, and seemingly coordinated way that federal courts were refusing to make Obama prove his US birth.

Think of Republicans like Castle, who have to spend their time listening to these movement conservatives, filled with wild, rabid, absolutist ideas. That's who shows up at GOP events; that's who floods their offices with emails, letters, and phone calls; and, increasingly, that's who they need for contributions, volunteering, and votes (particularly in Republican primaries). So they have to put up with it. Fortunately for those Republican officials, this fact of life within the GOP only rarely gets noticed by anyone outside that world -- for example, during the Presidential campaign, when mainstream reporters were amazed to discover that people at the McCain/Palin rallies believed that Obama was a socialist terrorist Arab Muslim.

It's been getting harder and harder to ignore the rabid right, however, as this round of birther media coverage makes evident. And that's a very ominous problem for the GOP as it tries to gear up for 2010 -- when it wants to be running against Obama's economy, not his birth certificate.

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Extreme Fighting, Anyone?

47 Comments

• jack wilson said:

  The article carefully avoided any examination of the facts behind birther allegations.

  The birth certificate issue is very simple, requires no advanced degree to understand and shoud be easily refuted by those who ridicule it.

  July 22, 2009 11:34 AM

• Sandra said:

  All of you Obamaniacs are out in force today.  You are about the tenth one to print the very same talking points as all the others.  This is the "give away" on all of the liberal media....you cannot prove he is a legit citizen so you critize everyone who asked for proof, which of course, Obama Hussein does not have.

  July 22, 2009 11:37 AM

• Church Lady said:

  I saw a close-up of Barack Hussein Obama's birth certificate from the Hawaii Dept. of Health. Check it out for yourself....The Certificate Number is: 151 1961 010641

  Now pay attention here.

  151 + 1961 + 010641 = 12753

  Now add up the individual digits....

  1 + 2 + 7 + 5 + 3 = 18

  You know what that means?

  18 = 6 + 6 + 6

  Do I have to spell it out for you? 666 people!!!!! THE MARK OF THE BEAST!

  Lord Jesus, COME QUICKLY!

  July 22, 2009 11:50 AM

• Chris Faraone said:

  I am personally offering a $10 million reward for anyone who produces Obama's birth certificate from another country. Actually, make that $15 million.

  July 22, 2009 11:52 AM

• Doubftul said:

  “It’s crazy,” said Janice Okubo, director of communications for the Hawaii Department of Health. “I don’t think anything is ever going to satisfy them.”

  Okubo, who said that she gets weekly questions from Obama ‘Birthers’ that are “more like threats,” explained that the certificate of live birth reproduced by Obama’s campaign should have debunked the conspiracy theories. “If you were born in Bali, for example,” Okubo explained, “you could get a certificate from the state of Hawaii saying you were born in Bali. You could not get a certificate saying you were born in Honolulu. The state has to verify a fact like that for it to appear on the certificate. But it’s become very clear that it doesn’t matter what I say. The people who are questioning this bring up all these implausible scenarios. What if the physician lied? What if the state lied? It’s just become an urban legend at this point.”

  July 22, 2009 12:04 PM

• Sara said:

  I had to present my child's birth certificate to the little league organization this year.  Before that, I had to provide it to the public school system.  I guess that makes me a "rabid birther." Aren't we all?  

  I never realized that is "birther" nonsense only applies to the American riff raff.  There seems to be an exception for "special"  people who are above the constitution and law.

  July 22, 2009 12:04 PM

• Tom said:

  I just viewed a 1962 Birth Certificate recently from Hawii and it shows all information about a persons birth.Obama's Certification of Birth is "NOT" a birth certificate in which people are led to believe.You cannot get a passport or a drivers license with the form Obama has.What was the 1'st executive order Obama signed?He sealed all of his records.Why has Obama spent almost 1 million dollars on lawyer fee's to stop court challenges?Why did Obama's grandmother say Obama was born in Kenya?Grannies don't lie do they?Conclusion!If it stinks like a fish then it is a fish.BO sure smells fishy lately.

  July 22, 2009 12:10 PM

• BigGuy said:

  Tom, that's just total BS. The State of Hawaii says on its web page that the Certification of Live Birth is the only form of birth certificate they've give out for many years.

  Anyone who lives in Hawaii will be happy to tell you that people there use COLBs every day to get drivers licenses and passports -- and yes, Sara, even high-security matters like getting into Little League!

  You may fool an occasional Obama hater with this tripe, but no one with a brain is falling for it.

  July 22, 2009 12:25 PM

• Cindy said:

  Obama is hiding something.He has said that he was born in 2 different hospitals in Hawii in the past year.How can you be born in 2 hospitals?Explain that one!

  July 22, 2009 12:29 PM

• Tom said:

  Totally not true.I've seen the standard legal birth certificate issued in the early 1960's.Oh yea,I forgot,3 forensic scientist experts have said the bith certificate online is a forgery.Obama has not in any way released the long form true BC.Do a little research before you speak on the subject.Also,I guess that's why a federal judge has taken the BC issue on and has said this is a very serious issue and there will be a trial.Thats just one of the many court cases.It's hard to admit but American's got duped the Kenyans say.

  July 22, 2009 12:51 PM

• David said:

  I heard that attorney Dr.Orly Taitz has proof of Obama using 39 different social security numbers in his lifetime.She has presented the evidence already to the court.That's pretty serious stuff.

  July 22, 2009 1:02 PM

• Mary K said:

  Cindy, I've heard those rumors too, but I haven't been able to track them down. Can you point me to any real news sources that are reporting this? The more I look the less I think it's true.

  July 22, 2009 1:05 PM

• BigGuy said:

  That's right, Tom. In the early 60s, before Hawaii's records were computerized, they issued a different form of birth certificate.

  That was nearly 50 years ago. Today the COLB is the only one they issue. Their web page says that very clearly.

  “It’s crazy,” said Janice Okubo, director of communications for the Hawaii Department of Health. “I don’t think anything is ever going to satisfy them.”

  July 22, 2009 1:11 PM

• RW&B said:

  David, you think that's serious stuff?

  LOL!!!!

  July 22, 2009 1:12 PM

• John said:

  If the question is so absurd, why doesn't Obama just produce irrefutable proof he is and American?

  What he does do is obstruct and threaten people who question him on the subject.

  July 22, 2009 1:20 PM

• Doubftul said:

  John -- the only reason the question is so absurd is that he has produced irrefutable proof that he's an American. That's why there are no credible people who claim otherwise.

  July 22, 2009 1:32 PM

• Rob said:

  I'm sure all the birther folks saw GW Bush's birth certificate and were satisfied too right?

  Of course, they also don't realize that a lot of people dont have their original birth certificate. That's why you can purchase copies from the government. Pretty simple and exactly what Obama did.

  July 22, 2009 1:42 PM

• MaineSkeptic said:

  @Rob: "I'm sure all the birther folks saw GW Bush's birth certificate and were satisfied too right?"

  Right -- and they must have held an original, long-form hard copy in their hands, too, because everybody knows you can't trust an online image.

  Where are these nutty people coming from?

  July 22, 2009 1:55 PM

• Andy said:

  The federal court judges sure seem to think it's serious and we need to stop making light of it.One judge said if Obama cannot produce a true legal long form BC he will be ordered to leave the White House.Do you people thank thats funny or something.I sure don't.It seems Obama has spent a lot of money on lawyers to hide his BC.Why would someone spend close to a million dollars to do that?If you had a birth certificate would you spend that kind of cash to hide it from the courts.

  July 22, 2009 2:00 PM

• BigGuy said:

  Andy --

  "One judge said if Obama cannot produce a true legal long form BC he will be ordered to leave the White House."

  I call BS! No judge said that. I dare you to come up with a credible source that says so.

  July 22, 2009 2:17 PM

• Andy said:

  Bigguy,Your comment shows how little you and other people know about the subject and haven't even been tracking the court cases.I've been following this for 7 months and finally the issue has come to the national focus of people.You sound like someone behind the 8 ball.You need to start studying.Dr.Orly Taitz would be a good place to start finding out about the court cases and you can do a simple search for more of the Obama lawsuits.

  July 22, 2009 2:40 PM

• Rob said:

  Haha this clown Andy of course didn't produce the judge or name of the lawsuit. Keep digging, man.

  July 22, 2009 2:47 PM

• BigGuy said:

  Hey, Andy, I've been following it too.

  All I've asked you for is a single credible source for that statement you attributed to a judge, and all you're doing is waving your hands and mouthing slogans.

  Come on, let's see that source! Sounds like you don't have one.

  July 22, 2009 2:50 PM

• mike said:

  I wonder how his parents knew to print the birth announcement in 1961 in two separate hawaii papers.  Good foresight!

  July 22, 2009 4:04 PM

• Richard said:

  I think this is the case Andy is talking about.

  Kerchner vs. Obama.The judge in the case has said he is going to get down to the facts no matter what and thinks the case is very serious.The defendents "obama and the congress" have tried to dismiss the case but the judge isn't buying it.

  This is just one of many I have found today after seeing this thread.Good luck!

  July 22, 2009 5:11 PM

• Katie said:

  I've seen video's on youtube that Obama has said he was born in 2 different hospital's.Can't he make up his mind?

  July 22, 2009 5:19 PM

• BigGuy said:

  Richard, I'm looking for a source for the quote attributed to the judge.

  It's interesting that you've found "many" today. Can you point to *one* credible one that contains that quote? You would think, with all that coverage, that one of the places would include that very noteworthy statement!

  You're just confirming the impression that no source exists.

  July 22, 2009 5:32 PM

• Captain Steve said:

  OBAMA, STOP HIDING. SHOW US THE LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!!!

  July 22, 2009 6:55 PM

• Doubftul said:

  Hey, Captain Steve!

  “It’s crazy,” said Janice Okubo, director of communications for the Hawaii Department of Health. “I don’t think anything is ever going to satisfy them.”

  Okubo, who said that she gets weekly questions from Obama ‘Birthers’ that are “more like threats,” explained that the certificate of live birth reproduced by Obama’s campaign should have debunked the conspiracy theories. “If you were born in Bali, for example,” Okubo explained, “you could get a certificate from the state of Hawaii saying you were born in Bali. You could not get a certificate saying you were born in Honolulu. The state has to verify a fact like that for it to appear on the certificate. But it’s become very clear that it doesn’t matter what I say. The people who are questioning this bring up all these implausible scenarios. What if the physician lied? What if the state lied? It’s just become an urban legend at this point.”

  July 22, 2009 8:04 PM

• Dave said:

  The case is "Kerchner vs. Obama" and on Aug.3rd the federal court judge will make a ruling.I think people should not jump to any conclusions until then.

  July 22, 2009 9:38 PM

• MaineSkeptic said:

  Certainly, Dave, we'll suspend judgment; maybe Kerchner v Obama will succeed.

  Unlike Berg v Obama, Brockhausen v Andrade, Cook v Good, Greenberg v Brunner, Keyes v Bowen, Keyes v Lingle, Lightfoot v Bowen, Martin v Lingle ... need I go on?

  July 22, 2009 9:50 PM

• Dave said:

  Certainly we will.We have no say in the matter unless we are involved in the case.We are just observers in the matter.

  July 22, 2009 10:05 PM

• BostonPatriot said:

  Camille Paglia's take: In the closing weeks of the election, however, I became increasingly disturbed by the mainstream media's avoidance of forthright dealing with several controversies that had been dogging Obama -- even as every flimsy rumor about Sarah Palin was being trumpeted as if it were engraved in stone on Mount Sinai. For example, I had thought for many months that the flap over Obama's birth certificate was a tempest in a teapot. But simple questions about the certificate were never resolved to my satisfaction. Thanks to their own blathering, fanatical overkill, of course, the right-wing challenges to the birth certificate never gained traction.

  But Obama could have ended the entire matter months ago by publicly requesting Hawaii to issue a fresh, long-form, stamped certificate and inviting a few high-profile reporters in to examine the document and photograph it. (The campaign did make the "short-form" certificate available to Factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.) And why has Obama not made his university records or thesis work widely available? The passivity of the press toward Bush administration propaganda about weapons of mass destruction led the nation into the costly blunder of the Iraq war. We don't need another presidency that finds it all too easy to rely on evasion or stonewalling. I deeply admire Obama, but as a voter I don't like feeling gamed or played.

  July 23, 2009 5:35 AM

• Michael Pahre said:

  Wow, lots of visitors here, David!

  Admittedly an imperfect analogy, but I'll draw it:

  Eight years ago, there were many on the left who were unhappy that George W. Bush won the presidential election through the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court, believing that Al Gore had actually won the election.

  This led to people having bumper stickers in 2004 like "Re-Defeat Bush", etc., serious, but in good humor at some level.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember any servicemen claiming that Bush wasn't the Commander-in-Chief, that the laws he signs were never actually legally signed, etc.

  Some Bush opponents in 2001 thought that he wasn't propertly elected, and some Obama opponents in 2009 think that he wasn't properly elected.  But the magnitude of the response of those two constituencies has been quite different -- and reflects negatively on those associated with the right.

  July 23, 2009 3:07 PM

• Paul said:

  Orly Taitz sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger and acts like Sarah Palin. Oh well...

  July 23, 2009 6:28 PM

• Katie said:

  So many people have crystal balls on this issue.Where do they purchase them?Walmart maybe?

  July 24, 2009 11:57 AM

• Jock said:

  Orly Taitz just filed a new lawsuit in Florida.This issue is not going away at all.

  Obama is hiding something?

  July 24, 2009 7:43 PM

• Jock said:

  The state of Hawaii and the governor have been lying to the public after they said they had seen Obama's long form birth certificate.CNN announced that Obama's original long form birth certificate was destroyed in 2002 or 2001.Obama has NO legal birth certificate.Obama's COLB which is not a birth certificate was declared a forgery by 3 forensic experts.We have a real problem.

  July 25, 2009 8:23 AM

• JoyousMNi said:

  Can I ask a basic question? Why does it matter so much to you birthers? He was elected by a majority of voters. He's in there doing the job. The Constitution is somewhat vague on what they meant by "natural born" so who really cares if he was or was not born here? He was raised an American. He went to American schools...what's the big deal?

  Second question. If somehow somewhere someone decided he wasn't born here and that disqualified him, what would make you all happy? I'm thinking if Obama was taken out of office the only thing that would please you would be if he was replaced by Sara Palin.

  I'm thinking it's all because he just doesn't look like you, so he CAN'T possibly be an American, right?

  July 25, 2009 9:37 PM

• Eric said:

  We live in a land of laws set forth by the US Constitution.If we break the supreme law of the land then we are nothing more than a lawless society.

  July 26, 2009 2:17 AM

• John said:

  I hope Obama didn't lie to 300 million people where he was born!If so he is a FRAUD!

  July 26, 2009 2:23 AM

• Al said:

  What a statement from a person in America.Obama is doing his job turning America into a communist country.NO THANK YOU!

  July 26, 2009 2:56 AM

• smrstrauss said:

  Re: "CNN announced that Obama's original long form birth certificate was destroyed in 2002 or 2001."

  CNN was wrong. Hawaii continues to have the original paper copy of Obama's birth certificate on file. And, once again, the officials of Hawaii have looked into the file and found an original birth certificate. www.honoluluadvertiser.com/.../M1139416728.GIF

  Since it was not possible to file foreign birth certificates in 1961 (that was not allowed until 1982), the original in the file is a Hawaii birth certificate.

  July 28, 2009 10:31 AM

• spqr said:

  DEMOC-rat

  BARACK BARRY HUSSEIN MOHAMED ABDULLAH SOETORO ONYANGO 0BAMA

  ILLEGAL ALIEN, k e n y a  /  mombassa

  July 29, 2009 11:14 AM

• Katie said:

  Obama's Kenyan BC has surfaced this past weekend and is being used in a court case against him this week.Hillary is on her way to Kenya for damage control but it's to late.Private I's have already scooped up the info the WH was trying to hide.Good luck to all the people who said O was legit.

  August 3, 2009 10:57 AM

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  August 12, 2009 2:32 PM

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