Wednesday, July 22, 2009

My Opinion: Lou Dobbs Is A Bigoted Right Wing Xenophobic Whack Job.


My Opinion: Lou Dobbs Is A Bigoted Right Wing Xenophobic Whack Job.

Why doesn’t he just come right out and say: I can’t stand Obama because he’s not white and be done with it. At least he would be being honest! And then we could all crucify him in a free speech throw down. Come on Lou; stop hiding behind this birther stuff and stirring the kettle like some demented deluded half witted half drunk witch.

http://cafecamuspoliticalcoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2009/07/fruitcake-on-loose-dobbs-repeatedly.html

“I Don’t Know Which He Needs Worse Or First:

A Psychiatrist Or A Proctologist!”

One Thing Is Certain; It Is Time For Lou To Be Fired Or Put Out To Pasture On A Mental Disability!

SUMMARY: Kitty Pilgrim, guest-hosting Lou Dobbs' CNN show, debunked claims that President Obama does not have a valid birth certificate and is therefore ineligible to be president -- claims that Dobbs himself advanced days earlier on his radio program.

Dobbs joins right-wing media promoting birth certificate conspiracy theories

5 hours and 24 minutes ago

SUMMARY: Lou Dobbs has joined the ranks of right-wing media figures who have repeatedly advanced discredited conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate.

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UPDATE, July 22, 2009: In light of CNN host Lou Dobbs' recent promotion of conspiracy theoriesabout President Obama's birth certificate, Media Matters for America is re-publishing the following item, which was originally posted June 18.

Throughout the past year, conservative media figures have advanced various versions of the discredited myth that Barack Obama has not produced a valid birth certificate, is not a natural-born U.S. citizen, and is not eligible to be president. For instance, as recently as June 10, Rush Limbaugh said, "Barack Obama has one thing in common with God. Do you know what it is? God does not have a birth certificate either. ... God does not have a birth certificate, and neither does Obama -- not that we've seen." And on the June 8 edition of his radio show, G. Gordon Liddy claimed Obama was "born" in Kenya.

Alleged Holocaust Memorial Museum shooter and white supremacist James W. von Brunn reportedly also was -- in the words of Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall -- "apparently a 'birther,' one of these folks who claims that Barack Obama is not the legitimate president of the United States because he is not a natural born US citizen." The New York Daily News also reported this claim.

Rush Limbaugh

Who announces days in advance they're rushing to the side of a loved one who is deathly ill, but keeps campaigning in a race that's said to be over, only to go to the loved one's side days later? See, I think this is about something else. You know what's really percolating out there? And I've been laying low on this because it just -- it hasn't met the threshold to pass the smell test on this program. But this birth certificate business, this lawsuit that a guy named Phillip Berg filed in Philadelphia in August for Obama to produce his genuine birth certificate, and he still hasn't replied, he hasn't done so.

[...]

And this birth certificate business -- I'm just wondering if something's up. ... Let's say, for example, that somebody does come up with proof that Obama -- something's screwy with his birth certificate, and something's screwy about the fact that he's allegedly a natural citizen, American citizen but may not be, dual citizenship, born in Kenya, who knows, there's all kinds of stuff out -- so what? What's gonna happen this late in the campaign? Do you think, if it's proven, that they're gonna dump him? That's not gonna happen. But there's still -- these are just questions that I have."

Fox Nation

A May 28, 2009, headline on The Fox Nation website asked: "Should Obama Release Birth Certificate? Or Is This Old News?" From The Fox Nation:

The Fox Nation's birth certificate headline linked to a video of WorldNetDaily correspondent Les Kinsolving asking White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to "releas[e] a certified copy of his long-form birth certificate." In the video, Gibbs notes that Obama's birth certificate is available for anyone to view and that "this question in many ways continues to astound me."

Michael Savage

He won't even produce a birth certificate. Don't you love that? Something as basic as Obama's birth certificate now is an issue. I mean, if he's got nothing to hide, show it to me. Doesn't exist. It does not exist, they can't find it in the Hawaii government. It's never been produced. The one that was produced is a forgery.

Obama is an unknown man, may not be a citizen, surrounded by radicals, surrounded by terrorists, that we have no choice. ... I will never work for a man who has a birth certificate nobody can find. ... How is that possible, when he has no known birth certificate?... Mr. [Jerome] Corsi went over to Kenya to investigate his relatives in Kenya, and he was arrested by the Muslim leader of Kenya because Mr. Corsi uncovered the true birthplace, I believe, of Hussein Obama and the connections that exist between Barack Hussein Obama and this Muslim leader, and what this Muslim leader said he would do after this election...There are websites out there that have been filed in federal courts in Philadelphia where a Democrat attorney had to file a federal lawsuit to obtain a simple copy of this alias, Barack Hussein Obama's birth certificate. ... Especially since this person is not only a federal employee working in a federal agency as a senator but he's preparing under our Constitution which requires birth on U.S. soil, and instead of complying with his request, Barack Hussein Obama, or Hussein, sent his SA to Philadelphia to fight a simple request to show a valid birth certificate... And so, ladies and gentlemen, we do not even know where Hussein Obama was born, we cannot find a legal birth certificate for him.

He could change the rules on that, since we don't know where he was born. His party won't produce his birth certificate. ... It doesn't matter that he doesn't have a birth certificate. It doesn't matter that he may not be an American citizen.

There's some other reason that he's leaving the mainland of the United States in the midst of this toe-to-toe struggle right now, and it's got to do with his birth certificate. ...1-800-449 -- but please go to MichaelSavage.com and look at the alleged birth certificate. Look at it very carefully ... It's the birth certificate issue, you fools, you.

And, oh yes, our condolences to his grandmother who raised him, who he so bravely visited last week -- shockingly, out of nowhere, in the, in the last days of a campaign -- while the rumors of his birth certificate not being valid were circulating throughout the Internet. Shockingly, Obama goes to Hawaii, and again, not one of the empty skirts in the media asks him about his birth -- his birth certificate, the Kenyan relatives.

The Washington Times

  • From a December 5, 2008, article on the Supreme Court's decision to hear a lawsuit challenging Barack Obama's "right to be President based on his citizenship at birth":

Mr. Obama tried to resolve questions over his citizenship during his campaign by circulating a copy of a "Certification of Live Birth" from the state of Hawaii showing he was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu.

"It's clearly been altered," said Pennsylvania attorney Philip J. Berg in published ads that he sponsored nationwide, including in The Washington Times. He filed one of the lawsuits to block Mr. Obama's presidency.

Mr. Berg claims there is a tape recording from Mr. Obama's paternal grandmother in Kenya saying she attended the birth of her grandson in Mombasa.

Mr. Berg also says Mr. Obama later enrolled as a student at an Indonesian school at a time only Indonesians could attend it. Mr. Obama's stepfather was Indonesian.

In October, a federal judge dismissed Mr. Berg's lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, saying Mr. Berg lacked standing.

Joseph Farah

  • From the May 29, 2009, WorldNetDaily article, "Born in the USA? Birth certificate issue No. 1 at Fox News":

Barack Obama's elusive long-form birth certificate that would establish his eligibility to serve as president as a "natural born citizen" is the hottest discussion topic at the Fox News Channel's website.

[...]

The visibility of the Obama birth certificate issue has also been raised by a new national billboard campaign initiated by Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND. Launched just over a week ago, the campaign has raised about $55,000 and begun erecting billboards that ask the question, "Where's the birth certificate?"

  • From a June 3, 2009, WorldNetDaily column:

It's pretty incredible that we have a president who gets away with talking about "transparency and openness" when he himself refuses to disclose the most basic personal data -- including the only documentation that would establish whether he is constitutionally eligible to serve in the highest office in the land.

We need to see his birth certificate.

[...]

We need to see his passport records during the time he was living in Indonesia and traveling to Pakistan as a youth. Did he give up his U.S. citizenship? If not, how did he retain it? Or did he not have U.S. citizenship to begin with because he was never actually born in Hawaii?

Jerome Corsi

Well, what would be really helpful is if Senator Obama would release primary documents like his birth certificate. The campaign has a false, fake birth certificate posted on their website. How is anybody supposed to really piece together his life?...The original birth certificate of Obama has never been released, and the campaign refuses to release it. ... It's a fake document that's on the website right now, and the original birth certificate the campaign refuses to produce.

It's a registry of birth. It's -- you know, you come into the office afterwards, and you register the birth. The birth certificate is issued by the hospital. It's not something you go in and request. And the -- this lawsuit that [Philip] Berg has filed in, I believe, Pennsylvania is arguing that the original, the birth certificate, is in Kenya, and Obama -- Obama's father and mother went back to Kenya before Obama was born, and evidently the pregnancy was so advanced that Ann Dunham was not allowed to return to the United States, and Obama was born in Kenya. That's the argument. And it would seem to be -- to have some credibility to it, because the Obama campaign refuses to release the original birth certificate. And why would that -- a birth certificate, you know, Mr. Liddy, should be a mundane document.

Well, the main issue on the birth certificate: If there's nothing to hide, why won't the Obama campaign release it? ... There's something on that birth certificate. You know, maybe Obama was born in Kenya; I don't know what it shows. But why hide a document that should be as transparent as your birth certificate? ... My gut reaction is that Obama was either born in Kenya, 'cause his mother came over prior to his birth and couldn't get back home before he was born. Because what's filed on his website appears to be a registration of birth not the document generated by the hospital when you're born.

I'm headed out to Honolulu. ... And I'm going out to do what digging I can on the birth certificate. ... I think I'll accomplish something in Hawaii, too. Obama's headed out there, and I believe there's a court challenge that if Obama does not dodge, he's gonna be forced to produce a birth certificate, and there's gonna be something damaging on that birth certificate, because even at the eleventh hour, Obama refuses to show us the hospital-generated birth certificate when he was born.

G. Gordon Liddy

And the second thing is that it is not a birth certificate. ... So, we still don't have a birth certificate for Obama...There are claims that he was actually born in Kenya. I have no way of proving that or disproving that, but it would seem to me that it being so important -- I mean, because if he was born in Kenya and not in Hawaii, then he's not eligible to become president. If it's so important an issue that the campaign, if they had a real birth certificate from Hawaii, the campaign would put it out, not rely on a phony thing Photoshopped by Daily Kos, you know. Why?

I think there is a lawsuit that has been filed, but I don't know what -- you know, what progress it has or has not made, but the only thing that they've offered is -- and Obama hasn't offered it -- the Daily Kos, that left-wing blog, offered a Photoshopped -- a much-Photoshopped -- copy of a certificate of live birth, which is not something -- it's not a birth certificate. It simply states that so-and-so was born alive here in Hawaii. But the serial number on it is redacted, blanked out. And that's because some people have suggested that it was actually the Photoshopped version. ... And then there's others who say he was born, you know, in Kenya. And I don't have a birth certificate from Kenya to show that he was, but neither does he have a birth certificate to show that he was born in Hawaii, either.

I'd like to talk about the, you know, the business of his birth. Now, the Daily Kos, which is a blog, a leftist blog, published a certificate of live birth purportedly from Hawaii. Giving a date but having the serial number redacted, blocked out. And, from what we're told, heavily Photoshopped. Can you go into that? It's not a birth certificate. It's something that is issued after there has been a birth and supposedly attests to the fact that, well, yes, there was a birth in the past, and it was on such and such a day, but it's not a birth certificate such as you and I have.

  • From the June 8, 2009, edition of The G. Gordon Liddy Show: "Now, this is being done for a slum in Kenya, where of course our president was born."

Andrew Malcolm

  • From a May 5, 2009, entry on the Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket blog:

According to the N.Y. Post today, those photos [taken of Air Force One in New York] have been classified and will not be released by the transparent Obama White House. Not really classified as in 'top secret' classified. But classified as in those are going in the file cabinet. Maybe mis-filed with the Obama birth certificate.

Mike Pintek

I still keep wondering about his birthplace and his birth certificate. I'm still not convinced that he actually was born a natural-born citizen. ... But we may never be able to prove that either without a real, honest-to-God birth certificate. Maybe one does not exist. You know, the one that they post -- they posted doesn't -- that looks like a Photoshop deal. According to some people who know what they're talking about, who are experts on this, they say that the birth certificate that he's got on his website and has been posted to the Daily Kos and some other places, is -- it looks very much like a Photoshop deal and doesn't look legit. So what's he hiding?

Wesley Pruden

Far worse, a summerlong controversy continues about when and where the senator was actually born, and whether the circumstances of his birth could cloud his eligibility to serve. The Obama campaign has been reluctant to produce a birth certificate.

Frank Gaffney Jr.

Another question yet to be resolved is whether Mr. Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States, a prerequisite pursuant to the U.S. Constitution. There is evidence Mr. Obama was born in Kenya rather than, as he claims, Hawaii. There is also a registration document for a school in Indonesia where the would-be president studied for four years, on which he was identified not only as a Muslim but as an Indonesian. ... Curiously, Mr. Obama has, to date, failed to provide an authentic birth certificate which could clear up the matter.

Andy Martin

From a September 22, 2008, Contrarian Commentary column: "We have not seen a valid Obama birth certificate either."

Chris Baker

[W]hen you really start looking into this, there apparently has never been a real birth certificate presented. There's been a certificate, but it's not a birth certificate. And according to Philip Berg, Barack Obama was born in Kenya. ... Just get the damn birth certificate presented and let's move on with our lives.

Bob Newman

CALLER: I can't fathom this, how he hasn't had to produce a birth certificate.

NEWMAN: Well, you can see the fake one if you want; it's on my website -

CALLER: Right, yeah.

NEWMAN: -- you can also see the blank one. I have a blank one there. What you can do is, you can Photoshop it yourself; you just copy it, right-click on it, and then you copy it, and then you use your Photoshop, and you can doctor it up any way you want.

Rick Roberts

There is some question, some question as to whether he's even a U.S. citizen and, sorry, that's something you kinda have to have to run for president. ... We'd get a week away from the presidency and all of a sudden we find out he's actually born in Kenya and then taken to Hawaii where a duplicate birth certificate was produced.

First of all, the birth certificate issue. The birth certificate issue. You know the story goes his father moved to Kenya, his mother followed, she was pregnant with him, she didn't like the way Muslim men treated the women, she wanted to go back to Hawaii, she was too far along in her pregnancy, they said, "No, you can't fly." She had the baby in Kenya, then got on a plane with the child back to Hawaii and got a registry of birth. ... Show them the birth certificate and say, "OK, here's my birth certificate, get out of my face." Why hasn't it been produced? Why?

Jim Quinn

  • From the June 15 edition of The War Room With Quinn & Rose:

Well, where's his birth certificate? We could have two illegitimate leaders.

But any -- it would appear from this judgment by the -- from this court that the DNC and Barack Hussein Obama had lost -- not an appeal but a motion -- to dismiss the complaint from a Philip J. Berg, Esq., who wants a copy of Obama's citizenship papers and also his birth certificate -- which is a question that's been floating out there. ... And it looks like he may not be an American citizen, and it looks like nobody cares -- which is even more exciting.

Rose Tennent

Now, you said there was also -- I think once you had talked about inconsistencies in terms of the accounts of his birth. There were reports that he was born at two separate hospitals -- one in Honolulu, one in Kenya. ...So, seriously, you have concerns about there being inconsistent reports of where he was born. ...Mr. Berg, though, can you really expect -- I mean, can't we, as citizens of this country -- people who are voting for the next president of the United States of America -- can we not expect to have an original or a copy of the original birth certificate of someone who is running for that position?

Brian Sussman

Yeah, like if someone involved with the Electoral College says, "There's just one little issue. We're looking at the Constitution of the United States of America and the requirement is 35 years of age residing in the United States so many years, and, oh yeah, citizen." Can we prove the citizenship thing right now please, once and for all? ... Show us the birth certificate, man. Show us the money. It's sealed up in Hawaii? Show it to us. ... Show us the birth certificate.

Mark Hyman

Obama's lawyers are attempting to financially ruin individuals party to the most absurd soap opera involving the 44th president. There is unabated controversy regarding his birth, citizenship and foreign travel. Obama could immediately silence his critics by authorizing the release of his original birth certificate and passport. One has to wonder what could possibly be in either document that has caused Obama to wage a fierce and expensive legal battle to keep the files secreted. Aside from Joan Rivers, nearly every American would willingly make their birth certificate available and Obama's stubborn refusal to do so only adds to the controversy.

Barry Farber

  • From an April 6, 2009, Newsmax.com column:

We've not been allowed to see the president's birth certificate. Instead we've been offered something nobody ever heard of called a "certificate of live birth" from the state of Hawaii. If all this culminates in the revelation that Barack Obama is not, in fact, eligible to serve as president of the USA, this will go down as his team's biggest mistake. The American people may not be all we used to be, but we're not yet ready to roll over and smile at the sight of a confection designed to masquerade as a birth certificate while we're being angrily denied a look at the real thing.

Molotov Mitchell

  • From a June 17 WorldNetDaily video:

We cannot survive four years of this. But there is a solution. We have something that man has sought throughout the ages -- we have a time machine. Yes, a time machine. And with it, we can undo most of Obama's damage. All we have to do is demand Obama's proof of citizenship. These are the facts: Obama's grandmother says that he was born in Kenya. His elementary school records say that he was an Indonesian citizen. He traveled in and out of Pakistan when American passports were prohibited. And by the way, where are the records that show his name change from Barry Soetoro to Barack Obama? And why has he sealed all records that could indicate his national origin?

Republicans, you're looking for leadership? Well, here it is: Publicly demand the answers to these questions. Obama will resign. If he doesn't, we know that we are in a dictatorship. Walk out of Congress, and don't look back.

As Dobbs digs in, CNN rebuts, ridicules, distances itself from birth certificate claims

SUMMARY: In the wake of Lou Dobbs' repeated claims that President Obama needs to "produce a birth certificate" and that Obama's birth certificate posted online has "some issues," several of Dobbs' CNN colleagues as well as other media figures have debunked Obama birth certificate theories.

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In the wake of Lou Dobbs' repeated claims on the July 15 edition of his radio show that President Obama needs to "produce a birth certificate" and that Obama's birth certificate posted online has "some issues," several of Dobbs' CNN colleagues as well as other members of the media have debunked Obama birth certificate theories, often ridiculing those who embrace such theories as "nut jobs" who advance "ludicrous" claims that are "more conspiratorial than factual." Indeed, according to the Los Angeles Times, CNN distanced itself from Dobbs' comments. Reporter James Rainey wrote: "[O]ne CNN employee reminded me several times that Dobbs' most pointed assertions were made on his radio program, which is unconnected to CNN."

Nonetheless, Dobbs has continued to repeat the "birther" claims on both CNN and his radio show,stating on the July 20 edition of his CNN program that the birth certificate questions offered by "passionate supporters" "won't go away because they haven't been dealt with, it seems possible to, straightforwardly and quickly," and saying on the July 21 edition of his CNN show, "We had people, including reporters from the LA Times, calling up because I referred to this. ... Instead of calling the White House to ask why they didn't do it, they're calling me to ask why I said I don't know what the reality is. No one does." Additionally, on the July 21 edition of his radio show, Dobbs criticized "certain quarters of the national liberal media that are just absolutely trying to knock down the issue of President Obama's birth certificate," stating that they are "focused on being subservient and servile to this presidency rather than being inquisitive and doing their jobs with, you know, the White House."

CNN hosts, personalities, and guests who have debunked birth certificate claims or criticized their adherents since July 15 include the following:

  • On the July 17 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, guest host Kitty Pilgrim said that CNN "found no basis" for the birth certificate claims and cited "overwhelming evidence that proves that his birth certificate is real, and that he was born in Honolulu," including Obama's birth certificate posted online by FactCheck.org.
  • Later on the July 17 Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN contributor Errol Louis stated of the theory's proponents, "I think what we have here is a case where under the guise of saying, well, we can't trust whether or not he should be president because we don't have the evidence, it's actually the reverse. These are folks -- and there are a number of them, and some of them are raising money, like WorldNetDaily, which is as far as I'm concerned, running a scam, where they're selling all kinds of bumper stickers and stuff like that." Louis later said "They're raising legal fees from across the country and the reality is they don't accept -- they don't accept that the president is the president and, therefore, they work backward and there will never be enough proof to satisfy them."
  • Also on the July 17 Lou Dobbs Tonight, The Daily Beast's John Avlon told Pilgrim, "You've offered a mountain of evidence in addition to two birth announcements. That's a pretty deep conspiracy." He also stated, "What we have here is Obama derangement syndrome. This is pathological hatred of the president posing as patriotism" and later said to Alan Keyes and Orly Taitz, who advocate birth certificate theories, "You guys are nuts."
  • On the July 21 edition of CNN Newsroom, host Rick Sanchez held up a printed copy of Obama's birth certificate and then said, "To a large and vocal group of Americans, this paper that I just showed you might as well be bathroom tissue. Factual? Maybe. Enough to stop the speculation? Absolutely not." Sanchez also stated, "There's something strange about even having to do this story. So for those of you who get this, please, we apologize. But it's gotten to the point where there are so many people in this country who are believing this that it needs to be addressed." He later added: "[W]e certainly hope that there are people out there who do their own fact-checking, see for themselves what's on the record, and see that this seems to be more conspiratorial than factual."
  • On the July 21 edition of Larry King Live, CNN political contributor James Carville said of those who don't believe Obama is a natural-born American citizen: "These people are poor -- these poor pathetic people are believing stuff, just like -- just like [Liz] Cheney tonight. She refuses to say this is ludicrous, because she actually wants to encourage these people to believe this. It's just a simple thing. This is a nutty thing. There's nothing to this. I disagree with this president's policies."
  • In a July 22 column published on CNN.com, CNN contributor Roland S. Martin stated, "The nut jobs that continue to promote this story are wacky, right-wing radio and TV talk shows hosts and no-credibility bloggers. They have latched onto this story like bloodsucking leeches, and actually want us to believe this story has legs." He added:

What cracks me up is that in order to justify their loony beliefs, they say, "The president could just end this once and for all by producing the birth certificate."

Do you actually believe these wackos will stop there? They will then accuse the president of doctoring the document and ordering up the state of Hawaii and federal officials to create the birth certificate.

As Media Matters for America noted, prior to his July 15 radio program, Dobbs' CNN colleagues called the "birthers'" claims "total bull" and "a whack-job project," and characterized those who make such claims as "conspiracy theorists" who wear "tin foil hat[s]."

CNN personalities and guests were not alone in recent days in debunking the birth certificate theories and ridiculing those who give them credence:

  • On the July 21 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, during an interview with Rep. John Campbell (R-CA), who has co-sponsored a bill requiring future presidents to produce their birth certificates, host Chris Matthews asked, "What is going on that so many Americans doubt the obvious, that Barack Obama is a citizen, to the point that you felt it necessary to co-sponsor this crazy proposal?" He also said, "You're verifying the paranoia out there. You're saying to the people, you're right. That's a reasonable question, whether he's a citizen or not." Matthews also accused Campbell of "playing to the crazies" and "feeding the wacko wing" of the Republican Party.
  • On the July 21 edition of her MSNBC program, Rachel Maddow stated that Dobbs "is using the platform of his CNN show to advance the birther conspiracy." She later added, "I mean, one of the things I love about American politics and Americans in general is that we are enthusiastic about conspiracy theories. I find it entertaining. But the sort of the holy grail is to, you know, make CNN, to make the mainstream media to be talked about as if you've got some sort of credible idea."
  • In his July 22 Times article, Rainey quoted Brooks Jackson, director of Annenberg Political Fact Check, who "worked at the cable outlet for more than 20 years," stating of Dobbs' claims, "CNN should be ashamed of itself for putting some of that stuff on the air."
  • On the July 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, co-host Joe Scarborough cited evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii and said of the "conspiracy theorists" who say otherwise: "Now that is not enough for these people. They would rather be like sea lions barking at waves. They would rather, instead of trying to actually figure out what is happening to their country -- the terrible things that are happening economically to their country -- they embrace conspiracy theories. And they make themselves just look like cartoon characters." Scarborough also compared birth certificate conspiracy theorists to people who believe "the United States government blew up its own buildings and killed its own people on September 11" and believe that we "never landed on the moon."
  • On the July 22 edition of MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports, Matthews referred to the "birthers" as "full-mooners," while host Andrea Mitchell stated that they are "totally nuts."

From the July 21 edition of CNN Newsroom:

SANCHEZ: I want to show you something, all right? Let's get started with this right here. You get this, Robert? Take a look at this right here. See this? Can you shoot this right there? You got it, Robert? All right, this is a printout from the state of Hawaii. It's a certification of live birth. Child's name: Barack Hussein Obama II. See it right there? Can you read that?

All right. Down, lower. And as you go across, you see he was born 7:24 p.m. There it says the island of birth, Oahu. There it says when he was born, August 1961. His parents: his mother is a Caucasian, his father is Barack Hussein Obama, who is an African. All right, there's all the information. This is a reprint of his birth certificate, or as it says here, certificate of birth.

To a large and vocal group of Americans, this paper that I just showed you might as well be bathroom tissue. Factual? Maybe. Enough to stop the speculation? Absolutely not.

This completely unfounded story -- let me repeat -- this completely unfounded story continues to get so much play in certain media that it's led to a congressman's town hall meeting actually getting hijacked.

[...]

SANCHEZ: There's something strange about even having to do this story. So for those of you who get this, please, we apologize. But it's gotten to the point where there are so many people in this country who are believing this that it needs to be addressed.

[...]

SANCHEZ: Do you know what I could show you that could -- it would seem to me that it would put this to bed, right here and now on CNN.

Go down even -- Chris, are you in the control room? Go. Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep -- there. Stop. See that right there? This is the newspaper in Hawaii back in 1961. This is a birth announcement printed in that newspaper.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barack Obama" -- this is part of the announcement saying that a young boy was born, right? Now, what'd you say, Angie? I'm sorry. So, there it is. This is interesting, because if you're saying -- if somebody out there is saying that Barack Obama wasn't born in Hawaii, then his grandparents would have had to have faked this, knowing that some day he was gonna be president, and that they would have to put this in there, so in the future he could come back and say, look, he was born in Hawaii but he wasn't really born in Hawaii.

I mean, that's kind of convincing, isn't it?

BEN FERGUSON (radio host) No, Rick, look, I understand exactly where you're coming from.

But you know in the media as well as anybody else, that when stories take on a life of their own, whether it be a product that somebody's claimed had something in it that wasn't in there, damage control is everything.

And if this man -- he's not afraid of doing press conferences. Lord knows we all know that. So, I mean, why -- I mean, if he can do all the press conferences he does, why not put it to bed in one moment on national TV?

SANCHEZ: Here's another chance to go on TV. He's gonna do it Wednesday.

Viveca, to that, you say what? Maybe he should. Should -- does he need to do a little more proving here?

VIVECA NOVAK (FactCheck.org deputy director): I do think that it -- he may be thinking it's a little unpresidential for him to be coming out at this point showing his birth certificate.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

NOVAK: I don't know if there is a light way to do it. But, the fact that he's having to do it all is, to us at FactCheck, a bit insane. We don't know quite what to make of it ourselves.

FERGUSON: Hey, Rick, there's always the White House Correspondents' Dinner. There's a good night for it.

SANCHEZ: They'd still wonder. You know. There'd still be those people out there: "Nah, not convinced."

You know, it really is -- it's funny, but it's not so funny. I mean, it's a part of the national conversation. And we certainly hope that there are people out there who do their own fact-checking, see for themselves what's on the record, and see that this seems to be more conspiratorial than factual.

Unlike Dobbs, some conservative media think birthers are "nutburgers"

6 minutes ago

SUMMARY: In contrast to Lou Dobbs, who recently promoted conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate, numerous conservative media figures have dismissed and ridiculed the so-called "birther" claims.

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As Media Matters for America has extensively documented, Lou Dobbs has recently promoted conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate, joining a throng of media conservatives, including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, who have done so. But not all conservatives have embraced the "birther" cause. Many conservative media figures have dismissed and ridiculed the so-called "birther" claims as "conspiracy theories" that are "embarrassing and destructive" and are espoused by "crazy, nutburger, demagogue, money-hungry, exploitative, irresponsible, filthy conservative imposters."

For instance:

Joe Scarborough: On the July 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, Scarborough discussed a video clip in which Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) is challenged by a woman who claims Obama has not produced a birth certificate. Scarborough described those who ascribe to this belief as "cartoon characters" who "would rather, instead of trying to actually figure out what's happening to their country -- the terrible things that are happening economically to their country -- they embrace conspiracy theories." Scarborough marveled that it was "not enough for these people" that Obama's "has been shown" as well as a birth announcement for Obama in the "Honolulu Advertiser, on the day Barack Obama was born 47 years ago." Scarborough also compared birth certificate conspiracy theorists to people who believe "the United States government blew up its own buildings and killed its own people on September 11th" and believe that we "never landed on the moon."

Michelle Malkin: In a December 5, 2008, column, Fox News contributor Malkin compared those who questioned Obama's citizenship to those who believed Gov. Sarah Palin "didn't give birth to her youngest son, Trig," and wrote that a "dangerously large segment of the birth certificate hunters have lurched into rabid Truther territory." She went on to state:

The most prominent crusader against Obama's American citizenship claim, lawyer Philip Berg (who, not coincidentally, is also a prominent 9/11 Truther), disputes that Obama was born in Hawaii and claims that Obama's paternal grandmother told him she saw Obama born in Kenya.

Berg and his supporters further assert that the "Certification of Live Birth" produced by Obama was altered or forged. They claim that the contemporaneous birth announcement in a Hawaii newspaper of Obama's birth is insufficient evidence that he was born there. (Did a fortune-teller place it in the paper knowing he would run for president?)

Malkin concluded: "I believe Trig was born to Sarah Palin. I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on U.S. soil. I believe fire can melt steel and that bin Laden's jihadi crew -- not Bush and Cheney -- perpetrated mass murder on 9/11. What kind of kooky conspiracist does that make me?"

David Horowitz: In a December 8, 2008, column headlined "Obama Derangement Syndrome," Horowitz, editor of the conservative website FrontPage Magazine, blasted "continuing efforts of a fringe group of conservatives to deny Obama his victory and to lay the basis for the claim that he is not a legitimate president" as being "embarrassing and destructive." He added: "The fact that these efforts are being led by Alan Keyes, a demagogue who lost a Senate election to the then-unknown Obama by 42 points, should be a warning in itself."

Michael Medved: Medved, a conservative talk-show host, has reportedly referred to the leadership of the so-called "birther" movement as "crazy, nutburger, demagogue, money-hungry, exploitative, irresponsible, filthy conservative imposters" who are "the worst enemy of the conservative movement." According to a March 1 Politico article, Medved "mourned": "It makes us look weird. It makes us look crazy. It makes us look demented. It makes us look sick, troubled, and not suitable for civilized company."

John Avlon: As Media Matters has documented, on the July 17 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, the Daily Beast columnist Avlon said of the "birther" movement: "What we have here is Obama derangement syndrome. This is pathological hatred of the president posing as patriotism." In his July 22 Daily Beast column, Avlon wrote of Castle's confrontation with a "birther":

It's a sign that Republican centrists are operating at a disadvantage against the party's wingnut fringe. There is a reluctance to take on the extreme in a full-fledged confrontation, a fight for the future direction of the Republican Party, for fear of provoking grassroots retaliation in a GOP primary. And in this there a tacit admission that the fringe is starting to overlap with the party's base, pumped up by talk radio and the Internet, bleeding over into cable news and now town halls.

Avlon added that the exchange "is a glimpse at the ugliest underbelly of American politics: an angry and intolerant Nativism that appeals to people's paranoid fears of 'the other.' Its craziness is starting to seep in at the margins and affect our civil discourse." Avlon is a Manhattan Institute senior fellow, was director of speechwriting and deputy policy director for Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign, and is the author of the book, Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics.

Little Green Footballs (LGF): A well-known conservative blog, LGF regularly mocks the Obama birth certificate conspiracy theorists, describing those who ascribe to these beliefs as "nirthers." According to "The LGF Dictionary," "nirthers" are "those who believe in the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is not a legitimate citizen of the United States. Comes from a misspelling of 'Birth Certificate' that appeared on a Nirther website. The conspiracy itself is sometimes referred to as the 'nirth certifikit' theory." In posting a video clip of Castle's confrontation with a "nirther," LGF commented: "It's beyond appalling how popular this insanity is with the GOP base. What the hell is wrong with these people?"

Allahpundit: Allahpundit, a conservative blogger on the website Hot Air, has recently compared the Obama "birth certificate truthers" to the "9/11 Truthers," writing in a July 20 post about Castle: "Expect these people to play the same role at GOP primary events in 2012 that 9/11 Truthers played at Democratic rallies last year, occasionally cornering the wary candidate with a video camera to ask if he/she 'supports a new investigation' and receiving the same vague, wary assurances that of course he/she will be happy to 'look into it.' "

Ed Morrissey: Morrissey, another Hot Air blogger, also has debunked the birth certificate rumors. In a December 4, 2008, Hot Air post, Morrissey wrote:

The state of Hawaii has repeatedly insisted that their records show Obama was born in Hawaii, as the Certificate of Live Birth states. The COLB would get any Hawaii native an American passport with no questions asked, even without the official endorsement of the Republican governor and her Department of Health. There is even a contemporaneous birth announcement in a local paper confirming it.

I'm sure the comments section will fill with various conspiracy theories over Indonesian school records, Kenyan births, and so on. None of it -- absolutely none -- has any real, solid evidence showing that Obama was born anywhere else than Hawaii apart from sheer speculation and hearsay, and even less evidence that Obama's stepfather renounced Obama's birthright citizenship, which he didn't have the power to do anyway. It's a conspiracy theory spun by conspiracy theorists (Philip Berg is a 9/11 truther) who use their normal thresholds of evidence for this meme.

Andrew Walden: Walden, a conservative media figure, wrote in an April 1 column for Horowitz's FrontPageMag.com that "[a] fairly impressive internet industry has sprung up claiming that Obama was born in either Kenya or Indonesia. This is nonsense which distracts from the broadly unexplored story of Obama's upbringing." Walden added:

Barack Obama was born in Hawai'i, August 4, 1961 at Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu.

Obama's birth certificate posted online is exactly the same birth certificate everybody in Hawaii gets from the State Department of Health. It is not forged. There is nothing unusual about the design or the texture. In addition to the birth certificate, the August 13, 1961Honolulu Advertiser also carries an announcement of Obama's birth. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin also carries the same announcement. Both papers printed an identical list of birth announcements supplied to them by the Hawaii State Department of Health. Conspiracists have made much of the fact that the Territory of Hawaii gave a phony birth certificate in 1904 to Chinese republican leader Sun Yat Sen for diplomatic reasons. But the modern State of Hawaii has never supplied Certification of Live Birth indicating US birth for foreign-born children.

John Hawkins: Hawkins, a conservative blogger and writer, wrote in a June 30 Townhall.comcolumn that while he thinks that "Barack Obama is a shameless liar," he nevertheless believes: "Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. Granted, not everyone on the Right agrees with this assessment, but nevertheless, it's so." Hawkins concluded that the "evidence is as definitive as it gets. Obama has a legitimate birth certificate on file, he released a copy of it to the public, and there is a news clipping that confirms he was born in Hawaii in 1961."

From the July 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

SCARBOROUGH: Here's what I don't understand about these conspiracy theorists: a birth certificate has been shown. That's not enough. Here's the birth certificate that has been shown. This is not enough for people, nor is it enough for these people, who should actually be focusing on policies, focusing on the fact that Washington is stealing their money and their children's money and their grandchildren's money. But that's not enough for these people.

And, it also is not enough for these people that the Honolulu newspaper -- hey Bender, what's the Honolulu newspaper?

MIKE BARNICLE (MSNBC political contributor): Advertiser.

SCARBOROUGH: The Honolulu Advertiser, on the day Barack Obama was born 47 years ago, had a birth announcement for Barack Hussein Obama. Now that is not enough for these people. They would rather be like sea lions barking at waves. They would rather, instead of trying to actually figure out what's happening to their country -- the terrible things that are happening economically to their country -- they embrace conspiracy theories. And they make themselves just look like cartoon characters.

Obama and ‘birther’ politics

Is the ‘Obama birth certificate’ conspiracy theory becoming a threat to Obama? Or to the Republican Party?

U.S. NEWS & OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009

President Barack Obama: Born in the USA?

(Reuters/Corbis/Kevin Lamarque)

BEST OPINION: SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, THE ATLANTIC, HOT AIR ...

The odd “right-wing obsession” with President Obama’s birth certificate is spreading, said Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle. First, Rep. Mike Castle (R, Del) had to fend off an angry “birther” at a town hall meeting (watch video), then “border-obsessed” CNN host Lou Dobbs jumped on the “birther” train. Thankfully, Rep. John Campbell (R, Calif) got “a beat-down” from Hardball’s Chris Matthews for pandering to the GOP’s “wacko wing.” (watch video)

The “birthers” are both “a fringe movement and something greater,” said Marc Ambinder in The Atlantic. No “important Republicans” believe this “extremely thoroughly debunked” conspiracy theory (although Rush Limbaugh is flirting with it), but some local lawmakers and an unknown number of GOP voters do. As midterm elections approach, Republicans have a tough choice: alienate the “birthers” or reveal the “narrowness of their base.”

Given the “momentum conservatives are building against ObamaCare,” this “blather” about the birth certificate is foolish, said Allahpundit in Hot Air. It also obscures an important point: “the natural-born requirement is probably the single dumbest operative provision in the Constitution.” Perhaps after Obama leaves office we can finally abolish it.

Look, this isn’t “just some conspiracy theory along the lines of 9/11 truthers and alien cover-ups,” said Larry Amon in Examiner.com, and it isn’t going away until Obama produces his long-form birth certificate. Personally, I’ve let this “very important” issue go, but only because Obama will never release the information, so we’ll never know.

Posted by Bloomsday, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 7:30 amThe thing is, even if Obama were to produce the birth certificate, there would still be a mountain of ignorant people out there claiming it's fake or that he's lying. It's not going to end. For people who don't want Obama as President, nothing is going to convince them that they're wrong.

Posted by Church Lady, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8:07 amI saw a closeup of the 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!

Posted by Bob, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8:14 amPerhaps that's true, Bloomsday but Obama not showing it in the first place close to a year ago perpetuated the issue. Had he come out right away and said, Here it is, it would have silenced the extreme right, and they would have latched onto some other wacky idea that would justify their disapproval of the President. To Obama's credit, he has and has had more pressing matters to address. Yet, if it was me, I would have presented it long before it snowballed into a 'conspiracy'.

Posted by Donaldd, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8:42 amI've seen McCain's Birth Certificate online from the Republic of Panama in a city that has never been within the Canal Zone. John McCain is a Natural born citizen of Panama. Why then was he allowed to run for President?

Posted by Dr. Ron Polarik, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8:46 amMy 200page analysis of a 2 kB jpeg file containing a screenshot of a webpage showing a photo of a newspaper article about Obama's birth certificate proves that it's a forgery: the tachyon particles in it show conclusively that it was fabricated by a drunken robot at O'Zorgnax's pub in year 3001 and beamed back to the present day, which obviously means that Obama was born in Kenya. There can be no other explanation.Dr. Ron Polarik, Ph.D., Ms.C., MSG, STD, KGB, Esteemed Document Forensics Specialist

Posted by Dr. Ron Polarik, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8:48 amMy 200page analysis of a 2 kB jpeg file containing a screenshot of a webpage showing a photo of a newspaper article about Obama's birth certificate proves that it's a forgery: the tachyon particles in it show conclusively that it was fabricated by a drunken robot at O'Zorgnax's pub in year 3001 and beamed back to the present day, which obviously means that Obama was born in Kenya. There can be no other explanation.Dr. Ron Polarik, Ph.D., Ms.C., MSG, STD, KGB, Esteemed Document Forensics Specialist

Posted by james, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 9:01 amWhy not show the long form hospital birth certificate ????What is he hinding ???????

Posted by Solitude, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 9:51 amRightwing obsession? This thing was started by Democrat party grass roots supporters of Hillary Clinton during the early primaries.Who knew that Hillary supporters were so Rightwing?Or that The Week Don't need no stinking fact checkers.

Posted by Obamabi, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 9:51 amThat obama refuses to release his records only proves he is hiding something. obama and the left have declared war against America, and are engaging in acts of war against America. So the use of force against the left is all that is left.

Posted by David Farrar, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 10:16 ampOh, I get it now. /ppI wonder how long it's going to take the MSM to come up with the theory that the reason Barack Obama isn't moving to put this issue to rest is because he wants it to grow, further dividing Republican moderates from their grassroot base!/ppGenius, pure political genius./ppThe problem is, just the opposit is happening. The longer Obama waits to address this issue, head on, the stronger the grassroot base of the Republican Party becomes. /pp Go figure./ppex animo/ppdavidfarrar/p

Posted by everett mann, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 10:18 amVery cute, church lady. If you're smart enough to add then you should know that causing division is prohibited in the New Testament. All you're doing is popping around from site to site attemtping to discredit better people than yourself. You also seem to hate the truth. Either that or you're joking...which is sad because you're not funny. We don't buy your garbage, ma'am only a PLANT could be that stupid.

Posted by Capital G, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 10:42 am'Look, this isnt just some conspiracy theory along the lines of 9/11 truthers and alien coverups, said Larry Amon in Examiner.com, and it isnt going away until Obama produces his longform birth certificate.'There you go. It isn't a conspiracy theory it is simply an objective look at all the evidence.The COLB short form BC is not PROOF of a Hawaiian birth. It would prove either a Hawaiian birth or a foreign birth registered by a Hawaiian resident within the first year occurred. Possibly a couple of other scenarios as well.

Posted by Capital G, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 10:46 am....none of that even matters though if he was adopted by Lolo which Indonesian school records and the Soetoro/Dunham divorce records would indicate.The controversy exists for good reason and the chorus of 'conspiracy' and 'racism' is typical of the responses faced all along by those who are simply saying he has not PROVEN anything regarding his eligibility. Can at least one of you look at the complete story and all the facts?...and the 'does it matter' copout just makes it seem like you guys don't even WANT to know the truth.

Posted by Darren, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 12:07 pmObama should be forced to release it or give up the job. It is a job requirement. It is not a dumb provision. If Germany would have had that provision there would not have been a Hitler.

Posted by Walter, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 2:55 pmSo, how do the birthers explain the birth announcement in the Honolulu newspaper, verified by FactCheck.com?

Posted by nkdpagan, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 2:55 pmOkay, we start talkin NAZIs, you know this thread has run its course.Darren, Hitler was not elected to office.

Posted by RHS, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:01 pmThis is one of my favorite things to do in the world. 666 doesn't mean anything. If you actually believe in the whole Book of Revelvations mark of the beast silliness, the actual number is 616. Look it up. Someone, somewhere translated it incorrectly. So, if you're birthday is 6/16, look out for wingnuts. If you live in the 616 area code, move before Church Lady starts calling your house. Lord Jesus, please come quickly and tell these people to shut the f up and stop using your name in vain.

Posted by michael c weir, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:23 pmThe reason the Obama grandparents posted in the newspaper, was to give Obama cover for citizenship. His mother tried to fly home before his birth, but was denied passage, being too far gone in pregnacy. The laws for citizenship were different then, so Obama could not be a US citizen when he was born in Kenya. The grandparents, recognizing the value of us citizenship, ran the ad in the newspaper, as well as filing the short form.

Posted by kenthewaterproofer, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:23 pmOPEN LETTER TO MICHAEL MOOREPresident Barack Obama and his Fight to prove his Constitutional Eligibility to be the POTUS. With all the lawsuits and kooks saying he is not a natural born citizen you can step up and uncover the truth. Mr. Moore you are the man to show America who is right and who is wrong! Maybe you can get President Obama to give you an exclusive and you and President Obama can show the millions of Skeptic Americans all of the proof they need. Show us that he is a good guy that he means what he says!You can go up to the doo

Posted by kenthewaterproofer, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:25 pmcontinued letter to Michael MooreYou can go up to the doors of the appropriate institutions and ask to see the following documents:Certified copy of original long vault birth certificateCertified copies of any and all passports and passport applications held in the U.S., Indonesia, Great Britain and Kenya. Certified copies of any and all school applications, school registrations, grant or student loan applications or funding received for Occidental College, Columbia University, Columbia College, Harvard UniversityCertified copies of any U.S. Po

Posted by kenthewaterproofer, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:27 pmCertified copies of any U.S. Port of Entry Recordsdone God Bless you Michael Moore. Uncover the truth because our courts and congress are afraid.

Posted by walter, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:56 pmUh, grandparents don't fill out birth certificates, short or long. Hospitals do.

Posted by Reedy, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 5:09 pmThis is all so very sadBTW, if and this is purely hypothetical, because this whole thing is ridiculous Obama turns out to be ineligible to be President and must step down because we don't want Hitler in the White House I suppose, what then? Does that mean Joe Biden becomes POTUS?

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