Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I'm very surprised by the White House decision to release copies of President Obama's birth certificate. I thought the issue so clearly helped Obama. So long as reasonable detraction could somehow be tied to crazy birth conspiracy theorists, it aroused compassion for the president.
But, apparently, with Donald Trump highlighting the questions (and independents beginning to question the circumstances of his birth), it became a difficult issue for the White House.
And yet, I can't help but think that this was unwise. It's not as if this will calm the birthers down or cause them to respond reasonably. And now that the White House has engaged, they'll have to keep engaged.
Either way, press conference at 9:45 AM featuring the president himself.
- Comment (63)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (6)
Comments :
Feb '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Looks pretty normal from here. I figured that at least we might see "Hussein" as his first name or something trivial like that.
So what's been the problem?
Apr '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Was it becoming unhelpful to the President? The media was enjoying teasing and criticizing the "birthers" excessively. With Donald Trump leading the charge, I wonder if the meme wasn't beginning to find acceptance in the wider public. Not releasing the document was beginning to backfire. This will have zero impact on the 2012 election. Serious GOP candidates stayed away from this toxic issue. Obama's people have done a favor for the GOP, undercutting Trump, making him look foolish.
Dec '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Israel P.: Looks pretty normal from here. I figured that at least we might see "Hussein" as his first name or something trivial like that.
So what's been the problem? · Apr 27 at 6:23am
No one has seen his birth certificate before now. There was speculation he didn't have one and was actually not a natural born US citizen.
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I'm very surprised by the White House decision to release copies of President Obama's birth certificate. I thought the issue so clearly helped Obama. So long as reasonable detraction could somehow be tied to crazy birth conspiracy theorists, it aroused compassion for the president.
Same here. I wonder if this his team being tone deaf as usual or if, as you said, his team was seeing poll numbers that showed a number of independent voters being swayed by Trump.
Jun '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I think he was cleverly witholding it all this time to stir up controversy. I'm no Trump fan, but his requests to see the document were pretty matter-of-fact......what's the big deal? Release it and we will move on.
Now one more piece of ammunition Obama can use to point fingers at his critics as irrational nutjobs who can not trust a black man is gone. Oh, and you all hate foreigners, too. Espicially anyone whose ancestry is not European. Oh wait --- Obama is going to Ireland to tout his Irish heritage.....I am so confused.....Am I supposed to hate him or embrace him? Because I only trust people with Irish ancestry, as I am narrow-minded, like all Americans.
Unless he has some amazing spin move at the press conference, I think he was played by Trump.
Edited on Apr 27, 2011 at 6:35amJan '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
It looks to me like there is another section on the birth certificate to the left of the section being shown. This section showing is no doubt the only really relevant information, but I guarantee that we will be hearing that there is still something not being shown from this birth certificate. I agree Mollie, this will not go away, just as the Kennedy assassination will never go away.
Aug '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Aha! So now they show us a document they say is the birth certificate!
Jul '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Only a royal arrogance can explain his refusal to put this controversy to rest when the question surfaced as long ago as the Democratic primary when Hillary's camp was poking into his background. It was only when this began to play into his accelerating loss of the all-important independent voters that Obama deigned to respond. Think of it as just another in the series of misjudgments that have characterized his administration. Heavy use of the race card is just about the only option left for Obama next year. I expect more sermonizing on this subject at his news conference to reawaken the white guilt that put him in the presidency in the first place.
Mar '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Good.
Now we can focus on the President's performance while in office, which is monumentally abysmal.
Feb '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Now the conspiracy theory will become: The REAL Obama was switched in the hospital with another child born in Kenya.
Jun '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I think it probably indicates that there is other news today, that the WH would like people to ignore. This was a document that could be revealed anytime. Why today? I don't imagine it's to give Trump a victory.
Oct '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
This is hilarious. I just saw the press appearance. I wonder if he did it because he knows abou the USAToday poll that said 38% believe he definitely was born in Hawaii.
Jan '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I was watching the History Channel last night and they were promoting a show wherein a couple of very serious kooks present evidence that the Holy Grail is buried somewhere right here in the good ol' US of A. If people can't give up on a two-thousand-year-old cup, then this certainly isn't going to end anytime soon.
A small but dedicated corps will insist that the newly-released certificate is/was doctored, and Obama's sycophants in the media will continue to tie them to anyone who self-identifies as a conservative.
Edited on Apr 27, 2011 at 7:12amJan '11
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I was never interested in the birth certificate as much of an issue. However, when politicians release multiple stories at the same time, it causes a moment of suspicion. Why release it now?
Of course, the big story should be Leon Panetta taking over at defense, and the story I find really odd ... Petraeus at CIA? In both cases, these are "outsiders" being brought into two important agencies.
Why would the White House want to distract one story from another? Hey if it was innocent coincidence ... nah, I don't think these guys ever do anything by coincidence. So, why release the two stories one on top of the other?
May '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
It's a little known fact that in 1961 Hawaii was part of Kenya.
May '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I never paid much attention to the controversy, but I never realized his mother was so young. According to babycenter.com's pregnancy calculator, she had to have been nearly 18 when she conceived. Maybe he didn't want folks reminded what a dirtbag his father was, a grown man fathering a child with an underage girl? Maybe that ground's already been covered, but it's still disturbing.
But, children shouldn't be responsible for the sins of their parents. Let's criticize Obama for his own stupid mistakes. We've got proof of that in spades.
Dec '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Frankly, this will not assuage extremists despite evidence to the contrary. What I'm more interested in are documents pertaining to his education and travel that remain sealed for reasons we can only guess at.
May '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
I saw a few seconds of Trump's press conference on CNN at the office this morning. He was screaming about how Obama shouldn't be worrying about his birth certificate and should be dealing with OPEC and oil prices. I loathe birtherism and I think Tucker Carlson is right that Trump is a fundamentally low-rent character but, God, do I love that he is dragging Obama into the politics of the $5.99 all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet.
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
Is it? My grandmother was 16 when she gave birth to my father. That wasn't considered underage in Colorado in the 40s. Many people in this country have been born to teenage mothers. Throughout history, that's the norm. Just because we forestall childbirth now, where many women have their first child in their 40s, doesn't mean the Obama's were terribly abnormal.
And as they did get pregnant prior to marriage, I think they should be commended for marrying and attempting to make that marriage work.
But their ages don't seem to be problematic to me.
May '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
The president caved in to Donald Trump? He got punked. This further exposes him as a cynical, yet weak, man.
Oct '10
Re: Obama Releases Birth Certificate
TRUMP WINS! TRUMP WINS!
TRUMP WINS! TRUMP WINS! Everyone is missing the point on the President releasing his birth certificate.
Wrong! This issue was a ‘Sword of Damocles” hanging over the Republicans to paint them as extreme in the eyes of independents and the media. That issue is now off the table. President Obama had to confront reality when he agree to extend the Bush tax cuts late last year, because the economy would have tanked by a huge tax increase. He has relented again to political pressure in the polls
Donald Trump proved that if we take the fight right to Obama, we can get him to cave. Unfortunately, I doubt the gutless beltway Republican establishment will learn the right lessons from this capitulation from the White House. Speaker Boehner caved to raising taxes on oil companies this week.
In a time of trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, the time for “reasonableness” and “go along to get along” is over. Take the fight directly at them, and they will capitulate.