The Obama birth certificate controversy has been interesting to watch.
Here's the bottom line: Even if the birthers are correct, and Obama is not constitutionally qualified to be president, what then? The constitution has only a single mechanism for removing a sitting president - impeachment - and that is for "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Is running for President as a non-citizen an impeachable offense? If not, then what exactly would we then do if indeed it were proven that Obama was not a U.S. citizen? There just isn't any constitutional method of removing him. Once the electoral college has voted and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has sworn him in, he is president. Even if he isn't a citizen.
That said, I put almost no stock in the conspiracy theories of the 'birthers." What the controversy HAS done, however, is give the left a good way to ridicule the right. Just look at liberal blogs like BlueOregon. The birther issue gives them a way to pretend that conservatives and Republicans are all harping about this conspiracy (which we aren't) and dismissing us as wing-nuts, even racists.
When I was subbing for Lars Larson a couple weeks ago, we were discussing some other topic and a caller slipped through who brought up the birth certificate issue. My producer said "Uh-oh, I let one through now here they come."
He was right. Immediately the phones lit up, with every single line on hold wanting to add something to the conspiracy. It wasn't even the topic of the day. I actually had to announce I was killing every single call, and would not take any more calls on the topic.
Which is why I say the "mystery" has been solved. The mystery I refer to is the one decent question the birthers are asking: "If Obama does indeed have a long-form birth certificate, why not just release it and make this issue go away?"
For the last couple of weeks I pondered this question. Now I think I know why.
What better way to marginalize the opposition than to draw as many as willingly go down this bunny trail, and then produce the proof.
Right now it is still just a vocal fringe, but as the Obama folks stonewall, it could grow bigger and louder, drawing a lot more mainstream folks into the mix. And the BLAM! Release the long-form birth certificate, and marginalize large swaths of the opposition.
Could that be what he is doing? Is he that clever?
Could be. Which means we have to be clever enough not to chase down this bunny trail in the first place, and concentrate on killing the ObamAgenda.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I don't know, Rob. Wouldn't that be an impeachable offense? Lying about your citizenship?
In reality, the fact that Obama was "born to a mother who was a U.S. citizen who had lived in the U.S. for more than a year (at any time) before giving birth" alone makes him a "natural born citizen". Look it up.
So long form, or not, born in Kenya or Hawaii, it DOES NOT MATTER. He is qulaified to be President constitutionally. I don't know why his people are playing games, but it's some other reason.
Richie:
As I said, check it out for yourself.
http://leahy.senate.gov/issues/Judiciary/McCainAnalysis.pdf
(Check out who the lawyers were that wrote this. They were writing this for McCain but the points they make are still valid and hold true for Obama)
thank god finally solve it .
where he born??????????
Post a Comment