President Obama released his original birth certificate yesterday after saying that all the suspicion about him being born out of the US has becomes a "sideshow" and that "there is not enough time for all this silliness." The President said that he feels that this has been dragged along for too long and that it was time to put all suspicions to rest.
Other famous businessmen, like Donald Trump, feel that they have accomplished something but still have their suspicions. Trump feels that it should have been released long ago when the rumors first began. It is said that 1 out of every 4 Republicans thought that President Obama was born in his father's home country of Kenya.
Still about 75% of Americans think that the President is a natural born US citizen and follows the US Constitution. Why do you think the President chose now to release his birth certificate? Why not before or later?
26 comments:
If China can put 14 year old girls in the Olympics, then we sure as hell can have a President from Kenya! This is America gosh darn it!
I support the restriction that you must be a native to the United States in order to become President, but I hope the internet doesn't rally up every time we go through this screening process.
This is off topic, but I would love to see a blog post about the leaked Guantanamo Bay information. (If the bloggers have something else in mind, go for it. Just a suggestion.)
The problem with political parties is that most tend to focus on the conspiracies and the superficial news of the opponent while real problems such as how the government is trying to deal with specific issues of the country are overshadowed. The President likely released his original birth certificate now because the government still needs to come up with a budget for this year. If showing his birth certificate will get him more support or at least quell some of the resistance than it is a wise move to take.
While I understand that the requirement calls for being a natural born citizen, I agree with the stance of the president simply because there are several issues that deserve his attention other than this silly issue. I mean I understand that in the eyes of some people he is breaking the rules, but that aside, at least we have a ruler in place, unlike the current situation fin the middle east. I mean the situation surrounding the president could be a whole lot worse.
Emily Zelter
Laura is probably right to some degree, it may have to deal with getting support, or negating someone else's. Didn't Trump release a fake Birth certificate?
Anyways, there goes the joy in making fun of the fact we have a muslim president from Kenya...
Releasing his birth certificate back when suspicions and rumors started circulating wouldn't have been wise. Maybe it's just me, but if he did, then it seems like he's scared and insecure. By maintaining a strong campaign and leading the Democratic party, Obama has shown that there is no way in hell that a silly rumor about his birthplace is going to slow him down. He has shown that he isn't going to succumb to the jokes of his opponents. Obama knows that he doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. He's a politician that wants change and a better future for his country. His birth information is irrelevant to his ability to better this nation.
Now, it's the right thing to do for President Obama to release his birth certificate so that, after he was elected, he can now silence some of the trivial whispers.
Perhaps he was trying to prove a point against Republicans. By letting this build up over time to a point where a whopping 25% of Republicans believe he isn't a natural born citizen, he has a higher probability of being able to rub it in their faces. This in turn would decrease credibility of the GOP and cause the Republicans to reevaluate their own goals and opinions, hence creating more support for president Obama.
Great comments from everyone. What I recently heard also from Donald Trump is that, even though Obama proved his birth certificate, he is questioning the validity of Obama's admission to Columbia and Harvard. He now demands proof that Obama got into Columbia and Harvard by inappropriate means. I think this is utterly ludicrous. Donald Trump is a businessman. All he's trying to do is stir up rumors so that he gets more publicity, and consequently, more viewers for his show so that he gets more money. The fact that people question Obama's citizenship and his education his ridiculous! For one, they are wrong to assume he has neither. And two, they are ignorant to continue to beat a dead horse. I find this aspect of American politics very frustrating. If anything, attack his ideas and ways for things that relate to public and foreign policy. It is pointless to incessantly claim that things that have been proven true are not true. I have far more respect for people who make arguments that address important and relevant issues. By the way, I do not think this has happened with any other president...not at this level of disbelief any way. I sense racism as well in these arguments. These scare-tactics and publicity-driven people must stop. It frustrates me!
It is silly that this became such a big thing here in the U.S. But President Obama's submission of his birth certificate at this time in his term was very tactful. As Michael Miyahara said, the build up made things intense. In the majority of the presidential terms in the U.S., the popularity, according to the public, of the president tends to decline through his term. Obama was definitely trying to regain some popularity back from the public by proving his birthplace. It was a wise political move.
Adding on to Conor's frustration, Trump is making this whole deal for the sake of publicity. What he does not realize is that the President is not a celebrity; Obama shouldn't get criticized for the clothes he wears, the restaurants he eats at, or the clubs he goes to. What matters is politics: public and foreign policy.
I agree that the whole deal with the birth certificate was silly and should not have happened. But I think a lot of trouble could have been avoided if President Obama had revealed his birth certificate when the rumors first started up. True, there would have been the risk that he would be perceived as making a bigger deal out of the issue than needed, but it was already a ridiculously big deal over a silly little rumor that could have been easily quashed. I'm still perplexed as to why President Obama chose to wait until now.
Pissed that Obama gave in to the Bithers, it was funny to watch them rant.
I think it was very smart upon Obama (and his advisors)'s parts to not release the certificate while the rumors were running high from the first election. like Eric said, it might have made him look insecure. But the other thing is, proving his opponents wrong now just makes all his opponents look that much sillier. This is America people! I can never believe in a million years that the security is not good enough to make sure that candidates are indeed valid. Trump is not attacking Obama's platform and the true issues, but instead, going for the gossip that uneducated voters love to hear about. Negative campaigning (even though Obama's nationality isn't really a weakness on his part)!
@Conor,
Yeah, Trump's an idiot. He was on the border of being extremely racist when talking about the effect of the "Chinese" on Americans on CNN a couple weeks back. Was moderately disturbing.
As for Obama's birth certificate, I strongly feel as Obama should have released it back when the rumors started. Honestly, releasing it now is kind of random; it would have been better, IMO, to shoot back at all of the non-believers and shut them up a long time ago. Doing so would not have been "weakness"; it would have been an immaculate defense at a quite silly accusation.
The inability of many people to reject the belief that Obama was not born in the United States is understandable yet sad at the same time. It's really all about psychology. People tend to cling to false beliefs even when there's factual evidence to prove that their beliefs were wrong the entire time. However, no one likes to be seen as a gullible fool, thus resulting in the continuation of holding such beliefs.
Anyways, I think that Obama's release of his birth certificate near the end of the first term of his presidency was a wise decision on his part. It would make a good portion of the population that thought he wasn't an American citizen look silly and irrational. Obama's late release of his birth certificate also made him seem like a president who had more important things to do than defend himself everyday. In a era where many world leaders focus on making themselves appear always right and valid for office, Obama's slow response to those who criticize him shows that he cares more about national and foreign policy than immediately addressing those that suspect him of being ineligible of being the president.
Oh YES! It is me... Just as a minor backdrop, did anyone know that you can manufacture fake drivers licenses, social security cards, and immigration documents which register as legitimate documentation? I don't want to turn this into a discussion about Obama's Muslim background and religion etc., but let's focus on his birth certificate.Currently, experts are analyzing the fake certificate to come out with a final public statement of the authenticity of this released document. You can check out preliminary analysis from, "http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/07/atlas-exclusive.html" and "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBgkDSw-wQ0" which offer some very interesting insight into what went wrong when Obama forged his birth certificate. Now, I'm not opposed to having Obama be the current POTUS, but if the legitimacy of his birth certificate is found to be solid, then so be it. For the people labeling Donald Trump as a vindictive fear-monger,you obviously don't understand the importance of assuring that we have a US citizen as POTUS. Donald Trump has done his nation a great service and he should be respected for his persistence to uncover the truth about our esteemed President Obama. It's America people, we can question whatever and whomever we want; deal with it!
@Tim: Although it is true that we can question whatever we want, there is such a thing as too much questioning. In this case, the questioning from Donald Trump is harming the nation, not helping it. This is fear-mongering, not very productive in anything but stirring up publicity. Donald Trump's so-called truth seeking seems more like Michael Moore's style of "muckraking" rather than anything remotely helpful for the nation.
Really, this increasing partisanship is disturbing me. Is there no way for Republicans and Democrats to give the other party any leeway? It's like two arguing children, both of whom are sure of their sacred perfection. Is there a point to this argument?
I'd much rather have the media and the Republicans focus on what they can do for the country as a whole, rather than just playing power grabbing games. Same goes for the Democrats.
@All: Realize this small point and everything will be made clear. Republicans DON'T need to go on a "power grabbing game," we control almost everything now... We have shown that we don't need the Senate and we certainly don't need the presidency in order to control Capitol Hill. As for Republicans "giving leeway" to Democrats, that is never going to happen as the GOP has shown stronger party discipline, currently, than in the past. The only worry in this fiasco is Obama's true country of birth and his alliances with the Muslim Brotherhood, and other radical Islamic groups.
Now I know that it would be nice for Donald Trump, and I'm sure that he would be thrilled about the idea, to have the ability to single-handedly "[harm] the nation" in his attempts to find the truth. With such power, Mr. Trump will have no problem winning the next presidential election, reforming government, fixing our deficit issue, resolving our debt, and do everything else his magical abilities empower him to do.
The way I see this whole situation is Obama didn't show his birth certificate when all these rumors started because he probably thought that they were ridiculous and that it should die down, and that maybe people's fear of something new (having the first black president) was bringing out the extreme-ness in their thoughts. You would think that after almost 3 years with this guy, things would calm down. With Obama showing his birth certificate NOW instead of BEFORE he's showing everyone that they're being obnoxious like "you guys are dramatic, get over it already. You wanted proof then here's your proof". And to add something I know was a concern a while ago, and it maybe still is, is Obama's name. COME ON! That's like saying if my name was Sasha Korsavitska that I would have to be from Russia because my name sounds Russian. It's really ridiculous.
@Tim...
1. While having a lot of money may make you powerful, that does not necessarily mean that you can win an election. Take Meg Whitman for example
2. Obama HAS proven his natural citizenship...after all that's what this whole blog post was about!
3. Donald Trump has not "done his nation a great service" by instigating doubts and fear in America. Let me give you an example: Senator Joseph McCarthy and is "McCarthyism". Now, was his fear-mongering necessarily a good thing? Absolutely not. He instilled paranoia for many Americans, and there was overwhelming proof that his "list" was incorrect in almost every way. This is the similar case with Donald Trump.
4. Yes, we can question whomever and whenever we want. That is our right. But consistently denying proven facts is detrimental to our politics.
4. I doubt Donald Trump would lead our nation to conquer all of our issues. After all, many Republicans questioned Obama's ability to conquer the issues and tasks he was and still is presented with. And I assure you, Obama has had FAR MORE experience than Donald Trump has had with regards to politics.
5. Trump has no "magical abilities"
6. Trump will have difficulty winning the presidential election if he does in fact run. Because
a) Obama has the "incumbency" advantage we learned about in government, and
b) There will be a far more qualified candidate for the Republican party, and
c) Trump has made very inconsistent points and his views have changed on several occasions
7. And alliances with radical Muslim groups and the Muslim Brotherhood? Nonsense. He has attempted to reach out to many groups, indeed. I believe that's why he was awarded the very prestigious Nobel Peace Prize! If anything, he has shown his steadfast support to get rid of their strong influence. That's why he put more troops into Afghanistan. He did that so that he can continue with the battle against many extremist groups such as al-Qaeda. I guarantee you, had he taken troops out of Afghanistan, there would have been a Republican backlash.
8. I don't really know about part discipline. Does a third party, the "Tea Party," necessarily mean there's more part discipline?
9. Saying the Republicans can "control Capitol Hill" even without the Senate and the Presidency is not necessarily credible. Furthermore, saying that "we control everything now" is the attitude of a totalitarian regime!
10. The only "worry in this fiasco" is not about Obama's Birth Certificate and his alliances with Muslim extremist groups, it is with those who choose to create perpetuating fear which is a result of lack of research and a willingness to stir up trouble.
I rest my case.
@Tim:
"Now I know that it would be nice for Donald Trump, and I'm sure that he would be thrilled about the idea, to have the ability to single-handedly "[harm] the nation" in his attempts to find the truth. With such power, Mr. Trump will have no problem winning the next presidential election, reforming government, fixing our deficit issue, resolving our debt, and do everything else his magical abilities empower him to do."
You say "harm the nation" as if he's not really harming the nation, which I'm sure you meant to do, judging by your oh-so-clever sarcastic tone, Timmy. So nowadays, it's not harming the nation if large amounts of fear and doubt are being instilled into the minds of American people, especially regarding the POTUS? Right...
And of course Trump wouldn't be able to do any of the things you mentioned. But that's not a result of the sarcasm that you displayed in making the statement; rather, it's just because he's an idiot.
@All: Look! I can type and be emotional and try to sound funny and name drop political terms to make myself sound intelligent and knowledgeable. McCarthyism. Incumbency advantage. POTUS! Nobel Peace Prize (for being black, not to mention possibly Muslim, president). Totalitarianism (boo hoo!). Trump is an idiot (Wait a second...I guess that's how he became a billionaire and you didn't Mr. Yu?). Wait, if you are so convinced about Obama's "HAS PROVEN HIS NATURAL CITIZENSHIP" (too bad caps don't get any bigger) then why do you have to rationalize with me, let alone a large portion of Americans who hold a contrary position on the matter. BIG GUY!
I rest my case (A tangential rant is a case now? Okay!).
P.s. my captcha is "unbasis" sort of how your statements are "unbased" and "unfounded". <3
Now, now Tim. We are just arguing with you so that you can see the truth, the undeniable truth! Now are you implying that I was using political terms to sound intelligent? And that that is your view of other people's comments? Well I am very glad to see it may have come off that way. But all I was trying to do, and what I believe my colleagues were trying to do was make a sound argument. I don't see anything wrong with sounding intelligent. And sorry if we were using big word political terms. I recall that using what you learn over the course of your life is invaluable in all sorts of ways. And using what we have learned from APUSH and AP Government is no exception.
By the way, I have full faith that my colleague Ryan Yu has the potential to become a billionaire. But you are not a billionaire either Tim. In fact, there are very few teenage billionaires my dear man. We are simply questioning Trump's views and attitude.
I think saying that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize for being black is out of the question. That's not what the award is for Tim. Not to mention, there were some other very credible black candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize that year.
I believe he didn't release it earlier because it was silly to question he was not born in American in the first place. I will go out on a limb, but I think race may have definitely been a factor in why his birth was questioned.
I think that President Obama just really had better things to do before and more important isssues to take care of besides this silly conspiracies. When people don't like something or someone they are going to try to come up with things to destroy that person or thing, thats politcs for you and think the President was just kid of sitting back and just seeing where this would all go, but since there has been a lot of controversy now he probably just got tired out it and released his real birth certificate to just settle it and put it to rest so he and the rest of the public can focuse on more important issues that are at stake in our country.
@Timmy:
Realllllllllly, Tim. I was under the impression that that was how you talked all day and night! I was just imitating you, you see.
And Trump's idiocy has nothing to do with his wealth. His unfounded attacks against seemingly everyone take care of that.
And large portion eh? That large portion is around 20%, pretty sure. And I'm willing to bet a LARGE PORTION (too bad caps don't get any bigger) of that 20% is comprised of heavy right-wingers such as yourself. Oh wait, was I supposed to say that? Too bad it's true.
Oh Mr. Chiddy, how you amuse me.
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