White House slams latest 'birther' move

[sabra]

Source: CNN

(CNN) - White House aides are scoffing at a move in the Arizona legislature to force President Obama to show his birth certificate to get on the state's ballot in 2012 for his likely re-election battle.

"This is a question that has been answered exhaustively," White House spokesman Bill Burton told CNN. "I can't imagine Arizona voters think their tax dollars are well served by a legislature that is less focused on their lives than in fringe right-wing radio conspiracy theories."

The Arizona House voted Monday by a 31-22 margin to require all presidential candidates to prove they were born in the United States in order to meet the constitutional requirement. The measure still has to be considered by the Arizona state Senate before it can become law.

When the issue first popped up during the 2008 presidential election, the Obama campaign released the then-senator's birth certificate showing that he was born in Hawaii. In December 2008, after Obama was elected, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man claiming Obama was ineligible to serve as president.

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/21/white-house-slams-latest-birther-move-2/?fbid=VP2LgjjHQ1T

[cbdo2007]

1. So they want him to show them the birth certificate he's already shown them?

Even the State of Hawaii passed something saying he was an American Citizen and his birth certificate is valid, so even if all the sh*t they claim is true, all Obama has to do is show his birth certificate they've already seen which the state says is valid.

Obama should pass a federal thing that says you can get on the ballot without being an American citizen. That would really throw those people for a whirl!

[Posteritatis]

2. What they really want is simply to keep him off the ballot

"Show us the birth certificate" is code for "show us the super secret special birth certificate that isn't any of the types that we've seen so far or, in fact, exist at all because we keep moving the goalposts." Anyone who's in favor of that law is already convinced that it's not possible for him to satisfy it.

[cbdo2007]

5. I know....maybe a Dem with a backbone in AZ will show his birth certificate

on the floor of their legislature so there is no doubt. Might as well just approve it now so everyone can put the issue behind them.

[lonestarnot]

13. No shit!

[lolly]

50. If they won't accept the proof that's already been provided

They clearly are not interested in accepting any proof.

If there really is a "vault" somewhere in Hawaii with all the old, pre-computerized BCs in it, and they find whatever magical piece of paper these people want, and FedEx it to the Arizona state house, you know they'll start screaming about kernings or who knows what.

Wingnuts start from the assumption that whatever they want to be true is true--evidence has nothing to do with their beliefs, and no amount of evidence will affect their beliefs.

[paparush]

56. They'll just move on to something else -- The ink! Yeah, the ink on that document

wasn't manufactured until 1981! Its a fake! Its a fraud!

EMBRACING DENIAL - Its everywhere.

[Democat]

3. What Arizona wants is to stop a BLACK MAN from being president.

But they can't, so they go for conspiracy theories and right wing talk radio bullshit.

[MrsBrady]

6. +1

[EXneoCON]

17. Arizona is...

...the new South Carolina...

DISCLOSURE: I live in South Carolina...sigh...

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Raschel]

21. More proof that birthers and baggers don't think of Black people as "real Americans".

They want "their country back".

[happygoluckytoyou]

30. NOT REALLY.... but in a RELATED STORY arkansas has requested proof that obama is 1/2 white

[Hestia]

52. Hey! Quit dissing Ark! We Progressive's have a hard enough time without Yankee's biting at our heels

[Codeine]

61. Apostrophe Overload! nt

[Mad_Dem_X]

42. +1

That's it in a nutshell.

[saigon68]

63. Yes Pesky negroes need to know "their place"

</sarcasm>

[dragonlady]

9. They always whine about the "long form" birth certificate

In days gone by, what you got was a form signed by the doctor or midwife, and it included the exact time of birth, whether a single or twin birth, sometimes other information like race or occupation. That's the kind we got when our kids were born. Now, when you send in for a copy of your birth certificate, what you get is a computer printout just like the one that has been on the internet for Obama.

Somehow these birthers think the long form would be a smoking gun and show what they want it to show. They're wrong, of course.

[Ter]

39. "Obama should pass a federal thing that says you can get on the ballot without being an American

citizen." Umm, he can't. That would require a Constitutional Amendment.

[dflprincess]

59. Not just a citizen, but born one

One good thing about this birther crap is that the Republicans stopped talking about changing the Constitution so Arnold Schwarzenegger could run.

Of course at some point, I don't know where, Arnold became too liberal for them anyway.

[bpj62]

4. Court Battle Looming

If the bill is passed, it will be up to the Secretary of State to certify that the birth certificate is legitimate. If the SOS is a republican you know what that result will be. What the hell is wrong with Arizona and I thought my legislature was the most screwed up in the country.

[zipplewrath]

10. Could be a popcorn moment

You'll have the republican Attorney General "sueing" the republican SoS from Arizona. The birthers heads will explode.

[MattBaggins]

28. Let them do it

So what happens is that a state that was going to vote republican anyway; loses their electoral votes when the electoral college convenes. If they want to lose the election on purpose, who are we to stop them?

[frazzled]

7. Prove they were born in the United States? That's not the Constitutional requirement.

for the presidency. It's being an American citizen (natural born).

Arizona senator John McCain, who ran for the presidency, of course, was not born in the United States. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone, though he is clearly an American citizen. According to the way cnn worded this, it would seem the legislature's move is to "require all presidential candidates to prove they were born in the United States" is ... unconsitutional!

[onenote]

18. the bill requires proof that the candidate is a "natural born citizen"

not that the candidate be born in the US.

Its an absurd and offensive piece of legislation. At minimum, what I'd like to see is for some Democrats in the Arizona legislature propose a "sauce for the goose, sauce of the gander" amendment: impose a similar requirement on candidates for US Senate and US House. Specically, require that a candidate for the House from Arizona submit an affidavit stating that the candidate is at least 25 years old, a US citizen, and is an inhabitant of Arizona and attach documents that "prove" these assertions to the satisfaction of the Arizona secretary of state. Same thing for a US Senate candidate: an affidavit and proof that he/she is at least 30 years old, has been a US citizen for at least 9 years, and is an "inhabitant" of Arizona.

[high density]

8. His birth certificate is on the internet

We simply can't help it if they then refuse to accept the documentation that is provided.

[unblock]

11. psychotic though the motivations may be, i think i support the actual bill

i don't actually have a problem with the idea that any entity that holds an election should verify that the people running for any office are constitutionally and legally eligible as a prerequisite to getting on the ballot.

i mean, what's keeping ahhhhnold from getting on the ballot for president? we happen to know he's not a natural born citizen, but if proving that is not a requirement to get on the ballot, how could anyone legally prevent it? they could argue that he couldn't SERVE as president, but that doesn't mean he can't be on the ballot for president.

the fact that this is happening isn't sick.
the fact that this is only coming up NOW is the truly sick part.

it should have been done in the 1790s. frankly, i'm surprised it didn't. maybe the earlier states had such laws already, when they wanted to make sure a british transplant couldn't become president, but the later states never bothered.

[struggle4progress]

12. a link to this exciting text

BURGES FLOOR AMENDMENT
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AMENDMENTS TO S.B. 1024
(Reference to Senate engrossed bill)
... IF THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS REASONABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THE CANDIDATE DOES NOT MEET THE ... REQUIREMENTS PRESCRIBED BY LAW, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL NOT PLACE THAT CANDIDATE'S NAME ON THE BALLOT ...
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/adopted/h.1024-f1-burges.doc.htm

[struggle4progress]

14. ... Rep. Judy Burges ... said ... "... we need to make sure that our candidates are certifiable" ...

idhttp://www.democraticdiva.com/2010/01/12/wow-judy-burges-just-wow/

[jberryhill]

22. Judy Burges is unquestionably certifiable /nt

[Kber]

34. LOL

[Demeter]

25. Some of these people are certifiable, for sure

[Kerrytravelers]

15. Arizona... hmmm. Arizona... don't they have a Senator, who ran for Pres, who was born in Panama.

Hmmm... oh, but that doesn't count. He's white.

[Supersedeas]

41. and he won't be running in 2012 -- he may no longer be their Senator either

[OHdem10]

16. There was a time when there were real Statesmen in the Republican

Party. These Statesmen would have seen the damage that
is being done to the Presidency itself by permitting and
having so called Legislators affirm this outlandish thinking.

There is serious difference between being angry at the Government
for giving you the shaft and developing some wild grievance
which by any standard, borders on or walks right up to pure
Racism. Since I grew up in and among people who have had
problems adapting to a changing America, I can both empathize
and criticize. There is a characteristic ploy used in certain
areas of the country. They are smart enough not to be caught
mentioning race --they fear the politically correct police.
They do not want to be embarrassed. They instead find uncanny
ways and means to satisfy their inner racial resentment by
globbing on to some one little issue. Unspoken," I cannot
let my feelings about a Black Man in WH be open." "But I will
find something to get even." Aha, if we chew on this Birth
Certificate Thing, we can say he is worthy of the WH without
looking like Racists who just want our country led by WHITE MEN.

If Ronald Reagan were alive and not the President, he would
have found a way to neutralize this thing a long time ago.

Common Sense should tell people if there were any truth to this
Birther Thing, Obama would never have become President. If there had been any truth, no disrespect to my party, we had too many
candidates who would love to have knocked Obama off . This would
have been a direct path for them to win the WH.

This thing was checked out during the campaign. Legislators
now permitting this to dominate show no respect for THE PRESIDENCY.

There is enough from the perspective of a Republican to attack
Obama and maintain some respect for the Republican Party.

This is scary stuff to people in the suburbs. "What kind of
people are leading the Republican Party?"

[Turbineguy]

19. Let's see, what could this mean?

Arizona wants to attract Orly Taitz to run for US Seanate against McCain.

The Arizona Legislature is dominated by unacknowledged children of Jon Kyle.

The Bill was actually a test to find out who the dumbest person in the Legislature was and 31 people showed up.

[City Lights]

20. Is Arizona accusing Hawaii of fraud?

:shrug:

I'm so glad I no longer live in Arizona. :puke:

[Cha]

53. I don't live in Arizona anymore either and I'm

so glad I'm moving back to Hawai'i where they are moving legislation along to allow the state to ignore birther requests.B-)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x275316

:hi:City Lights~

[City Lights]

55. Good for Hawaii!

The birthers are embarrassingly stupid. :dunce: So glad Hawaii has had enough of their stupidity!

Ah, to live in Hawaii! B-) I could definitely get used to that!

:hi: Cha!

[Cha]

57. Cheers to you,

City Lights:fistbump: I'm retiring this year..super excitedB-)

[City Lights]

62. Congratulations, Cha!

That's fantastic! :toast:

I can't think of a better place to retire! B-)

[NAO]

23. Remember when Arizona fought against MLK day?

The glories of this state never cease.

Obama took the first sane Governor Arizona has had in decades, and Left us with a horrible, inept typical Arizona Governor.

[Javaman]

24. conspiracy politics is what masquerades as real politics these days.

This all started with faux news pushing of "some people say" type reporting.

We do live in the Age of Stupidity.

[Ticonderoga]

26. Why would the White House even dignify that with a response?

[krabigirl]

27. Kick them all out of the Senate. Arizona sucks.

[Ticonderoga]

29. I'm ashamed

that Arizona is connected to California which is connected to Oregon. My gosh these folks are poor losers.

[happygoluckytoyou]

32. IN A RELATED STORY MCCAIN PROVIDES THE PAPYRUS CERTIFICATE HE WAS ISSUED AT BIRTH

[happygoluckytoyou]

33. Sarah Palin has produced the wolfskin she was wrapped in as a child

SADLY HER BIRTH CERTIFICATE EXPLODED INTO FLAMES WHEN IT CAME INTO CONTACT WITH A BIBLE

[florida08]

38. ROFL

[jberryhill]

40. That's not the ORIGINAL - it is a transcription of an older oral tradition /nt

[kiranon]

31. It's time to avoid Arizona. No travel, no conventions, no tourists

need go there until this (IMHO) racist nonsense stops.

[The_Commonist]

36. So, what if Obama just didn't even try to get on the ballot...

...in Arizona in 2012?
It's not like he would win the state anyway.

[florida08]

37. I guess his mom

was born in Kenya too. Honestly this is what they're wasting taxpayer money on in AZ? I thought higher education was a measure of intelligence..apparently I've been misinformed.

[Hepburn]

43. So...what efficacy does an AZ state law have over this?

:shrug:

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueIris]

47. It's spelled "Pakistan."

No "c" anywhere in there.

[Mz Pip]

45. Obama wouldn't win AZ

even if he provided 15 birth certificates. AZ is making much ado about nothing. Even though Obama wouldn't carry AZ this still just make AZ look silly.

[daleo]

46. It sounds like ritual humiliation

Because his father was from Africa.

[Cha]

54. Yes it does..exactly what it is. Poor insecure..mofos.

Actually Kenya is the country having the real tea party celebration on April 27th..

"Apparently tired of being a national pinata for birthers and Tea Partiers attacking President Obama the Embassy of Kenya has decided to host their own "Tea Party" up on Capitol Hill -- "a proper Kenyan Tea Party on Capitol Hill (one without a political agenda)" -- to celebrate their new status as the world's top exporter of tea.

Kenya's Deputy Prime Minister, Uhuru Kenyatta, will be hosting the event."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/04/zing_3.php?ref=fpblg

[newtothegame]

48. Which birther movement? President Obama's birth certificate, or the one about the Palin baby? nt

[Endangered Specie]

49. Send in the ARMY

[RainMickey]

51. Or just issue hits on the legislators. n/t

[dflprincess]

58. Arizona was still just a territory when Goldwater was born there

Technically part of the U.S. - but not a state. I imagine it's an "issue" the birthers would be making if Hawaii had not been a state when Obama was born.

Of course, given that Goldwater would be too liberal for these nuts, they'd probably make an issue of it with him as well.

[skip fox]

60. Call them what they are. I.e., Tea Party ogrganizers = "Mad Hatters"!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8202772

[skip fox]

64. More of the Mad Hatters:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8202772

and

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8203946