Obama birth certificate release won't kill "birther" movement

This handout image provided by the White House shows a copy of the long form of President Barack Obama's birth certificate from Hawaii.

/ AP

Even before President Obama released his long-form birth certificate Wednesday morning, it was obvious to anyone who had examined the evidence that the president was born in the United States. Yet that didn't really matter: The "birther" movement, like the "truther" movement alleging U.S. complicity in the Sept. 11 attacks, was never really grounded in evidence. It was about distrust of the president. Which is why no amount of evidence will make it go away.

Already, well-known birther Orly Taitz, who has had lawsuits challenging the president's birth dismissed, is raising questions about the new document. She is suggesting that his race should be listed as "negro," not "African," and saying she maintains that the president isn't a "natural born citizen," as mandated by the Constitution, because both parents need to be American citizens. (That's not true.) Taitz also suggests the president is using a false social security number.

Another well-known birther, Phil Berg, also argued after the release that "the issue" is that Mr. Obama is not a natural born citizen. "Let's see his records coming back through immigration," he said.

The conservative news aggregator The Drudge Report is asking in its headlines, "is it real?" and "Composed of layers?" At the top of the site is a picture of potential GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and the words "NOW LET'S SEE THE COLLEGE RECORDS." After reinvigorating the birther debate, the reality show host has recently pivoted to questioning whether Mr. Obama deserved to get into Ivy League schools. Like birtherism, it's an ostensible serious question that is ultimately a veiled attack on presidential legitimacy.

Trump takes credit for Obama birth certificate release, but wonders "is it real?"

The Smoking Gun has posted a snarky rundown of the questions they expect to be asked about the long-form birth certificate, such as, "What is the significance of the mysterious numbers, seen vertically, on the document's right side?" The site also writes, sarcastically, that "David A. Sinclair, the M.D. who purportedly signed the document, died nearly eight years ago at age 81. So he is conveniently unavailable to answer questions about Obama's reported birth." What's a joke to some, however, is all too serious to others: Drudge has a prominent headline on his site pointing to this very issue, with a link to Sinclair's 2003 obituary.

Last week, Politico's Ben Smith and Byron Tau traced the evolution of birtherism, which started with claims he was secretly Muslim and mutated to claims he was educated in an Indonesian "madrassa" before settling on the notion that he was not born in the United States, despite birth announcements and a short-form birth certificate that stated otherwise. It was a nice illustration of the fact that birtherism, in all its forms, is essentially an ideological movement seeking a concrete foundation - and when that foundation doesn't hold, birthers either chose a new one or simply ignore the cracks.

It's not entirely clear why the White House chose to release the birth certificate today. Certainly the issue has gotten traction: A recent CBS News/New York Times poll showed that one in four Americans believe Mr. Obama was born outside of the United States. But in light of two years of the administration largely ignoring the doubters, the release came as a surprise. A White House official told Smith that the politics of releasing the document "probably aren't" good, suggesting that "allowing the GOP primary to devolve into birther mania probably would be better, but the president felt strongly that this was bad for the country."

Obama: I released birth certificate because media has been "distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers"

Maybe. Certainly Mr. Obama may succeed in shaming the press corps into moving away from the issue, despite the ratings that come with it. But as CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Chip Reid points out, the release of the certificate was also an opportunity for the president to portray "those who push the issue as silly carnival barkers, while he's dealing with serious issues." (At left, Washington Unplugged analysis of the birth certificate release from CBS News' Bob Schieffer, Chip Reid and Bill Plante.)

That was a politically savvy move - one that fits well with the narrative the White House has been pushing that Mr. Obama is one of the few grown-ups in Washington.

And even if Democrats legitimately see political advantage in birther issues taking over the GOP discourse - and they have reason to - they lose little from releasing the documents. The conspiracy theorists, driven by anger and distrust, have never let facts get in their way. There's no reason to think that's going to change now.

Obama releases long-form birth certificate

Birther issue persists in state legislatures

[Just_My_Opinion1]

I had no idea that Schieffer was a democrat race shuffler. Yea Yea that's it... Everyone hates Obama because hes only half white. That's a bunch of racist propaganda Mr. Schieffer. Which means you are the one so stuck on race that you would vote solely on the race issue just to try to prove your not a racist. Which by the way make YOU the raciest. You certainly would not make a very good de-coder for the military.

Oh just a side note:
The Constitution of the United States says clearly that a President has to be a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN, not a naturalized citizen. You may not know what that means but I do, and so did George Washington when he signed The Public Acts of the first Congress, 2nd Session Chapter III March 26,1790 in New York where it clearly states the definition of what a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN is. QUOTE> "That the right of citizenship shall NOT descend to persons who's FATHERS have never been resident in the United States."

The birth certificate issue is just a smoke screen to keep people from understanding the Constitutional law. The Birth certificate doesn't even matter because Obamas FATHER is Kenyan and has never been resident in the USA.

No mater how you look at it there is a CRIMINAL in the white house. It's not a Black or White issue it's a Constitutional issue.

Get it??
Good.

[raider96730]

Donald Trump led the "birthers" in crowing about forcing Oba ma's hand. But according to The Boro witz Report, Trump has his own problems with "balders" who claim he's not 100 percent American because "the hair-like substance that crowns Mr. Trump's head is from a foreign country."

[JohnWPrewett]

So Obama withheld this slam dunk proof of birth nation for years because:....hmmm,... he likes controversy ? Guess LtCol Terry Larkin wasn't important enough to be shown this "slam dunk proof" that might have made him "see the light."

[imnho]

No amount of proof will ever convince the birthers of Obama's citzenship. Its not about him being a natural bork citizen and never was. It is about the birthers extereme views on race.

Now Trump is looking for something else to attack the president on. Since its about Trump's ego thae attacks will not stop no matter what what evidence is released.

[Just_My_Opinion1]

The Constitution of the United States says clearly that a President has to be a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN, not a naturalized citizen. You may not know what that means but I do, and so did George Washington when he signed The Public Acts of the first Congress, 2nd Session Chapter III March 26,1790 in New York where it clearly states the definition of what a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN is. QUOTE> "That the right of citizenship shall NOT descend to persons who's FATHERS have never been resident in the United States."

The birth certificate issue is just a smoke screen to keep people from understanding the Constitutional law. The Birth certificate doesn't even matter because Obamas FATHER is Kenyan and has never been resident in the USA.

No mater how you look at it there is a CRIMINAL in the white house. It's not a Black or White issue it's a Constitutional issue.

Get it??
Good.

[morris2196]

People believe what they need to believe.

[Zann-Zel]

96% of voting blacks voted for Obama in the general election. If 96% of whites voted for a white candidate, blacks would charge racism.
----
LOL! We haven't had any other color to vote for until Now!

[usadvisor101]

well once again cons, will be cons! now we see the ball baggers keep flapping their traps like brainless mutants. all obama needs now is drug felon rush limlair to decide to run, and he will be all set! get the bankruptcy expert with the fake orange hair to run, ad in a brainless bimbo palin ,then that will mess up any good repubs from winning the nomination, and he can boot kick them right out of town !!

[David_Chowes]

This essay is absolutely correct. If Obama (like John McCann) were born in the Panama Canal Zone -- the now extreme right-wingers in the G. O. P.
would try to 'lynch' him by attempting to impeach him.

[barbaram99]

I try to proof read..However as a legally blind person I have to hold a 4 power magnifier to read. I realise that I am poorly educated. I am 56. I type from memory as well.I hit the wrong key at times. Everyone does. I do look things up to be sure I am right in my say. I was using my Notebook when I posted and I do not have a reader to read things to me and my roommate would not wish to hear such. He would as he uses the computer in my room. It would not be useful as I have on Home computer 2 or more web pages open. I had to update a system. As for the birth right issue .. I am sorry if hits a sore spot. But our Nation's Constution is clear on this. I do not care what colour the skin is of people. I was born in the 50s. It is white on my birth cent as are my perents. That is the way they did things in America back then. They use to have white and coloured rest room back then I never saw such. I was born and raised in small towns in Maine. The President is a birth right citizen. We put him in office. I noticed none of ye cared that bush stole the office of President from first Gore and then Kerry..I was floored. How ye forget that little mess.

[erasmus111]

"I noticed none of ye cared that bush stole the office of President from first Gore and then Kerry..I was floored. How ye forget that little mess."


Hahahahaha! That's right Barbara! How on earth do they forget that mess?!

[Empire---George____]

erasmus111, in every instance Gore lost the recount.....we (America) weren't going to allow him to keep re-counting over and over as many times as he wants until he wins, "I didn't win, keep counting, didn't win again, keep counting, try chad, dimples, anything....sill no luck, KEEP COUNTING UNTIL I WIN !!!" the supreme court said, "Enough"

It's amazing that you got some revised version of history that didn't happen. up there in Canada.

[mary-miami]

Distractions. The GOP and Teaparty want to make people forget that they caused the 2nd Depression that crashed our economy and...the fact that the rightwing has no new ideas to contribute to make things better. All the republicans and their extremist Tea buddies want to do, is return to the old Bush laws that gave favorite status to the big oil companies and the very wealthy CEOs. Republicans and Teaparty represent the rich. Teaparty members have another agenda of racism or discrimination. They want to dismantle the Constitution. Take for example, the 15th amendment which was adopted in 1870 and gives all citizens the right to vote, no matter "race,color,or previous condition of servitude". In a nutshell, this gave all U.S. male citizens (not just the whites) the right to vote, whether or not they had been slaves. Women didn't get the right to vote till 1922. Teaparty are the re-vived Nazi's. They want to destroy our First Amendment, which gives us all the right to free speech, press, religion, freedom to assemble peacefully, protest and petition the government. The Constitution makes us a free country; that's what our military are defending. The republican and teaparty rightwing has one goal in mind, to completely destroy the middle class and create a two class society of rich and poor. The middle class is the ladder up from poverty for the blue collar working class. The GOP/Teas want their servant's child to be a servant too. The Democrats defend and respect equal rights and opportunities for everyone. I will vote to Re-Elect President Obama in 2012.