Hatewatch Tweets
Hatewatch is managed by the staff of the Intelligence Report, an investigative magazine published by the Alabama-based civil rights group Southern Poverty Law Center.
Dobbs Joins ‘Birthers,’ But CNN Pushes Back
CNN’s Lou Dobbs rarely lets the facts get in the way of defaming immigrants, so perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us that he has also jumped on the “birther” bandwagon by suggesting that President Barack Obama has yet to prove he’s a U.S. citizen.
“The first thing is to determine whether or not his birth certificate is valid,” Dobbs said on the July 15 edition of his radio show. “And what I don’t understand is why that has not been released and given over to the public record.”
That wasn’t a throwaway comment, either. As Media Matters for America documented, Dobbs repeatedly questioned the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate last week on both his radio show and television program. In doing so, he aligned himself with a far-right fringe movement that claims Obama hasn’t shown he is eligible to serve as president. The so-called birthers have filed numerous (thus far unsuccessful) lawsuits questioning Obama’s citizenship.
Problem is, Dobbs’ own colleagues at CNN have refused to give credence to the suggestion that Obama wasn’t born in Hawaii. CNN.com called it a “debunked theory” in a June 11 report, and CNN contributor Dana Milbank mocked it during the Dec. 8 edition of CNN’s Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull, according to Media Matters. And, on Dec. 5, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin called the questions about Obama’s eligibility “total bull.”
They’re not the only ones. On July 17, CNN’s Kitty Pilgrim thoroughly knocked down the birth certificate myth in an appropriate setting — while sitting in as guest host of Lou Dobbs Tonight. Questions about Obama’s place of birth “have been asked and answered many times,” Pilgrim said in her report. She continued: “CNN has fully investigated the issue, found no basis for the questions about the president’s birthplace, but the controversy lives on, especially on the Internet.” She went on to recite a litany of evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii, including an investigation by the nonpartisan Annenberg Political Fact Check, a statement by Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, (a Republican and a McCain supporter) and a letter from the director of the Hawaii Department of Health.
Maybe this time Dobbs needs to heed the words he once uttered during a 60 Minutes interview: “If we reported it, it’s a fact.”
on July 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I’m not amused. And I think he’s got neocon’s disease. It is a strong form of denial that usually affects idiots of the far Right. These lunatic wing-dings cannot tell facts from fiction. They just don’t possess that quality. In spite of the many evidence based on well known facts as reported by Lou Dobbs own collegues. He still doesn’t get it. I’m wondering if he needs some sort of mental health evaluation? But even if he is in a constant altered state of denial. Its still a mechanism of the brain’s ability to anaylize, conclude and see truth, to which Lou Dobbs simply cannot do.
Maybe he just doesn’t understand the concept of facts. Now CNN is starting look more like joke everyday and I say, they could be losing tv ratings as long as they have Lou Dobbs on their program. He’s no good to begin with, except for the dimwittery few from the fringed Right. Who are as whacked as he is. And that’s called neocon’s disease.
on July 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 am
How do these people think Obama ever obtained a U.S. passport?
on July 22nd, 2009 at 5:40 pm
as far as fringe groups go I tend to prefer the teabaggers over the birthers.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:17 am
I have been baffled for years as to why Dobbs still has a job. He is closer to being a Bill O’Reilly style pundit than a journalist. I realize that CNN IS cable news and not bound by the same rules of accuracy as the REAL networks; but it is still nightmarish to me that he is even given the opportunity to spew such untrue and insane misinformation . The garbage he is selling is even more dangerous than Fox news pundits in that viewers actually trust CNN as a news agency AND because people actually act on this misinformation..
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
Why do you left-winged nut radicals have such a problem with the truth or the pursuit of it? You talk about hate yet you are the most hateful people I have ever seen or heard. Left-winged liberals are trying to turn free speech into a crime. Why do you liberal nuts hate the Constitution? I just don’t get it. What good has Obama done so far? I’m not even a neocon as you may think. You try to take away my free speech and yours will be taken also. There really is no difference between Bush and Obama. They are both politicians and liars. Left-wingers are communist by default. Obama is a fascist. You left-winged nut liberal radical commies are hypocrites. Prove me wrong. If you hate everyone on the right so much and you hate the constitution and freedom so much move to China or France. You are a bunch of brainwashed idiots. What happened to the liberals that believed in free speech for everyone on the left or right? You are not even liberals. Your all about government control and fascism. Sad but true.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 am
So what is your problem with Obama having to present authenticated copies of his birth certificate for inspection for the job just like most Americans do? This is a debate you can easily use because of the common experiences of the American populace on these matters.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 am
Does anyone else hear the. Simon and. Garfield song. ” Where Have You Gone, Walter Cronkite ” ?
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
He has yet to release a certified birth certificate. He has a certificate of live birth on his website, but that is not valid to prove he is a natural born American. There is a difference between the 2 documents.
He has spent over a million dolars keeping his ‘BIRTH CERTIFICATE’ from the public and the media.
One has to wonder, “What is he hiding?”
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:34 am
I’m amazed that the issue of the President’s birth is still alive. I’m also amazed that the SPLC allows such comments as those posted by “Shadow Wolf” on the web. “Mr. Wolf” should engage in critical educated analysis and commentary and not name calling and streotypical commentary. Actions such as those of “Mr. Wolf,” whether posted by a person who has a left, center or right position, is just plain wrong and often forms the basis for continued friction between parties and persons and causes delays in solving other more pressing problems.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:57 am
Looks like Lou Dobbs is part of the far right ultra conservatives who are holier than thou and whom continue to espouse hate in the name of God, using certain passages in the Bible to do so yet ignoring similar passages that condemn their actions equally. The Bible says its an abomination for a man to lie with another man but also says its an abomination to eat shell fish, or mix fabrics in clothing, or to commit adultery, or to work on the Sabbath. What’s up with that religious fanatics, why do you carry passages forward from the Old Testament that relate to my sin and not yours?
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
When does the insanity end on all this nonsense? Chris Matthews on Hardball already showed a copy of the birth certificate during his program several days ago to a Congressman, who was fueling a group movement to deal with the issue of confirming a place of birth for a president
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 am
I have stopped watching CNN since Dobbs has began his hit jobs on minority groups, Family, friends and myself will never watch CNN as long as Dobbs is on. He is bad news for the network, he belongs on Fox Network with O’Reilly to spew their own kind of hate. I will not watch the snarling uppity ego bad mouth people he considers under him.
He is a bad example of a newcaster,or he just calls himself that, Cronkite was a journalist, Dobbs is not good enough to put himself anywhere in a class close to or near him.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 am
As a native born New Mexican of Welch ancestory I am reminded how that came about every time I spend time with my Native American friends.
Dobbs,,,,,,,,,, You’re an ass. Get over yourself!
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:26 am
The neo-cons are the result of the GOP. The GOP [c]hristian mafia “family” of “God’s chosen” are members of the “C Street” gang of congressional thugs.
It’s very interesting to realize the motives of pure “power” being behind the GOP. They do not represent our God–they USE God and the Bible to attain/retain a following so they can stay in POWER.
That is why they do not realize their own hypocrisy, or even so much as consider stepping down after a scandal. It is not about the American people for them; rather, it is all about power and their mission.
Dobbs is nothing but an old fat white guy who hates change–a republican in sheep’s clothing. I hope this finally discredits him completely and CNN pulls his show.
Just think of all the work on America’s issues could be accomplished if the GOP worked ON the issues rather than spending time talking their sheep into being “birthers”, then validating it by joining it, and writing legislation to verify birth records of all presidents.
Gee, that never came up until this year–and the election of a black president.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:29 am
I believe that a minority of Americans are addicted to conspiracy theories. They love them all, especially the ones that make them think they have been deceived and robbed by government employees.
It’s the same syndrome that causes them to invent their own words to describe an imagined infraction by people they dislike, and to accuse others of invading their rights.
Everyone they disagree with is automatically thought of as a crook or a terrorist.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Why is Dobbs still on the air? Does CNN think this man has any credibility? I will not watch or listen to Lou Dobbs; he and Glenn Beck have both gone over to the dark side with Cheney.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
The bulk of the support for the birther crowd comes directly from a variety of Christian right-wingers.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Shadow Wolf, I hope you are correct about Dobbs’ compromising CNN’s ratings. I’m a cynic. I don’t think that is impossible that CNN is playing good cop bad cop. I wonder if Lou was instructed to take a vacation or two after his birther comments, which put Kitty Pilgrim in the driver’s seat to “clarify” CNN’s reports.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
What I fail to understand is why CNN continues to employ such a hate monger. It’s one thing to be a conservative (full disclosure: I am not) and another to be a troglodyte like Dobbs.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I think Lou Dobbs should be fired. It is totally irresponsible Journalism. Every since the Inauguration he has continually thrown cynical and ignorant jabs about the President and the job he is doing.
Get over it – we have an African American President that the American people voted for. Dobbs’ racist rantings, not only about President Obama but on other minorities needs to be challenged and repudiated more strongly by CNN.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
ICE would have deported him long ago if he wasn’t born in Hawaii – he admitted to smoking pot in college – they deport people for that – doesn’t matter if the person’s been here since they were a baby, if their mom’s a citizen – none of that makes any difference.
ICE would have a field day with that one – wonder how many months (years) they’d keep him in prison before they had a finding? Wonder how many months (years) he’d sit in prison after the finding waiting to be deported? That’s the way the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement plays the game – any excuse, any discrepancy in your paperwork – you’re outta here! Deport as many immigrants as possible on any grounds possible.
I’ve yet to see ICE pass up a chance to ruin an immigrant’s life along with that of his/her family and friends – Obama would be sitting in prison or he’d be deported already if there was the slightest chance he wasn’t born here.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
AP
That’s a good question, actually.
Why don’t you call up WorldNetDaily and get them to enlarge upon that?
I think we could all use a chuckle.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Franko,
Contrary to your fears you are the perfect example of free speech still being alive and well in America.
However, some advise from Mark Twain would be prudent.
“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Ahhh!…. the beauty fo free speech
on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I look for the “truth” of the news on other channels since Lou Dobbs has revealed his is part of the lunatic fringe. CNN is not what it pretends to be.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
What I love most about Dobbs is when he boasts – completely with a straight face mind you – of being an “advocacy journalist”, as if they that weren’t a blatant oxymoron!
I wouldn’t be surprised if Pilgrim ends up being fired for this. Just watch her facial expressions as she sits there on a split screen trying to mask her dumbfoundedness when Lou goes off on one of his “the IDEA that…” rants. She can barely contain herself and it looks like when she got to sit in the boss’s chair, she just couldn’t resist. Good for her!
on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
To all the Lou Dobbs personality clones and Obama haters out there — the President has provided proof of his birth certificate – CASE CLOSED!. If you really want to be productive, then talk about the issues facing this country instead of spewing racism and hatred over the web.
And oh, let us not forget the religious right. Their hypocricy is almost laughable if the issues facing us weren’t so dire. Why aren’t the religious right-wing Republican conservatives calling for Gov. Sanford’s resignation and his membership in the dangerous, power-hungry right-wing cabal “the C Street gang”? We talk about Islamist extremists and terrorists but this organization needs to be investigated because they are just as dangerous and insidious.
The negative comments on this blog is an example of the whacko, Neanderhtal, miopic closed mindedness that has infected, and is endemic, of the right-wing haters of non-white individuals and people they consider liberal. Those comments about left-wingers being communists and that the President is a facist is totally ridiculous, and it is this backward thinking that is setting America behind of the rest of the world as far as citizenry intelligence and education. For some reason, historically, Americans have liked the dumb guy and dispised intelligent, articulate individuals. Sarah Palin is a quintessential example of intelligence haters and her supporters are typical of this thinking . Her comments concerning the President during the campaign raised the ire of these misfits shouting “kill him”, reminding one of the KKK rallies after Reconstruction. And let’s not mention the scruffy, shrill “birthers” at the recent town hall meeting in Delaware. I’m proud to be an American, but these so-called “Americans” make me want to vomit.
The mainstream news media in their analyses have danced around the real issue concerning these negative, unsubstantiated, ignorant and hateful comments concerning our President– they want to cover their faces and not admit that we still have racism in this country. This cognitive dissosance has to be disbanded. We can no longer hide like cowards and think that African-Americans and other minorities are exaggerating racism and discrimination. IT’S HERE, IT’S ALIVE and until America accepts that it exists very little will be done to combat it.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hey Franko, do you mind telling us what you think about liberals though?
on July 23rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Potter,
CNN, like all cable news network are not immune from FCC’s guidelines and regulations. They have to follow FCC rules, otherwise they wouldn’t exist on your cable/satelite subscription.
billie,
Lou Dobbs isn’t exactly a “troglodyte”. He’s out there everyday on his radio and on air regurgitating trite nonsense. A “troglodyte” would be like Don Black. Who isn’t out in public as much, to support his white supremacist agenda. Hal Turner is a good example, I don’t think anyone have seen him in public besides the FBI.
Jane Schiff,
I believe I am accurate. Anyone who watches that Janus-faced Lou Dobbs, knows that half of the crap he discusses on air is pure hyperbole. Numerous prominent and well recognized journalists have debunked Lou Dobbs *purported* reports all the time. Its imperative that we don’t regard Lou Dobbs as a “journalist” because he isn’t. He’s just a mouthpiece for his hordes of bawdy numbskulls “who cling to their guns and religion.”
on July 23rd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I’ve a few party oriented Republican acquaintances. They sent me this media moment:
Chris Matthews Wrong on Obama Birth Certificate
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 6:33 PM
By: Jim Meyers Article Font Size
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews got into a heated exchange with a congressman on his show Tuesday as he revisited the question of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate — or lack of one.
Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., is a co-sponsor of the so-called “birther bill,” which would require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificates.
“Birthers” are those who believe Obama is not qualified to be president, based on a belief that he was not born in the United States.
Campbell is not a “birther” and never has claimed that Obama was born outside the United States or should be disqualified from being president.
On the show, Matthews seemingly undermined claims by some that Obama never has released his birth certificate, producing what Matthews said was a true copy of it.
But Matthews made a false claim. Obama never has released his actual birth certificate. He has released another document, which state authorities often provide in lieu of a birth certificate, called a certificate of live birth.
Matthews on Tuesday said Campbell was “playing to the crazies” by supporting the “crazy” bill, and the congressman shot back that it was all about “putting the matter to rest.”
Matthews also accused Campbell of “feeding the wacko wing of your party,” and held up what he called a copy of the supposed Obama birth certificate.
Case closed?
The indisputable fact is that Obama has not released his birth certificate, which the state of Hawaii issues for all citizens born there.
Instead, his campaign has released only his certification of live birth from the state of Hawaii, which is a document that offers a summarized version of the birth certificate.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, GOP nominee Sen. John McCain quickly released his birth certificate when liberal bloggers raised questions about his eligibility to be president. McCain was born at a military hospital in Panama.
Obama likewise could put the matter to rest by releasing his actual birth certificate, which would show, among other things, the place of his birth and the doctor who performed the birth procedure. This information is not provided on the certificate of live birth.
As it stands, Obama is the only president in history whose birthplace is unknown to the public – a fact that would be stated on the actual birth certificate. Interestingly, his family has mentioned two different hospitals in Hawaii as the place of birth.
The fact that Obama has refused to release his actual birth certificate does not mean conspiracy theorists are right when they claim he was born in Kenya and therefore not eligible to be president. Investigators who have reviewed the claims have found no evidence Obama was born outside of Hawaii.
But Obama’s refusal to release his birth certificate does mean that Obama remains one of America’s most mysterious and opaque presidents ever.
Obama, for example, has not released many other documents regarding his public and private life.
Many of these documents were sought by reporters, who easily acquiesced when Obama said he would not release them – though most presidential candidates release them as a perfunctory matter.
Among the key documents that Obama continues to shield from the public:
Obama released just one brief document detailing his personal health. McCain, on the other hand, released what he said was his complete medical file, totaling more than 1,500 pages.
Obama refused to offer his official papers as a state legislator in Illinois. Nor did he produce correspondence, such as his schedules of appointments or letters from lobbyists, from his days in the Illinois state Senate.
Obama did not release his client list as an attorney or his billing records. He maintained that he performed only a few hours of legal work for a nonprofit organization with ties to Tony Rezko, the Chicago businessman convicted of fraud in June 2008 but did not release billing records that would prove this assertion.
Obama ignored requests for his records from Occidental College, where he studied for two years before transferring to Columbia University.
Obama’s campaign refused to give Columbia, where he earned an undergraduate degree in political science, permission to release his transcripts. Former President George W. Bush and presidential contenders Al Gore and John Kerry all released their college transcripts.
Obama did not agree to the release of his application to the Illinois State Bar, which would have cleared up intermittent allegations that his application may have been inaccurate.
Obama did not release records from his time at Harvard Law School.
During the presidential campaign, McCain’s campaign released a full list of all online donors. Obama’s campaign still has not released the names of those who donated at least one-third of the $750 million he raised.
Ironically, Obama accused the Bush White House of being “one of the most secretive administrations in our history,” and chided then-Sen. Hillary Clinton for not releasing her White House schedules.
Chris Matthews, get your facts straight and demand full disclosure — that’s the best way to keep an honest government.
© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Ah yes, Ms. Schiff. Newsmax. Very reliable source of info there.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I just don’t get why so many people buy into this ridiculous conspiracy theory. Obama obtained a US passport many years prior to running for either the Senate or the Presidency. To get a passport, you have to present a certified copy of your birth certificate. If the copy Obama gave to the State Department years ago was good enough then, why on earth aren’t people satisfied now?
You know, even if someone was to produce the original, the document made at the hospital with his little tiny footprints on it, the birthers would be claiming the footprints were fake. I think the sad truth is there is a certain segment of this society that loses its grip on reality because they cannot handle the idea that someone who is not lily white is in the White House. Not a white guy? Ergo, no matter what Obama does, the birthers and others of their ilk, all the closet bigots who are using the birth certificate as a rationale because they’re too cowardly to come right out and say they can’t handle the notion of a black man in the White House, will find something to use as an excuse to claim he’s not their President.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
TO THOSE WHO SAY HE HASN’T RELEASED THE ACTUAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE – When I requested birth certificates for my parents and myself because we could not find the orginals, the respective states sent us a summarized version because apparently they have stored the information in a data base and senT electronic copies. The sold fashioned way of photocopying is passe in some states. More than like the President requested his certificate in a similar manner.
Neither I nor my parents were born in a foreign country. Just because we do not have the original certificate and were given a facsimile does not mean that we are not Americans.
I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW UNINFORMED AND DOGMATIC PEOPLE CAN BE.
THIS IS A NON-ISSUE. STOP HARPING ON THE BLASTED BIRTH CERTIFICATE ISSUE.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I’m curious: would this controversy have any legs where his name “President Barry O’Bama” and his father were from Ireland?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_.....5/27/2009/
The White House Press Secretary, Mr. Gibbs states:
“MR. GIBBS: Lester, this question in many ways continues to astound me. The state of Hawaii provided a copy with the seal of the President’s birth. I know there are apparently at least 400,000 people — (laughter) — that continue to doubt the existence of and the certification by the state of Hawaii of the President’s birth there, but it’s on the Internet because we put it on the Internet for each of those 400,000 to download. I certainly hope by the fourth year of our administration that we’ll have dealt with this burgeoning birth controversy.”
Snopes.com debunks it: http://www.snopes.com/politics.....ficate.asp
Here’s a link with the seal of the 50th state of Hawaii:
http://msgboard.snopes.com/pol...../birth.jpg
Racism. A narcissism of self-centered, paranoia resulting from the notion that right or wrong, all things are “good” when someone like “me” is in charge.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Dobbs for President!!!!!
on July 23rd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
John Criswell,
Maybe you should take your own advice bro and try researching a little more of whats going on in this nation. I would advise you to read a little less of Twain or Harry Potter books because if you can’t see free speech on the chopping block then maybe lay off da weed for a while to refocus.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Wow, Jane, I guess you’ve figured it all out (if anyone had the TIME to read that tome you just put out.)
Have any of you asked the county of your birth for a certified copy of your birth certificate? I have. What you get is the same thing President Obama got, a certified copy of a live birth in that county.
Lou Dobbs’ days at CNN are obviously numbered. When Glen Beck went off the deep end, he was fired and naturally went to FOX. Lou would be just as welcome there. When all the haters get in their proper places, it will be much easier to know what to listen to. What I want to know is: Ted Turner, WHERE THE F…K ARE YOU? Get that idiot bum off your air.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 5:38 pm
urelia Perkins,
“To all the Lou Dobbs personality clones and Obama haters out there — the President has provided proof of his birth certificate – CASE CLOSED!.”
Oh really now, do you have any proof of this? I have done hours, weeks and months of research on the subject and I am to just believe Case closed! by some obummer groupie. Get a grip on reality and stop drinking Kool-aid. Maybe you want to start by reading I’M OK-YOU’RE OK and work your way up to How to win friends and influence people.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Orly Taitz sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger and acts like Sarah Palin. Oh well…
on July 23rd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
“I believed that a minority of Americans are addicted to conspiracy theories.”
Yes indeed, Kate. The American minorities you are referring to are the simpletons on the far Right, hence the GOPsuckers. The Dems in Congress are now called “the Super Majority”.
Tin-foil hatters are known to believe in such frivolous theories, i.e. for instance–
They tend to believe that the warmongering Bush administration were behind the 9/11 attacks, hence the movement became known as “the troofers”. Other famous conspiracies are one that they feared is the formation of a “North American Union” between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Other unsupported conspiracies included that the Mexicans are taking over the Southwest to reclaim their old territory. Plus a host of other ridiculous campfire stories as told by these wing-nut extremists.
Its entertaining!
Why they tend to be afflicted with paranioa is beyond me. I’m starting to believe in the political mind disease called the neo-Con. Its like a zombie virus multiplied throughout that political spectrum. They become brainwashed by such radio/talkshow spokeholes who spread their blather amongst. Lou Dobbs is a part of this infection. And he needs to be cured with a heavy dose of cold hard truth.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 5:53 pm
There are crazy people on both sides of the aisle, liberals and conservetives alike. The most extreme elements of these groups tend to get the most air time because of the things they say. Some of them do it to rally the base, others actually believe these theories. This is why I’m an Independent, I prefer the real world, not fantasy world. My personal feeling is this birth certificate issue would not be an issue if Obama were white, or a Rebublican.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 pm
There seems to some posts missing. I guess SPLC doesn’t believe in FREE SPEECH!!!!!!!
on July 23rd, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Obama could settle this fairly easily: prove he was born in the United States. Birth certificates are needed for a number of legal reasons, such as obtaining a passport and appying for a social security number. This is something that should be basic to becoming a candidate for POTUS. Why hasn’t the press, charged with digging into this kind of thing, actually dug into it and settled it once and for all?
And c’mon, SPL center, is this a “right wing hate” issue? Gimme a break.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
beholder said,
on July 23rd, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hey Franko, do you mind telling us what you think about liberals though?
I really don’t give the piles of dog doo doo on the ground much thought.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Obama went to Pakistan in 1981-2 with an Indonesian passport. ( In 1981-2, it was illegal for Americans to go to Pakistan) There is no record of him ever re-gaining his citizenship, if her ever had it, when he moved back to Hawaii at age 10…The odd birth form that he put up on his campaign web site is obviously not his real birth certificate, yet it was peddled as one.
Denial is a safe place, you unconstitutional pro-bankster libs and conservatives!
on July 23rd, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I came to this late and don’t feel like reading all 29 comments so this might have been mentioned already. During the campaign I somehow found an article which discredits the claims that Obama is ineligible. The best part is that it comes from a popular right-wing source, World Net Daily. If even they’re casting serious doubt over these claims, they can’t be true. The article is at http://www.wnd.com/index.php?f.....geId=73214
Tom
on July 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Dobbs has sold out. No, he’s lost his mind.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Aurelia Perkins said,
on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
To all the Lou Dobbs personality clones and Obama haters out there — the President has provided proof of his birth certificate – CASE CLOSED!.
????? OBUMMER has not provided any proof and he is not MY PRESIDENT!!!!! Stop telling what to do, what to say, what to think and who I should bow down to.
DONT TREAD ON ME!!!!!!!
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:19 pm
A VERY GOOD QUESTION BY AP
AP said,
on July 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 am
“How do these people think Obama ever obtained a U.S. passport?”
And I It all boils down to fundamental racism. Dobbs, get over it — the president IS black and a US citizen
on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:20 pm
“Birthers” call this a citizenship “issue” but it’s actually just thinly veiled racism. When you are presented with irrefutable evidence but deny its validity, you are being intellectually dishonest. On second thought, intellectual dishonesty requires intellect, which seems to be a trait missing in the birthers’ DNA.
on July 24th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Methinks Dobbs doth protest too much. How do we know that HE is an American? I want to see his birth certificate. For all we know, he was smuggled into the U.S. from Canada years ago to steal jobs from American newscasters. His hate-mongering against illegal immigrants could be a way of covering up the fact that he himself is an illegal. Dobbs has never displayed his birth certificate, a green card, or a visa, so he must be here illegally. I have reported this, so it must be a fact.
on July 24th, 2009 at 3:45 am
I don’t understand why this is still an issue with some folks. He’s the President. Case closed. Do they think they can get him out of office now that he’s already there? Of course, they can no more do that than we were able to get Bush out of office when it was proven he had lost the election of 2000, because he was already behind the desk! Even if it were true that he’s not a US citizen (which I KNOW he is), it’s a moot point, a dead issue, nothing more can come of it, let’s go flog the next horse to death!
on July 24th, 2009 at 7:09 am
This is all BS – a cerificate of live birth is equal to a birth certificate – that is exactly what I have used to join the military, get a top secret clearance, get a passport and etc. I guess the Hawaiian newspaper announcement from when he was born there was a plant by his Mom who knew he was going to be President 47 years later. All you “birthers” are racists and fascists. Get over it, a “black” man was elected President by the widest margin of victory since Reagan.
on July 24th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Your a racist, no, your a racist,nosah your a racist,racist, your a racist! YOU Racist.! I like Fish, I dont like parakeets!! oops Im a racist.!! Yeah the Govt ICE agents did a great job with Obama’s Aunt whose been living up in Boston for 6 yrs, after the fact that she was told to leave by a Federal Immigrations Judge?. No one in Hawaii actually remembers him growing up?,
it would make me skeptic, splc your awesome,lol
on July 24th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Uh, not that I care, but Lou Dobbs wife is Mexican.
…And almost all of the opponents of Obama on the “right” would be glad to trade him for a qualified black conservative or moderate, such as Colin Powell…. the vast majority of Obama opponents are not opposed to him because of race, so you people on the so called “left “need to stop using that argument as a club. Obama may be the de facto president, but he is still a usurper.
PS- I voted for Nader
on July 24th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Aarrail,
My reason for posting the Newsmax item was tongue in cheek. Are you saying that there is no point in keeping tabs on a far reaching Republican media source? Sorry to say, but I think Republican party – oriented individuals’ opinions are pretty much aligned with Newsmax.
on July 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Jimmy TZ
Thanks for making my and Mark Twain’s point. The fact you are harping on a non issue dispite physical evidence to the contrary is very telling on you. You have removed all doubt!
“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Mark Twain
“Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” also Mark Twain.
on July 24th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
to Van Bonk.
You say President Obama is a defacto president – you must be kidding! George W. Bush was the defacto president because he stole the election – everyone knows Gore won, but Bush’s buddies in the Supreme Court – Rehnquist, Scalia and that obsequious fool, Thomas, put him in office. Talk about judicial activism – Judge Sotomayor will not come anywhere close to what these idiots did to usurp Democracy.
on July 24th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Sorry, Von Bock, but we are not impressed with the GOP’s cynical tokenism. And “usurper”? What kind of crack is the GOP on?
Honestly, I don’t have the time in my day to counter-point all the right-winger’s statements. I have bigger fish to fry. The American people are starting to figure things out about this puny and irrelevent minority that make themselves look big by screaming and cussing loudly to get people’s attention. Oh, and by blowing things up, like they tend to do.
on July 24th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
to John Criswell,
Not that it makes any difference to our debate, but I’ve heard that same quote before as coming from Abraham Lincoln.
on July 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I agree-Bush did steal the 2000, and maybe even the 2004, elections. I never said otherwise.
Someone used my usurper phrase and then linked it to the GOP and crack. I used the usurper phrase earlier, bu I am not a Republican, so I am unsure what the reply was suppose to be about-I think when Allen mentioned my phrase, he assumed I was somehow linked to the GOP, which I have never been associated with in any shape or form whatsoever…
As far ‘tokenism’ is concerned, I am unsure if Colin Powell, or even Alan Keyes, would consider themselves token Republicans.
But it is true- if a conservative black were suddenly put into the White House, the vast majority of Republicans would be happy.
Let us not forget: Liberals have there own racial priorities. Many whites and blacks supported Obama for racial reasons. Obama got many of his votes BECAUSE he was black. Ordinarily, a Republican presidential candidate gets about 10-12% of the vote…McCain only got about 5% of the black vote…which means that about 5% of black voters made there choice based along a racial motive.
Several million whites-esp. the under 30 set- supported Obama, at least in part, BECAUSE he was black. They loved the idea of partly being able to rectify the bad historical legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. If Obama had been white, several million of his supporters would not have been as sympathetic or enthusiastic to his campaign-many of them would have stayed home on election night… But because of who Obama was, they were able to disregard the fact that he voted to renew the Patriot Act, and that he voted to expand warrant less wiretapping of innocent Americans…and they now overlook that every highly placed member of his administration is either a corporate lobbyist, or a huge beneficiary of lobbyist money…He has vastly expanded the war in Afghanistan, and continues to unnecessarily threaten Russia with the eastern Europe missile shield. Obama ran the most secretive campaign in US history (no baptismal record, and no college records were released at all)
He is almost wholly owned by the New York Federal Reserve, as evidenced by his willingness to give them over a trillion dollars, money that didn’t really exist before…most of which was wired into Hedge Fund accounts and disappeared forever. His seeks the authority to pull the plug on the entire internet (Rockefeller’s Cybersecurty Act)…and he will almost certainly get around to raising taxes on average people. His appointment of various policy Czars is 100% unconstitutional.
During the recent Gaza war, Obama said nothing, while Israel used an entire region for target practice, wounding over one million Gazan inhabitants…(some Gaza youth were firing glorified bottle rockets across the border…for this, Israel brutally attacked , and Obama kept his mouth shut while phosphorus gas was used on children)
Given these realties concerning Obama, is it any wonder that some of his opponents seize upon byzantine evidence that he unqualified for the office, and insist that he step down right now?
on July 24th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
In reply to Allen who wrote,”Not that it makes any difference to our debate, but I’ve heard that same quote before as coming from Abraham Lincoln.”
I looked it up before posting, The quote I used was from Mark Twain not Abraham Lincoln.
My point being, know your facts before looking the fool. If in doubt look it up before joining the fool’s chorus of the ill informed
on July 24th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Do people REALLY not listen to what state officials in Hawaii say???? THERE ARE NO PAPER COPIES OF THE CERTIFICATE ANYMORE. HAWAII DESTROYED ALL SUCH COPIES OF EVERYONE’S CERTIFICATE SEVERAL YEARS AGO. The governor of Hawaii — a Republican — has announced this — and yet, no one listens. That ANYONE thinks this is a controversy is insane — do you fear that much people?
I by the way support free speech — but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with extremism — or the type of insanity that allows people to think that the state of Hawaii is in some sort of conspiracy to protect one man. Where did the one million dollar figure come from? Hmmm — show me proof of that (not a Right wing website – actual proof).
Get over yourselves people. ANYONE can win the presidency with a little luck and some charisma, that’s the idea of the country — sorry you don’t like him, live with it.
Regards,
Reynolds Jones
on July 25th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Is there any way to save our country from itself? I have not seen as much misinformation and hate since the ’50′s and ’60′s! It is becomming clear to me that the closet racists have found a way to practice racism in the open. Guess racism had to fester after it went underground for so many years. My only hope is that this blatant stupidity will blow over and a better America will result. The only way tho, will be for the hate to become tiresome and burdensome and obviously pointless other than the spread of baseless anger and immoral hate. Truth does rise to the top; it always does…in this case tho, it is too slow for me!
on July 25th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
My Senator wrote to me about Obama’s citizenship, and the response was absolutely ambigous.
on July 25th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I’ve heard a lot of persons in this topic try to explain Barack Obama’s win of the Presidency; because he was black, because he was lucky and charismatic. Not once have I heard anyone say that he won because the American people are smart enough to select the right man for the job. And that’s the reason why our founders gave us a democratic republic, because they had enough faith in the intelligence of the American public that we could elect our own government and separate the wheat from the chaffe. And that’s why I feel patriotic about being American, because I still believe, despite the sad state of our public school system, that we have the smartest people in the world. Sure, there are a few idiots out there who make themselves look like a majority by yelling loudly, but they are really a puny minority.
REAL Americans are SMART!
I think that Americans elected Barack Obama because they saw him as the right man for the job, and because they are smart enough to see through the smoke-screen put in place by the right-wing spin machine. As for the “birthers”, that is just more of that same spin machine spinning its wheels, but in vain.
on July 26th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Hawaii has gone paperless – destroying all original birth, death, marriage certificates that are on file.
CNN researchers to dug into the question of why Obama couldn’t produce the original birth certificate: The Hawaii Health Dept. confirmed that paper documents were discarded in 2001 when the department went paperless. This would include President Obama’s original birth certificate, along with everyone else born in Hawaii.
The truth about the president’s birth has been verified by Factcheck.org, among many other serious news organizations, and his official birth documents have been made public. CNN itself has repeatedly reported on the falsity of the claims of the “birthers,” and the network’s esteemed legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, recently called those claims “a joke.”
I was born in California. I needed a copy of my birth certificate to obtain a passport. All they sent me was a “certificate of live birth.” Do some of you think I am not a citizen because I cannot produce a “birth certificate”? My family settled in this country in 1742 and several of my ggggg grandfathers fought in the Revolutionary War! But I cannot produce a “birth certificate”!
I think the birthers’ real complaint is that a black man with an African name won the presidency –so they are trying to find a way to tear him down. I know this to be the case because there are several birthers in my own family. There is no talking sense to them.
Since, unlike Clinton, Obama is a faithful husband, and since they tried but could not make the “he is friends with terrorists” stick, they are trying to say that he isn’t really an American citizen. And the stupid masses who hate having a black president follow the groupthink of the wingnut herd, including some very bigoted members of my own extended family.
on July 26th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Rudy, that is just plain dumb. Why are so many rt. wingnuts obsessed about Obama’s birthplace? What is their problem? Do they have too much time on their hands or what? Why would wingnuts have some sort of secret knowledge that Obama is from Mars or somewhere? Thie issue, in fact, is a NONISSUE. There’s no multimillion $ conspiracy to keep his birthplace under wraps. When a man is elected Pres. he is thoroughty investigated and not by some little old lady w. a pen and a phone bk. or whatever. It’s a number of people who ck. him (or her) out. The info. would be found out. All this brouhaha over nothing. Get real.
on July 27th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
mountaingirl08,
You are so right. This is a non-issue. However, when Clinton, right-wing conspiracy nuts were looking anywhere they could to find a way to remove him from office; they still haven’t gotten it through their thick heads that it is almost impossible to legally remove a sitting President. We know, it was proven that Bush stole both the 2000 and 2004 elections and we still couldn’t get rid of the SOB. How much more difficult is it going to be to unseat a legally elected and popular President? Yet, people buy into this BS because they want to prove he is from Mars, etc, etc, and they waste time and money that would be better spent solving REAL problems.
When you encounter these people, ask them, “By your standards, can you prove that YOU were born in the US?”
on July 27th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Hmmmmm. That’s a good idea. Why don’t we ask Lou Dobbs and his ilk, “By your own standards, can YOU prove you were born in the US?”
on July 27th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Law is law is law. If he was checked out when all of this started, fine. Leave it alone and quit trying to stir stuff up. I am sick of media period. I didn’t see or hear anybody whining but Palin over the way the media treated her.
People and the media both need to realize, total freedom of speech and press can be a double edged sword. I would encourage people and media to think about what it is they’re doing to human beings before they start harping and whining and smearing whomever it is they’re targeting. Are you really doing the American people together as a whole any good?
Have facts, cold hard facts before you start smearing. Not what you think, or what you’ve heard, or what you hope or wish, but cold hard facts. That way, the only stirring of the pot will be facts that are true and you’re not trying to divide a house against itself.
When the media does some of the stuff that it does, all it does is create division, not unity!
So Robert Cohen can whine about Lou Dobbs, but until media realizes as a whole what they do to individuals and people who lead our country, we will always have division.
on July 29th, 2009 at 6:46 am
“…CNN IS cable news and not bound by the same rules of accuracy as the REAL networks…”
Actually, no. There is only one journalistic code of ethics for ALL news media. Even the internet.
Either you’re an ethical journalist or you aren’t. There’s no seperate, looser code of ethics for CNN, MSNBC or FOX News.
Lou Dobbs may have been a good journalist back in the day, but he isn’t anymore.
on July 29th, 2009 at 6:55 am
“…his certification of live birth from the state of Hawaii, which is a document that offers a summarized version of the birth certificate.”
In other words, Obama was born in Hawaii. This document is sufficient proof. Case closed.
on July 30th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I can hardly stand to hear or read anything Lou Dobbs comments on. I know a great deal of people are blaming this stuff on the religious right, not necessarily true. I am a born again Christian and do not go along with hardly anything Lou Dobbs says. I do not understand why CNN keeps him on the air, I do not think Christ would.
on August 7th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
A black man becomes president and transparently, shamelessly racist yahoos question the authenticity of his birth certificate. Amazing. They have no rational argument and have resorted to myth-making and fear-mongering. Would they really prefer he fail just to prove a point? Would they cut off the finger to spite the hand?
Health care costs are debilitating businesses and the economy in general (have been for a while). All of a sudden a “grass-roots movement” pops up and wants us to stand up for the mega-insurance companies and drug companies that are a major source of the problem?
Without addressing the debilitating impact of medical costs for businesses and individuals, we can never really tackle our economic problems. No, we don’t have to become socialist to solve these problems, just rachet-down the greed a bit. A five dollar pill shouldn’t cost $50, so some smuck can have a million dollar bonus! Obama is absolutely right: Enough!
on May 10th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
FYI: In the state of Mississippi, one can order their birth certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics; $10 for a Certificate of Live Birth – OR – $17 for the Certified copy – a copy of the original. I believe most states have the same option.