Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

REPUBLICANS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE "BIRTHER" CAMPAIGN

Republican pundit and former Bush speech writer, David Frum speaks out on the birthers and calls this slander what it really is RACISM:

"Even for the small band that sustained the phony controversy until now, the birth certificate so-called issue ends today.



Any last lingering doubts that maybe, perhaps, a pregnant Stanley Anne Dunham in the summer of 1961 boarded a propeller plane from Honolulu to Los Angeles, then from Los Angeles to New York City, then from New York City to Gander, then from Gander to London, then from London to Nairobi – and then repeated the trip backward a few weeks later – all so that her baby could acquire Kenyan nationality – those doubts are definitively squelched, as they should have been three years ago.


Now the more haunting question: How did this poisonous and not very subtly racist allegation get such a grip on our conservative movement and our Republican party?



I know there will be Republican writers and conservative publicists who will now deny that birtherism ever did get a grip. Sorry, that’s just wrong. Not only did Donald Trump surge ahead in Republican polls by flaming racial fires – not only did conservative media outlets from Fox to Drudge to the Breitbart sites indulge the birthers – but so also did every Republican candidate who said, “I take the president at his word.” Birthers did not doubt the president’s “word.” They were doubting the official records of the state of Hawaii. It’s like answering a 9/11 conspiracist by saying, “I take the 9/11 families at their word that they lost their loved ones.”



Yet even now, the racialist aspect of the anti-Obama movement has not subsided. Trump has moved from the birth certificate to questioning the president’s academic qualifications for the Harvard Law School. Trump himself was a troubled student (at one point he attended a military school) who nonetheless gained admission to Wharton. His father’s wealth and business success cannot have hurt with that application. Yet he feels himself qualified to pronounce on who is and who is not smart enough to attend Harvard Law. Barack Obama graduated magna cum laude. (And to anticipate a new line of attack – yes, Harvard Law School exams were blind-graded.) He was elected editor of the law review. And his classmates, left and right, universally admired his abilities.



I wish it were otherwise, but it does seem that these racialized attacks on Obama have exacted a toll on him. But they also have exacted a toll on the opposition to Obama. The too-faint repudiation of birtherism by regular Republicans has shaped not only the Obama brand, but also the Republican brand. It was not only white people who heard the implied message about who counts and who does not count as a “real American.”



I write as an opponent of virtually every major and minor action of this administration. Republicans should be fighting this president on policy, not winking at those who use race as a weapon. It’s worth recalling the generous words of John McCain on election night 2008:



[T]hough we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation’s reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound. A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States. Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.



And those who imagine that they somehow enhance the value of that citizenship by belittling the American-ness of their president – they not only disgrace the politics they uphold, but they do damage that will not soon be forgotten by the voters a revived Republicanism must win.



National Post

32 comments:

Charlene said...

It's laziness.

I saw and heard Bob Schiefer say it was racist. This is something print and broadcast media should have done the first time a talking head brought it up.

Les Carpenter said...

From my perpective the entire birther issue has been a waste of time, and has hurt the credibily of the conservative movement. I was recently blasted every which way for saying so by Eric Dondero of the Libertarian Republican blog, as well as others. So be it.

However, to use a blanket allegation of racism is, well, perposterous. I do not deny there are bigoted and racist individuals, there certainly are. And they exist in all races.

Perhaps now conservatives and Libertarians will seriously get to the issues on which the President ought to be defeated over in 2012.

Jerry Critter said...

Conservatives and Libertarians may be interested in issues, but republicans are not!

Anonymous said...

What actual facts do any of you have that this is all about "race"? Quite frankly, I can't figure why the birth certificate wasn't released long ago. If there was nothing to hide, then why not release it? The real issue everyone is avoiding, is not whether Obama is an American citizen as he clearly is. However, under the Constitution, in order to be President; one of the qualifications is that you have to be a "natural" born citizen. Scholars and courts have argued what constitutes a "natural born" citizen and the overwhelming consensus has been that both parents have to be American citizens (although no legal ruling has ever been made). Clearly, Obama's father was not an American citizen. Personally, I agree with the provision that parents should be citizens. (it's just an opinion and a whole other debate). But since the argument is there, how can you honestly say that the birth certificate was not released until now so that this discussion would not be raised? It's much easier to state this is all about race, rather than debate an unanswered question. Unlike race, which is based on an opinion, this is an argument based on a fact. One that not many are willing to debate.

Jerry Critter said...

Actually the "overwhelming consensus has been that both parents have to be American citizens" is not the case.

You simply have to be born in the United States. The citizenship of the parents is not an issue.

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

All,
Anonymous is a troll, and I do not advise wasting your time arguing with this troll (or any troll or any anonymous comment for that matter).

Normally, i would delete this comment without hesitation but chose to leave it this time. My reason for keeping it? It represents the kind of Birther response you are likely to hear in the weeks ahead. My guess: This comment was authored somewhere in Cyberspace with the intent of going viral.

Again, avoid responding. Its purpose is to distract you, and if you reply, the let author will achieve his/her objective and win. Do you really want to let yourself be sucker bait for this trash?

Infidel753 said...

To anybody who could be swayed by actual evidence, it was long ago obvious that there was no real issue here. During the 2008 election, the McCain campaign looked into the "not natural-born citizen" claim, rightly concluded that there was no substance to it, and dropped it.

Whether it's racism or simple inability to accept that the rival party is legitimately in power, this crack-pottery can't be dismissed as afflicting only a fringe element of the right. 45% of Republicans believe Obama was not born in the US, and I think we'll see that the long-form BC will not shift that figure very much.

A determined effort by mainstream Republican leaders to repudiate this craziness could probably have squelched it. They chose not to try. Let the electoral consequences be on their own heads.

Shaw Kenawe said...

INFIDEL753 WROTE: "Whether it's racism or simple inability to accept that the rival party is legitimately in power, this crack-pottery can't be dismissed as afflicting only a fringe element of the right. 45% of Republicans believe Obama was not born in the US, and I think we'll see that the long-form BC will not shift that figure very much."

Now that it has be unequivocally proved that the president is indeed and ALWAYS HAS BEEN a natural born citizen, the crackpots of the opposing party are attacking his academic records, and the most insane of the crackpots, Orly Taitz, briefly introduced on the Lawrence O'Donnell program last night some claptrap about social security numbers.

I believe a great deal of this nonsense is racially based. Go read some of the thought postings on blogs run by African Americans and understand what their feelings are over this shameful, shameful descent into the disgusting racism that the GOP has allowed its fringe haters to pollute its party.

Here

Here

and Here

There was NEVER a question about Mr. Obama's citizenship except in the racist minds of the bottom feeders who populate the fringe of the GOP.

Now the asshat Trump is going after Mr. Obama's grades? And is questioning how he got into one of this country most prestigious schools?

If the GOP allows the racists in their party to continue this, they are by their silence indicting ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN successes in academics and everything else.

The GOP is allowing their crazies--TRUMP and Co. to bring suspicion on the successes of Clarence Thomas, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, Michael Steele and EVERY African-American achieved anything in this country.

Apparently the GOP is okay with that, so long as it stains all the achievements and successes of Mr. Obama.

But they will pay dearly for it.

Shaw Kenawe said...

We can see this racism not just from dopey celebs like Trump, or moronic twitterers like Palin, but the on the slime-infested blogs that promote every sort of hatred of this president.

For example this racist asshat who has constantly denigrated Mr. Obama's faith.

and who still has doubts about the release of Mr. Obama's birth certificate because he's too stupid to understand that the Pres. Obama's father's country of origin is what gets recorded on a birth certificate and not his race. But the fringe of the GOP is filled with morons like this.


And the worst of the worst, this worthless hate mongerer.

Shaw Kenawe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shaw Kenawe said...

Here's another nutbagger.


Those who understand the hate-filled hearts of these sorts of wingnuts knew that the long form birth certificate would not satisfy them. It just made them more crazy.

Shaw Kenawe said...

From the New York Times--comment to its editorial "Certificate of Embarrassment:"

On TV..., a commentator noted that President Obama having to show his birth certificate is not unlike a black person having to show his manumission papers in ante bellum America or a black South African having to show his passbook under Apartheid. The only good thing about this episode was that the birthers soon showed that they were willing to grab anything to question the legitimacy of the president.

The performance of Donald Trump, a man whose past shows no particular racial animosity, but who has been willing to appeal to the ugliest of racial notions to keep his "candidacy" in the news has been especially disheartening, but is the expected outcome of the coarseness the current political climate.

Just like in the 1960s,when William F. Buckley and others broke with segregationists, the conservative movement is going to have decide if it wants to appeal to the better nature of Americans, or if it wants to wallow in the sewer with open racists.


Anthony Cheeseboro
Edwardsville
April 28th, 2011

Anonymous said...

Oh, the Racist Nation moves forward:

http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2011/04/obamas-birth-certificate-scam.html

Or this one, which claims that the birth certificate issue is a "Clinton Scam":

http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2011/04/photo-obamas-official-long-form-birth.html

Of course, RN wants us all to believe that "From my perpective the entire birther issue has been a waste of time, and has hurt the credibily of the conservative movement."

But the two articles above were also posted on his blog....

Sorry, RN, if Obama had been WHITE the issue of his birth certificate would never had seen the light of day and up to Obama no one has ever asked for the birth certificate of any other president and or presidential candidate....

Can't spin that one...its Racism and the Birther Nation is just a polite way of saying RACIST NATION.

Leslie Parsley said...

Many of us have been calling the right-wing/Republicansa on their racism since Day One while political scientists and other so-called experts, including the MSM, have denied it. As Charlene says, Bob Schieffer has announced that racism is behind Trump’s birther claims. Well, duh! Where have you and the rest of the MSM been all this time?

While not all Republicans are racists, they sure can keep their mouths shut when others act and talk like racists. I call this aiding and abetting. They are just as guilty of racism as those who go around speaking in code.

Shaw Kenawe said...

TAO,

That post by "The Left Coast Rebel" is the same one posted by "Always on Watch." It's the same sort of virus these people spread all over their blogs infecting even weaker minds than theirs.

What needs to be done is to mock and shame these racists so that it is NOT acceptable to continue this slander of President Obama.

Thoughtful conservative pundits have named this sickness for what it is RACISM.

People like Jo Joe Politico have attacked Mr. Obama's faith, his birth, his school records, and then piously tells those who rightly call him a racist that he marched with Dr. King. Oh my goodness, that lets him off the hook for spreading racist slander about Mr. Obama? Oh, and JJP is also a Bible reader--don't forget he has the love of Jesus in him, which apparently gives him the right to dehumanize Mr. Obama.

Are you listening to him, Jesus?

No one calls into question anyone's right to oppose Obama's policies and decisions. That is politics and fair game

But I will always call into question the motives of these people's vile attacks on Mr. Obama's nationality, faith, and academic achievements.

For when they cast aspersions on the truth of what he has achieved or the sincerity of his religion, they do it to ALL African-Americans.

But they're too stupid to understand how they corrupt every minority by belittling Mr. Obama's hard earned achievements.

JJPolitico also admires "tha malcontent" and reposted one of his plagiarized posts, but ignored his filthy attack on Dr. King.

[Strange, since JJP always brags about marching with Dr. King, but ignores "tha malcontent's" vicious racist attacks on him. Apparently he doesn't mind the fleas he is infested with when he lies with dogs like tm.

I think all fair minded people need to counter this malignant force within the GOP and expose these micreants for the appalling racists that they are.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Oh my. The racist cowards apparently send their little sniveling spies here to report what I say about them. How pathetic:

From JJP's blog:

TheFreedomFighter said...
It seems that you have been targeted as a Bloodthirsty Warmonger.

http://progressiveerupts.blogspot.com/


Oy. They can't read either. I called JJP a racist, not a war monger.

April 28, 2011 10:02 AM
Joe said...
TFF: Cool!

April 28, 2011 10:05 AM
Scotty said...
Shaw, of all people, Joe. I'm shocked that she would have something negative to say about you! ;-p


LOL!

Les Carpenter said...

TAO - With all due respect I carry watter for now one. I also do not prohibit the posting of material that may not agree with RN or the general public.

I have not supported the birther movement, I have taken Trump to task, suffered slights from those I would have expected would have supported me. The fact they don't deters me not. I continue ti\o to stand by statements and the principle them.

Your slights will not deter me either, nor will I allow myself to be baited by you or anyone else on the site ever again. I am appreciative that Shaw and Octo has again allowed my presence here.

While I differ greatly with progressive there are times they're right. This is one of them.

I have made my points and I am proud to stand by them. In my book if President Obama is defeated in 2012, and IMHO he ought to be on policymaking AND philosophical reasoning.

I bring my link to Shaw sight no to drive traffic, but to ask you read my position in response to several snippets from other sites.

Then judge my position. And I am far from a racist. I believe in equality of opportunity for all and that a person should excel based solely on their proven merits, regardless of color or gender.

http://rationalnationusa.blogspot.com/2011/04/snippets-from-blogoshere-obama-releases.html

If bringing the link from my morning post over offend, please feel free to delete. If you do I would ask you at least check its content at my site. It was not cross posted to other sites.

Thanks for you consideration.

Les

The Griper said...

Shaw, if you are going to get technical about what others say then that leaves you wide open for the same criticism.

Africa is not a country. it is a continent. kenya is the country of reference. and it is clearly shown on that document that whoever made out that document knew the difference. so your response is illogical and a poor attempt to rebut the implicit accusation.

so, i would suggest that you try another means to rebut his implication.

Dave Miller said...

RN, I read your post and came away with one question for you...

Do you believe President Obama was born in Hawai'i, as his long form birth certificate says?

Now please, do not give us the standard conservative/GOP non answer that goes to the "We've got bigger issues to deal with" side of the ledger.

That is the sort of non answer that veers to the non apologies people use... I am sorry you were offended by my remarks, as opposed to I am sorry for what I said.

There can be no working together on bigger issues with people who either cannot, or will not, straight up answer the question.

Again, was President Barack Obama born in Hawai'i, as his long form birth certificate says?

A simple yes or no will suffice.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Griper, I know Africa is a continent. What I should have written is "African."

When I was born, my birth certificate did not list my father as Caucasian, even though he was, but as "Italian," since that was his country of origin, and he had not yet been naturalized.

Mr. Obama's father was Kenyan or African.

My father was living in Massachusetts in the country of America, on the North American continent.

JJP is still in my estimation a cryptic racist. He has shamelessly questioned the sincerity of Mr. Obama's Christian faith. Who the hell is he to do so?

Can we question the sincereity of JJP's faith as well?

I think since he's set himself as a judge on another man's personal religious faith and publicly written his doubts about it, then I can determine he's a lousy Christian.

Since his Savior has warned people like him to "Judge not lest ye be judged" and the rest: "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2"

In other words, if you are going to say that what someone else is doing is wrong or you think that you have some special insight into that person's thoughts and personal beliefs about his Christian faith, then you better be prepared to be judged by the same standard.

I have always said that strong criticism about Obama's policies and politics is fair game and is part of our democracy and free speech.

But I am sick to death and angry over this racist attempt to delegitimize this man and make him "the other."

No other president has had to "show his papers" to prove his birthright as an American. NONE. NONE. Except our first bi-racial president. That's not an accident.

JJP has also, like the charlatan Trump, insinuated that perhaps Mr. Obama didn't really go to Harvard and earn his degree--with distinction; and as I said, he even lowers the bar into the sewer by doubting the sincerity of Mr. Obama's Christianity.

It is disgusting and beneath contempt.

Shaw Kenawe said...

I don't think my blogging buddy over at TSZ will mind if I copy and paste and acknowledge that he wrote this very pertinent comment:

"...one line of commentary has been coming largely from African-Americans: there is reason to be upset that a bi-racial man should be the only president to find it necessary to produce his birth certificate. I thought President Obama handled the matter with elegance and grace, but the point's worth considering: some African-Americans are deeply distressed that he should even have to do this; it's a mark of just how racist and ignorant many people still are in these United States, and I'm sure the emotional impact is that of being told that even if you're elected president, you're STILL going to be treated as a second-class citizen subject to special rules and limitations. More hoops, always more hoops, that you need to jump through. That feeling deserves to be acknowledged here, and it inspires in me the following denunciation:

Are any and all right-wing rhymes-with- gas-holes out there satisfied? You are? Fine! Now STFU! The president has my affection and respect, and you have earned all decent people's utter contempt -- not only here in the States, but everywhere. But it's time to move on since, as the president says, we've 'got better stuff to do.' Maybe you don't, but the rest of us do."

Amen.

Anonymous said...

RN...You support the Racist Nation by allowing the articles to be posted on YOUR blog, Rational Nation USA, which you claim is the home of "independent conservatism"

You do not edit them, you do not post a notice, nor have you ever posted a comment claiming to disagree with the views of the auther...

That is called giveing your TACIT APPROVAL to the views expressed by these authers.

IF the right was desireous to "Perhaps now conservatives and Libertarians will seriously get to the issues on which the President ought to be defeated over in 2012."

Then the articles I noted would NOT have been posted....but you have no desire to let this issue die nor do you have any desire to move on from this issue...

Because the right has a real issue with the idea that a BLACK MAN can be President, that white people WILL vote for a BLACK MAN, and that a BLACK MAN can be intelligent and qualified.

Right now Donald Trump leads the pack as far as presidential candidates on the right and its the only issue he has stood on!

As far as everyone else and their "...well, I take the president at his word...." is a non answer inregards to the issue of Obama being born in the USA and it leaves the door open for these rightwing nuts to garner the racist support on the right.

THAT proves my point....

Dave Miller said...

Shaw, I think it is telling that Les, a self proclaimed rational free thinker has not returned to answer even a simple question...

A larger question might be why not one major GOP politician has, or is politically able to come forward and say "I disagree with President Obama on the issues, but he is just as much an American as you, me, or anyone else is."

And now we have people who are 100% sure the birth certificate President Obama released was a fake. It is now yellowed enough, not frayed enough, etc.

Unbelievable.

Les Carpenter said...

DM - Yes.

Les Carpenter said...

@ TAO... added to post explanation just for the lefties.

Anonymous said...

So RN...still want to claim its NOT racism? Fine...then since Palin claims she can see Russia from her backyard...shouldn't we be demanding to see her birth certificate?

Maybe her mom and dad rolled too far out of the backyard and ended up in Russia?

Where was GWB born?

The reality is, since the right wants to now claim that the birth certificate issue was started by Clinton, if the damn issue didn't help her any why would you want to continue on with a failed strategy?

Now the conservative front runner, Donald Trump, wants to claim that Obama wasn't smart enough to get into Harvard!!! Just can't let the racism go can you conservatives? Guy goes on to graduate from Harvard Law School magna cum luade and Trump wants to claim that something "fishy" happened to get Obama through school...

...just can't accept the fact that a black guy is in the White House and is the leader of the free world!

Never heard anyone make an issue of how GWB got into college, got through college, or any of that did we?

Got no problem with a rich white guy sliding through life on his daddy's coat tails...but let a black guy amount to something and everyone on the right has just got to find a conspiracy someplace...

No conspiracy...its just racism!

Dave Miller said...

RN, thank you, such a shame no other major conservative that I have seen, or read, save an earlier version of John McCain, has been able to be that forthright...

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

This is the kind of hypocritical bullshit that pisses me off and gets RN deleted every time:

RN: “ … nor will I allow myself to be baited by you or anyone else on the site ever again.

Bastard! How often has RN come to Shaw’s forum to taunt, bait, and ridicule readers! Yet, RN won’t tolerate the same bullshit at his own site. Speaking of harboring a self-serving double standard, I suppose the village idiot never heard of the Golden Rule which states: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Maybe the words duplicity, hypocrisy and dishonesty are too big for him to understand. Yet, there is more:

RN: “I bring my link to Shaw [sic] sight [sic] no [sic] to drive traffic, but to ask you [to] read my position in response to several snippets from other sites.

I recall giving RN at least three warnings: NO MORE BLOG WHORING; yet the village idiot ignores all previous warnings and continues to use Shaw’s forum to advertise himself.

Perhaps, more to the point, if the jackass left quality comments that engaged and interested people, perhaps more readers might feel inclined to visit his blog of their own volition … without the constant, clawing blog whoring. Pourqois pas (why not)? Shoddy scholarship and predictably shopworn polemics written on a kindergarten level in murdered English: A high opinion of himself does not translate into a blog worth visiting.

RN: “With all due respect I carry watter [sic] for now [sic] one. I also do not prohibit the posting of material that may not agree with RN or the general public.”

So RN don’t carry no ‘watter’ for no-one, but if you give your stage to a racist, then you are what you eat. Perhaps the irony is too advanced for a village idiot to understand. Nor can he proof read and chew gum at the same time.

Les Carpenter said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Les Carpenter said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
(O)CT(O)PUS said...

The village idiot seems to suffer from a fatal lack of self awareness.

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