Roland Martin Corrects False Equivalence Meme Spreader John Avalon: Birthers ARE Stupid!

[Turborama]

Run time: 06:19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkxNZ5xLK0   Posted on YouTube: April 22, 2010 By YouTube Member: MoxNewsDotCom Views on YouTube: 186   Posted on DU: April 22, 2010 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 1243

 
I think the cover of his book says it all:



Daily Kos Dairy that picks up on how CNN have brought him in to help spread the false equivalency meme: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/4/3/853831/-Shocker:-CNN-Creates-a-False-Equivalence-Over-Wingnuts">Shocker: CNN Creates a False Equivalence Over "Wingnuts"

Transcript:

COOPER: No person -- no person, except a naturalized born citizen shall be eligible to the office of president. That's from Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution.

Now, flash forward -- forward to today, only 58 percent of Americans -- 58 percent of Americans in a recent poll said they believe President Obama was born in America.

Arizona's House of Representatives this week passing legislation mandating a presidential candidate produce his or her birth certificate to get on the state ballot.

With us now, political contributor John Avlon, author of "Wingnuts," and political analyst Roland Martin.

Roland, let me just play devil's advocate -- advocate here. What's wrong with the state of Arizona saying, you know what? A presidential candidate should produce a birth certificate, and -- and we have the right to demand that?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Because they're stupid.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: They're stupid. OK?

These are the same people, Anderson, who always talk about states' rights. So, basically, what they're saying is, to the state of Hawaii, we don't trust you.

And, so, I would turn it on this head. How would state officials in Arizona feel if another state rejected their birth certificates? See, it's not just so simple as, well, just present a birth certificate.

The other thing is, there's no standard birth certificate in the United States. There are different types of birth certificates in different states in different counties. And, so, if I don't have my original out of Harris County in Texas, if I get a duplicate, it may not have the raised seal on it, but it might be a vital statistics, a birth certificate.

But this is a non -- this is a nonsensical issue. They are playing to the nuts on the right.

COOPER: John, do you agree this is all about politics?

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. It has become all about politics.

It's about -- it's feeding off a persistent fear that somehow President Obama is un-American, and this becomes a symbol for that. But it really has -- look, this is something that the Obama campaign put on the Web in June of 2008, the Republican governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle, has backed.

This should have been done -- done and gone a long time ago, but it managed to become a very persistent conspiracy theory because it is -- as Roland said, it's feeding into a lot of people's worst instincts and fears that have to do with whether or not President Obama is truly American.

That is...

MARTIN: Right.

AVLON: ... absurd stuff, and, yet, we see it getting currency now in state capitols? These folks have got to wake up.

COOPER: And, Roland, I -- I mean, I hate to bring race...

MARTIN: Anderson...

COOPER: ... in -- race into this, but do you think there is a race -- racial component to this, that -- that he is viewed...

MARTIN: Well...

COOPER: ... as somehow other, and -- and that contributes to this?

MARTIN: Well, of course. You have these people who are sitting here, well, saying he was -- he was born in Kenya, and they're questioning his legitimacy. And that's what we're seeing. But I want to pick apart that ridiculous state official you just had. He said -- quote -- "divided loyalty." He basically was saying that President Barack Obama has divided loyalties; he's not really loyal to the United States.

Then he kept talking about, to demonstrate that he's qualified. Well, what does that mean? As you so put it, did any of the 43 previous white guys have to demonstrate that they were qualified to be president? These are the games they're playing. And, so, this simply feeds into this continuing notion that he's not legitimate.

Look, you have got this guy in the Army who is about to be -- who is about to be dishonorably discharged, even court-martialed, because he's refusing to go to war and saying, boy, he's not a legitimate president.

Oh, come on. This is playing to the nuts, the nuts out there who don't want to believe anything about this president.

AVLON: Yes.

And just -- you know, I would just add to that, look, I mean, there is a birther bill in Congress that has, you know, a half -- a dozen co-sponsors. You know, we have seen this stuff erupt before. It's got -- it has lost its legitimacy, or it should have.

But it's persisting. It's being pumped up by some folks with an interest in that, whether conspiracy entrepreneurs or people who are playing politics with this.

And, you know, it -- it -- you know, it began with some folks on the left. It actually -- a Hillary delegate in Texas was one of the people who started this up. But we got to remember...

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: Absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: It's amazing, when you look at the poll numbers. I don't know if this poll is accurate. It's a CBS News/"New York Times" poll, but only 58 percent of Americans think that he is -- was born in this United States. Twenty percent think he was born in another country, and 23 percent don't know or didn't answer.

(CROSSTALK)

AVLON: Right. And that -- it's...

MARTIN: But, Anderson, look -- look at all the work that we have done to debunk the fact that he's a Muslim, and you still have people running around saying, oh, no, he's actually a Muslim.

So, look, let's just be honest. There are some stupid Americans, OK, who want to believe nonsense. Let's just go ahead and say it.

AVLON: Hold on. No. I don't think -- again, the American people are smart. The problem is, you have got a lot of people constantly stirring the pot, pandering to the lowest common denominator.

And, look, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. And this -- we got to just keep hammering this home. Folks, the facts are clear. This is set and established. And, you know, just because you have got a bunch of conspiracy entrepreneurs trying to pump up Obama derangement syndrome in people, that's where we have just got to say, look, this is not legitimate. This is wing nut stuff.

And it's appealing to the worst instincts of American people. We're better than this. We're smarter than this.

COOPER: And, look, and it's one thing...

MARTIN: Go ahead, John.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: It's one thing for -- for people, you know, who have busy lives, who aren't paying attention to news on a daily basis -- look, I get why people don't have an opinion on it or...

MARTIN: Right.

COOPER: ... say, look, I don't know. There's so much information out there floating out there.

It's one thing for -- for people to understandably be confused about it or have -- formed some opinion. But it's another thing for legislators to actually act on it and -- and use taxpayer time and money to -- to focus on this kind of stuff.

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: Right.

And that's why -- I know, John, I know we want to be nice about it, but I'm sorry. If we keep putting out fact after fact after fact, and people don't believe the facts, they're stupid, John.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: That's what we call them in the real world.

AVLON: Well...

MARTIN: Maybe it's not nice or P.C. to call them that on television, but this is ridiculous.

AVLON: It is.

MARTIN: Think about it. This is a state -- a house of representatives in a state saying, forget another state. Forget a Republican governor. Forget the -- the head of the health department. Forget all of them. They're all wrong. We want to see it ourselves.

This is crazy.

AVLON: Hey, look, the state legislators in question aren't just stupid. They're cynical.

And -- and this big problem, ultimately, it goes from an old quote by Jonathan Swift. You can't reason people out of something they weren't reasoned into. This is fright-wing politics. This is about fear-based appeals designed to design the -- you know, divide the American people and try to delegitimize a duly elected president of the United States. That's why we should all be offended by it.

COOPER: I think a lot of people are going to be offended, Roland, by -- by you calling people stupid. But...

MARTIN: Well, go -- well, go right -- go right ahead. But, if they believe he's a Muslim and they believe he's not an American, I'm sorry, Anderson, they're stupid.

COOPER: Roland, I will leave it there. I'm going to argue with you.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: Roland Martin, appreciate it, John Avlon as well. Thanks very much, guys.

Preceding this clip, Anderson did a good job of owning Arizona Republican State Representative Cecil Ash, who voted for the "Birther Bill". It's not online yet but the transcript is here: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/21/acd.01.html

-

[Tx4obama]

1. Roland said one thing wrong...

cause if you get a CERTIFIED COPY of a birth certificate it DOES have a raised seal - ALL STATES - cause a raised seal on a copy is required in order to get a U.S. passport.
And the birth certificate that Obama has provided DOES have a raised seal on it (from Hawaii).
Rolin was trying his best but he didn't get his fact exactly right ;)

[Tx4obama]

2. This is the part that came before the Rolin Martin part....

Anderson Cooper regarding the Arizona law, etc. and interviews Cecil Ash (Rep-AZ) regarding Obama's birth
Cooper debunks a bunch of false info in this clip....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRH1BYNu5qY

[Turborama]

3. Thanks for that

I'm in the middle of uploading a better quality version to my YouTube channel. I was searching for it and couldn't find it earlier. It looks like someone else uploaded it in the meantime. Never mind, I'll carry on with the upload anyway.

:hi:

[Tx4obama]

4. Oops, didn't know you were uploading it, I had already posted the Ash one to DU videos. n/t

[Enthusiast]

5. They're stupid!

Yup. What else can be said? They're racist. They're ignorant. They have sense of special entitlement because of their race.

Even though the U.S. TOOK Arizona away from people of color, both natives and Mexicans, white Arizona citizens act as if it is they that should enjoy special status, while natives and Mexicans, even legal Mexicans, should have lesser rights.

These assholes should be embarrassed but they're too stupid.

[shotten99]

6. I'm glad they polled 101% of Americans on this.

There are any number of things that should be debated right now.
This is ridiculous.

[olegramps]

7. I am so damn sick of this crap. If I was younger I might just leave.

Is it ever going to end? I doubt it. How can you convince these people? It is just hopelessly frustrating. I really hope there is a hell and that God throws these racist bastards in it for eternity. They are all guilty of bearing false witness. I just can't associate with the vast majority of Republicans anymore because they have demonstrated that they are worthless lying pieces of crap.