Bill Press going off on Obama's birth certificate this morning...

[Windy]

What is with this guy Press.... This is a non-issue. Obama is an american citizen. He has a passport and had to prove that he was a natural born citizen before running for president.

I don't get this idiot. I thought he was a dem? He was referring listeners to some article about the non-issue and gave a web address...

Why is he stoking the fire of the right wing. I've had it with him. I have to find another person to listen to in the am on my way to work!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He turned out to be

kind of a douche. I used to listen to AAR on XM radio on the way to work but now their morning lineup is Bill Press and Lionel, both of whom pretty much suck. So now it's XM-NPR's Bob Edwards show for me.

But really, why is Bill Press such a douche?

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

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

[Skidmore]

72. Sometimes it is hard to tell him and Lanny Davis apart.

[a kennedy]

95. You should try "The Black Eagle" XM 169 The Power.

African American channel....it's an alternative to Air America's Press/Lionel. :patriot:

[flashl]

2. Legal subliminal messaging. nt

[MonkeyFunk]

3. I think this whole thing is silly

but having a passport is not proof that you're a natural born citizen.

And to whom did he have to "prove" he was a natural born citizen before running?

Honestly, I don't know why he just doesn't release it and stop all this speculation.

[Cassandra]

6. Still hoping?

[MonkeyFunk]

8. for what?

[Cassandra]

43. For something to derail Obama's candidacy...

and leave Hillary the last one standing?

[polmaven]

45. Maybe what is being hoped

is that we will be able to get down to the important issues that face this country.

I wish Senator Obama would release his birth certificate to. Wave it in the face of the Michelle Malkins, Ann Coulters, Billos etc. in this country, and say...

"There ya go...any other questions MORANS? Now, Americans are hurting and hungry and homeless. Americans and innocent Iraqis are dying in order to prove Bush's and McCain's manliness. Let's get to the REAL issues in this campaign".

[Cha]

67. Hawai'i was already given statehood(1959) when Obama was

born in 1961 so I don't know what the controversy is over?

This is something glenn beck or rush limpbaughs would be going on about..stupid shit to brainwash.

[polmaven]

85. Exactly!!

Stupid stuff to brainwash...so just throw it in their faces and get it out of the way. Shut them the H up...watch them sputter and stutter. If it is not addressed, the brainwashing is successful!

[SemiCharmedQuark]

79. But then they'll say "YES! Prove to us you never aided terrorists"

Because there will *always* be another question from them.

[polmaven]

87. I'm quite sure there will be,

but this one is simple. When it can be dispensed with so easily, if he doesn't do it, the people who are easily persuaded will wonder why. Them Malkin and company will say "see? that PROVES he has something to hide"

Personally, I want to see that AH put in a position to have to explain herself!

[MonkeyFunk]

54. What the fuck are you talking about?

I'm saying he should just avoid all this speculation and discussion by releasing his birth certificate. How is that hoping for something to destroy Obama?! That's insane.

I swear, you guys are off your rockers.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

55. You know what would be great?

If we had a special forum here at DU so Hillary and Obama supporters could flame each other. That would be so bitchin'!!!

[polmaven]

60. Yeah, that would be great...

(not "bitchin'" please)I wonder why no one thought of it before!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

64. Why? I think he should keep it up.

Everybody who brings up his birth certificate makes first class fools of themselves.

Those people are really off their rockers.

[MonkeyFunk]

73. That's just dumb

good lord, if it were anybody else you guys would be screaming "What's he hiding?!?!"

Just release and get over it. Why allow it to become an issue of speculation? Frankly, I don't understand the objection to releasing it. It doesn't contain any private info.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

74. Um, no.

This is just a silly, stupid, racist attack against Obama, and a laugh riot watching people trying to make an issue out of it.

[MonkeyFunk]

84. It might be a laugh for you

but the political reality is it's not a joke. Why give them an excuse to push this?

We all agree he's a citizen. We all agree there's no problem to be revealed by the birth certificate. So just release it!

[gullwing300]

89. A -racist- attack? What are you smoking?

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

91. It's clearly a racist attack.

You don't go around seeing them ask white candidates to prove their citizenship, do you?

[gullwing300]

92. Yes.

But I'm updating my ignore list.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

93. No, you don't.

So please stop pretending this isn't racism.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

78. The *only* reason they're asking is because his name is "Barack Obama" and he's black.

I don't remember them asking for Hillary's BC, Kerry's BC, Edwards BC, Biden's BC...

[rebel with a cause]

97. Or McCain's birth certificate

and he was born in a territory. I have no doubt he was born on the base and thus on USA soil, but still they are not asking to see it proven.

I have a feeling that this is not the real issue they are wanting to see. There is personal information on the birth certificate about the parents. I have a feeling this is what they are going after, and I say that we don't give them anything we don't have to. I am tired of this BS that the right wingers pull out of their buts every time you turn around.

[LSK]

81. Speculation from right wing lunatics???????????

If there was a real controversy, he wouldnt have been allowed to get this far from the FEC.

[LTR]

9. I really don't know who combs over this stuff

But I'm quite sure that the government has already gone through his records to verify eligibility.

This whole meme is Malkin and others pulling nonsense out of their asses.

Here's a thread about it yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6337620

And from and ancestry website:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=Search&includedb=&lang=en&ti=&surname=Obama&stype=Exact&given=Barack&bplace=Hawaii&byear=1961&brange=0&dplace=&dyear=&drange=0&mplace=&myear=&mrange=0&father=&mother=&spouse=&skipdb=&period=All&submit.x=Search

Obama was born at Kapi'olani Medical Center in Honolulu, which was built in 1890. McCain was allegedly born at a navy hospital in the Panama Canal Zone (then a U.S. territory, so he's eligible) in 1936. Only thing is, the hospital wasn't built until 1941. Hmm...

[MonkeyFunk]

13. again, I think it's a silly topic

but no, I don't think the government goes through this to verify eligibility. I don't know of any Office of Presidential Eligibility responsible. As I said, release it and forget about it. IT's stupid for this to be any sort of issue.

[Bucky]

19. Unless it's part of a strategy to watch them bunch up their panties on nonissues.

Destroying the Republican Party's credibility (meaning "to an extent that they haven't already done themselves") isn't a bad idea.

But ultimately, concerns like this are only distractions. This is a question that can be safely ignored.

[LanternWaste]

59. If he produces it, it would be akin to answering the question

If he produces it, it would be akin to answering the question, "do you still beat your wife?"

It's a manufactured, non-issue designed to have him react rather than act. I believe he should ignore this completely, and let only those who are seduced by non-issues bleat on about it...

[SeaLyons]

77. I disagree....

why flame any fires? get it off the table. there are just too many issues at stake to play with flames that could be put out once and for all.

[LTR]

21. More than likely, the opposing campaigns have gone through it

No way Obama could run through the Clinton/McCain/GOP gauntlets without being thoroughly scrutinized.

A similar thing happened with Chester Arthur in 1880, with some claiming he was born in Canada and not Vermont according to family records. There was no concrete proof of a Canadian birth.

[qazplm]

14. release what?

what is there to be released?

[MonkeyFunk]

18. ummm....

his birth certificate.

Isn't that what we're discussing?

[Bucky]

23. I don't know what it is about you, O Funkful One...

Maybe it's your sigfile image. But you do seem to attract more than your share of headscratching questions in this forum.

[MonkeyFunk]

27. LOL

thank god. I thought it was just me.

[rox63]

24. He was born in Hawaii in 1961 to a mother who was a US citizen

Hawaii became a state in 1959, two years before he was born. All this "speculation" about whether he's a "natural born citizen" is BS.

[gullwing300]

33. There will still be people who'll question the date. It does seem odd they can't produce a BC

:shrug:

[Bunny]

48. What makes you think he can't produce it? Perhaps he just chooses not to produce it on demand?

He can show his birth certificate at a time that suits him, I'm certain everything will be in order and then the loons who are acting as if there is something sinister about this will look like the fools they are.

[gullwing300]

90. Letting the issue fester is a pretty fucking idiotic way to run a campaign.

What, there's some kind of divine principle in choosing the "right" time to do it? :wtf:
Nobody here at DU cares but plenty of slackjawed yokels DO and we are a microscopic part of the electorate.

[LSK]

80. where was his mother born?

[NYCGirl]

86. An exotic, strange, place — KANSAS.

:evilgrin:

[LSK]

88. so shouldnt that end all debate on this matter?????

[NYCGirl]

94. It should, but these are rightwingnuts we're talking about. NT

[polmaven]

47. WE know that...

But there are still people out there, not as politically in tune as we, who still think he is a Muslim. BS or not, those people vote, and, if we want them to vote correctly, we need to reassure them.

[endarkenment]

4. Bill can't help but be a useful idiot.

He somehow thinks that by explaining rightwing smear campaigns he is doing good. It has yet to occur to him that he is simply being used.

[leftynyc]

5. Having a passport means nothing

Only that you're a citizen. I hadn't realized he proved he was natural born - if he had, why am I reading about this shit all over the place. Just put the proof out there and forget this nonsense. We have an election that we cannot afford to lose due to moronic things like this.

[Electric Flag]

62. Exactly. Put the proof out there, defuse the issue, and move on.

Why isn't this being done as we speak? Why let these loons continue to speculate and plant doubt? :shrug:

[leftynyc]

102. That's my beef

We've all already seen the lazy ass media loves to obsess over this kind of shit. Clear it up and move on.

[MagickMuffin]

71. To apply for a passport who have to produce a birth certificate

When I got one I had to have a BC to get one.

[leftynyc]

101. So did I, however,

if a person becomes a citizen through other means, they can still get a passport so merely having the passport doesn't mean they are a natural born citizen.

[rebel with a cause]

98. When they start screaming the sky is falling

what are you going to do. I'm going to look up at the sky, see it is not falling and then ignore their stupidness. That is what we should be doing now instead of giving them all this attention. If he was a natualized citizen there would be proof of it. In fact he would have to show the paper as proof every time he applied for anything that had to do with the government. (social security card, drivers license, voting registration, government job, etc) I know because my ex-husband has to do that. It is a pain in the neck!

Why you are reading this all over the place is because people keep posting it here, and the right wingers are pushing it so that people like you begin to doubt Obama. My goodness, he is a natural born citizen and he has proven it to get where he has, and to think that he has not done so just shows a lack of understanding of how things work differently for those who are not natural born citizens.

[leftynyc]

100. I have no doubt he's a natural born citizen

I just don't like when these stupid issues take time and effort away from the important stuff. And after watching the way the media obsesses over this kind of nonsense, I'd just like it to get cleared up.

[madokie]

7. I personally think we as a whole would be better off without any of the talking

douchebags. I remember thinking this same thing long before the present crop of traitors hit the scene. limballs, hanity etc.

[BeyondGeography]

10. Once a Hillbot...

[polmaven]

49. 65 minutes....

And maybe we can get some actual discussion here again without the namecalling!

[underpants]

11. The "question" is about what is on the birth certificate

but from what I have read and what my experience tells me it is all smoke and mirrors-meaning there is nothing here simply a counterpoint to the actual issue of whether or not McCain was born at a US military hospital or out in the population of Panama.

[fasttense]

12. He should look at McCain's birth certificate.

McCain was born in Panama and Is NOT a natural born US Citizen as required by the Constitution. But what's a silly piece of paper to a republican? Just another law to break.

[MonkeyFunk]

15. McCain could be born in the jungles of Peru

and he'd still be a natural-born citizen.

[mikeytherat]

38. I disagree. I think he was spawned, not born, or is a replicant assembled

from really bad parts.

mikey_the_rat

[MiniMe]

16. He was born on a Military base in Panama, that makes him a US citizen

[gullwing300]

37. No, it doesn't. But having 2 US citizen parents does.

:-)
(Would you claim that, for instance, a Japanese woman could sneak onto a US base at Tachikawa and drop an automatic US citizen kid?)

[MiniMe]

46. Combination of the 2

You are correct though, the parents in this cases have to be US citizens. No matter, it is a non-issue for both candidates. :hi:

[northzax]

76. the base? no

the Embassy or a consulate? yes.

And McCain's father was an Admiral in the US Navy, as was his grandfather, it's tough to argue that they weren't American Citizens at the time of his birth. this is all ridiculous.

there are two ways to be a natural born citizen of the United States: be born (to any parentage) on US Soil, including insular areas, embassies, chanceries and consulates. That means if you are born in the US Proper (the 50 states and DC), Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands or the US Virgin Islands (or even on one of the following uninhabited islands: Palmyra Atoll, Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa or Wake.) you are a US citizen by birth. If your parents are diplomats from a foriegn country on official business, you are not eligible (of course, BOTH must be diplomats and you can still apply for citizenship based on birth, but it's not 'natural born' my sister's brother in law was born in Washington while his father was the Military Attache at the British Embassy, and has US citizenship) See US v. Wong Kim Ark for more clarification (this was established in 1898, so it's not new information)

the other way is to be born to American citizens overseas. this gets a litte fuzzier because the law specifies two classes: if you have two US citizen parents, at least one of whom has actually lived in the US at any time prior to the birth, you are a citizen. This is the rule McCain falls under, since this law was in effect at the time of his birth. the second class, children of one US citizen, is a little fuzzier, since the law keeps changing (and how the law was at the time of the birth is what matters) currently, if you have one US citizen as a parent, and that person has lived in the US, prior to the birth, for at least 5 years, two of which were over the age of 15, you are a citizen. basically, if your father, a US citizen, lived in the US from birth to age 14 and never returned, you don't qualify, but if he came back for two more years afterwards, you do qualify. it doesn't matter if the parent in question is male or female.

really, this isn't that complicated, Obama was born in a US state (or if his birthdate was faked, in a US Territory) so he's a natural born citizen. McCain was born to two US citizen parents. So he's a natural born citizen. ridiculous.

[rebel with a cause]

99. deeted because I was probably wrong

[LTR]

17. The PCZ was a U.S. territory

In addition, being born on a U.S. military base is considered being born on U.S. soil. Same with any territory, military installation or embassy. This came up in 1964 with Barry Goldwater, who was born in the Arizona Territory before it became a state.

McCain fulfills the requirements, according to his birth certificate. Though, as I questioned farther up the thread, how could he have been born in a hospital that wasn't constructed until five years later?

[MonkeyFunk]

22. You don't have to be born on US territory to be a natural born citizen

Both his parents were US citizens. He'd be a natural-born citizen no matter where he was born.

[Clark2008]

25. No - that's not true.

My husband was born to US Citizens in South Africa. He is naturalized to us, all-be-it, much easier than had he been born of South African parents in South Africa. At 18, he had to declare whether he was an American citizen or a citizen of South Africa.

My husband can never run for president, as a result.

But, even though he's white, he IS an "African-American." :)

[MonkeyFunk]

28. when was he naturalized?

did he take a test? Does he have naturalization documents?

Sounds like he had dual citizenship as a child. That doesn't make him not a natural-born US citizen.

Sorry, but even people to whom this pertains often get it wrong. He was a US citizen at birth, thus a natural-born citizen.

[Vickers]

29. It's not automatic. You have to apply within a certain number

of days after the birth at the nearest American consulate.

No tests, but there are a couple of hoops you have to hop through (primarily, providing documents that both parents are citizens).

[MonkeyFunk]

31. That's just registering the proof of birth with the embassy

Your husband can run for president. Seriously. I've amazed how many people get this wrong.

[AspenRose]

41. That happened to me

But the year I turned 18, I was told that I wouldn't have to "declare" anything since both of my parents were American. It didn't matter that I was born on German soil (off base, German hospital). Some kind of law in 1986 came into effect - it escapes me right now.

My birth certificate is German and I have a record of birth abroad from the US Consulate....not an American birth certificate per se.

And I have an American passport.

So I guess this means I'm naturalized and not native-born, and can't run for president, right?

Edited to add: MonkeyFunk is right. Birth Abroad to Two U.S. Citizen Parents in Wedlock: A child born abroad to two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). One of the parents MUST have resided in the U.S. prior to the child's birth. No specific period of time for such prior residence is required.

http://travel.state.gov/law/info/info_609.html

And don't worry, I don't want to be president :rofl:

[LTR]

26. The final word, from the Constitution

I had to check the part about being born on foreign soil to two U.S. citizens. It is somewhat vague, but it goes a little something like this:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

From Wikipedia:

All persons born in the United States, except those not subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. government (such as children of foreign diplomats) are citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment. Persons born in the United States, and persons born on foreign soil to two U.S. parents, are born American citizens and are classified as citizens at birth under 8 USC 1401. There is some debate over whether persons who were born US citizens and are classified as citizens at birth under U.S. law should also be considered citizens "by birth," or whether they should all be considered to be "naturalized." There is also some debate over whether there is a meaningful legal distinction between citizens "at birth" and citizens "by birth" since U.S. law makes no such distinction, nor does the Fourteenth Amendment use the term "at birth." Current U.S. statutes define certain individuals born overseas as "citizens at birth." One side of the argument interprets the Constitution as meaning that a person either is born in the United States or is a naturalized citizen. According to this view, in order to be a "natural born citizen," a person must be born in the United States; otherwise, he is a citizen "by law" and is therefore "naturalized." Current State Department policy reads: "Despite widespread popular belief, U.S. military installations abroad and U.S. diplomatic or consular facilities are not part of the United States within the meaning of the 14th Amendment. A child born on the premises of such a facility is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of birth." However, this does not affect those who are born abroad to U.S. citizens and who otherwise meet the qualifications for citizenship at birth.

There have been several instances when birth qualifications have been tested:

1. Barry Goldwater, as explained before
2. George Romney, who was born in Mexico to U.S. citizens
3. McCain
4. All candidates born before 1776 as subjects of a foreign government were automatically grandfathered in via the Constitution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_born_citizen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

[Ravy]

57. McCain is clearly covered. He was 35 when the constitution was written.

Wasn't he?

[Mojorabbit]

39. I was born on a base

in Bermuda but had to be naturalized as my mother was not yet a citizen though my father was. I remember going before a judge as a child to answer questions re America and had to pass to get my certificate of citizenship.

[mucifer]

20. I thought Muslims weren't allowed to have passports

:sarcasm:

[Windy]

30. I hate to say it, but Bill Press admitted finally to supporting Clinton, even though people that

listened to his program already knew that. I really think he hopes its some sort of a last minute glitch that will hand the nomination over to Hillary. He had KiKi MacLain on after making an issue of this to discuss Clinton supporters coming to Obama and it was brought up with her too.


Its time to let go.

[Cha]

69. Then he's gone

senile..poor poor bill press. He needs to get off the air and get some fresh blood on there.

[opihimoimoi]

32. Did Press get bought out?? Is he a PUB WHORE? WTF?

[MonkeyFunk]

34. LOL!

omg, he said something you don't like! He's a PUB WHORE!!!!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

66. Well, yeah, he's a pub whore.

If Fox News wasn't your first clue his loony anti-Obama conspiracy theories should have been.

[kentuck]

36. Thanks for putting it in perspective, opihimoimoi...

:-) Soon, there will not be one Democrat these folks can agree with. Hell, they may not even agree with themselves.

[polmaven]

51. I really, REALLY

wish we could come up with another term other than "whore" to use for this.....PLEEEAAASSE?

[opihimoimoi]

53. would prostitute do???Strumpet? Tart?

:beer:

[SteveM]

35. Certifi-gate (nt)

[TexasObserver]

40. Bill Press cannot accept that Hillary lost.

That is his problem.

He's becoming less than irrelevant in the Democratic party. He's already irrelevant in major media.

[rocktivity]

42. He was born in Hawaii, which had became state by then. His father was not in the US illegally.

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM???

:eyes:
rocknation

[polmaven]

52. The problem is

that the Republican idiots would rather focus on this, and take the attention off of the real issues. Please remember that we here at DU are really a small minority of the voters. A majority do not pay as much attention as we do, and are easily swayed by bunk. If these jerks can re-direct the "issues", the better off they are.

This is another type of swift-boating. I have no doubt the Obama campaign has learned THAT lesson from 2004, and will not let this take hold and fester.

[AngryAmish]

50. You don't have to be a US citizen to run for President

Only to take office. Small, pedantic point but I am a small, pedantic man.

BTW, Obama is a natural born US citizen.

[newmajority]

56. Shill Press is BANNED from DU

That piece of shit is working against the Democratic nominee.

[SoCalDem]

58. Mccain's bio shows that he was born in a hospital that was not built

until he was 5 years old :eyes:.. That's more interesting, Bill Press..
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3422058&mesg_id=3422058
(I KNOW he's "allowed" to run for president, so don't jump me for reporting this :P...)

[Cha]

61. Someone forgot to tell him the fucking primaries are over..

can we a mass emailing to him and let him know what's up?

[Mezzo]

63. Maybe he's just gearing up for the FACT that McCain wasn't born here....

so he can say he dished it to both sides.

[Hieronymus]

65. I listened to and watched Bill Press for years. He's drunk the Hillary ...

Kool-Aid. What a disappointment Press has turned out to be. I just change channels or radio stations when he comes on now.

[onenote]

68. why should he have to release his birth certificate? Has that been demanded of any other candidate?

The burden is on those demanding that he release it to demonstrate why he should be singled out. And the fact that his father was not a US citizen since the citizenship of his father isn't the basis on which he qualifies as a natural born citizen -- his status as a natural born citizen is that he was born in the United States. Unless someone has some evidence to suggest that Obama was not actually born in Hawaii in 1961, then he is entitled to the same presumption as every other candidate who has claimed to have been born in the United States.

[blondeatlast]

70. I'm with Rachel Maddow on this; time to mock the SOURCES of this stupid male bovine excrement.

Expose them for the petty whiners they are--and shame their followers into some intellect (it's worth a try).

[high density]

75. This is the new right wing point flowing through the internets

Put obama birth certificate in Google and see what I mean.

[my3boyz]

82. He has despised Obama from the beginning. He wanted Hillary to win. nt

[FrenchieCat]

83. Do we have an email address for Bill Press?

[Truth2Tell]

96. What do people expect to find out?

The circumstances of his birth in America (one subject of rumor) have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. To not believe he was born here one would need to believe that dozens of his friends and family had engaged in a decades long coordinated series of lies. It's preposterous.

The business about his religion (another subject of rumor) cannot apply because Hawaii didn't include religion on BCs when Obama was born.

If he changed his name (yet another rumor) then how would the critics explain his current name on all of his school records from kindergarten on?

So what are the rumor mongers hoping for? Not much left to prove.