Republicans may want to just keep away from open mikes for a while. After a ranking Republican in California was caught describing in disgusting detail sex with a lobbyist, Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) was caught whispering to a constituent that she agrees that President Obama is not a legitimate president due to his birth.
On the tape, a clearly unhinged supporter is insisting the Obama can’t be a president because of his birth. Schmidt is heard saying “M’aam, m’aam. I agree with you, but the courts don’t.”
It still beats relations with a lobbyist, but Schmidt is in the unenviable position of stating either than she believe Obama is a foreign-born, constitutional pretender or say that she will say anything to constituents.
Lack of response?
Jim, as usual you’ve failed to consider Occam’s Razor.
You fail to consider that Representative Half-wit’s nonsense isn’t being addressed because it isn’t worth addressing.
Just like your other birther junk.
It’s the simplest and most likely cause for the perceived slight to the Rep. and her enormous brain power. It’s a funny thing about that term “brain power”. In most people you’d be talking about intelligence, but I have it on good authority that her brain power is to function as a paperweight holding her head on her neck.
Isn’t it about time for you to attack someone’s patriotism or some other crap diversionary tactic? That is what trolls do when cornered, Jimmy. That’s what you’ve done in the past. That and what was that other thing you do . . . oh yeah, run away only to come back with a different name but still spewing the same old garbage. Do you work for Patriot Depot? Inquiring minds want to know because if you’re not getting paid to schill this nonsense, you must be the biggest sucker on the planet.
You rascal you. Pardon me, but I’ve got P.T. Barnum on the other line. I’ll tell him you’re here.
Byron, the element of racism becomes increasingly evident when one looks at the cumulative criticisms of the president and analyzes their logic. The birther issue is merely one example. I’ll admit that I had never given the matter much thought until it was raised on this site. But a great deal of research by Vince Treacy and others exposed the factual and legal absurdity of the entire birther movement. The few who remain loyal to Orly Taitz have simply drawn a line between reality and fantasy and have determined to occupy the fantasy side.
Other examples include the “death panels” silliness, the Tea Party groups, the gun-toting attendees at “town hall” meetings, threats of secession and revolution and the current controversy over the president’s talk to school children.
If you followed the election, you would have noted numerous instances of overt racism during the campaign as well. Whenever these instances are pointed out, one hears the “some of my best friends are black” retorts, most recently by “Pastor” Anderson in Arizona. The amount of hatred and vitriol I have heard over the past year reminds me of nothing so much as the civil rights battles in the ’60s.
Gyges,
The absolute lack of effort to denounce the statements made by Congresswoman Watson speaks volumes.
Since you can’t understand “natural born citizen” or even type the words, tells me you don’t understand the debate.
As far as changing my tune, that took place when the birth certificate from Coast Province General Hospital surfaced.
When you can explain to me how it would be possible to be born in Kenya, and still have an Hawaiian birth certificate in Hawaii DOH vault, you will have caught up enough to enable a serious discussion. Until you can figure out that it can happen, and how it can happen, you couldn’t possible conceive that it did happen.
Birther,
Wait a second…
I thought in this Retired Major conversation you were of the opinion that even though President Obama was a US citizen he wasn’t the right kind of U.S. citizen. Why would you be worried about him being African?
Byron,
I’m done taunting Birther now, if you want to see him truly get demolished I suggest you read through parts of the comments on the “Retired Major General…” post. I’d suggest ignoring any comment made by Buena Vista Mall or BDAman, but that’s just what I suggest anyway.
Birther,
Having a supporter who says something about controversial topics unrelated to the place of your birth means that you weren’t born in the US?
Interesting.
Byron,
“Which, if he were not a citizen, would be the biggest story of the last 50 years”.
You mean it would be a bigger story than Octomom? I can’t imagine why the MSM avoids it like the plague.
It’s not an African-America president we have a problem with. It’s an African President that we have a problem with.
I’m not surprised that Professor Turley didn’t manage to find this video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m4alvzhOEM&hl=en&fs=1&]
I am beginning to believe that this birther nonsense has a component of racism. I had not believed it before and thought there were legitimate concerns but the longer this drags on the more I become convinced that some people just cannot wrap their minds around an African American President and are using this issue to hamstring the president. If you are going to disagree with his policies then use cogent arguments rather than calling into question his citizenship. Which, if he were not a citizen, would be the biggest story of the last 50 years and so just that fact alone leads me to believe it is false (the contention of non-citizenship).
I disagree with Mr. Obama on policy and political philosophy, which I think are genuine areas for civil discourse, but to disagree with someone based on a genetic trait is the lowest form of intellectual sloth.
Buddha,
I did further research on Patriot Depot. They have a parent company, Vall-Com Inc. which from what I can tell, publishes on behalf of Sarah Palin, conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt and a christian outfit called dominion something. It’s difficult to find information on Vall-Com. They did publish bumper stickers etc. for McCain/Palin in 08. Hope someone with better skills and access can/will track them down.
Prof. Turley, there is a third possibility. Rep. Schmidt may believe that Pres. Obama is foreign-born and may also be willing to say anything to constituents.
BTW, do we know whether this particular constituent was armed? If so, I will have to concede that I might have found myself expressing agreement with her position under those circumstances.
I’m very afraid to ask how you know what Orly Taitz smells like, mespo.
And I agree with you on Lewis. That was the smartest thing he ever said. That’s why I far prefer the works of Lewis Carroll even though I question Carroll’s lifestyle. I’d like to think he wasn’t a vile little pedophile, but man is that circumstantial evidence a bummer. His logic was by far finer that Lewis and his wordplay sublime although I do appreciate Lewis’ attempt to explain an “absent” God in the form of Aslan to an audience of children. “Why is the sky blue?” is an easy question. “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” isn’t nearly as easy. In that respect, Lewis earns my admiration. Tough job and considering it was designed as propaganda, surprisingly fun to read. But Carroll’s raw talent simply commands more respect. If not for the stain of his “child appreciation”, it’d be no contest in writing skill vs. skill between the men. Carroll would stomp Lewis.
Sounds like an act of Treason to me and to think Benedict Arnold was considered a trader. If I remember an article read in the National Geographic or some such nonsense George Washington really did not consider him a Trader in the least but a victim of persecution.
I could not find the NG article but here is another link:
http://www.benedictarnold.org/
BIRTHER:
Here’s the smartest thing C.S. Lewis ever said:
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
I’ll take that choice and all the ramifications flowing therefrom.
Not that silly quote you latched onto. Seen any chestless men these days except in the birther/terrorister/deather crowd? I haven’t. I find it remarkable those nuts mentioned above function without hearts or minds!
Buddha,
Thanks for the link. I was hoping reporters would actually start investigating these types of things.
I view these stories like I do the 24 hour cable news cycle on child kidnapping. Does child kidnapping occurr? Yes. Is child kidnapping awful? Yes. Is child kidnapping the statistical threat it would appear to be due to the ratio of stories one hears about it? No.
So that’s why I put in some real statistics on right wing crazies.
This nation is a poweder keg right now. IMO, the last thing we need is any help ramping up group on group hatred, especially when, as your article well points out, the supposed “group” is actually a corporation.
Well, in fairness, if I had to deal with numskulls like the Birther crowd face to face, I ‘d agree with them too, just to get them out of my face. I hear they talk loud, “spray” when they “say,” and smell funny, too (see, Taitz, Orly). Anything to shoo them away makes perfect sense to me.
Stow it, Jim. Jean Schmidt is a dim-witted moron with no concept of evidentiary procedure just like the rest you birther clowns. The fact she got elected at all is a stain on Ohio.
But if your lot keeps it up, I’m thinking about starting the “Dead Horse of the Month Club”.
A fool and his money are soon parted after all. I’m thinking it’s time to start parting some of you right wing nutjobs of your hard earned cash. After all, it’s self-evident that you twits will “buy” anything . . . as long as it caters to your innate racism and stupidity.
There are plenty of valid complaints and ways to go about them concerning Obama. I have one word about your choices in subject matter and tactics: flaccid. Make that two words: flaccid and ill-conceived. Three, no three words! Flaccid, ill-conceived and ineffective.
Enjoy.
Jill,
The Gilgoff article shows what we call in data analysis an “interesting trend”.
I was wondering if you caught the article about the origins of much of the Right Wing Spam floating about in inboxes.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-thomson/the-fwding-of-the-conserv_b_278848.html
Surprise, surprise, it’s from a corporation! Bearing the dubious name “Patriot Depot”. They sell, and this is truly shocking, those ridiculous right wing bumper stickers and T-shirts. Funny how most of that anti-Obama agenda e-mail is comping from a corporation that espouses hate and division as a marketing tool. Back when I was a much younger man, this is the kind of company I’d have been tempted to DDoS attack (simply because I could). But I don’t hack anymore. Not that I ever did. As far as you or the Feds know. But I digress.
I was curious as to what you thought of Patriot Depot since these clowns are obviously feeding the fire of which you speak.
Kudos to Rep. Schmidt! More and more people are starting to figure out that Obama may have bamboozled a country.
Birthers think with their heads. The rest think with their hearts.
“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.” —C.S. Lewis
Here’s an interesting article on the Birther movement from Mother Jones Magazine. We can add Ms. Schimdt to this list:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/08/meet-birthers
I notice there have been many blog entries in the past few days on crazy right wing extremists so I decided to take these entries apart just as I did when I saw so many entries on the misues of tasers.
Here’s what I found:
1. “A new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll finds that 77% of Americans believe President Obama was Indeed Born in the United States, with only 11% saying he was not — but there’s no clear verdict among Republicans.”
2. “May 20, 2009 12:29 PM ET | Dan Gilgoff
Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
A new polling analysis from Gallup finds that the Republican Party has lost support among nearly every major demographic subgroup, from college graduates to married people to those making under $30,000 a year.
In 2001, 47 percent of college grads leaned Republican. Today, just 37 percent do. Support among married people has slid from 51 percent to 46 percent. Just 28 percent of those making less than $30,000 lean Republican, down 9 points in the past eight years.
Overall, 39 percent of the country leans Republican today, compared with 53 percent that leans Democrat. That’s a dramatic change from 2001, when the country was evenly divided, with 45 percent leaning Democrat and 45 percent Republican.
Only one demographic group wholly defied the trend: weekly churchgoers. Fifty-two percent of them leaned Republican in ’01, and the same proportion does today.”
What does she mean “The courts dont”. Did I miss something?