By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.
I guess I will defer to Pete Seeger’s lyrical talent to explain through verse the disappearance of our friends pejoratively referred to as “birthers”: that is, those who assert President Obama was born in Kenya and as such is ineligible for office due to not being a “natural born citizen” as required by the US Constitution.
Now that Mr. Obama is in the final year of his presidency, one would think that Birthers would be legions to storm forward and attack presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, who by his own admission and clearly established facts, was–are you ready for this–born outside the USA!
It begs of course the question…Where have all the Birthers gone?
For many recent years, there has been a great debate in some circles, often voraciously, speculating as to President Obama’s place of birth. The situation was not exactly diffused by what many regarded as the White House’s dismissiveness in proving his birthplace which of course led to the belief Mr. Obama had something to hide. But the opposite is true with Mr. Cruz.
The entire premise of the Birther’s position was that if it could be proven Obama was born in Kenya, then it was up to Congress or the Supreme Court to cast away his presidency. Surprisingly, despite Mr. Cruz’ admission and all other readily obtainable evidences available to the Birther’s need for evidence, no great numbers are sounding the clarion calls. They have seemingly disappeared while at the verge of their own victory: advocating that foreign born presidents are in contravention to the Constitution. Ted Cruz should be as fish swimming in a barrel.
Ted Cruz was born December 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to an American Citizen mother. He later emigrated to the United States. Sounds like a prima facie case for the Birthers! Yet, crickets is all we hear.
Where have all the Birthers Gone? Long time waiting.
There are many academics and legal professionals who draw a credible question as to what defines Natural Born Citizen as written in Article II Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. In this case, we don’t need Sheriff Joe or various other investigators to determine the birth place of Mr. Cruz.
Could it be possible that much of this mantra of protecting the office of the president from foreign influences is, in actuality, due to domestic political agendas? Unthinkable! I would have thought the Birther movement might have been apolitical. Perhaps I am wrong.
Where are the these true believers? I want to see a conspiracy theory turn out to be fact. But if this is the case it surely is a setback for these folks in that one of their favorite Raisons d’être atrophied away with regard to Mr. Cruz. Sad that such things have come to an end.
Give me that old time conspiracy!
By Darren Smith
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
There is no such thing as a Constitutionalist. They are just a variation on the “true believer” who picks and chooses what they like and don’t like based on personal preferences and then try to pass it off as some kind of holy crusade. Scalia was a perfect, i.e. total hypocrite, example of this.
Also what issacbasonkavichi said. and what stevegroen said.
The first step is to join the rest of the world’s more democratic and less oligarchic nations. America has morphed into an oligarchy where money buys candidates and pumps the public to get them elected. Not much is transferred to or from the people in the way of issues. We must control the election process for the benefit of the people through the government. Unfortunately there is only the government and the private sector. Those favoring the private sector, in the words of Socrates, deserve what they get.
Imagine a process where the candidates all had the same opportunity to present their ideas through mainstream and/or public media. Imagine a limitation on financial contributions of $10.00 per person and absolutely no funding allowed by any entity other than a single person voter.
Secondly, all lobbying must be made transparent. As a part of the necessary move towards involving the people in the workings of their own government, any and all financial, special interest, or other group or individual interaction with those who hold our democracy in their hands, must be made available for scrutiny by each and every voter. Those who don’t care, deserve what they get.
There are two major moves needed to involve the voter in the election and governing of their representatives. Firstly the financial tools of the oligarchs must be curtailed to next to nil. Secondly, how the sausages are made and the ingredients must be made obvious to those who wish to participate. Democracy will only survive through participation. America has lost sight of what democracy means. But, hey, cheap gas, cheap Chinese goods, and lots of glittery things, take your pick.
Constitutionalists will try to find anything possible to disqualify and remove any threat to the constitution. No surprise there. Progressives will try to find anything possible to disqualify and remove any threat to progressivism. No surprise there either. They are incompatible worldviews. This is the age old “house divided” issue that we must settle.
A bill got knocked down in the senate. Would a future president throw a temper tantrum? Babies grow up to be big babies.
Thanks, Darren, for reminding us of how constitutional law can be subjected to political selectivity. If blowhards and their lapel pins were the patriots they say they are, they’d be more focused on enforcing the Constitution – our foundational law – than on who controls the government.
Everything PhillyT wrote: +1
It’s outrageous the RNC is actually allowing Cruz into the debates and apparent consideration at its convention. He should have been filtered out at the moment he declared he was seeking the Republican nomination.
Faust: Excellent point about A. Hamilton.
If voters don’t need to prove their citizenship, why should a candidate? No worries Hillary, we have “evolved” past the rule of law.When Donald Trump, the original birther, started his campaign for the Clintons, the present POTUS had started to pay millions in legal fees to keep all of his personal and academic records sealed. Legalities and disclosure have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. Tisk, tisk. such questions are racist anyway.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/department-justice-disowns-eac-directors-move-proof-citizenship-voters
The reason why there is no great hullabaloo right now concerning Ted and his birth right is that the whole birther thing was simply one of many pathetic and desperate attacks by the pathetic and desperate Republican party as they tried to mask their shame for the eight years of the incompetence and near treason of the three stooges. The best way to defend is to point the finger at someone else and keep pointing and bellowing. Eventually the focus shifts. This tactic is as old as the hills and just as obvious.
The Democrats will not have to go there as Clinton has the Presidency locked up. There is simply no other choice, regardless of who she is. Trump may wheel out the birther routine if it comes to a fight between he and Cruz for the nomination. However, Trump may think twice as the last time he did reveal his foolish side, which wraps pretty much all around. But, the angry and ignorant part of this nation might just lap it up.
Darren, my posts aren’t making it on Turley’s blog. I’ve been good.
Hey Darren, I could care less where Obacala was born. Tell me what’s in Obacala’s education records that are locked up as tight as Hillys Cankels?
Just because he was born by C-section, does that mean he can’t be president?
Good post, Darren.
Let’s start by giving songwriting credit to the inestimable Pete Seeger (with additional lyrics by Joe Hickerson).
Where is that woman? The crazy “dentist” who kept trying to sue candidate-then-President Obama? Orally Taint or something? She should totally be on this! Unless she’s been hospitalized.
Also notice they aren’t trying to get everyone to recognize that HE IS NOT USING HIS REAL NAME! Remember the Barack HUSSEIN Obama campaign? Where is the Rafael Eduardo Cruz schtick?
If this shows one thing about Cruz supporters, regressives that they are, it’s that in addition to the typical regressive characteristics of lacking compassion and human empathy, they also lack any sense of honesty, decency, and especially, irony. They are totally unabashed about “lying for the lord” if they think it brings them any closer to the end times. And I have to say, in the case of electing Rafael Eduardo, they might just be right,
Journalists should certainly be asking Mr Trump (and no doubt they will) why he was so much more concerned about President Obama’s place of birth than he has been about Mr Cruz.
Oh, blah,blah,blah on the racism buried deep in America’s soul stuff. I am so tired of hearing that nonsense. Most of the racism that remains today is either the overt kind of blacks against whites, hispanics, and asians, or of the subtle kind practiced by the Modern Liberal who is so racist that he thinks blacks are retarded children who can’t possibly survive without the constant hovering attention of the Mighty Whitey Liberal. And when blacks tell the Modern Liberal to buzz off and quit funding the destruction of their neighborhoods and their culture, that subtle racism becomes extremely overt and we get to listen to Mighty Whitey calling those blacks who don’t know their places, all sort of fun names! Like Uncle Tom, and “not black enough.” No sirreee, the black man best not interfere with the Modern Liberal’s “Mighty Whitey” fantasy life.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
One small correction. “Where have all the flowers gone?” was written by Pete Seeger in 1955 and added to by Joe Hickerson in 1960 to become the version made more famous by Peter, Paul & Mary.
It would have been lovely if the birthers had “gone to graveyards everyone” seven years ago. Instead, what we got was seven years of efforts to delegitimize the presidency of Barack Obama, who was elected by convincing majorities twice. Did this effort to render his presidency impotent have anything to do with his African-American heritage? I don’t know, but we all can have opinions about that question. Given the racism embedded deep within America’s soul, it is hard for me not to believe race has had something to do with it.
Well, my comment got chewed up when I tried to just post the pdf, so I will try it with just the link:
https://pansiesforplato.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/is-ted-cruz-a-natural-born-citizen/
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
@Darren
Help! My comment here got chewed up!
Thank you!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Cruz is ineligible, period.
Darren, the birthers (mostly Trumpites) are going after Cruz for being ineligible. All you have to do is check Twitter.
Jonathan, in fairness, where were you in questioning Obama’s obviously inauthentic birth certificate or the Supreme Court’s repeated refusals to weigh in on Obama’s status claims. We do have a legal process to challenge Cruz’ and Obama’s respective qualifications. There is no political will and perhaps no standing, why are you choosing sides?
I lived in Canada from 1965-1968, what a great country, when Pierre Elliot Trudeau became PM, just when my parents decided to return to the USA. My parents decided, for better or worse, that they did not want to become to dual citizens, and wished to return to the States for the 1968 election. Guess what? Ted Cruz was born in Canada to a Canadian father and a mother who registered as a Canadian voter. Cruz is not eligible to be elected president of the United States of America. By the way, that’s why the great Alexander Hamilton was never considered as a presidential candidate, because he was born in Barbados. Trump is right. Cruz is ineligible.
Who has the upper birth? Who has the lower birth? Should we call Sen. Cruz Big Birtha? Enquiring minds want to know……