‘Birther’ bill is an embarrassment to Georgians, Republicans
I don’t normally make a big deal out of loopy legislation that has just one sponsor, or maybe a couple of them. I figure that such bills are bound for a quick dead end, and that paying attention to their sponsors only encourages them.
But when there are 94 signers on a loopy bill — as is the case with the “birther” bill in the General Assembly — it’s time to speak up. And HB 401, the so-called Presidential Eligibility Assurance Act, is a farce.
The “birther” movement is a fringe movement everywhere — except, evidently, in the Georgia House Republican caucus. Although there are opinion polls that suggest “birtherism” has become more widespread, I agree with my colleague Jay Bookman that such poll results are more reflective of tribal loyalty than of a genuine belief that Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii (or that Hawaii is not in fact one of the United States).
The popular appeal of wild conspiracies — birtherism, 9/11 trutherism, Trig Palin trutherism, etc. — is a hallmark of our age. But is it too much to ask of our legislators that they not try to enshrine such conspiracies in state law?
– By Kyle Wingfield
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345 comments Add your comment
JohnnyReb
March 2nd, 2011
8:51 am
Kyle, it’s disappointing to see you cave to the liberalisim at the AJC. But then again, they are your employer. Obama may indeed have all the qualifications, but there is too much smoke for there not to be some fire. Liberals take every opportunity to belittle Conservatives, where in this case we only ask that, Barry, if you are legitimate, show us. If you step back and look, the new law is not a bad thing. It would prevent the biggest con of all time. Plus, if you consider it from a Conservative perspective, that con is not out of reason when it comes to Obama.
flintrock70
March 2nd, 2011
8:53 am
Hooray!
Since they are working on this, it must mean that 1,000,000 jobs are coming, HOPE is fixed, the tax code is worked out, immigration problem fixed and we all can feed our familes and warm our homes!
Thank you Republicans for putting the priorities correct.
RSC
March 2nd, 2011
8:53 am
President Obama is the only president in US history to have ever made his birth certificate public.
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
8:53 am
the courts decide the law in ga is unconstitutional… then what?
—————————————–
Then it goes through the legal process until it’s either determined that it is unconstitutional or isn’t.
We can play “what if” all day under a million different scenarios. In fact, you could do that with any bill/law/idea.
How about we pass it and see what happens. My guess, is nothing will happen because quite frankly, Obama IS a legal citizen, as are any serious presidential candidate.
WAR
March 2nd, 2011
8:53 am
nrbd2
ive seen your kind before–dangerous, divisive. be careful because you are having fun, but someone may actually listen to you and take to heart what you write.
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
8:54 am
we all can feed our familes and warm our homes
———————————————————————
You should be able to do that no matter who is in office. Try relying on yourself and not the government, for once in your life.
WAR
March 2nd, 2011
8:54 am
good day all. im out. ive tired of this for now. be safe.
Road Scholar
March 2nd, 2011
8:54 am
Del: Is there still monsters in your closet? Or are they under your bed?
NRBD2 @7:59: So lieing is ok? I mean as long as it supports your view?
Road Scholar
March 2nd, 2011
8:55 am
WAR: I hope you find Peace!
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
8:56 am
ive seen your kind before–dangerous, divisive. be careful because you are having fun, but someone may actually listen to you and take to heart what you write.
——————————————————————————–
Oh no, someone may “listen to me”….and…what? What do you even mean? I actually took time to read the bill and think about what it says, unlike 99.9% of the people posting on here….and the fake RINO who wrote the original article.
flintrock70
March 2nd, 2011
8:57 am
@NRBD2
Who said that requires the gov’t. It requires jobs which is what the GOP promised.
Where are the jobs or at least try showing us you are trying!
Steve
March 2nd, 2011
8:58 am
This is just what the Georgia legislature needs to be spending their time on. This State is such a laughing stock. These ladies and gentlemen need to get a clue and actually spend their time on issues that effect the lives of Georgians. The Georgia Assembly continues to amaze me. Wow!
Who cares about the Constitution?
March 2nd, 2011
8:59 am
God forbid a bunch of eeeeeevil Republicans want to pass a law requiring the Constitutional requirements for the most important office in the land be met for those seeking the office of the President of the United States.
What an absolute abomination they’d want to make sure that Art. 2, Section 1 of that silly little document that sets forth the qualifications for President be met! How dare they! NOT!
The only thing that shocks me is that there was no law on the books before. If I have to produce my birth certificate to get a passport, ANY potential President should be required to do the same for the most important job in the free world. Republican, Democrat, Socialist, Libertarian. It doesn’t matter.
As usual, the left-leaning DNC Kool-Aid drinking propagandists at the AJC miss the point.
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
8:59 am
It requires jobs which is what the GOP promised.
———————————-
Yeah, well ALL politicians promise jobs.
The government cannot create jobs, only private business can create jobs. Read the previous sentence ten times until it sinks in.
The only positive thing that government can do to help with job creation is to STAY OUT OF THE WAY of private business, which means low taxes and low regulation.
the mehlman rings twice
March 2nd, 2011
8:59 am
Fletch @ 8:30 am
Good point!!
marc
March 2nd, 2011
9:01 am
Why can republicans “trust” govt. agencies..CIA, FBI..ect…..when it comes to pre- war intelligence or post 911 wire taping….but don’t trust them to do due diligence on a presidential candidate?
morons.
Fletch
March 2nd, 2011
9:01 am
Who Cares… – “The only thing that shocks me is that there was no law on the books before.”
Yes, because there was no need for such law to exist. So you’re perfectly fine with being denied your constitutional right to vote for a candidate of your choosing?
Ramguy
March 2nd, 2011
9:03 am
From HB 401 more accurately know as the birther bill.
If the foregoing described certified exact copy of the
candidate’s first original long-form birth certificate is not attached and the candidate’s
affidavit indicates that a first original long-form birth certificate for the candidate does
not exist, the candidate shall attach certified exact copies of other original
documentation, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s birth records, adoption
records, baptism records,
lol….there rock solid proof for you, baptism records…..Barnes was right…the country is laughing at us.
flintrock70
March 2nd, 2011
9:04 am
You all do know the President did show what the state of Hawaii shows right? It’s not the President’s fault. The state of Hawaii, no matter who you are, gives a letter saying they have it with the information on file. Go talk to the HI gov. if you don’t believe it. Heck, most of you still probably view HI as a naval base and not a state.
add
March 2nd, 2011
9:04 am
Can we all just get alone!…In my “Rodney King” voice..
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
9:04 am
So you’re perfectly fine with being denied your constitutional right to vote for a candidate of your choosing?
————————————-
If someone wants to vote for an illegal alien as president they can move to another state before the election. Problem solved. Can’t wait to read your next fantasy scenario.
Was not raised in Georgia
March 2nd, 2011
9:06 am
Wonders if this whole “birther” movement and this type of legislation would even exist had McCain (who was born in Panama) had won?
We already know the answer to that one, so for anyone to “feign ignorance” and think that part of this is not because of the unwillingness of some to accept this country has a Black President; I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. You can dress up a pig with lipstick, but it is still a pig.
If this state did not have Atlanta, we would be virtually South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Alabama. The ironic thing is that President Obama as well as any other Democrate will not win this backward Southern state anyway; such a waste of time. As proven in the last election, as long as you have a “R” behind your name, you would win in GA. This is yet another story I have to hear about from my friends from other states about living in this “backwater state” and I did not even mention the law to let motorcycles ride through red lights.
Has anyone noticed that GA has been under “GOP leadership” the last 8 years, 6 of those with a republican President yet the current state of this nation is all the Democrats problem.
td
March 2nd, 2011
9:06 am
If this bill might help in getting this communist out of office then I support it 100%. It is going to take years to clean up the messes he, Reid and Pelosi have made in the last two years.
flintrock70
March 2nd, 2011
9:07 am
@Ramguy
Yes the are!
Chilidog
March 2nd, 2011
9:07 am
————–”God forbid a bunch of eeeeeevil Republicans want to pass a law requiring the Constitutional requirements for the most important office in the land be met for those seeking the office of the President of the United States.”
=============================================
Except that the Republicans in the Georgia legislature are making up a whole new set of requiremnts that do not exist in the u.S. Contsitution.
These are the same clowns that used to require “citizenship” tests before allowing people to register to vote. Tests which the black population always seemed to fail, yet Bily Bob Cementhead would pass even though he barely knew how to spell his own name.
Ramguy
March 2nd, 2011
9:07 am
You all do know the President did show what the state of Hawaii shows right?
But they will except baptism records…lol
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
9:08 am
If this state didn’t have Atlanta we’d also have a 90% reduction in crime, rocket past other states in school scoring, and virtually eliminate state entitlement programs that are bankrupting us.
I totally welcome the idea of removing Atlanta from the rest of Georgia.
Bleeding Independent
March 2nd, 2011
9:09 am
My last post today….
As an African-American male, whose politics leans left but has voted for a Republican on more than one occassion, knows exactly what NBRD2 and JohnnyReb mean to ensure the biggest “con” or protection for citizens doesn’t happen until a Black Man ascends into the highest office of this land.
Why is the system broken now? We’ve had 43 prior Presidents elected as POTUS, was the system broken then? It reminds me of a vending machine at my office where one could hit the machine a certain way and get a drink. The day after Obama’s inaugural win, an African-American employee hit the machine and was given a free drink. A hard-right Republican walked by and said with righteous indignation that “we needed to fix the machine.” Why is broken when a minority gets a piece of the dream.
When we can get beyond politics and more importantly color, then we all can turn the lights on and get down to solving real issues while upholding our elected officials to a minimum level of political discourse. This isn’t it.
When the average median salary today is the same as it was in 1988 (adjusted for inflation), then we must declare that beyond right vs. left we’ve lost a generation and the middle class is now the working class. Or we can let NBRD2 blame Obama for the price of gas.
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
9:09 am
You all do know the President did show what the state of Hawaii shows right?
———————————-
Yes, and this bill doesn’t mention Obama. It states that ALL candidates must have proof of citizenship.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
March 2nd, 2011
9:10 am
Good morning all. I suspect the sole purpose of the “birther bill” is to attempt to embarrass our President. He does not need their help – he’ll propose some other loopy legislation or regulation before the week is out. Perhaps the singular virtue of the proposed birther legislation is that it will occupy the legislature, and keep the legislature from doing anything meaningful. This one is on a par with naming a highway after Cynthia McKinney.
JF McNamara
March 2nd, 2011
9:11 am
I think embarrassment is the right word.
For those who can’t use Google, Obama has made his birth certificate public numerous times.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
In addition, the assertion that he needs to be born in Hawaii only shows your ignorance of American law. His mother is undoubtably an American. That makes him an American so long as he fills out the proper paper work.
Ramguy
March 2nd, 2011
9:11 am
It is going to take years to clean up the messes he, Reid and Pelosi have made in the last two years.
It is going to take years to clean up the messes Bush, Cheney and Rove made in the previous 8 years……..FIXED!
eve laments
March 2nd, 2011
9:11 am
Politicians on all levels are wasting our time with nonsense to shift our attention away from important matters. Any one who falls for it is foolish. In GA, we talk about how badly we need an open-air football stadium and spend money on law suits to take basic health insurance coverage away from people during a terrible economic depression. We reduce HOPE benefits to pay for this waste.
Lawmakers: shame on all of you. While you are snickering up your sleeves over your latest sleight of hand your constituents are suffering.
NRBD2
March 2nd, 2011
9:11 am
Or we can let NBRD2 blame Obama for the price of gas.
———————————————
I was being sarcastic.
When Bush was in office and gas was $3 a gallon, the nation was imploding and the media and democrats were blaming Bush for it.
Now that Obummer is in office, gas is $3.50 a gallon but nobody is blaming him for it.
Just an interesting double standard I wanted to point out.
I’ll ignore your whining about racism, because that’s a boring topic and not worth talking about.
The bill does not mention anything about race, it states that ALL candidates must have proof.
RSC
March 2nd, 2011
9:13 am
The Georgia Secretary of State is responsible for vetting and verifying the eligiblity of candidates whose names appear on ballots in Georgia. If our state congress feels that our Secretary of State has been remiss in fulfilling those job responsibilities, then direct action should be taken against that person, rather than wasting time creating silly, ridiculous, redundant and irrelevant legislation (that may even be unconstitutional).
Fletch
March 2nd, 2011
9:14 am
NRDB2 – “If someone wants to vote for an illegal alien as president they can move to another state before the election. Problem solved. Can’t wait to read your next fantasy scenario.”
It’s not fanatasy chief, it’s a protected right under the Articles of the United States Constitution. Your entire defense is based on implementing legislation that takes that very right away from American citizens.
The state cannot arbitrarly decide who they will or will not allow it’s citizens to vote for. The right of the citizen to vote for a candidate of ones choosing is protected by the constitution and has been since it’s inception. To my knowledge, the only political bodies that want to take away that right are dictatorships, communist regimes and now apparently the State of Georgia and you.
I ask again NRDB2, Why do you hate America?
Chilidog
March 2nd, 2011
9:14 am
@NRBD2 –”How about we pass it and see what happens. My guess, is nothing will happen because quite frankly, Obama IS a legal citizen, as are any serious presidential candidate.”
==================================
I agree, to a point.
I say pas the law. Why? Because it IS so blatently unconstituional.
As the law is written, some dunderhead will try to use it to prevent President Obama from being listed on the Georgia ballot.
It will go to court and the court will invalidate the law, declaring it void and unconstituional. (Hopefully, the case will wind up in Judge Clay Land’s court room)
At which point, the birthers will pull an Orly Taitz and accuse the judge of being a corrupt. At which point, the judge will slapp al sorts of fines on the plaintiff and the dumb smuck lawyer that takes up this case.
Birthers are stupid and they should be made to pay for their stupidity.
Don't Forget
March 2nd, 2011
9:16 am
Kyle, thanks for stepping up and pointing out the folly of this bill. It’s pandering plain and simple. Both sides do it but it doesn’t excuse either. The fact of the matter is that on any given real issue, there is usually some degree of merit to both sides of an argument. That doesn’t mean that both sides are right but it does mean that the best solutions will likely take both viewpoints into account and neither side is evil. It is part of the reason that we keep kicking the can down the road and failing to face the problems we have.
Bleeding Independent
March 2nd, 2011
9:16 am
@ NBRD2
Just a little Political Science 101. Prior to a bill being written a mandate is established about what outcome to expect for a particular piece of legislation.
Please tell me the original mandate for this piece of legislation before it was written. Are you to have us believe that some of the language in HB 401 was not influenced by some of the same birtherism boiler plate language we’ve heard over the last two years
Chilidog
March 2nd, 2011
9:16 am
@RSC: — “The Georgia Secretary of State is responsible for vetting and verifying the eligiblity of candidates whose names appear on ballots in Georgia.”
=============================
Actually no. State law only pertains to the selection of the members of the electoral college.
It is up to the electoral college, and Congress to verify the qualifications of the candidates, not the states.
Peter
March 2nd, 2011
9:16 am
Kyle what is going on all I read these days are New Taxes or fees for Georgians……..Food Tax, Gas tax, services tax.
Seems like we are getting set up to pay all types of new fees and taxes living in Georgia.
Susan Baum Biondo
March 2nd, 2011
9:17 am
Since moving to Georgia, it gets alot of laughs by my friends in Ohio and Virginia. No compliment believe you me. My entire Gwinnett extended family is getting so concerned between educating kids and this baloney that we actually discussed leaving the state. Disappointing no scary. Georgia will continue to deteriorate back to last so why stay.
backwards is the new forwards
March 2nd, 2011
9:17 am
Wow, good to see the Republicans whose platform was jobs and economic reform have done nothing to move that forward. The only thing they could muster was taking a big knife to HOPE, which would leave tens of thousands of kids without a way to pay for college, which means they’ll get even lower paying jobs and we’ll be in the same place 20 years from now. Good work guys.
td
March 2nd, 2011
9:19 am
Kyle, I see you have gotten all these libs in an uproar today. They have their panties in a wad over something that is not even a big deal. All Obama has to do is send a campaign staffer down here and show his birth certificate to the SOS and no problem. Right? We all know he is a Citizen because his mother and Grandparents are citizens. The only question is was he actually born on US soil. If he was then he is eligible to run for President, If he was not then he does not qualify for the job and his electors will not be on the ballot in Ga.
All you libs keep saying everything has already been proven so I ask why are your pink panties in a wad this morning?
BTW: The question has been brought up a few times in history. Calvin Coolidge for one and I am pretty sure the question was raised about Chaney and McCain, so you all can quit playing the race card BS.
Mike
March 2nd, 2011
9:19 am
So this is the important stuff we can work on now that they squashed Sunday alcohol sales?
Good to know we have our priorities straight.
Chilidog
March 2nd, 2011
9:20 am
@BE —”Please tell me the original mandate for this piece of legislation before it was written.”
===================
That’s easy: “Keep Obama off the Ballot in 2112.”
Cousin Curtis
March 2nd, 2011
9:21 am
I hear banjos.
Chilidog
March 2nd, 2011
9:22 am
It occured to me thatthere is one provision missing from HB 401. There needs to be a requirement for each candidate to submit an affadavit affirming their belief that evolution is evil. {/snark}
Who cares about the Constitution?
March 2nd, 2011
9:23 am
@Chilidog Please. Have you even read the bill? Those eeeeeeeeeevil Republicans here are just ensuring that every candidate for President of the United States follows the requirements set forth in the Constitution. The requirements for assessing qualification is silent — thus expressly left to the States under U.S. Const. Amend. X.
The requirements in this bill are no different than the same requirements that you have to follow to get either a driver’s license or a passport. There’s even an alternate mechanism in the bill to prove that you are a “natural born Citizen” if your original long-form birth certificate was destroyed. And note I said “natural born Citizen” — not mere citizen. There’s both a difference and a distinction.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a citizen, but not a “Natural Born Citizen” under the Constitution and is thus ineligible to be POTUS.
Call me all sorts of names, however, I am glad that our government is protecting us against non-natural born citizens trying to occupy the most powerful office in the land. This is not a partisan issue. It’s a piece of common sense legislation.
Gman
March 2nd, 2011
9:23 am
People say that California is the land of fruits, flakes, and nuts. Well, welcome to Georgia, the “Granola State”!