Democrats to boycott effort to remove Barack Obama from Georgia ballot

Democrats, including the attorney representing President Barack Obama, have made a last-minute decision to boycott the Thursday hearing to consider a “birther” effort to remove Obama from the March 6 presidential primary ballot.

“They can tilt at windmills on their own,” said state Democratic spokesman Eric Gray on Wednesday night.

Last week, in a surprise ruling, a Georgia state administrative judge declined to quash a subpoena directing Obama to attend a hearing Thursday at the Fulton County courthouse on a challenge to strike him from the Georgia ballot this fall on claims he is not a natural born U.S. citizen. Read more background here from my AJC colleague Bill Rankin.

Among tomorrow’s no-shows will be Michael Jablonski, the Atlanta attorney serving as counsel to Obama. He’s written a letter to Secretary of State Brian Kemp, a Republican, asking him to intervene and bring the circus to a halt.

Among those pressing the action is state Rep. Mark Hatfield, R-Waycross. But many ranking Republicans are doing their best to keep their distance.

Here’s the statement just released by Mike Berlon, chairman of the state Democratic party:

“Several lawsuits were recently filed against President Obama questioning whether he is an American citizen in an attempt to remove him from the Georgia primary ballot. Despite the fact that these issues have been thoroughly litigated, a hearing has been scheduled in these cases for Thursday, January 26, 2012. The Democratic Party of Georgia is not a party to any of these lawsuits.

“This afternoon we received a letter from counsel for the President directed to the Georgia Secretary of State asking him to intervene in these lawsuits and bring them to a halt, because it is well established that there is no issue here – a fact validated time and again by courts in this country.

“In the letter, counsel also indicated that they had no interest in continuing to appear or participate further in the litigation and have suspended their involvement.

“We respect the President’s position and urge the Secretary of State to bring this matter to a conclusion. We also believe that each political party has the absolute legal right to determine who should appear on their primary and general election ballots according to their own rules without interference from outside parties.

“In light of these developments the Democratic Party of Georgia has no plans to continue to be involved in these baseless cases. Furthermore the Democratic Party of Georgia will cooperate with the President and his campaign in any way requested to make sure that his name appears on the primary and general election ballots for 2012.”

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

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552 comments Add your comment

john doe

January 25th, 2012
9:31 pm

This economy is so bad, i spent thousands of dollars to get a good education and graduate with an engineering degree just to sit here and let it go to waste…wake up Obama stop having parties…and go to work for once

Marco Polo

January 25th, 2012
9:31 pm

DoWhatsRight

Check what you have written in this blog and you will find just how racist you are BOY!

Not Your Boy in 2012

January 25th, 2012
9:31 pm

Mx, you know what you mean when you say “Boy” to a grown man. Own it, it what you mean…. You are High.

Vote for Obama because he's black

January 25th, 2012
9:31 pm

Marion Barry was re elected mayor of Washington DC after being caught on camera smoking crack in a hotel room with a hooker.
He even served time and is a currently on the city council.
Everything should be based on ability and talent.
Look at the NBA . We don’ t have a problem with all the whites that sit on the bench?

Lou Phelps

January 25th, 2012
9:31 pm

This is just tragic. Perhaps those bringing the baseless lawsuits and wasting the courts’ time should volunteer at the soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food banks in their counties to understand the pressing issues of this State and nation.

Not Your Boy in 2012

January 25th, 2012
9:34 pm

Lou Phelps-well said

123

January 25th, 2012
9:34 pm

Who cares about GA. Obama will be relected but he will not win GA. GA GOP can go to He– They are just a bunch of redneck morons… althought I don’t have a lot of good things to say about GA dems either. The whole state is one big joke.

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:36 pm

Marco Polo, I refuse to participate in a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Therefore, I’ll ignore you.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will crush the heads of the perverted New World Order integrationist crowd and their devilish black minions

January 25th, 2012
9:37 pm

I’m black and boy is not a racist term to me. It’s an accurate term. As a matter of fact, integration has arrested the development of the vast majority of black men and women. As we speak, I can safely say that most African American “adults” are no more than overgrown boys and girls.

This is the testimony of an African American man.

Amen?

john doe

January 25th, 2012
9:38 pm

Seems to me Georgia is a smart state by not voting for that idiot of a so called president that we have. If you want to go into more debt vote for that guy, if you have no backbone and cant support your own family vote for that guy, if you want this country go to you know what vote for that guy.

Dirty Dawg

January 25th, 2012
9:38 pm

Assume the point has already been made that the GOP, particularly in Georgia, can’t ever be embarrassed. That requires a conscious.

john doe

January 25th, 2012
9:38 pm

@ 123 if you didnt care about GA then why are you on this blog?

Marco Polo

January 25th, 2012
9:40 pm

DoWhatsRight

Please show me where I made any reference to Lincoln. And please keep your comments about welfare to yourself BOY!

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:40 pm

Okay Our Lord Savior, call Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or Rev Wright “boy” and see what happens? Can you say “lawsuit”?

Master

January 25th, 2012
9:41 pm

I see why Georgia has so many pill mills.

TimothyZ

January 25th, 2012
9:41 pm

The man is B-L-A-C-K and many Southern whites CANNOT stand the fact he is President. Plain and simple RACISM at its core. Sad thing is…no matter what they do, THEY cannot turn the clock back to the way it was. This is a NEW Day! Many should ready themselves for the CHANGE. There will be presidents of other ethnicities in years to come. Other groups are increasing in population–preferably Hispanics. Reality Check: Things Will Not Be Like They Were!

Angel Macaroni

January 25th, 2012
9:42 pm

That judge probably got his law degree from that same place that sold Kneel Borzt one.

john doe

January 25th, 2012
9:43 pm

Or maybe we cant stand him cause he sucks as a president and cant do anything right!

mx

January 25th, 2012
9:44 pm

black racist need not be ashamed. may god bless the racist idiot servants of the marxist devil.

john doe

January 25th, 2012
9:44 pm

Love neil bortz he is the man.

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:45 pm

Timothy, the State of Georgia, election 2008, the vote was split something like 55% to 45% in favor of Bush among white voters. However, amongst black voters, the vote was split 90% to 10% in favor of Obama? Racist?

Marco Polo

January 25th, 2012
9:45 pm

DoWhatsRight

So you can’t find me making any reference to Lincoln can you BOY? And you claimed to be armed.

LOL!

What a state!

January 25th, 2012
9:45 pm

Donald Trump should move to Georigia.

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:46 pm

I’m sorry, in favor of McCain

The Sage

January 25th, 2012
9:49 pm

Hey, “Real News.” Have you actually seen either birth certificate, long or short?? Neither one of them has the phrase “African American.” See what happens when you listen to crazy conspiracy theorists and don’t check the facts for yourself? You look STUPID! The father’s race is listed as “African.” Why? Because he’s from Africa!! His mother’s race is listed as Caucasian! Why? Because she white!! Check your facts to avoid looking stupid!

Mama Says

January 25th, 2012
9:49 pm

Tim it’s truly sad that without knowing the heart of one anti Obama person you can expose your own racial bias by deciding – based on a pre conceived notion based on color and origin you know how someone thinks.

Like I said he is black and 53% of the white voters voted for him.

Since liberals make up between 30 and 40 % of the population I would think your best argument that race is at play should be reserved until the night our new president is elected.

Since you will do it anyway

Harold

January 25th, 2012
9:50 pm

Why would the Obama even care if he on the ballot in this place? Welcome to Georgia We Put the Tarde in R-ed

be careful GOP...

January 25th, 2012
9:50 pm

if you oust Obama, you will probably face Hillary in the general election. And Hillary would decimate any of the GOP candidates that are in the race.

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:51 pm

Well said Mama

YOYO5749

January 25th, 2012
9:51 pm

STUPIDITY HAS A NAME…..these people do not have any common sense in there entire being…Georgia is so backward they can not spell FORWARD …….

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:51 pm

And you are so smart that they call you YOYO?

Mama Says

January 25th, 2012
9:53 pm

Now that my lecture is over I will simply ask, wasn’t Obama’s mother a U.S. citizen when he was born ?

Old Dawg

January 25th, 2012
9:54 pm

Look before I leap…: I stand corrected. I read a story stating that MR was born in Mexico. I checked Snopes.com after your post, and you’re correct.

But my statement about McCain is true. He was born in Panama.

Chuckles

January 25th, 2012
9:55 pm

Jconservative,

The Supreme Court has not ruled on anything regarding Senator McCain or President Obama.

Please don’t be silly.

DoWhatsRight

January 25th, 2012
9:56 pm

True on Panama Old Dawg

Mama Says

January 25th, 2012
9:59 pm

Tokyo,

I know how to spell it— I m bettin it b might rightly spelled ” up yonder”

mx

January 25th, 2012
10:00 pm

thugz defend thugz

linda

January 25th, 2012
10:05 pm

Edward – Amen to that.

Marco Polo

January 25th, 2012
10:08 pm

Rep. Mark Hatfield = thugz

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will crush the heads of the perverted New World Order integrationist crowd and their devilish black minions

January 25th, 2012
10:09 pm

Remember now, I am a black man. If I had an audience with Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or Rev Wright, I would tell them that if they and their devilish black minions were not protected by white institutional power, I would beat the living hell out them for confusing and exploiting African Americans. That’s more than calling them boy.

But don’t worry about me touching either of them. I can’t stand the thought of being in Georgia Diagnostic Classification Center… or ADX Supermax for the rest of my life. In there with all of those integrationist African Americans boys, please, it’s not worth it.

Amen?

mx

January 25th, 2012
10:16 pm

how does it feel homies, to have your black boy be a total and complete FAILURE?

Birthers are sad little people

January 25th, 2012
10:18 pm

You birthers are just sad. You need to take off your beanies, and put on big-boy pants and grow up. Either that or take your ball and go home to pout and leave the adults alone

glacialspeed

January 25th, 2012
10:22 pm

Why do we let these toothless hillbillies from the country run the state? Atlanta should call the shots, and the Georgia crackers should get in the back seat and enjoy the tax money we bring in.

Can't We All Get Along

January 25th, 2012
10:27 pm

DoWhatsRight, you keep over looking the point, if President Obama wasn’t qualified to run for President, then how did it happen. LOL !!!! I guess someone was asleep at the wheel and forgot to do a check. I guess someone in the CIA or FBI is afraid of losing their job. Its to bad that J. Edgar Hoover isn’t alive, he would have all the info needed to prove he wasn’t a American citizen.

Marco Polo

January 25th, 2012
10:27 pm

mx put down the meth pipe

T

January 25th, 2012
10:28 pm

Get the communist/socialist president out of office now if you want to save this country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he wants total control and the weak men the dems have on their side kneel to him as if he were king…..all left wing people are idiots!!!!!!!!!!!!! blinded!!!!!!! and, unfortunately…the majority of “african americans” voted only for him because they think he is a black man!!!! Its not about race for me…I wanted HERMAN in office, but the left were scared of him so they attack him through liberal media!!!! BOTTOMLINE….I am and will ALWAYS be against BIG Government!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is Mrs. Norman Maine

January 25th, 2012
10:29 pm

For God’s sake, LET IT GO!!! Mr. Obama is the president of these here United States and there is nothing you can do about it. Well you could try to secede again but the last time that happened ya’ll got your butts kicked so you will just have to suck it up.

Oh and Mark Hatfield, you are an embarassment to Waycross. Seriously dude, get on some meds-you’ll feel better. I bet you haven’t had a good night’s sleep since Mr. Obama was elected so bothered were you by having a man with African heritage in the White House. It hurts but it’s nothing that a good SSRI won’t heal. Try Celexa or Zoloft or that old standby Prozac. GOOD LUCK!

td

January 25th, 2012
10:30 pm

Wow the vile hatred coming from the libs tonight is just amazing. Seems almost like this little lawsuit was like saying your little messiah was not a real messiah.

Marco Polo

January 25th, 2012
10:32 pm

Herman “The water taste the same” is a COWARD.

mx

January 25th, 2012
10:32 pm

hail hussein! marxists forever!