"Birther" claims force GOP leaders to take a stand

Maybe it would better just to say that a "significant percentage" of Americans are just plain damned fools.

Obama could give a big hard smackdown to the right IF, maybe a month or two before the election he decided to release all his hidden records along with his long form birth certificate. If he did that, he would easily win by a landslide and every Republican who ever questioned those documents would look as foolish as Clinton when the blue dress was presented.

IF

CriticalBill wrote: Obama could give a big hard smackdown to the right IF, maybe a month or two before the election he decided to release all his hidden records along with his long form birth certificate. If he did that, he would easily win by a landslide and every Republican who ever questioned those documents would look as foolish as Clinton when the blue dress was presented.

IF

I don't think it would go like that. I think it would just start a whole 'nother stream of paranoid objections and "questions".

CriticalBill wrote: Obama could give a big hard smackdown to the right IF, maybe a month or two before the election he decided to release all his hidden records along with his long form birth certificate. If he did that, he would easily win by a landslide and every Republican who ever questioned those documents would look as foolish as Clinton when the blue dress was presented.

IF

While I think it's clear that the short form released by Obama is a perfectly legal document and he doesn't need to legally release anything more, I still believe you make a good point.

However, the "birthers" will come out with all kinds of claims that the long form released is a fake, just as they did with the short form.

There is also a potential legal issues. From the link I gave earlier...

In addition to declaring the document a forgery, the birther movement’s main response – echoed by the ill-informed Trump - has been to claim that only a “long form” birth certificate can be valid. But the document shown by Obama is the only one the State of Hawaii is permitted, by law, to release. It is accepted as valid by the government entities like the State Department.

Hawaii law prevents the long-form record from being photocopied or released to anyone — including Obama. Obama himself would only be permitted to inspect it – not copy it or post it online.

Fukino, an appointee of Linda Lingle, the former Republican governor and John McCain supporter, twice inspected the certificate. According to NBC News’ investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff, the certificate is in a bound volume, in a file cabinet in the Hawaii Department of Health.

“Why would a Republican governor — who was stumping for the other guy — hold out on a big secret?” asked Fukino.

I've seen the same thing reported elsewhere. If true, Obama would have to get Hawaii to change their law in order to get a copy of his long form. Then again, I have seen long form birth certificates from Hawaii for other people born the same year Obama was. I wonder how those were obtained, given current Hawaii law? Perhaps the law has changed?

pineinthegrass wrote:

CriticalBill wrote: Obama could give a big hard smackdown to the right IF, maybe a month or two before the election he decided to release all his hidden records along with his long form birth certificate. If he did that, he would easily win by a landslide and every Republican who ever questioned those documents would look as foolish as Clinton when the blue dress was presented.

IF

While I think it's clear that the short form released by Obama is a perfectly legal document and he doesn't need to legally release anything more, I still believe you make a good point.

However, the "birthers" will come out with all kinds of claims that the long form released is a fake, just as they did with the short form.

There is also a potential legal issues. From the link I gave earlier...

In addition to declaring the document a forgery, the birther movement’s main response – echoed by the ill-informed Trump - has been to claim that only a “long form” birth certificate can be valid. But the document shown by Obama is the only one the State of Hawaii is permitted, by law, to release. It is accepted as valid by the government entities like the State Department.

Hawaii law prevents the long-form record from being photocopied or released to anyone — including Obama. Obama himself would only be permitted to inspect it – not copy it or post it online.

Fukino, an appointee of Linda Lingle, the former Republican governor and John McCain supporter, twice inspected the certificate. According to NBC News’ investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff, the certificate is in a bound volume, in a file cabinet in the Hawaii Department of Health.

“Why would a Republican governor — who was stumping for the other guy — hold out on a big secret?” asked Fukino.

I've seen the same thing reported elsewhere. If true, Obama would have to get Hawaii to change their law in order to get a copy of his long form. Then again, I have seen long form birth certificates from Hawaii for other people born the same year Obama was. I wonder how those were obtained, given current Hawaii law? Perhaps the law has changed?

Actually, he can get a copy of the long form certificate, it just can't be obtained by anyone who does not have a legitimate interest. There have also been at least one new law since he's been in office that allows Hawaii to ignore repeated inquiries about it.

Unfortunately once someone has decided to believe something, no matter how ridiculous confirmation bias makes it unlikely that any amount of data will make them change their minds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

The state of Hawaii has already addressed the "long form" vs. "short form" b.s. about the certificate. The documents have been released...They are valid, and they are legal...

Rave on...

LadyJazzer wrote: The state of Hawaii has already addressed the "long form" vs. "short form" b.s. about the certificate. The documents have been released...They are valid, and they are legal...

Rave on...

http://hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/obama.html