There is, of course, the historical ignorance on some networks.
Both CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell incorrectly asserted that President Obama is the only president in U.S. history who has had his citizenship doubted.I don't watch either one, so I don't know.
Then there is the question of who talked about the Birther issue most. This on-line article says it was MSNBC and CNN. But, they cheated and pulled the Data from the Pew Trust.
Regards — Cliff
4 comments:
"Bemused"?
For one thing, I believe the racial persecution felt by black Americans over this issue is real and bears discussion.
More importantly, I think that it's highly disingenuous for anyone to deny that the vehemence of partisan political persecution of this proven-false issue has to be examined in light of race if we are to understand it at all.
Folks let McCain's lack of birth amidst the "home 50" to pass without discernible ripple based on a highly technical interpretation of a rule no founding father ever imagined would extend beyond our natural borders. Everybody hated Hillary's healthcare boondoggle, but nobody questioned her origins over it. Dubya's financial policies were carbon copies, strike that, original copies of Barry O's, but nobody asked Barbara to prove she didn't stray over the Mexican Border on 44's birth day. But, somehow, despite repeated distribution of the required evidence to answer these questions, a disturbing percentage of partisan politicos refuse to believe it.
Actually, forgetting race for a moment, just the fact that just short of a majority of Republicans aren't capable of distinguishing primary source evidence in a discussion is, in my mind, grounds for discussing the legal dissolution of the party on grounds of dangerous incompetence.
I agree on the need for discussion, but it needs to be informed by being between people of different races. If a Black man or woman wants to explain to me how they feel about this, I am interested in hearing what they have to say. If they want dialogue, even better.
I don't want to listen to uninformed commentary from Ms Katie Couric.
As for McCain, the fact that we both know that it came up means it was more that a ripple. As for the "highly technical interpretation of a rule no Founding Father ever imagined", I am not so sure. More important to me, my youngest gets his US Citizenship in the same sort of way. His having been born in Moesch, FRG, we registered him with the US Embassy in Bonn. That was it. US Passport.
Regards — Cliff
Not sure a US Passport is relevant to presidential eligibility. I've long believed that an amendment is deserved for children of servicepeople born overseas as a part of that service to put the issue beyond question. It's a curious rule to require territorial birth, but it's one that suits us and that works. I'm not clear on the sovereignty of military bases, but I'm pretty sure most of them aren't considered US soil. (The legal contortions leveraged to excuse our conduct at Guantanamo make a compelling case in point).
Flinging race around is unproductive and unbelievably one-sided. True, blacks have had a tough row to hoe since they were brought to North America, but there is an element of histrionics to that history. Moreover, there are many examples of black people who have risen above the temptation to bask in the aura of self pity and who decry the continuation of this ridiculous hate game. American Indians (you know...the ones that the whites and blacks screwed out of their ancestral lands), Mexicans, and oh yeah....orientals have all endured at least as bad if not worse "prejudice" and gone on to become stalwart citizens not demanding that society "owes" them. I grew up in WA state and the hatred for the Japanese, the Indians, and the Mexicans was...and in many cases...still is palpable. But....you don't really hear whining from them. The adapt, they overcome. Being black in America today has become a journey of self indulgence based on stereotypes born and bred within that community. African-American? OK...the folks who proclaim that label as their "culture" WANT to be different. How about "American" and leave it at that? And don't give the crap about "the man keeping blacks down in the ghetto." NOBODY keeps ANYBODY down without their complicity. Sure...it is tough...damned tough to be born into abject poverty with a parent who has no clue who your other parent is...and who is busy out making another just like you....but there at lots, and lots and lots of success stories. How in the HELL do you think Obama got to be President....or Allan West a FL congressman?
There will ALWAYS be "racial persecution" as long as somebody makes "racial persecution" an issue.
McCain's birth issue has absolutely NOTHING to do with the current "issue." It is simply a red herring. He is an American citizen by right of Federal law and the negotiations of SOFAs world wide. I find it disingenuous that you would claim that somehow children of military personnel deployed overseas are not "really" Americans because the founding fathers (BTW....a relatively NEW term) didn't "envision" it. I'm certain that they didn't. Nobody contemplated that politicians would screw things up so badly that we have to forward deploy Americans all over the world to project and protect our interests. And don't even think of calling out Bush for the current mess...that is so tired and worn out as to have zero validity. Obama has managed to get us into AT LEAST 3 wars thus far with much more to go before the end of his reign as the Imperial President. Bush only STARTED one.
Finally, if I was black, I would be livid over Obamas and what they have done for my race. He is an underhanded, non confrontational, lying, duplicitous, incompetent, fascist dictator in sheep's clothing and history is going to call him out as the worst President in the history of the US.
Other than the forgoing....I have no really strong feelings on the subject
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