Scenes From The Lunatic Fringe: The Obama Birth-Certificate

If you're like me, and you follow the world of shut-ins and conspiracy whack jobs, you probably already know that there are people out there who believe that Senator Barack Obama was not born in the United States and has doctored his birth certificate. It's one of those smears that the New Yorker wasn't able to properly capture on that brilliantly orchestrated "satire" that absolutely put to bed much of the confusion voters have about Obama's fearful un-Americanness, precisely as the artist intended.

The whole birth certificate rumor persists, nonetheless, mainly because the propagators of this insanity are the sorts of people for whom exculpatory evidence actually bolsters their case. Matt Yglesias, however, is on the case:

The idea, it seems, is that Obama was secretly born outside the United States and his parents said to themselves, back in 1961, "this interracial kid will probably be president some day so we'd better cover up his place of birth and pretend it happened in Hawaii so he'll be eligible even though he'd actually be eligible anyway." Something like that.

Seems smart! On the other hand, there's another set of loons who believe that Obama's parents gave him the middle name "Hussein" as a warning to us all that he's a secret Muslim terrorist, somehow knowing in 1961 that three decades later the United States would become the sworn enemy of a man with the same name. It's so hard to know who to believe, so hopefully this is the sort of thing the forthcoming X-Files sequel will sort out.

Comments

[NCGigi]

This is so transparent. Actually, its McCain who was born outside the United States. Classic Repug move, attack the other's strength to deflect from own weakness.

[eesmm]

They should worry more about the questionable geography of McCain's birth in the Panama Canal zone.

[MargaretO]

Desperation is all it is. Do people really feel good about spreading lies in order to win? Amazing!

[VOTER]

I received this lying email today along with another one.

A poorly written note supposedly from a soldier claiming all sorts of nasty things about Senator

Obama's recent visit. The fool couldn't even get locations correct but nonetheless this garbage is out there.

The note is from a Capt. Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
T F Wastch

Keep up the good work dispelling these lies.

However you biggest job is getting the MSM to report and then disclaim this garbage.

GOOD LUCK!

[Lupin77]

The Democratic candidate was born in Hawaii - the other guy was born in Panama which is not a US State, so which one is entitled to be recognized as an American?

[closetodemfection]

If it's such a stupid story, why hasn't Obama just provided a real copy of the birth certificate instead of the lame fake Kos web graphic? He also used the same graphic on his Fight The Smears website. His refusal to produce the actual thing is what keeps the story alive. It doesn't seem that hard to order one up from the hospital in Hawaii and give it to the press. He should just get it over and done with if he has nothing to hide.

[exmun]

He probably doesn't want to produce a blown up copy of it because idiots like the ones circulating the ridiculous emails are going to photoshop it to show that he wasn't born in the U.S. and then the big story by the retards on the lunatic right is going to be which birth certificate is the "real" one. Barack is doing the right thing. There's no need to try to prove a negative. His fight the smears response to the birth certificate issue is sufficient. Anyone who questions his citizenship is a loon.

[DragonMama]

Your ignorance is blinding. Hospitals don't issue birth certificates, governments do.

[StinkyPete]

The problem is with Fight The Smears. If one bothers to follow the links in TechDude's analysis and considers the criticisms of his work, and there are many, we are still left with some undeniable issues. Among them is noone knows where KOS got the file, Fight The Smears got it from KOS and buggered it into a state of uselessness. There are many different ways suggested as to why the image is questionable without necessarily incorporating deliberate fraud. Bottom line, nobody knows just what the darn file represents.
Koyann's weblog
http://koyaan.wordpress.com/
and
http://koyaan.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/stretch-marks/#comments
hackerfactor.com
http://tinyurl.com/6g3vnr

If Fight The Smears was serious about their job they would have determined that the only way to put this away is to get a clean fresh valid copy, scan it with a decent scanner using non-editing software and post it.
Case closed - now that was easy, wasn't it?

The manner in which this was handled does not reflect well on the type of administration Sen Obama would bring and reflects very poorly on the type of individuals he would appoint.

[rasthedestroyer]

No one asking you to explain why your still in the closet???

[dorian39]

The suggestion that the birth certificate might indicate that Obama is not a citizen may be a bit overboard.....BUT, what was his birth name? Barry with his mother's maiden name as is often the case with illegitimate children. That may indeed tell us more about him than he wants us to know. If and when did he decide to take on the name Barak Hussein Obama to make a statement about his personal identity? So where was he born is just one question. What the heck was his birth name?
We know the copy is a forgery (African was father's race? not until 20 years later. No embossed seal? etc). My apologies to all you kool-aiders, but why won't this man, who we know was born (or is he really a god as all of you and HE believes), produce a valid birth certificate? Is this too much to ask of a man who wants to lead this nation?

[buddhistMonkey]

A valid birth certificate is posted on his website:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/birthcert

And it's not a "forgery," it's a reissue, and it's still valid. If you want more than that, take Obama to court, but be prepared to be laughed at by the judge.

[AshevilleVoice]

Funny story, Jason Linkins.

I needed a laugh today; thanks! I am always amused by right wing conspiracy paranoia.

[Trinidad707]

Calling people "The Lunatic Fringe" sounds like something the GOP would say and is always said to make people not believe what is being said, by way of name calling to divert your attention from what might be, and make you think it's not worth your while to bother to find out about it...otherwise you might be called the lunatic fringe....usually an establishment ploy!

[bigbingtheory]

Some people need to be mocked. And sometimes the people being mocked actually deserve it.

[StinkyPete]

The entire post by Jason Linkins is one where he somehow appoints himself as a spokesperson for those who he doesn't like and proceeds to ascribe silly notions to them. No references to identify the origins of those bizarre notions, you see. The references he produces are irrelevant to the question of the image being a scan of a real, valid BC. Just more silliness.
I went to fightthesmears.com and saw nothing about the BC except a very poor quality scan and a simple statement denying the question. What the heck do they do with their time and budget?

All this because of techdude's analysis which may or may not itself be a hoax. Only a second analysis will determine the issue. Paying for a forensic analysis of the doc can't cost more than a few $k. Apparently neither side has done so, nor wants to do so.

[rasthedestroyer]

Stinky boy, is this all you got???

[bigbingtheory]

I just read Linkin's post as being an opinion of a fair minded individual commenting on how absolutely absurd and stupid some people can be to try and justify their paranoia. Now that I've read your comment, I am convinced of it.

[ScienceRocks]

What the heck do they do with their time and budget?

Hopefully not waste either on petty, ignorant issues like this birth certificate nonsense.

[triplbee]

People who think that Obama is conspiring to cover up his birth in a foreign land (by the way, McCain was born in Panama) are fringe lunatics.

[Fair]

If the shoe fits, wear it.

The name works and they wear it well.

[SneathLane]

If they are delusional, and their view of reality is very different from most people's, they are the lunatic fringe.

It would be crazy to give credence to these odd plots.

[JayeSutter]

I have a legit question. Is his name Barack H. Obama II as it is on the birth certificate or Barack H. Obama, Jr.? I have heard him called Junior but that isn't the birth name. "II" means named for someone other than his father. Look at Joseph P. Kennedy II. He was named for his uncle. He was not the son of Joseph P. Kennedy but of Robert F. Kennedy, thus the "II".

So Obama isn't Junior but "II" or the second.

Not critical of his name but curious about the choice to use II and not Jr.

[JC1c1]

My husband is a II and he is named after his father, some parents just dont like the Junior bc they are afraid that is why the child will be called. Just a preference I guess.

[SpoxLogic]

Some countries use the "II" vice Jr. It means the same thing. You'd have to see how Hawaii did it at that time.

[LAB10]

The birth certificate smear rumor was just another talking point that McBush launched through the unfair and unbalanced Fox propaganda/news.

[EuroRant1]

Yes, I'm also a bit confused on the issue of Obama being a secret Muslim.

1. Obama has been photographed and filmed numerous times in a church ... aren't Muslims forbidden from entering a church especially while a service or worship is taking place?

2. On a guest appearance by Michelle Obama on an American TV programme (The View), during the interview she is asked what a breakfast consists of in their home ... Ms Obama states that they eat the "typical American breakfast of bacon & eggs" ... aren't Muslims forbidden from eating or touching pigs (bacon)?

3. If Obama is a secret Muslim ... after all this time ... somebody in this "secret Muslim club" surely would have come forward by now exposing some documents or photos, a prayer carpet (rug), a Koran, something ... anything ... aaah, come on ... somebody? ... anybody?

... and most important ... where can I buy a GOP tin-foil hat?

[LillianB]

No one really thinks he is a Muslim. "I can't vote for him because he is a Muslim" is code for "I can't vote for him because he has another skin color than my own". One of the prejudices seems to be more socially acceptable than the other.

[PennP]

Plus, he was photographed drinking a beer. Delicately, but he still drank, and that's another taboo.

[justobserve]

Of course people believe what they want to believe even there are not a touch of reality in those lies. Would people believe McCain is a communist if that is said hundred times? Some people would if he were black.

[ignrnthllblly]

Just wondering...do Secret Muslims secretly answer the Call to Prayer fives times a day and secretly prostrate themselves toward Mecca? Inquiring minds secretly want to know.

[keepemhonest]

Ignrnthllblly,

Shhh.... yessss .... shhhhhhh ... because Sean Hannity does the same thing ... shhhhh Hannity is a secret Muslim who was born in Kiev Ukrane .... shhhhh

[AfroLiz]

as supposed to prostituting yourself towards a church and its Ministers/Priests known to get rich out of fleecing the dimwitted church members?

....$hit like these only affirms why I have no religion. Bigotry combined with stupidity is why America is the last in most advanced education and comprehension of its own history, let along that of others.

[Researchguy66]

I would imagine that they do. Good question.

[Susan60]

Why are they looking into Obama's birthplace origin when it's known that McCain himself wasn't born in this country and at least one Arizona Lawyer has looked into the matter and thinks McCain's birthplace makes him ineligible for the Presidency? This is ridiculous but I guess it's ok if you are a Republican.