Townhall's Matt Lewis: Obama "Out Of The Country" In Hawaii (VIDEO)

So, here's the latest worry for President-elect Barack Obama: is it okay that he's in Hawaii? This matter taken up by MSNBC's Tamron Hall Monday, with the help of The Nation's Ari Melber and Townhall's Matt Lewis. Because why not? It's almost Christmas, and no one's watching the news anyway! So it feels like almost a dick move to point this exchange out:

HALL: Matt, I bring up location because obviously I think if it were really a big deal and there was something that he needed to do, meaning the President-Elect, any type of damage control, he would be in Chicago and not on vacation, which gives off the idea obviously he knows what's in the report. If he's easy-going at the golf course, whatever we read tomorrow won't be a big deal.

LEWIS: I think it's very likely what we read tomorrow will not be a big deal. However, you know, you could make an argument that if he wants it to appear to be not a big deal he would be out of the country. But, look, I find the most interesting thing about this is the Chicago Tribune reported last week there were, like, twenty-one phone conversations between Rahm Emanuel and Blago.

Yeah, uhm...I know they eat a lot of spam there, and shoot Lost, and worship Polynesian rainbow-gods, and people often go there to forget Sarah Marshall, but Hawaii is not "out of the country." In fact, since 1959, it's been a part of the United States, which is about as not out of the country as a location can get.

Of course, maybe what Lewis is saying is that Obama could enhance the play-it-cool effect by traveling even farther afield, like to whatever nation keeps his secret birth certificate hidden! Let's hope so! There are mistakes, and then there are mistakes made by "Zombie" Radar, and the latter are in an entirely different class. This should have been an easy catch for Tamron Hall, as well.

Comments

[roooth]

In 1977 I moved from Michigan to New Mexico. You wouldn't believe how many people thought I was leaving the country and needed a passport!

[Kiabell04]

MSNBC is trying TOO hard to appear bipartisan that they're looking like Fox NEWS.

[mjb5406]

Maybe the Republicans feel that Hawaii is "out of the country" because they can't produce a valid certificate proving that they were admitted to the union in 1959, thinking, instead, that the only naturally-born islands can become US states.

[Telemachus]

LOL!

[roooth]

That was good!! :])

But Hawaii has been part of the US since before 1959 - that's just when it went from territory to state. When Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1942, it was an attack on the US, remember?

[neesy08]

MSNBC as gone over board with this story. They are looking for plots, sub plots and sub sub plots. It is ridiculous. That station has been 24 hrs Obama since the Blabby story broke. They took a nonstory and made it into a supposed story. I've had to turn them ooff and view another station

[mitsie]

MSNBC advertises they are a 24 hour news show, but the news runs 9-5 Mon through Fri. I guess they are off until Monday, so no 24 hr coverage now. I did watch CNN this morning, and they were discussing how popular Obama is. Maybe I wil stick to CNN also. Their ratings will make the difference, if more people stop watching and email them why, maybe they will get it....

[kshawNCvoter]

reading this gave me a headache now. i don't know if its because finally we have "SMART" entering the white house, the stupidity of everybody else glares more than ever.

[Agent420]

Where did you learn to write? They did not do a very good job.

[kingmiller]

Umm...Doesn't everyone understand that this is an entirely media generated load of yellow jiurnalism (go look that term up). Idiots. All of them, with nothing better to do.

[cls258]

Ummm, actually Hawaii has been part of the US since 1898, when it became a Territory (not just 1959 when it became a State).

[Big0725]

Thank you! I was waiting for someone to bring up that fact.

[mitsie]

Thank You, I was thinking the same thing, he ( our President-elect) is not out of the country. I guess this guy is one of those people who can't find America on a map of America.

[Amalek]

There are many irrregularities about Hawaii's so called statehood. These are important issues because they can cause a constittutional crisis if we are suddenly without a president and we have another terrorist attack.

1. Where in the constitution does it say that you can make a state out of a bunch of islands full of funny looking people? If you could would not Puerto Rico and Australia also be states?

2. This happened like 50 years ago. How do we know they actually counted the votes correctly? Can you present the actual votes for us to check?

3. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. Now they own most of Hawaii. Was there a secret deal to end the war?

4. There have been only 35 major league baseball players born in Hawaii. Over 100 have been born in Cuba. Don't you think we would have made Cuba a state before Hawaii?

I think we have a serious problem here.

[gretchenart]

very funny. How do we know Townhall is even broadcast from the US and not from Cuba or Iran? :-)

[plooger]

Loved the "this might be a dick move" comment.

However, it's possible that what Lewis was *really* saying is that Hawaii isn't far ENOUGH away to adequately communicate a lack of concern on Obama's part. Obama's obviously staying in the country just in case he needs to do damage control.

Just look at how unconcerned Rahm Emanuel must be. He's all the way over in the country of Africa. ; )

[lisaintexas]

Yep Hawaii is America. Haven't we gone through this before? And it's Obama's home state. A little worldliness would be good. Truly embarrassing. Haven't met a German or a Brit who didn't know Hawaii is part of the US. And as to Rahm .... 'Safari' doesn't necessarily involve shooting/killing animals. So he may be on a photo safari.

[GreyWolfSC]

I don't think I've ever heard Matt Lewis make a statement that has any logic behind it. Why stop now?

[hotstuff]

Nation? This man isn't aware that Hawaii is part of the U.S? Lewis is as bad as Palin not knowing africa is a nation and not a country! now lewis thinks Hawaii is a nation, and not a country? WOW!

[Mosby007]

Which is just as bad as you not knowing that Africa is a CONTINENT, not a nation.

[ThePeacemakers]

It's not supposed to make sense.
They're here to create a tower of babel of information so that you go weak and weary searching for the truth.
But never grow weak and weary! Question everything.

[Madison007]

Goodness gracious what idiotic people....they are just dying to get something on president elect Obama - wow! it is not going to happen.

[Kittyz]

Hawaii is part of the USA folks. Perhaps a search on Hawaiian culture, history and so forth may enlighten a few of ya. Yes the Hawaiian islands arent connected to what most refer here to as the "Mainland".But still its a state. Spam, yeah they eat it here but they eat other things as well the sea if full of delicious fish, lobster, taco(thats octopus for you mainlanders). Hawaii has a rich and wonderful culture. I'd eat spam over cittlings any day. I say dont be knocking it until you come and lived here awhile. A week or two visit dont count. President Bush went to Texas alot no one said a word about those trips. So why is Obama being picked on about coming home to Hawaii. remember that he lost his Grandmother before his big win? Use one brain cell and get on with it. People are so quick to be judgemental these days and half the time they have no clue what they speak of.

The people here regardless of their backgrounds are kind good hearted people. After they get to know ya they would give their shirt off their backs if it would help you. I am so sick of the way people peg other people. Obama was born in Hawaii left and come back to live with his grandma. The Hawaiians are proud of that ,just adding to the culture here. Just dont make a statement about Obama not being hawaiian around a Hawaiian.

[hotstuff]

So the millions here who eat spam is some how lower than others?

[jnkekoa]

First, it's Tako (which is Japanese, not Hawaiian).

But I write mostly to note that there are in fact Hawaiians. It's an ethnic and cultural identity, a language, and until the United State's support of a non-indigenous coup d'etat, an independent nation with treaty relations across the globe.

What you appear to be is a resident of the State of Hawaii, or an American. Like Obama used to be--from Hawaii, not Hawaiian.

[Donnat]

if they acknowledge that Hawaii is part of the US, they can't push their absurd argument that Obama is not an American citizen.

[larry278]

Hawaii was a part of the USA well before 1959. We stole it by protecting Hi's royal family with the aid of US missionaries who traveled to Hi to do good works. These people did very well after they got land. The USA was protecting HI from Germany & England who wanted to colonize Hi. An historian can tell us how Hi became a posession of the USA. I had a romantic vision of Hi when I was a kid & it was called the Territory of Hi. Later, as a GI & a traveller, the reality of Hi hit me. Every US chain restaurant was near the airport & a USAF base. The Japanese tourists liked the fast food joints. Hi is American. It isn't Tahiti, Figi, Australia or NZ. If you don't believe it, try getting into Hi without proof of US citizenship. BTW Puerto Rico is also a part of the USA.

[jnkekoa]

No. Great Britain in fact did the same thing (overthrow Hawaii's independent monarch) in the mid-19th century, and THEN RETURNED IT and said sorry.

In 1893, the U.S. Marines assisted 13 rich white guys who had made too much money overthrow Queen Liliuokalani-who chose not to fight and instead relied on Hawaii's "good friend" the U.S.A. to undo their military's faux pas a la Britain-and she ended up being imprisoned in her own land (and her own Palace). So the 13 white guys then tried to give their newly "independent" Republic of Hawaii to the U.S., which finally came to fruition in 1898 for the Spanish-American War (in the Philippines). Of course, in between Grover Cleveland and his envoy had Blount determined that there was no "revolution" (see the Apology Resolution issued under Clinton), but McKinley came in and wanted Pearl Harbor for that Asian war.

So when Hawaii was appended to the U.S. by joint resolution of congress (rather than treaty of annexation), it became a Territory in 1898, and then in 1959 by letting anyone who had been here a year (read military and federal transplants, among others) vote for Statehood, Hawaii was removed from the United Nations list of non self-governing territories. And Mr. Obama is "natural born."

Thus Saddam's "I'll get out of Kuwait when you get out of Hawaii."

But at least Barack is staying a couple doors down from my parents!!

[Takae]

lol. I like your style. I wish you were my history teacher when I was at school.