Bill Posey Defends Presidential Birth Certificate Bill

Rep. Bill Posey, the Florida Republican who recently introduced legislation that would requires all future presidential candidates to file a copy of their birth certificates, wrote in his blog that he thinks "he did the right thing."

I could easily fill up a page listing all the activities an American needs to show their ID for ... everything from playing youth soccer to getting a drivers license, buying cigarettes and alcohol, to opening bank accounts and even playing little league. So I was pretty surprised to find out that to run for president, despite the constitutional requirement and the media scrubbing that goes on, it's not required for a candidate to file these documents when they submit their statement of candidacy with the FEC.

Posey says he is not trying to challenge President Obama's legitimacy. "There's nothing anyone can do about changing past elections... the President won," he writes. "All the lawsuits in the world are not going to change that." Posey says he is only trying to require the same type of documentation for presidential elections as is required for "average folks."

Via Dave Weigel at the Washington Independent, who notes, "In a vacuum, sure, the issue is whether the mere scrutiny of the international media and biographers is enough to prove that presidential candidates are citizens. In reality, this issue has been pushed by conspiracy theorists, against all evidence, to sue the president."

Comments

[ilovevegas]

10:57 AM on 03/31/2009

None of this matters does it? President Obamas mother is from Kansas, American citizen, so he is an American citizen, am I wrong?

[awaywithme5]

12:15 AM on 03/31/2009

I can't believe I'm saying this about legislatio­n proposed by a republican congressma­n, but this isn't absolutely crazy. Obama was obviously born in Hawaii. The President is the President, and he's not going anywhere. I don't know if Posey actually thinks he's going to uncover some a massive scandal with this bill, but regardless­, it does make sense to require a candidate to prove that he or she is actually eligible to hold the office for which he or she is running.

[mmgbizgirl]

11:13 AM on 03/26/2009

Yeah, defend your lie to the end. The GOP mantra.

[mick7191]

05:53 PM on 03/25/2009

What's that old AC/DC song? "Shot Down in Flames"?

[Victoria-nola]

05:37 PM on 03/25/2009

What is really so stupid about this is that Obama's birth certificat­e is released and on record. And the U.S. Supreme Court has deemed suits on this point to be frivolous and has thrown them out. This guy is just trying to instill doubt and fear through publicity.

[wrench]

04:46 PM on 03/29/2009

Can you reference to the Birth certificat­e - I was not aware it had been released.

I do not believe the supreme court has heard any case to the point to be judged frivolous, as far as I am aware the cases were turned away (updated and resubmitte­d) because of procedural points. Can you point to a ruling/jud­gement regarding a Supreme Court Case?

[PW1206]

05:36 PM on 03/25/2009

The requiremen­ts are laid out pretty specifical­ly in the Constituti­on, aren't they?

[trinidadgirl]

05:35 PM on 03/25/2009

Here we go round the mulberry bush..roll­ing eyes and shaking head.
Ring a ring a rosey,a pocketful a posey! Need i say more!

[tailgateshirts]

05:33 PM on 03/25/2009

Hes just getting prepared for 2012.

[knowwhatimsayin]

05:26 PM on 03/25/2009

Glen Beck says he knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy whose cousin saw Obama get off an alien space ship from the planet Xyprogr. Of course everyone knows that means Obama can't be a US citizen. Btw everyone from Xypogr are Muslim, facsist. communist Bolsheviks­.

[tel8034]

05:13 PM on 03/25/2009

REALLY ..........­...

And if I believe that bunch of crock, I also believe that Dubya and Palin are the greatest intellects ever known in the entire history of mankind.

[The Ghost]

04:51 PM on 03/25/2009

What planet did this guy say he was from?

[Bulldoglover]

05:14 PM on 03/25/2009

Hope he gets dumped in the next election so someone who represents the people in his state can take his job. I mean he thinks this is important in this day and time with the economy in crisis>???­? Throw the bum OUT.

[kathy001]

04:42 PM on 03/25/2009

And how many candidates have had their status questions in recent years? Other than Obama, has there been even one? This issue never would have come up if a bunch of nut-jobs hadn't decided to try and use it to keep a Black man from running for President.

[VMA]

04:42 PM on 03/25/2009

1789-2009. In 220 years this is the first time we hear crap about requiring a potential President to present a copy of their birth certificat­es. UN BE LIEV ABLE!!!!! Why now?

[djsi]

04:18 PM on 03/25/2009

This guy still hasn't given proof he is not part aligator

[slipthalo]

04:13 PM on 03/25/2009

He is as transparen­t as saran wrap......­..not about President Obama.....­...give me a break.....­....