For Halloween I stopped by the John McCain office in Pompano Beach, Florida, with Josh Bearman from the LA Weekly and Benjy Sarlin from the Daily Beast. There was a security guard at the door but he didn't seem to be doing much. We asked a woman at the front desk about the McCain rally in Miami earlier this week where two Obama supporters were attacked. She said, "There were a lot of hispanics there and it was good to hear them sing the Star Spangled Banner."
Then we spoke with Tim McClellan, Broward NE Regional Manager. We asked about Governor Charlie Crist extending the early voting. It's estimated that 40% of Florida votes will be cast early. "We expect to lose in early voting," he said. "That has been the plan." He was mixed on Crist's decision. "I can't say we're thrilled about it. But the decision had to be made. We want everybody to vote."
He blamed the mainstream media for Obama's lead in the polls. "The mainstream media is very liberal." We asked about Fox News. "Fox is mainstream media but they're a lot more fair than other stations." He also talked about Obama's fundraising advantage. "You can't buy the presidency." We asked if the government should finance the elections. He didn't think that was a good idea either. "You can raise money but when you allow too much money to be raised, that's a problem. (Obama) raised 200 million last month and a lot of that money came from overseas."
Tim estimates that, ten percent of employees from places with with 20 or more employees will lose their jobs because of health care costs under Obama.
The most surprising statement was something we've been hearing from McCain supporters but not from anyone actually on the McCain or RNC payroll. "I have strong concerns that Obama is not a citizen. I suspect the U.S. Supreme Court will prove that Obama's not a citizen," Tim continued. "Did he go to Indonesia and become an Indonesian citizen, and if so, did he take steps to regain his (U.S.) citizenship? There's no seal on his birth certificate and the font is wrong."
The idea that Obama is not a citizen was begun by Pennsylvania resident and 9/11 truth advocate Philip J. Berg. It's a theory readily taken up by many McCain supporters, and like the Ashley Todd story, points to a certain wishful thinking, a willful suspension of disbelief. Ashley Todd who claimed to be attacked by an Obama supporter in Pennsylvania who then carved a backward B in her cheek. Todd is often referred to as a "McCain volunteer" but in fact was an employee of the College Republican National Committee. Now Todd has been released to a probation program with mandatory mental counseling, and the question not being asked is who hired Ashley to begin with? If she was so obviously disturbed, why wasn't she fired before she carved a backward B in her cheek and filed a police report stating she was attacked by a 6'4" black Obama supporter? And the answer is that she probably didn't stick out as particularly strange in the current Republican climate.
I should state that I liked Tim McClellan as soon as I met him. He's open and honest in his views, which is rare among political operatives. Obama's citizenship is easily proven, but if your source of information is Fox News and the Drudge Report you're not going to find out much.
On George W. Bush Tim said, "I think Bush did what he had to do. He's not getting the credit that history will award him. I do think he's run his course. I don't think he could accomplish more than he has. We've gained valuable assets in the Middle East. There's been plenty of other countries with terrorist attacks but we haven't had any more, and that says a lot."
Notes From The Swamp 1
Notes From The Swamp 2
Follow Stephen Elliott on Twitter: www.twitter.com/the_rumpus
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Berg and his lawsuit and crazy Andy Martin -Trigona and his attempts to get the Hawaiian supremem court in on the birth cert thing have proved the wing nuts insane. Berg has a habit of filing bizarre things. Like suing Bush and Cheney for causing 9-11. Andy, well, he really is a weird one. Denied a law license in Illinois he has moved around running for elected office and filing suits in many states. And wing nuts wonder why people think they're looney? Sheesh they think these 2 clowns are the authority on Obama.
Hey ignore these fools, just VOTE
Obama/Biden 08
I live in Pompano Beach and drive past that McCain office everyday on my way to work...I'v e rarely seen more than 5 cars out front and very little activity going on. Just yesterday there was an old man out front with a sign saying "honk if you're for McCain". Well, I sat at that light for 5 mins and didn't hear a single honk! He might as well have held a sign saying "the end is near"!!
.
Unfortunately, the lie they're telling about Obama's citizenship is making the rounds here like wildfire. I overheard 2 guys talking yesterday that an announcement would be made Monday that the SCOTUS would issue a verdict that he's ineligible for the Presidency and McCain will automatically win. Its almost sad to see them clinging to these bald-faced lies with such desperation. Even when Obama wins, they'll still claim he cheated & lied his way to victory...
Its like when your favorite football team loses. Its never the players fault. Its the refs making bad calls, the coaches sending in the wrong plays, or the weather. God forbid the players just suck!!!
If I understand the State Department's web page:
vel.state. gov/law/ci tizenship/ citizenshi p_778.html
http://tra
then even if Sen. Obama did obtain citizenship in Indonesia, it didn't invalidate his US citizenship, and instead of him having to take action to reclaim his US citizenship, he would have had to take action to *relinquish* his US citizenship-- an action that would almost certainly be on file somewhere.
Yes, that's the case. But we're not dealing with the brightest people in the world, here.
If in the age of Google, these people still think "there's a lot we don't know about Obama", that he hasn't been investigated far more fully than Palin, that he's a Muslim, that he swore on the Q'ran, that he has a relationship with Ayers or ever did, that he's less qualified than any other Democratic candidate when he's actually more qualified than over half our former presidents and certainly the current one...
well, anyone who doesn't know that every Republican charge has long since been proven wrong just isn't looking or is willfully ignoring the truth.
We live in Cape Coral, FL and heard the lie about Obama's citizenship twice yesterday. Then this morning I received a robo-call starting out "Barrack Obama is an illegal immigrant" - and I hung up. No tactic is too low - no lie too outrageous for the Republican party here in FL.
I worry about the voting machines. A friend recommended the film "Hacking Democracy" but it sounds so scary I probably wouldn't sleep until next Wednesday!
It never fails to amaze me how 8 years his dubious election, GWB still has supporters out there in the wacky-wing of the Republican party. These guys believe in things about Obama that qualify as the political equivalent of believing in Big Foot and they are actually involved in McCain's campaign! This Grand OLD Party needs to be beaten so badly this Nov. 4 that the moderates can take back their party and force the wacko's to leave and become the new Know-Nothing Party they so anxiously seem to want to be. This is what you get when you mix religion, politics and ignorance.
Which assets did we gain? Im confused.
I hear Sunoco has opened an office in Bagdad.
It seems clear to me that Philip Berg's lawsuit is simply a scam. It was obviously frivolous from the start, but it continues to attract attention and dollars from those afriad of an Obama victory. Berg's site, obamacrimes, solicits contributions to Berg PERSONALLY, not to a non-profit or even a corporation. As a lawyer filing his own suits, his expenses are minimal. But he's attracted enough attention from naive conservatives to perhaps have raked in millions.
The suit has been thrown out on grounds that Berg has no standing to sue (having incurred no injury or damage). Berg, has, however, filed paperwork for the matter to be heard by the Supreme Court. I suspect he'll milk this scheme for many months to come.
Now why would Obama become a citizen of Indonesia? He was 10 years old when he left there and got there at 6, his mother was not a citizen of any where but America. I have heard he was really born in Kenya...bu t his mother would have had to been there at some time...and she never was. Obama has a birth cirtificate held by the state of Hawaii..th e Secretary of State in Hawaii has cirtified this Birth Cirtificate to be true..but the tin foil hat wearers come up with more b s. What they are are li ars. They are like snakes spewing poison. There are military brats...I was one of them, who spent most of their growing up in foreign countries. ..In fact I went to school in Tripoli (Libya) my dad was in the Air Force...wh at then was called Army Air Corp. I lived in Panamal Canal Zone (where McCain was born), in Guatamala. ..does that make me non American? Is McCain not really an American?
I have to agree with you Steve, but look deeper at these plans. He is banking on the (non) issue being picked up by what he considers fertile minds: the disgruntled, angry McCain supporter.
He figures that suckers out there will pay hard earned cash to have just one more talking point to spew out of their Pez-dispenser heads.
Maybe they should require a 75 IQ or lower score and/or pass a breathalyzer test to be able to log on to his website.
When this is all over, someone should take affirmative steps to see Phil Berg disbarred.
s.comm' who are financially supporting Berg have to say about it - they are deeper into conspiracy theories about this than an episode of The X-Files.
This insane lawsuit is an abuse of the process. And you ought to read what the people on obamacrime
And they also outright threaten a civil war and insurrection of the military.
I'm not kidding. This whole thing is sick and dangerous.
Heres the thing...ah hh the guy has to prove this already, to the government. If they did not think it was on the up and up guess what.. No presidential run.
I cannot wait for all the stupid lawsuits, I hope this destroys the conservative movement within the republican party so they can get their brains back. Let the conservatives and the neo-cons create a third party.
there's stupidity and then there's stupid on purpose...
sy"....bel ieved by the stupid on purpose.
.
this whole Obama citizenship "controver
enough already...
Well of course he isn't. He was born in Hawaii and that isn't really part of the US.
McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone
WTF~You don't KNOW that Hawaii is a state????So by your logic the bombing of Pearl Harbor was none of OUR business-huh?
Reading IS Fundemental
PA for Obama/BIden '08
Veterans for Obama/Biden '08
Mommas for Obama/Biden '08
We've gained valuable assets in the Middle East? Did we buy Iraq?
Yes...we broke it, so now we own it. Of course, value is in the eye of the beholder. The Bushies didn't actually think we'd have to be there over a few months. That kind of increased the price tag so I guess if we count the money we've spent there, Iraq is very valuable indeed. What a joke. Let's re-elect the political party that brought us this mess America!
Liking him because he's open and "honest in his views" doesn't alter the fact, the guys a maroon. He's still spewing talking points that have been disproved over and over again.
Honest in his views? WTF does that mean? Does it mean that even though he's a lying sack of bovine waste it's okay, because he's only reflecting his "views"?
I like my dog. he's faithful and always there for me. He's a true friend. Would I trust him to make a decision that's going to affect my life, and my country's future? Not hardly.
Yeah. I'm going to enjoy taking Wednesday and Thursday off to celebrate the Obama victory. This is all too little too late folks. Thanks for all the cheese.
LOL I have Wed, Thur and Friday off... I thought I was the only one. Now you have me wondering HOW MANY Obama suppoters have taken vacation days next week, we might bring the nation to a slow down, LOL
I have already posted this on another thread ...
... It wouldn't matter if he was born in BF Egypt... he would still be a US Citizen... ..
..
Get off the US Citizenship meme.....
Barack Obama's mother was a United States Citizen... anybody dispute THAT fact????
Hence... being born to a United States Citizen, his citizenship is conferred.
Now.. go off in some corner and pout.....
The same holds true for John McCain.. he was born in Panama but his parents were US Citizens..
Section 1. Article 2. US Constitution
.factcheck .org/elect ions-2008/ born_in_th e_usa.html
"No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President"
Technically, you have to be born in the U.S., not just be a citizen. Rendered academic by the fact he is U.S. born.
http://www
Claims that the birth certificate is forged are not only debunked, but birth announcements in two Honolulu papers, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Star Bulletin confirm the 1961 birth.
As for McCain. A little more complicated. He was born in Panama, and technically eligible via an act of Congress in 1790.
.
: "And the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens."
This latter one could be called for judicial review and could conceivably be considered unconstitutional. Needless to say, the Obama camp has not found reason to pursue it.
What can we expect from McCain loyalist? I mean McCain picked Palin (no brains), McCain uses Joe the whatever as a ploy (no brains-a fraud in and of itself). This whole McCain campaign is a big JOKE!
I wager that McCain has the low-information, Bush apologist, conspiracy-theory spewing part of the electorate all wrapped up. Unfortunately, that's a sizeable part of the electorate. Education, not indoctrination, matters.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with