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Susan J. Demas

Susan J. Demas

Posted: October 15, 2010 01:16 PM

Former U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) is taking birtherism to a new extreme. Walberg, who's running for his old seat, said at a town hall event this week that President Obama could be impeached for not showing his birth certificate to a group of people including Rush Limbaugh.

Walberg: "Well, I'm going to take him at his word that he's an American citizen. I don't know why it's not resolved, other than the fact that the President hasn't resolved it yet... I mean, if I had to do it, I'd just simply -- of course, I had to show my birth certificate in order to be on the ballot. But if I were gonna do it, I'd call Rush Limbaugh, Alan Colmes, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and maybe one justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Call 'em all into a room and lay out my birth certificate on the table.

"And maybe it's for personal reasons. I don't want the numbers to be shown to the media or whatever else. But say, now all of you take a look at it. Tell me what you find. Now go and report it. Have it done with. . . . But the fact of the matter is that the Executive has an awful lot of power to keep from showing certain things unless the courts will stand up to him. Or unless Congress, in majority, will stand up -- up to and including impeachment. And the Republicans don't have the majority."

Walberg is in a close race in Michigan's 7th congressional district against U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek).

This was not Walberg's first brush with birtherism. In September, Walberg said on a Michigan radio call-in show that he "really didn't know" if Obama was a citizen. He later said he "took the president at his word" that he was.

Walberg's latest rant made MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olberman:

And The Ed Show:

 

Follow Susan J. Demas on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sjdemas

 
 
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07:09 PM on 11/15/2010
Well he has a point in wanting to end any questions once and for all about the whole birth certificate issue that is a distraction from bigger problems that need to be attended to.
From my reading of this blog I would guess were there some question about Sarah Palin no matter how silly there would be an never ending quest to find out what she's hiding. As both Obama and Palin are politicians I don't think we should trust any of them at their word, why should we have to? Do they not work for us when they are in a political office? President Obama does not do himself any favors sealing his records since that will make any citizen wonder what are they hiding that needs to be sealed? Get it over and move on. Unseal those records while he's at it, there is no good reason we should not know everything about a man given so much power, in my opinion he's not using that power very well and judging by the elections a good portion of the country feels the same way.
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Dave Harpe
Was young, now old.
11:22 PM on 10/18/2010
Jeeeziz!! I thought this was resolved a looooong time ago! The ultimate insanity is if the Republicans get a majority in the Congress and actually try to impeach over this. Obama is an American citizen. He has met all the criteria for proof to get Social Security, get a driver's license, and run for the Senate, and then the Presidency. This is the first time I have ever heard of a politician's citizenship being questioned. Is it because he is black? There is still a lot of racism in this country. Is it because they are looking anywhere they can for an excuse to hate him because he is too liberal? Me thinks so. He is far more loyal to this country than his predecessor, who got his personal wealth from the Saudi royal family. There is a web site with all the stuff about Obama's birth certificate in excruciating detail. It's here, folks, take a look: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
And the state government of Hawaii stands behind it. And there are 2 old articles about his birth in the local newspapers. Did somebody maybe go back with a time machine and fix that as part of the great Obama hoax? Come on, people! Get real! If his birth certificate is not good enough, maybe yours isn't either. How can this utter crap keep coming up again and again?
11:42 AM on 10/16/2010
Well the “Believers” are on the whining again. Americans have the right to know and our Constitution gives them that right.

The so called Obama Birth Certificate. Just a few “real” facts about the Obama Birth Certificate that so, so many of you believe to be the truth. It is not a Hawaiian Birth Certificate, the document shown by FactCheck.org is a Certification of Live Birth, which is a document with information either from the original Birth Certificate “or” given by a parent (or responsible person) to the Department of Health. This form can and has been issued to children who were not born in Hawaii, thus the name of the document “Certification of Live Birth”. I know that you “Believers” believe this is an official Birth Certificate, but sorry as it is not. An American could not even get a passport with this document, as that requirement you must have a “Birth Certificate” with the delivering hospital with its location, the doctor or midwife delivering the child with their signature, the parents signature or witness and of course the raised seal of the state health department where the birth was registered. Of these only the raised seal is on President’s Obama’s “Certification of Live Birth”.

I wonder what the true “Birth Certificate” really says. Is there some information that would be embarrassing to Mr. Obama. To all of those “Believers” this President said to the American people he would be transparent and open. Well??????
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Dave Harpe
Was young, now old.
11:24 PM on 10/18/2010
That's funny. My birth certificate has even less information than Obama's, and I got a passport.
06:51 PM on 10/15/2010
We could explain with really small words and speaking very slowly that no state has issed birth certificates with pictures so they are just going to have to take our word, the FBI's word, the governor of Hawaii's word, Hawaii state officials and JOHN MC CAIN and HILLARY CLINTON. Do you think for one minute this issue wouldn't have been used against President Obama if he wasn't born in the US? To file papers to run the FBI and a whole bunch of government drones go over every bit of information so all of this is stupid and keeps Republicans from having to actually solve one of the problems they helped create.
04:49 PM on 10/15/2010
Listen up everyone. Obama has shown the world his birth certificate. It's all over the web. The problem is that wingers refuse to accept is as his real birth certificate. "Acceptance" is the solution to these winger problems
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OliverTwist
Contrarian advocate for truth and justice
04:24 PM on 10/15/2010
Walberg is clearly a German and not an American. I can tell by his name.

This has got to stop.
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tracerhaha1
It's time to end the war on (some) drugs.
03:52 PM on 10/15/2010
How is not showing your birth certificate to political opponents a high crime or misdemeanor?
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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03:15 PM on 10/15/2010
And Sarah Palin accuses Democrats of thinking they are in fantasy land!

Are all Conservatives each other's "relatives" or something?....
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Dave Harpe
Was young, now old.
11:45 PM on 10/18/2010
Older conservatives from the Goldwater days would be embarrassed by these guys. I guess the best strategy for liberals is to link all conservatives with birthers and other wing nuts who are on the same side. If the media was truly liberal, they would do that.
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bbbbjr
freedom from religion
03:00 PM on 10/15/2010
ok lets look at the Presidential Impeachment scorecard:

1. Andrew Johnson (R) - for exceeding constitutional authority in the dismissing of Secretary of War Stanton

2. Richard Nixon (would have been) (R) - obstruction of justice and conspiracy

3. George W Bush (articles presented but never executed) (R) - abuse of power in the entering into and execution of the war on terror including illegal suspension of Habeus Corpus and torture.

and now the democrats

1. Bill Clinton (D) - lying about a hum hum
2. Barack Obama (D) - not presenting papers on demand

see any patterns here???
02:53 PM on 10/15/2010
Impeachment was intended for crimes and actions against the nation such as those committed by the Bush administration, not for White House BJs or contrived disputes such as the birth certificate issue. But of course, to Republicans, they are always above the law.
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John Boyle
Disabled Viet Nam Vet
02:32 PM on 10/15/2010
I am a birther, I would like to see Trig Palin's birth certificate.
02:29 PM on 10/15/2010
In this latest batch of right wing candidates there are many birthers who are keeping this part of their beliefs hidden until after the elections when we will all see the full extent of their racist and theocratic views and the impact of these views on any legislation they propose.
Javalation
Laughing in a Daydream
02:28 PM on 10/15/2010
The birth certificate was posted on line for anyone to see, and officials from the State of Hawaii have verified that it is his birth certificate, his only birth certificate. Within a couple of days following his birth, two separate papers had his name included in recent Honolulu births. Both papers came forward with photostatic copies of the original and offered to show that original to anyone who wanted to see the proof. He was granted a US passport, which requires a valid birth certificate to obtain.

What's become obvious is that for teapods, no evidence can ever be provide that can change their programming. They believe only what their masters say.
02:48 PM on 10/15/2010
Hawaii stated that the documents had been seen and accepted as true and valid "by the authorities". This guy is just mad he didn't get his won private veiwing.
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thinkingwomanmillstone
great, green, globs of greasy grimey GOPerspeak.
02:01 PM on 10/15/2010
Does this guy still believe the world is flat because he hasn't been to outerspace himself (although I'm not sure what planet he's from)? Obama has produced his birth certificate over and over.
01:46 PM on 10/15/2010
And people say Republicans aren't dreamers!