Lead Birther Bill Sponsor Votes To Recognize Hawaii As Obama's Birthplace
The House resolution to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hawaiian statehood -- which included language recognizing the state as President Obama's birthplace, in a none-too-subtle jab at the Birthers -- passed this evening by a 378-0 vote.
Among the Yes votes: Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), the lead sponsor of the infamous "Birther Bill" to require presidential candidates to present their birth certificates, and who had previously said he wouldn't "swear on a stack of Bibles" that Obama is a natural-born American citizen. Several other co-sponsors of the Birther Bill also voted yes: Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dan Burton (R-IN), John Culberson (R-TX), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), and Ted Poe (R-TX).
On a side note, some suspicions were raised against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for blocking the passage of the resolution by voice vote earlier today, noting the absence of a quorum. However, as Salon reported, Bachmann's move was an entirely normal procedural motion to pave the way for a roll call vote later on -- indeed, she'd made similar motions today on other non-controversial resolutions -- and she in fact voted for the resolution when the vote was held.
I will also say as a long-time Bachmannologist that I've never seen any probable cause to suspect her of Birtherism. She's certainly said a lot of interesting stuff against Obama, but she hasn't trodden on this particular ground.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Does this mean that she is not as wing-nutty as other repugs?? (Actually I know that she is!) But good for those that voted aye.
July 27, 2009 9:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is it possible these people didn't realize what they were voting on? Or does their vote suggest there are limits to their craziness.
July 27, 2009 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe the Birther Caucus didn't read the bill.
July 27, 2009 9:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe the Birther Caucus can't read at all...
July 27, 2009 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh some of them might claim they didn't vote for it. You see there is only a "certificate of live vote." It can't be proven they voted for it unless there's a "long form vote certificate" with an embossed seal that includes the name of the building that the vote took place in.
July 28, 2009 1:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
No trolls today????
July 28, 2009 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
that was meant as snark in case you didn't get it
July 28, 2009 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think congressional repugs have some pretty iron-clad evidence that the birther craze is complete bullshit... hence people like Malkin, Coulter, etc. shitting all over the movement. The only problem is, the people who actually need votes can't come out swinging sticks at the people who buy into it, because they also happen to be the voting bloc that is entirely driving their party.
So the only thing they can do is sit back and hope it goes away, without doing ANYTHING to make it go away or offend anyone that has bought into it and has had a sip of the crazy juice.
July 27, 2009 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
maybe, but I think this is even to crazy for the malkin and coulter types.
you need to be insane or an idiot(seriously) to believe this.
July 27, 2009 9:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Republican faction that believes Obama is a socialist racist terrorist born in Kenya is causing real credibility problems for the Republican faction that merely believes Obama is a socialist racist terrorist.
July 28, 2009 1:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for that, mcc! Great line! Unfortunately, you couldn't be more right!
July 28, 2009 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
And now Lou Dobbs just wants to curl up in a sock drawer and sleep for days. [/MST3K]
July 27, 2009 9:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL
July 27, 2009 10:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
hehe.
just a little light and they scatter like bugs.
July 27, 2009 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great comic relief.
This is fun to watch -- I guess the wingnuts lost their nerve.
These "birthers" seems to be no more than a dressed up version of Jew-haters, Neonazis and other KKKooks.
July 27, 2009 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
The original birth certificate is with the WMD, near Tikrit, outside of Mosul, down on the Euphrates or in one of those drones of death.
The absence of an original document evidence is not the evidence of absence....
oh....and I wouldn't trust any Republican even if they swore on a "stack of Bibles".
July 27, 2009 10:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
...even if the Bibles were stacked to the moon!
July 27, 2009 10:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
...or Mars.
July 27, 2009 10:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
H. RES. SYFPH!!
This is GREAT NEWS!! For SENATOR INHOFE!!!
July 27, 2009 10:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exposed for the bunch of weasels and rats that they are.
July 27, 2009 10:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bachmannologist
yuk yuk yuk yuk
July 27, 2009 10:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe Bachmann's move was very definitely a mistake. If she had kept her mouth shut, a voice vote was in progress, and the GOP birther members could have continued their hypocrisy without a recorded vote showing them in agreement that Obama was born in Hawaii. Her action only makes sense if you assume that Bachmann was told to do it by the GOP leadership, in a decision to crack down on the birther contingent.
July 27, 2009 11:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey that's an interesting point, hey! But of all people to choose, whyย Bachmann?
July 28, 2009 1:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Everyone already accepts her as a wacko on so many other issues. With her, the reaction is "figures". Even for long time Bachmanologists. Also, my impression is that the core of her district IS the fringe, her only hope is turning them out on election day. She's likely not the one they'd be trying to give a credibility injection to.
Interesting idea.
July 28, 2009 2:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
She needed to take the spotlight off Palin (who's probably driving her motor home to Disneyland as we speak).
July 28, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hahahahahahahahahaha...
July 27, 2009 11:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Those that are hatched don't understand those that are birthed.
July 27, 2009 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeahh! What leftie said!
July 28, 2009 12:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, three co-sponsors for the Birther Bill are from Texas. Didn't see that coming...
July 27, 2009 11:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's all the fuss about? I thought Obama's mother aborted him with public funds?
July 28, 2009 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
At the least, this should put a stop to the belief that Obama might not be a citizen... except of course, for all those folks who have been spouting off these past six or seven months... and their audiences... and their friends.
Most of these fine specimens will NEVER allow truth to interfere with their sanctimonious agendas, since they are concerned only with faith... and their belief in a god who will destroy anyone not believing exactly the way they do... IMHO
July 28, 2009 3:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Most of these fine specimens will NEVER allow truth to interfere with their sanctimonious agendas, since they are concerned only with faith... and their belief in a god who will destroy anyone not believing exactly the way they do..."
Sounds quite similar to the Taliban, doesn't it? Not surprising, actually.
July 28, 2009 7:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Attention MSM. Birthers: too loony for Coulter, too loony for Malkin, too loony for Bachman.
Time to stop pretending it's a legit story, dontcha kinda think?
July 28, 2009 8:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Malkin is a little more discerning about where to unload her lies and vitriol. More gullible wingnuts like Drudge get played all the time by hoaxes and the like. Not sure if he did this time, but it's hard to imagine he didn't.
July 28, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
All the repus were unwillingly hynotized and had foreign thugs with guns at their backs, also witch doctors.
They will be explaining all that in their apology to Rush very soon.
July 28, 2009 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
For those of us who feel at least some of the questions surrounding the alleged birth and birth place of our Presidential office occupant ought to be addressed (call us partial birthers), this action is troubling.
For those who have cosponsored Rep. Posey's bill and then voted for this resolutions, we know who the traitors are. That's the good news. But for those who were absent, we are left with a lingering, nagging suspicions which will haunt us throughout the rest of each and every day of each of their remaining congressional careers.
July 28, 2009 11:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
kookoo for kokopuffs
July 28, 2009 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Traitors"? That sounds like rational, moderate, ernest-concerned regular guy kinda language to me, yup.
Guess you can store these "nagging suspicions" next to the ones about the Moon Landing Hoax and the Bermuda Triangle. They'll be in good company there.
July 28, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
H RES 593 - Not voting 35 DEM, 20 REP
I guess these representatives won't be able to say, "I voted to recognize President Obama's birthplace as Hawaii, now I know how it felt like to be a member of the Reichstag and voting for the Enabling Act of 1933".
July 28, 2009 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bill Posey!? You know, some say, his grandmother was an alligator...
July 28, 2009 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Political power is the reason.
While the birthers got the base Republicans up in arms about nonsense, the Dems were busily working on various bills in the Congress.
The Republican base ignored the real work in Washington, and instead directed their anger and energies toward a useless goal. In essence, the base was wasting it's time, while the Democratic controlled Congress was working without interference from the Republican wingnuts.
The GOP hierarchy finally realized that the birthers were a thorn in Obama's side, but they weren't helping with the GOP agenda.
In fact, the GOP leaders were losing support from most other saine people who considered the birthers to representative of all the Republicans.
July 30, 2009 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink