Since the 2008 election, Republicans still can’t let one thing go. While it seemed the controversy surrounding President Obama’s birth was put to rest two years ago, many Republican presidential hopefuls are trying to reignite the “Birther” debate in the 2012 election.
“Birtherism” is a movement within the GOP demanding that Pres. Obama present official documentation of his live birth to the American people in order to confirm that he was, in fact, born in the United States.
According the U.S. Constitution, only natural-born citizens may become president. The certificate of live birth that Obama presented in his 2008 campaign states that on August 4, 1961, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii. According to Dr. Chiyome Fukino, the former director of the Hawaii Department of Health, Obama’s official birth certificate is located in a vault in the building that houses the Department of Health. She said the document is authentic and that she casts “no doubt” as to whether Obama was born in the U.S.
40 percent of Republicans believe
Obama was definitely not born in the U.S.
Although the official documentation was verified during his 2008 campaign, several Tea Party members still insist that Obama is not a U.S. citizen. These sentiments mainly stem from an underlying opinion that Hawaii is not a part of the U.S.’s fifty states. Some Tea Partiers even spearheaded a campaign that Obama was born in Kenya.
Despite the absurdity of these allegations, several Republican presidential hopefuls still seem to genuinely hold serious doubts as to the location of the President’s birth.
Potential Republican presidential contender Donald Trump has established himself as a prominent leader within the Birther movement entering the 2012 election cycle. “Now this guy either has a birth certificate or he doesn’t. I didn’t think this was such a big deal, but I will tell you, it’s turning out to be a very big deal.” Trump said. Sarah Palin has also displayed similar sentiments over Obama’s place of birth.
In a recent CNN opinion poll, nearly 40 percent of Republicans believe Obama was definitely not born in the U.S. while approximately 20 percent weren’t sure either way. If these polls show anything, it’s that Republicans do not have strong candidates entering the 2012 election. The Birther movement is merely a desperate attempt by some members of the GOP to cast doubt in American minds as to whether Obama is even qualified under the Constitution to serve as president.
