Bury Bachmann For Her Dishonesty
Well, think of it this way. Even here at Sciforums, we've argued about the Certification of Live Birth.
George Stephanopolous put before Rep. Bachmann the same sort of argument we've seen many times before, and when cornered, on television, facing the facts, Bachmann had a choice.
She could, for instance, explain why a legally binding document is not good enough.
Or, perhaps, she could concede the point.
Instead, she came up with a fairly creative solution: She pretended she'd never seen this document before.
In other words: "Well, as long as someone introduces what has been on the record for us to consider for over two years ...."
Apparently, it's everyone else's fault for not having raised the issue before.
That is, nobody ever introduced the Certification of Live Birth, pointed out its attributes as a genuine document, or established its authority in related legal proceedings.
Imagine that. We've had this document for over two years. We've talked about it many times before. And if oh, only someone had introduced the document before George Stephanopolous mentioned it in April, 2011, the issue could have been settled.
Yeah. That counts as a victory.
This is the sort of argument, though, that drives after the heart of a president's legitimacy.
As far as I'm concerned, after Bachmann embarrassed the hell out of herself and every Birther in the world, Obama could have let it sit. The Birthers acknowledged, "If only someone had shown us what we have been refusing to acknowledge for over two years. Even though we've looked at it and argued that it's illegitimate, we're losing this battle, so if only you'd shown it to us two years ago—if only you weren't so evil and dishonest as to hide this from us—we could have been done with it. This is all your fault."
That would have been a poetically—and politically—brilliant end to Obama's involvement with the Birther issue.
There is no legal reason for Obama to release the document. The Certification of Live Birth is legally sufficient, and Birthers have besmirched the states throughout this argument.
Except for getting a prominent Birther to acknowledge that what we've had all along is sufficient. That's not a failure. Indeed, the fact that Bachmann had to try to blame other people—"Well as long as someone introduces it I guess it's over"—only raises a familiar question: If one cannot be bothered to educate themselves about the basic facts of a situation, what credibility do we owe their opinion of that situation?
Seriously, if Bachmann isn't to be taken as a politician trying a transparently underhanded trick that isn't going to work, then she's admitting she's as big of an idiot as people have long suspected. I mean, really, how could you be one of the leading Birthers in Congress and not be aware of the Certification of Live Birth?
Indeed, I'm quite sure that if I bother to track back through the months, we'll find Rep. Bachmann telling us what is wrong with the Certification, and why the long form is necessary. That is, we'll find that she was already aware of what she said needed to be introduced.
You don't get a prominent politician up against the wall like this very often. And for whatever reason, Obama made sure that Bachmann and the Birthers—hey, is that a band name, yet?—could make their getaway.
I take your point, but in the flurry of punditry taking place today are some ideas about what this means for the politics. For instance, some would say that Obama should have let the Birthers dangle and make Republicans look even crazier. Others would suggest that the GOP will not be able to escape the gravity of the Birther/Tea Party movement, and thus Obama has put them in position to look even worse.
I, too, expect Obama to be more forceful after he wins re-election, but he's doing everything he can, as I see it, to make sure the GOP has a fighting shot. He is, thus far along, the best Republican president since Clinton. It is rather quite astounding.
I admit, I'm confused at why he wouldn't put his best spin doctors on burying Bachmann and her fruit loop club.
And I'm also just furious that Obama caved yet again. I don't get why he does this. It's like he's three moves from inevitable checkmate, and decides to concede the game instead of win. All I can say is that his post-2012 politics better blow my fuckin' mind. There better be a master plan behind all of this, and it had best be the coolest master plan in the history of American politics.
Well pointed.
Can we stop hearing that song, then, in the twenty-first century, when it no longer applies?
____________________
Notes:
Haberman, Maggie. "Michele Bachmann ready to 'move on' from birther issue". 2012 Live. April 20, 2011. Politico.com. April 27, 2011. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53468.html
Quadraphonics said:
Well, think of it this way. Even here at Sciforums, we've argued about the Certification of Live Birth.
George Stephanopolous put before Rep. Bachmann the same sort of argument we've seen many times before, and when cornered, on television, facing the facts, Bachmann had a choice.
She could, for instance, explain why a legally binding document is not good enough.
Or, perhaps, she could concede the point.
Instead, she came up with a fairly creative solution: She pretended she'd never seen this document before.
"I have the president's certificate right here," he said. "It's certified, it's got a certification number. It's got the registrar of the state signed. It's got a seal on it. And it says 'this copy serves as prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding.'"
Bachmann replied, "Well, then that should settle it."
"So it's over?" the host asked.
"That's what should settle it," she said. "I take the president at his word and I think — again I would have no problem and apparently the president wouldn't either. Introduce that, we're done. Move on."
"Well this has been introduced. So this story is over?" Stephanopoulos pressed.
"Well as long as someone introduces it I guess it's over," she said, adding later, "That is not the main issue facing the United States right now."
(Haberman; boldface accent added)
Bachmann replied, "Well, then that should settle it."
"So it's over?" the host asked.
"That's what should settle it," she said. "I take the president at his word and I think — again I would have no problem and apparently the president wouldn't either. Introduce that, we're done. Move on."
"Well this has been introduced. So this story is over?" Stephanopoulos pressed.
"Well as long as someone introduces it I guess it's over," she said, adding later, "That is not the main issue facing the United States right now."
(Haberman; boldface accent added)
In other words: "Well, as long as someone introduces what has been on the record for us to consider for over two years ...."
Apparently, it's everyone else's fault for not having raised the issue before.
That is, nobody ever introduced the Certification of Live Birth, pointed out its attributes as a genuine document, or established its authority in related legal proceedings.
Imagine that. We've had this document for over two years. We've talked about it many times before. And if oh, only someone had introduced the document before George Stephanopolous mentioned it in April, 2011, the issue could have been settled.
Yeah. That counts as a victory.
This is the sort of argument, though, that drives after the heart of a president's legitimacy.
As far as I'm concerned, after Bachmann embarrassed the hell out of herself and every Birther in the world, Obama could have let it sit. The Birthers acknowledged, "If only someone had shown us what we have been refusing to acknowledge for over two years. Even though we've looked at it and argued that it's illegitimate, we're losing this battle, so if only you'd shown it to us two years ago—if only you weren't so evil and dishonest as to hide this from us—we could have been done with it. This is all your fault."
That would have been a poetically—and politically—brilliant end to Obama's involvement with the Birther issue.
There is no legal reason for Obama to release the document. The Certification of Live Birth is legally sufficient, and Birthers have besmirched the states throughout this argument.
Except for getting a prominent Birther to acknowledge that what we've had all along is sufficient. That's not a failure. Indeed, the fact that Bachmann had to try to blame other people—"Well as long as someone introduces it I guess it's over"—only raises a familiar question: If one cannot be bothered to educate themselves about the basic facts of a situation, what credibility do we owe their opinion of that situation?
Seriously, if Bachmann isn't to be taken as a politician trying a transparently underhanded trick that isn't going to work, then she's admitting she's as big of an idiot as people have long suspected. I mean, really, how could you be one of the leading Birthers in Congress and not be aware of the Certification of Live Birth?
Indeed, I'm quite sure that if I bother to track back through the months, we'll find Rep. Bachmann telling us what is wrong with the Certification, and why the long form is necessary. That is, we'll find that she was already aware of what she said needed to be introduced.
You don't get a prominent politician up against the wall like this very often. And for whatever reason, Obama made sure that Bachmann and the Birthers—hey, is that a band name, yet?—could make their getaway.
I take your point, but in the flurry of punditry taking place today are some ideas about what this means for the politics. For instance, some would say that Obama should have let the Birthers dangle and make Republicans look even crazier. Others would suggest that the GOP will not be able to escape the gravity of the Birther/Tea Party movement, and thus Obama has put them in position to look even worse.
I, too, expect Obama to be more forceful after he wins re-election, but he's doing everything he can, as I see it, to make sure the GOP has a fighting shot. He is, thus far along, the best Republican president since Clinton. It is rather quite astounding.
I admit, I'm confused at why he wouldn't put his best spin doctors on burying Bachmann and her fruit loop club.
And I'm also just furious that Obama caved yet again. I don't get why he does this. It's like he's three moves from inevitable checkmate, and decides to concede the game instead of win. All I can say is that his post-2012 politics better blow my fuckin' mind. There better be a master plan behind all of this, and it had best be the coolest master plan in the history of American politics.
Well pointed.
Can we stop hearing that song, then, in the twenty-first century, when it no longer applies?
____________________
Notes:
Haberman, Maggie. "Michele Bachmann ready to 'move on' from birther issue". 2012 Live. April 20, 2011. Politico.com. April 27, 2011. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53468.html
