Birtherism and the Art of War

Timothy Birdnow

The Washington Examiner has an editorial bemoaning the "distraction" of Obama's birth certificate and asks us to get back to serious issues. http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2011/04/now-can-we-get-real-debate

This is a common argument being made by many on the Right, but what does it say?

First, we CAN walk and chew gum at the same time; this argument presupposes that we can't. Second, this is every bit as much an argument over the Constitution as Obamacare; any President should be made to show his birth certificate, because the Constitution requires he be natural born. This is important for future generations; we have to clarify this now, not when Ho Chi Fu is elected and turns out to be a Chinese citizen. If we are serious about following the Constitution then we should be serious about Obama proving his citizenship. Finally, who says it is a distraction? Our primary goal is to see that Obama is not re-elected if we are to save this country, and if the birth certificate issue serves that purpose, it is well worth it.

Consider that one in four Americans think Obama was not born in the United States.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20056061-503544.html

Consider, too, that Obama had to drop this shoe (providing a birth certificate) now rather than next year; if this was a head fake it clearly loses it's impact. Consider too that they have turned to the race card, claiming that accusations that Obama is not qualified to hold the office is "hidden racism"; that is one of those charges you bring later, not now. Clearly, Obama had to do something to stem the bleeding. This was a steadily dripping wound.

Granted, what Mr. Obama released was clearly doctored, giving new life to the "distraction", something possibly calculated to have that very effect. But such a move proves the man a liar, and is quite a dangerous trick to play this early. This suggests to me that Hockey Team Obama realized he was in trouble and took a dangerous gamble; there is plenty of time for experts to dispute the veracity of this document. Frankly, if Obama were serious he would actually have the physical document examined by an impartial party - say the U.S. Supreme Court. Let the Justices consult experts. He won't because he has yet to pack the Court with partisans.

At any rate, this issue is hardly a distraction, because it pokes at what is clearly a tender spot on Obama. Remember the 1988 election, where George Herbert Walker Bush campaigned on the issue of flagburning? Many of our wizards of smart here on the Right were saying the exact same thing; it was a distraction. But it worked! People turned against Michael Dukakis not because he opposed Bush on this but because he came across as vacillating and weak. Obama is coming across as duplicitous and manipulative here. In politics, perception is everything.

And the general public is not won by dry debates about numbers and statistics. Bill Clinton should have taught us that; he remained in office despite having openly broken the law, and he did so because he made it a personal matter. There are reasons why gossip columns, why the Enquirer and Star, are such huge publications; people who can't name the Vice President can tell you about Lindsay Lohan and the Royal Wedding. These people vote, too. What will they know about the healthcare debate? They will know that Obama is lying about his birth certificate.

Granted, it IS a red herring; Obama is hiding something else. But that something else - possibly a bombshell - will never come out as long as he manages to maintain his firewall. We must breech that wall to get to other things.

That is not to say we can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Let the editors at The Examiner discuss the "real issues" and let Trump and Jerome Korsi discuss this. There is no reason why we can't hit Obama on more than one front; it worked during the Second World War, after all. And it's a venerable part of American political history. Jefferson was accused of fathering a child with a slave, for example, and Chester Arthur was accused of having a sexual liason with an underage girl, and of not being a natural born citizen. (He lost the GOP nomination when seeking a second term, I might add.) This is as much a part of politics as is scholarly debate, and it works. Remember Presidential hopeful Gary Hart? The appearance of impropriety killed his chances. Why should the Birther issue be any different?

And it is the right thing to do.

Remember, Obama said he was going to have the most transparent administration in history, and it has been the most opaque. The public needs to be made aware of that; he broke one of his first promises.

This issue isn't going away, and the elites in the GOP and Conservative movement had best learn the art of lemonade manufacture. There is great opportunity here if played right. Unfortunately, our side has never learned the art of political warfare.