2. Birtherism
Too far-fetched for even the likes of Rush Limbaugh to discuss as anything but the punchline to a joke, “birtherism” has gained 9/11 truther-like staying
Jul 31, 202017.5K Shares1.1M Views
Too far-fetched for even the likes of Rush Limbaugh to discuss as anything but the punchline to a joke, “birtherism” has gained 9/11 truther-like staying power this year, triumphing over widespread ridicule from liberals and conservativesalike. Despite the fact that Barack Obama long ago produced his Hawaiian certification of live birth, a stubborn fringe of “birthers” has clung to the theory that Obama is not a natural born citizen, and is therefore ineligible to serve as president. The movement gained new life this summer when former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs began “asking questions” about Obama’s place of birth, even after a staffer leaked a memofrom CNN’s president warning Dobbs, “It seems this story is dead.” We can also thank the movement for introducing the nation to birther queen Orly Taitz, a Lady Gaga-esque dentist/attorney/real estate agent who has sued to have Obama removed from office. It was probably inevitable that a section of America would reject the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency, but the success of this easily disprovable theory is somewhat shocking — according to one poll, fully 58% percent of Republicans either think Obama wasn’t born in the United States or aren’t sure, and only 77% of Americans as a whole are confident that Obama is in fact a citizen.
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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