Bill Maher bashes 'Birthers' over Barack Obama's birth certificate

Bill Maher has had enough with all of the right-wing naysayers who are convinced that Barack Obama's birth certificate is false. The "Birthers" claim that the president's true birthplace is somewhere in Africa, not the United States, and thus he is ineligible to be commander in chief. Today Maher took aim at the Birthers in an Op-ed piece in The Times. An excerpt:

For the last couple of weeks, we've all been laughing heartily at the wacky antics of the "birthers" -- the far-right goofballs who claim Barack Obama wasn't really born in Hawaii and therefore the job of president goes to the runner-up, former Miss California Carrie Prejean.

Also, when Obama was sworn in as president, he forgot to give his answer in the form of a question.

And yet, every week, the chorus of conservatives demanding to see his birth certificate grows. It's like they're the Cambridge police, Obama's in his house -- the White House -- and they need to see some ID.

And there's nothing anyone can do to convince these folks. You could hand them, in person, the original birth certificate and have a video of Obama emerging from the womb with Don Ho singing in the background ... and they still wouldn't believe it.

Maher wrapped up his essay by writing, "this isn't a case of Democrats versus Republicans. It's sentient beings versus the lizard people, and it is to them I offer this deal: I'll show you Obama's birth certificate when you show me Sarah Palin's high school diploma."

So the question is, do you agree with Maher that the Birthers are grabbing at straws and are being sore losers in regard to the election? Or do you think the Hawaiian government is working with the Democratic Party to hide the fact that Obama was born in Kenya?

-- Tony Pierce

Photo of Bill Maher in 2005 by Janet Van Ham. Photo credit: HBO

Comments

[MindCrime]

Awesome article Bill; keep up the good work.

[Hugh]

He's proof Liberalism is a mental disorder

[Sile]

I would expect no less from that CFR shill Bill Maher. He has totally distorted what Dobbs said. Which is he believes Obama is a citizen but why not show the long form "real birth certificate" to end the discussion.
Obama's half sister wasn't born in the US but she has the same "certificate of Birth" (not birth certificate) that her brother Obama has.
Obama said he watched the moon landing with his grandfather in Hawaii in 1969. Check it out he was at that time living in Indonesia with his mother and step father.
If he’s legit he should have no problem coughing up the long form document showing the time, attending physician, etc…you know the one that’s required just to get a passport, never mind prove you’re eligible to be the leader of the free world with all of it’s powers and consequences. Refusing to clear this up now will only snowball badly for Obama and he can forget 2012.

[c]

Truer words have never been spoken.

[L Rushing]

The Birthers are basically not excepting the fact that a Blackman is the President of the United States. And they will do whatever and say whatever to continue this negative, false propaganda....If they are ok with a Blackman being arrested in his own home, certainly they will never be happy about a blackman being the president of the United States..PERIOD Sincerely L. Rushing

[Lawrence Kennon]

It would be so easy for Obama to end this controversy. Just show everyone a real birth certificate that shows which hospital he was born in, who the attending doctor was, etc. That is all it would take. Ok, maybe a couple people still wouldn't believe him, but 99.99% of Americans would accept that.

But the so-called "short form" that Obama has presented so far is not even accepted in Hawaii as legal proof of birth.

I don't think hardly anyone thinks Obama is a spy or anything. Maybe some people think that he just has a Constitutional problem here and is covering it up because it was an impediment to his ambition. That's all. Even if it was proven Obama was born in Kenya the Supreme Court is not going to unseat him as President. But it might expose a whole lot of hypocrisy.

There is nothing ridiculous about people demanding that Obama prove he meets the Constitutional criteria for being President. Maybe some think it is a silly rule, but once you decide one rule in the Constitution is too silly to enforce then what other silly rules will you decide we don't need? Hell, I would even agree that perhaps some rules in the Constitution are a little silly, but there are legal ways to change the rules.

However Obama and the Democrats refusing to provide legitimate proof of his eligibility, even on a silly rule, should be illegal.

[Michael]

"Never underestimate the ability of a tiny fringe group of losers to ruin everything."

Just the notion that comes to mind every time I stumble accross "Real Time".

[Nandasore]

By giving more than equal air time to obvious bs the media is lowering our collective intelligence and effecting idiocracy on us sooner than expected.

Lou Dobbs should be fired and his ability to reason questioned.

[james]

Simple.........

Just show the one that's under lock and key in Hawaii.

It's that easy.......

[Pete Baglioni]

The birthers must be stopped? Are you kidding? The birthers movement is the best thing to happen to Democrats since Sarah Palin! There is absolutely no chance that this turns into Whitewater or even Lewinsky in scope.

I'm beginning to think that the left is keeping this alive so they can (incorrectly) tie this to the GOP and continue to mock the right.

Think about it. Obama could push for the release of the original birth certificate and put all of this to rest. Why doesn't he do that? One of two reasons: the birth certificate has embarrassing information (not likely) or Obama sees a chance to tie in these wingnuts with mainstream Republicans.

Memo to the birthers: you are hurting, not helping your own cause. Do you realize the incredible conspiracy that must have been in place for the local, Hawaiian newspapers to have announced Obama's birth back then? Give it up. Elections have consequences which must now be faced.

-PB

[Johan]

No I don't.

After voting for Obama and his pledge for transparency... I have been let down on a weekly basis. From reneging on the plans for ending the wars, to gay rights to prosecution of interrogators that broke geneva conventions.

At least so the world your original birth certificate and put the issue to rest forever.

[Felicia]

No one can say it better than Bill Maher.
My compliments to his intelligence and insight do not do him justice...just wish he was on Primetime more often.

Wonder why Fox News doesn't have him on ? Ha Ha !!

[Chris Wulf]

Some valid points....

but he said how americians are dumb..... I did agree with him for that. After all we give him all this attention... and he doesn't have a real job like the rest of us REAL Americans.

[Steve H]

Kinda like those kookie left wingers that were always trying to figure out if George W fulfilled his duty in the National Guard, right?

[Mike]

Obama is president. Stand behind him or expatriate!!! You will have another election in 4 years. Why don't you work on finding a worthy candidate instead of a Beauty Queen who can't run a state nevermind our country and a Civil War Vet.

Thanks for listening
Mike

[Bunch]

This thing could be laid to rest in less than 10 minutes if Hawaii would produce a copy of Obama's long form birth certificate with all the appropriate information displayed. One wonders why this is such a big deal to keep it a secret. Afterall, he is our duly elected President. He owes it to the people of the USA to come clean with his documents of birth, not just the certification of live birth which is not a legal proof of birth. Perhaps Bill Maher should do his homework before he opens mouth and inserts foot.

[vade D]

It's as if someone passed a giant moron magnet over our country and all the half-wits have been pulled from beneath their rocks. Neutralizing them is like a game of whack-a-mole.

[Les]

You go Bill!

[Mike Hartwell]

I think Maher is being too kind. The Birthers are stupid, ignorant, and lazy. If the GOP continues to support these loons they will get their asses handed to them by the Democrats in 2010, and 2012.

[Stephen]

I have to agree. This was pretty humorous at the beginning, but now it's getting annoying. Throw them in the whacko pile with the 9/11 "truthers."

[kpist]

The birth certificate he has produced is NOT EVEN VALID IDENTIFICATION IN HAWAII. Obama has spent $900,000 in attorney fees for this very subject, WHY? He filed student aid as a FOREIGN STUDENT, WHICH TIME WAS HE LYING? BILL AND ROBERT GIBBS CAN PRODUCE THE REAL THING IF THEY WANT' THIS TO GO AWAY. PLEASE, PROVE US WRONG!!!! PROVE SOMETHING!

[Bill Melton]

ENOUGH already/ I'm so sorry that education has not been received by these folks that say the Pres. is not a citizen of the U.S.Bad loss for them I can see but gee,thats all ya can dig up?So sorry you can not get better intel.

[On Bill]

Bill is not a liberal, he is an independent and deist..........get yer facts straight

[Michael]

Honestly...who gives a crap what Bill Maher says? Don't be so arrogant to think we really care if you've "had enough" of it Bill. Besides, why didn't Obama just go ahead and show the MILLIONS of people who wanted to know his birth certificate? Why all the hush hush and sealing those records? Just seems fishy. It would have been easier to say, "HERE, SEE..now lets move on".....or is he really hiding it after all? Who knows. Either way, Bill being tired of something holds about as much water with me and many others as, I don't know, Gary Coleman's opinion on the current geopolitical standing between the US and China and our trade agreements on tea. Just because you garner some camera time doesn't make one an immediate expert, sage, and go-to guru on politics.

[Ted Taylor]

Go get 'um Bill... Obama ain't American enough, we never landed on no moon, and Sarah Palin's one of them Rhodes Scholars!