Alan Keyes stokes Obama birth certificate controversy

The controversy over the validity of Barack Obama's birth certificate is back on a burner with firebrand conservative Alan Keyes making serious new charges.

In a video (see below) released Friday, Keyes, who lost to Obama in the 2004 U.S. Senate race in Illinois that launched the new president's national political career, calls Obama a communist and usurper and says he refuses to acknowledge the validity of Obama's inauguration over lingering questions in the minds of many conspiracists about the 44th president's birthplace.

The U.S. Constitution requires any president be born an American citizen.

In June, the Obama campaign released to The Ticket a copy of the then-senator's Hawaiian birth certificate (see the jump below and also here). But stubbornly persistent critics demand to see the original, which the state has refused to provide, citing personal privacy reasons.

And the critics, including Keyes explaining here, cite Obama relatives in Kenya as saying he was actually born there in his father's native land when his American mother was too young to pass on her U.S. citizenship.

In December, as The Ticket reported here, the Supreme Court dismissed without comment a New Jersey lawsuit seeking to bar Obama's inauguration due to questions over his actual citizenship. The Obama camp has proceeded normally as if there was no controversy.

Obviously, the inauguration proceeded, although on the advice of White House counsel as a precaution against a verbal muff during the noontime Jan. 20 public ceremony, Obama did take the presidential oath again that night in private with Chief Justice John Roberts. His White House lawyer feared igniting another simmering legal controversy if there was any doubt about the oath's validity, although the Constitution stipulates the new president takes office at noon no matter what.

However, the dispute over his birthplace continues. Listen here to Keyes' rather strong language.

This simmering dispute, occurring online and in e-mails coursing daily across the Internet, seems unlikely to evaporate any time soon.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Speaking of soon, register here soon for Twitter alerts on each new Ticket item. RSS feeds are available over here.  And we're now on Kindle as well.

Click on the Obama birth certificate image to enlarge.

Comments

[brian]

Alan Kyes is a pig and has no place spreading his vial filth on a national stage. I am shocked at his allegations and assertions. This man has some serious issues.

[Chris Brown]

And you think this is worth a mention, why?

[richard cadena]

okay, so just because this idiot, far right wing christianist, nutjob says its not so that barack is an american--u take it as gospel and proceed to run is on your paper as somehow legit news. IS THIS AN INDICATION OF THE DESPERATION OF THE L.A. TIMES TO HOLD ON TO THE FEW SUBSCRIBERS IT HAS--AND YOU WONDER WHY NEWSPAPERS ARE GOING OUT OF FASHION!!

[Rich Cain]

Andrew Malcolm's smears are really beyond the pale.

What "serious new charges" does Alan Keyes make? Have we not heard all of these theories, and have they not been thoroughly debunked?

How does Malcom explain the birth announcement of Barack Obama in "The Honolulu Advertiser" on Sunday, Aug. 13, 1961??

Malcolm then incredibly links this phony controversy to the non-existent controversy over Obama's inaguration, which was repeated to demonstrate the SYMBOLIC importance of the words of the Constitution, (which have been trampled during the last eight years). Is there ANY evidence that "his White House lawyer feared igniting another simmering legal controversy?" NO! Malcolm just made it up.

[Chris Brown]

And this is worthy of comment, why?

[VinceP1974]

How could that be his birth certificate? Were there laser printers back when was born?

In any case, that isn't a birth certificate.. it's a certification of live birth which is a totally seperate thing .

Where is the hand-written BC?

In any case, Natural Born Citizen in the Constitution means born in US Soil to two US Citizens (and therefore born free of any dual-allegiances) Barack Obama throughout his life is the citizen of at least three countries. Surely violating everything the founders intended with the Natural Born restriction.

Does this make one a conspiracist now? Why don't all you Constitution haters leave us. Go somewhere else.

[Steve]

Alan Keyes is trying to achieve through a media smear what he couldn't do at the ballot box. It's pretty pathetic and the 70 million who voted for Obama don't take people like Keyes seriously, and neither should the editors of the Times.

[gerrrg]

Keyes deserves all of the ensuing mockery that comes his way. All of his information comes by hearsay, which makes his announcement uneventful, stale, and silly.

As ridiculous as Keyes is however, he should be mindful that while his speech may be protected, he needs to be cognizant of the fine line between protected speech and sedition. The ever spurious and garrulous Keyes is no doubt bound to test the limits.

[Robert Peszynski, PH.D.]

If you are going to print an article at least get your facts straight. What Obama posted on the Internet is a Certification of Live Birth. It says so at the top of the form. This is not the same thing as a Birth Certificate. And to my knowledge, the form Obama posted on the Internet has been established to be a forgery besides.

[Walter T Fuchs]

The central theme of Mr Keyes' rant is Insanity. Unfortunately, I think Mr Keyes became confused as to who and what is actually insane. Given his condition, I feel badly for the man. W.T.F.

[Matt]

Slow news day, LA Times?

[MARY JANE]

This man Alan Keyes is a dangerous man, who is tip-toeing around the line that separates difference of opinion and outright lies, from sour grapes craziness to a very old fashioned word: TREASON. Look it up, folks. When one calls the duly elected, sworn President of the United States an 'abomination" who will "destroy the United States of America" if he is not somehow "stopped" bears VERY close watching. He's all the wackadoo faction, the so-called "base" of the Republican Party needs to hire some fall guy to assassinate Obama, and expecting to be lauded as a hero. Does this ring a bell with you? John Wilkes Booth voiced these same sentiments about Lincoln, and was used by a disgruntled radical faction of Confederate sympathizers to carry out the deed. Mr. Keyes, President Obama is NOT an "abomination." YOU ARE! I can't imagine that the Republican Party is allowing you to be its spokesman. That's a disgrace. Do the country AND what's left of the shattered dignity of your party a favor ,and just STEP DOWN. Then go get some professional counseling. You sorely need it. Lincoln is spinning in his grave.

[cosimoto]

Why are you even covering this? There a nutty guy in front of my grocery store who claims aliens are controlling the weather. Are you going to be writing a story on him? He's got about as much credibility as Alan Keyes. Find some real news please.

[Annie]

I agree 110%. What is Obama afraid of? If he does have a legitimate birth certificate (naming hospital, doctor, etc-which we all have) why doesn't he just stop all these questions and present it? I also agree he is not my president until he can abide by his pre-election promises to present the actual birth certificate and also his college papers. He has spent an enormous amount of money to keep these all from the american public. WHY?

[Matt Weiner]

"serious new charges"? What is serious about Alan Keyes's charges? Does he think he has evidence that there was some sort of massive conspiracy to not only release a forged copy of Obama's birth certificate, but to arrange for two Honolulu newspapers to print fake birth announcements back in 1961? (Google "obama birth announcement" and you'll find them.) Truly, they were prescient!

More relevantly, why does the LA Times see fit to waste our time by channeling this drivel?

[Mike]

Who let this guy out of St. Elizabeth"s. Nobody cares about your reckless pronouncements. Bitter much?

[jimbob21a]

"[S]erious new charges"???

You have got to be kidding, right? No legitimate media outlet would give this re-re-recycled sewerage from the mind of Alan Keyes, the designation "serious". Surely the media has not become quite that corrupt and incompetent yet.

[MARY JANE]

This man Alan Keyes is a dangerous man, who is tip-toeing around the line that separates difference of opinion and outright lies, from sour grapes craziness to a very old fashioned word: TREASON. Look it up, folks. When one calls the duly elected, sworn President of the United States an 'abomination" who will "destroy the United States of America" if he is not somehow "stopped" bears VERY close watching. He's all the wackadoo faction, the so-called "base" of the Republican Party needs to hire some fall guy to assassinate Obama, and expecting to be lauded as a hero. Does this ring a bell with you? John Wilkes Booth voiced these same sentiments about Lincoln, and was used by a disgruntled radical faction of Confederate sympathizers to carry out the deed. Mr. Keyes, President Obama is NOT an "abomination." YOU ARE! I can't imagine that the Republican Party is allowing you to be its spokesman. That's a disgrace. Do the country AND what's left of the shattered dignity of your party a favor ,and just STEP DOWN. Then go get some professional counseling. You sorely need it. Lincoln is spinning in his grave.

[Randy G]

That you actually devote a column -- or even a sentence -- at this point to a lunatic like Keyes regarding a thoroughly manufactured smear that has been thoroughly discredited over and over says more about you, Mr. Malcolm, than about what you write. This "controversy" is "back on a burner" because you and others and your increasingly irrelevant publications choose to call it that and put it there.... and I say that with regret. Does this fall into the category of stressing "the importance of active participation in a democracy"? C'mon, what are you thinking??

[Michael]

Mr. Malcolm, you said, "this simmering dispute seems unlikely to evaporate anytime soon". Yes, exactly, when journalists such as yourself continue to keep writing about this B.S. on the pages of major publications. Alan Keyes has never been taken seriously by his own party. Just go look at the few presidential debates where they cast him to the end of the stage and rolled their eyes every time he opened his mouth. But now when you have a black man willing to stand up and hurl baseless accusations at the first black president, now suddenly he's credible. No, he's a narcissist craving attention, and by writing about his rants you give him that attention. Journalism is supposed to be about the conveyance of facts as news. Where are the facts behind his assertions? Any idiot can stand up and throw a set of words around. Those words should never see the light of day on a real newspaper's pages unless they're proven to be true. None of Keyes' statement meet that bar. You ought not be printing them or showing the video until they do.

[Lee]

This is an unbelievably irresponsible and idiotic article. Crackpot Alan Keyes uses strong language about everything. He's a nutcase and the LAT treats him as though he were some sort of sane, responsible, nonextremist when the LAT knows very well what a completely out of control right wing extremist wacko he is. Say, if I use really strong language and doubt whether Obama is a human, but that he was really born on Planet X will you print it? A pox on your irresponsible garbage filled article.

[Malcom X BushPropagandist]

Hey, Wilford Brimley,

Why are you repeating Alan Keyes' insane shiite as if it is news.

Why don't you write about something newsworthy -- and true -- like the time Laura Bush killed that guy.

Better yet, get back to peddling Quaker Oats and diabetes supplies

[Jim Vondras]

Obama is not qualified to be president.
H.Clinton is not qualified to be Sec. of State
The last 4 Obama appointments had to resign as tax evaders.
Sec of Treasure, is a tax evader, and is awarded this job based on his past failures.
The National Guard called off a exercise to invade an Iowa town for "practice"
We are now the enemies of the Democratic socialist party of death...partly thanks to the LA Times
And this is only the "Tip of the Ice berg".
Oh! have you thanked Chavize for his Coup?? Dictor for Life? The State Department did.

[ethan salto]

The fact that this post doesn't call out Keyes' undeniable loonitude says more about you than it does him.

[ER]

Please note, that document image is of a birth certificaTION (available for even those not born in Hawaii), not a birth certificate -- Obama still has not produced one, real or fake.

[Michelle]

Simmering dispute??? Are you joking with me?

The treasonous, paranoid ravings of a handful of unhinged radicals like Alan Keyes does not "a simmering dispute" make.

Guess what, LA Times? I can find a cadre of people to claim there is a serious dispute over whether Alan Keyes can legally be a citizen with property rights of his own. But that does not mean there is some kind of genuine dispute over whether the 14th Amendment is the law of the land. When you give largely uncritical voice to these kinds of lunatics and credence to absurd, ginned-up "controversies," YOU ARE NOT DOING YOUR JOB. Got it?

Hopefully you will choose your content more wisely in the future. You know, there are actual, real problems in the world and the country that we need to deal with.

[jamfan]

The Obama administration proceeded as if there were no controversy because there is no controversy. Foaming at the mouth lunatics like Alan Keyes and his ilk say all sorts of things; that doesn't make their accusations "controversial," it makes them insane. You should bleach your hands for typing the phrase "Alan Keyes making serious new charges."

[hells littlest angel]

"...Alan Keyes making serious new charges."

Please explain the inappropriate use of the word "serious" here.

[Mike]

If Obama's mother was an American citizen, which no one is denying, then Obama was automaticly born as an American citizen. Period. Book it. Done.

[Judy]

Correction to your article. The constitution requires someone to be a "natural born citizen", not just a citizen. There is a difference between the two.

[rc N kc]

congressmen and senators must be Citizens.
presidents must be NATURAL Born Citizens.

just show us the Birth Certificate so we will know the truth

[Kate Peabody]

Have you guys have no shame? Why are you engaging in this ugliness pushed by this washed up-wanna be politician who has no credibility?

To even entertain the hateful rant pushed by Keyes that could threaten the life of the president if just one crazy person decides to take him up on his offer to "stop" this president is reprehensible.

What has the LA Times come to?

[No-doz]

What controversy? Keyes and the rest of his ilk are wackos. Shame on the LA Times for even dignifying this by calling it a "controversy". I guess you can simply say anything these days and blogs like this will seize it and turn it into something it is not.

Funny how MSM froze out the 'delusional' types who suggested Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction back in 2002. But Keyes and his crowd get all the space they want for this stuff.

[orion]

Does this man wander the street, screaming at the wind?

[NOQUITTER]

Mr. Obama couls easily settle this. Will any one in the media investigate his colb?

[langx]

You can't dispute with idiots. Keyes is an idiot.

I understand Clayton Bigsby was a blind racist who did not know he was black because no one ever told him.

What's Alan Keyes excuse.

Clayton Bigsby.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/291638/clayton_bigsby/

[MDC]

The "dispute" is only continuing to "simmer" among right-wing nutcases like Alan Keyes. And, evidently, at the LA Times.

Are you also going to cover the ongoing controversy about whether the Earth is flat?

[Joe Shimpfky]

Why does the Times give Mr. Keyes a platform for his unsupported and unreasonable rant against the "usurper" President Obama? This man -- as have most Republicans -- has been silent on deficit spending the past eight years while George Bush doubled the deficit and now he rails against the insanity of deficit spending that is intended to benefit working class Americans on Main Street. If that's not an indication that Mr. Keyes arguments are offered in bad faith, I don't know what is. What gives? Aren't there more pressing topics to write on?

[robert zendels]

The independent fact check organization has looked into this. They have examined the raised certificatate, they reproduce the birth announcement in the Honolulu newspaper. There is no controversy. Get over it. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html

[Roger]

So because some sore loser R keeps bringing this up, you give him print space. We going to keep playing everything over and over again because the R's won't graciously accept defeat?

[Joseph B. Raskin]

What a bunch of sore losers!!!!!

[JA Modesto CA]

Some people just don't give up. It s time toe wake cup and smell the roses. OBAMA is the president PERIOD.
Look, President Obama did in a month what President Bush could not do in Eight years, so stop complaining and accept defeat.

[buck]

"firebrand conservative Alan Keyes making serious new charges"

This is where you went wrong. Alan Keyes is unable to make serious charges because no one takes him seriously--well, no one *should* take him seriously. Keyes has turned into a complete crackpot, unable to tell reality from his own imagination.

Yes, there have been a number of these lawsuits and every one of them has been dismissed, most with prejudice. The petitioners tend to come from the same crackpot school that Keyes appears to have graduated, with a good number of them being 9/11 truthers.

To read about this nonsense on the pages of a serious newspaper would be preposterous. It is unfortunate that the blogs that supplement newspapers tend to be unserious, far more likely to engage in speculation than their parent publications. It's as if the blog is the tabloid outfit that most newspapers wish they had to sell nonsense. It gives bloggers a bad name. Go back to journalism school, Andrew--you might learn something!

[willythekorn]

And why is Alan Keyes' opinion on this matter worth anything? Why is Alan Keyes' opinion about any matter worth anything? He has yet to distinguish himself as a purveyor of anything but the most far out commentary outside of Rush Limbaugh.

And while we're on the subject, since when is evidence culled from the Internet accepted as anything else than twaddle without some kind of actual corroboration (as opposed to corroboration from other Internet sites). If you believe everything you read on the Internet, you'd believe that the World Trade Center was brought down by a mini-hydrogen bomb, that Mars will occasionally look as big as the Moon to the naked eye, and that the world will end in 2012 because of the Aztec calendar ends its cycle. Or something.

What purpose does the Times attempt to serve by promoting this garbage?

[MR]

LA Times, please stop reporting this junk. There is too much important news.

[Swopa]

"... Alan Keyes making serious new charges."

I'm going to hope that this line (and the rest of the post) is just an attempt at deadpan humor.

Because the alternative -- i.e., for an ostensibly knowledgeable reporter not to know that Alan Keyes ranks somewhere below Carrot Top on the scale of political credibility -- would be too embarrassing to imagine.

(Incidentally, why are you following this red herring about Kenya when Obama himself admitted in October that he was "born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-El, to save the planet Earth"? This admission deserves at least as much investigation as anything Alan Keyes claims. Time to break out those ace reporting skills, Malcolm!!)

[glblank]

Alan Keyes doesn't seem to understand how Kaufmanesque (Andy that is) his bloated self-important blatherings have become. Maybe he and Johnnie Mac should do the Sunday talk circuit as a duo. They could bring Vicki Iseman to pass around.

[John Barry]

Grow up, Andrew. When you spend your time pasting on Youtube clips as news, when they're just dangerous rumors that any idiot can research while clocking right-wing nut sites in his or her pajamas, you're giving yourself and the paper you represent a bad name.

[Fr33d0m]

What exactly is new or serious here?

[Jim Culleny]

Loosers like Keyes will do anything to obfuscate their failures. And conservatives like Keyes are just, bottom-line, nasty.