Thursday, August 5, 2010

CNN's bad news for Obama: 6 of 10 doubt U.S. birth story

BORN IN THE USA?

Poll numbers for those questioning eligibility status continue to rise

By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

A new poll by CNN, whose editorial commentary largely supports President Obama and his policies, delivered some bad news on his apparent birthday today: 6 of 10 people are uncertain the president was even born in the United States.

The poll was taken July 16-21 of 1,018 adults, including 335 Democrats and 285 Republicans. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

The question was: "Do you think Barack Obama was definitely born in the United States, probably born in the United States, probably born in another country, or definitely born in another country?"

Definitely in the United States got the vote from 42 percent of the respondents and probably in the United States another 29 percent.

But that leaves almost six of 10 Americans uncertain about the president's birth – and therefore his eligibility under the U.S. Constitution to be president.

Sixteen percent said Obama probably was born in another nation, and 11 percent said he definitely was born somewhere other than the U.S.

Breaking it down, 64 percent of Democrats believe he definitely was born in the U.S., leaving more than one in three Democrats not sure. For independents, 37 percent believe he definitely was born in the U.S., leaving some two in three unsure. For membersof the GOP, not even one in four (23 percent) believes Obama definitely was born in the U.S.

Fully 41 percent of the GOP believe he definitely or probably was born outside the United States. That's nearly 30 percent for independents.

"It's surely not what the leader of the free world wants for his birthday. But, for a stubborn group of Americans, conspiracy theories about President Obama's birthplace are the gifts that keep on giving," CNN said.

"Not surprisingly, there are big partisan differences, although a majority of Republicans thinks Obama was definitely or probably born here," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said in the CNN report.

CNN reported that "Hawaii has released a copy of the president's birth certificate – officially called a 'certificate of live birth.' And in 1961 the hospital where the president was born placed announcements in two Hawaiian newspapers regarding Obama's birth."

However, the online image released by the Obama campaign during his presidential race actually is called a "Certification of Live Birth," and those documents under the rules in the state of Hawaii were available for children not born in the state.

Also, the newspaper notifications were published based on information provided by the state that would have been generated automatically had anyone at that time decided that a United States citizenship was preferable to that of another country and stated that the child was born in Hawaii.


On the CNN forum page, participants suggested many reasons for people to doubt Obama's birth.

"Some poeple (sic) have way too much time on their hands,, (sic) this is a lost cause indicative of terrified Republicans who know they're going to be on the political sidelines for the next decade," said one.

"That's about in line with the percentage of racists in America. The racists will always contend that he is not qualified to be president becasue (sic) he is not a citizen. What a joke," wrote another.

"Wow, the level of ignorance prevelant (sic) in this country is simply staggering," added a third.

WND previously reported when a new "60 Minutes"–Vanity Fair poll revealed that only 39 percent of respondents believe Obama was born in Hawaii as he wrote in his book.

The magazine boasted, "A whopping 63 percent – very nearly two-thirds of us – went out on a limb and stated for the record that we believe in the United States. It's enough to make you proud to be an American – or 63 percent proud, at any rate."

But that included those who say they believe he was born in Kansas or another state, which still would conflict with Obama's narrative.

It was only a month earlier when a WND/Wenzel Poll revealed 55 percent – or almost that same 61 percent of Americans who don't believe Obama's Hawaii birth story want him to release all records relating to his childhood and his education, including college records, Harvard Law School papers, passport records, travel records and other similar documentation.

Questions about Obama's eligibility to be president, exacerbated by his refusal to answer questions, release ordinary background documentation and his extraordinary legal maneuvers to keep his background hidden, have been on the radar of a number of top-level investigative reporters and news organizations since before his election.

Essentially, while the Constitution requires a president to be a "natural born citizen," which is not the same as a "citizen," none of the questions about Obama's qualifications – or lack thereof – under that requirement have yet been answered.

At the time Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies said, "Simply put, this question about Obama's legitimacy as president is undermining everything he does in the minds of millions of Americas."

"Asked what should be done should it be found that Obama does not meet the qualifications to be president, 59 percent said he should be removed from office, and 35 percent said all bills signed into law by Obama should be repealed," Wenzel said.

The WND/Wenzel poll said when asked about whether Obama's background documentation – the school records, birth records and others – should be released, the 55 percent who said yes included more than 82 percent of the GOP, 55 percent of independents and nearly 28 percent of Democrats.

Further, another 17.1 percent of Americans said Obama should release some of his documentation, making it nearly three in four Americans who want the president to unlock the steel door on some or all of his background information.

Despite his campaign promises of transparency while in office, there has been no shortage of disputes over secrecy in the Obama administration. He's already argued in court for more secrecy in the White House, claimed his work is "privileged" and apparently got rid of an inspector general who was applying heat to a friend.

The WND/Wenzel poll revealed 52 percent of Americans believe Obama is hiding something and 39 percent suspect he was not born in the U.S., frustrating efforts of the Obama administration to paint so-called "birthers" as a right-wing fringe.

"Even among Democrats, nearly one in four – 22 percent – said they either suspect he was not born in the U.S. or that they are not sure on the question," Wenzel reported.

Last October, a poll revealed three in 10 Americans believe Obama is a "foreigner," and more than a year ago, a poll revealed the ranks of the so-called "birthers" growing.

A recent CBS–New York Times poll found 58 percent of Americans think he was born in the USA.