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Lou Dobbs' CNN colleague Roland Martin: "nut jobs" on radio, TV, and Internet promoting "loony" birther story

July 22, 2009 10:56 am ET by Media Matters staff

From CNN contributor Roland S. Martin's July 22 column published on CNN.com, headlined, "Obama birth issue is nutty":

The nut jobs that continue to promote this story are wacky, right-wing radio and TV talk shows hosts and no-credibility bloggers. They have latched onto this story like bloodsucking leeches, and actually want us to believe this story has legs.

Last week, in a suit filed by perennial presidential loser, Alan Keyes, they even tried to claim a court victory after a federal district judge in California asked to listen to the merits of their case. I'm sure he simply wanted to see for himself how delusional they are.

From the moment President Obama entered the race, he has had to endure the so-called flag-waving American patriots who think they are the arbiters of what's right for the country. What cracks me up is that in order to justify their loony beliefs, they say, "The president could just end this once and for all by producing the birth certificate."

Do you actually believe these wackos will stop there? They will then accuse the president of doctoring the document and ordering up the state of Hawaii and federal officials to create the birth certificate.

The next thing you know, one of those nut job right-wingers in Congress -- and yes, there are left-wing nut jobs as well -- will demand a federal investigation into the production of the birth certificate.

Previously:

Dobbs still on birther bandwagon, says "no one" knows "the reality" of Obama's birth certificate

CNN's Pilgrim refutes Dobbs on Dobbs over birth certificate

CNN's Sanchez airs 1961 Honolulu Advertiser "birth announcement," but Ben Ferguson still wonders why Obama won't put birther theory "to bed"

Tags: CNN, Lou Dobbs

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    • Author by The_Cat (July 22, 2009 11:04 am ET)
      1  
      Back to my original comment on this whole fiasco, quoting Frank Burns:

      "Do you have any papers to -prove- these are your papers?"

      Give it up. Obama is President of the U.S. He took the oath, and has assumed the mantle of responsibility, working to enact the change he was voted in on.

      You birther wackos want to do something about paperwork? Let's see if you can find the records proving that former President Bush is not AWOL.
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    • Author by political_left-religious_right (July 22, 2009 11:42 am ET)
         
      I'd love to see one of our resident neocons try to cope with Martin's statement. My only quibble is his obligatory false equivalency ("yes, there are left-wing nut jobs as well"); please name one! And once you've named him, spell out what he is doing to earn the moniker, and how he is having any influence at all on public opinion.
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      • Author by shaggles (July 22, 2009 12:23 pm ET)
           
        My only quibble is that he doesn't say 'The President has already provided his birth certificate.' Instead he says something like 'Do you think that will stop them?' He's right of course because they've already seen Obama's birth certificate and they refuse to believe it's real but he needs to say that explicitely. By not saying it he's allowing them to get away with the most ridiculous part of their argument.
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        • Author by nerzog (July 22, 2009 12:49 pm ET)
             
          They wouldn't be satisfied even if they had an original that could be carbon-dated to Obama's exact date of birth. They'd call it a clever forgery.

          These cretins have embraced the lie because it vindicates their racism, and nothing will dislodge them from it.
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          • Author by shaggles (July 22, 2009 1:43 pm ET)
               
            "They wouldn't be satisfied even if they had an original that could be carbon-dated to Obama's exact date of birth. They'd call it a clever forgery."

            HA! True. Speaking of carbon dating I bet a LOT of these people believe the Shroud of Turin is really Jesus' burial cloth and was magically imprinted with his image even though it's been proved to be a fake made centuries after he was supposed to have lived.
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    • Author by BillJ-MN (July 22, 2009 11:44 am ET)
         
      I think it's noteworthy that the last several times this topic has come up on MMFA there hasn't been anyone defending the birthers. A few months ago that wasn't the case. The die-hards are becoming more and more marginalized.
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      • Author by magnolialover (July 22, 2009 12:21 pm ET)
           
        No, there were some in here defending the birthers this week that I remember seeing. You might have missed them, but then again, that's probably easy to do with all of their hyperventilating, and crazy talk after all.

        I do like some Roland Martin commentaries. I think he needs a much bigger role at CNN, as he appears to be maybe the smartest person they have working there.
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        • Author by BillJ-MN (July 22, 2009 3:36 pm ET)
             
          Yeah, I must have missed them. I haven't been following this site as closely recently as I used to. Still, this is one of a handful of topics that I like to check out because it's so much fun when the crazies get rolling. I might have to look back to see what I missed.
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    • Author by rtdavis11200 (July 22, 2009 2:23 pm ET)
         
      The demcocratic party better wake up and reenergize their batteries because the G.O.P. and right wing are turning up the heat on people Obama was elected to help and that is the middle and lower class. ( Blue Dog Democrats have joined with the G.O.P.)

      The right wing is seathing that they got their clocks cleaned in November 2008 and will use all means neccessary to regain power.
      Obama is being blamed for the state of economy he inherited and the press is running with it.

      He is tackling issues facing America that the G.O.P refused to touch for eight years and the press is giving Bush and his cronies a pass.

      Wake up people before the G.O.P. and right wing regain power and we have a repeat of what Bush and Cheney left us to fix from 2000-2008.
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      • Author by magnolialover (July 22, 2009 3:15 pm ET)
           
        Well, with the crazies running things for the GOP, I'm pretty sure we don't have much to worry about. For example, Obama, still polling well. And people think he's doing a good job as President thus far.

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