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Poll: 24% Of Americans Think Obama Was Born Outside U.S.

June 29, 2010 1:15 pm ET by Joe Strupp

Not sure what to make of this, but a new Vanity Fair/60 Minutes poll reveals nearly one out of four Americans believe that President Barack Obama was born outside of the United States, with only 39% correctly stating he was born in Hawaii.

Seems as if the media may have something to do with this, especially those who have given the so-called "birther" groups credibility when none is deserved. Or is some of it just ill-informed voters?

Among those weighing in on the poll is conservative columnist Ross Douthat of The New York Times who writes today: "This is an entirely typical result: Large percentages of Americans, poll after poll suggests, don't know what seem like basic facts about their country and the world. This isn't a right-wing or left-wing phenomenon; like conspiracy theories, ignorance about public affairs cuts across party lines. And it isn't even necessarily a devastating indictment of American culture: The fact that 31 percent of the country couldn't identify Dick Cheney as the vice president in 2007 suggests a certain ignorance about important national issues, but also, perhaps, a healthy detachment from politics and public affairs, and a salutary focus on the private sphere instead."

Another reason that news outlets must make sure that facts are checked and ignorant claims are proven wrong.

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    • Author by thaneb (June 29, 2010 1:51 pm ET)
      2  
      Actually 13% definitively believed outside of U.S. 11% were not sure which country. Uncertainty is not necessarily a belief he was born outside of the U.S.
      Also sample was 960 adults, so some of them were probably not voters. Nevertheless, sad state of affairs.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by bintx (June 29, 2010 2:37 pm ET)
      3  
      I'll bet that 100% of those folks believe that John McCain WAS born in this country. [He wasn't.]
      Report Abuse
      • Author by boulderhippy (June 29, 2010 8:16 pm ET)
        1 4
        What does this have to do with the story? A child born to military personnel outside the country are citizens of the U.S.A.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by bintx (June 30, 2010 9:17 am ET)
          1  
          A child born to military personnel outside the country are citizens of the U.S.A.


          Yes, they are, but children born on military bases and/or at embassies are NOT considered to have been born on "American soil." Obama, whose mother was an American citizen and who WAS born on American soil, has had his qualifications as a "natural born" citizen questioned repeatedly. McCain, who IS an American citizen by virtue of his parents' citizenship, was NEVER questioned with regard to his NOT being a "natural born" citizen born on American soil. As I said, probably 100% of the people who think that Obama wasn't born in the United States NEVER questioned the fact that McCain was NOT.

          Before you say, "but he was born on a military base and that means he was born on U.S. Soil, please read 7 FAM 1113 of the U.S. Dept. of State Foreign Affairs Manual

          c. Birth on U.S. Military Base Outside of the United States or Birth on
          U.S. Embassy or Consulate Premises Abroad:
          (1) Despite widespread popular belief, U.S. military installations abroad
          and U.S. diplomatic or consular facilities abroad are not part of
          the United States within the meaning of the 14th Amendment. A
          child born on the premises of such a facility is not born in the
          United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of
          birth.

          (2) The status of diplomatic and consular premises arises from the
          rules of law relating to immunity from the prescriptive and
          enforcement jurisdiction of the receiving State; the premises are
          not part of the territory of the United States of America.
          (See Restatement (Third) of Foreign Relations Law, Vol. 1, Sec.
          466, Comment a and c (1987). See also, Persinger v. Iran, 729
          F.2d 835 (D.C. Cir. 1984).


          My comment was completely relevant to the subject. Carry on.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by tbone (June 29, 2010 4:12 pm ET)
      3  
      Of course the US electorate are a bunch of dumb sheep. But this is an essential ingredient in our (the progressive Illuminati) quest for one world government under the leadership of the anti-christ. . . muuuhahahahahahaha!.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by fairliberal (June 30, 2010 9:16 am ET)
          3
        "Of course the US electorate are a bunch of dumb sheep"

        The recent democratic primary in South Carolina clearly supports your conclusion. Dumb and racist.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by bintx (June 30, 2010 10:04 am ET)
             
          I believe I hear the distinct sound of baaaing . . . seriously, FL, do you speak to your friends in life [if you have any] ONLY in talking points as you do here? If so, how very sad for you.

          Critical thinking and original thoughts are WONDERFUL things. You really should give both a try.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by nerzog (June 29, 2010 4:18 pm ET)
      4  
      Isn't that about what Bush's approval rating was when he left office? Same people, probably.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by bintx (June 29, 2010 4:37 pm ET)
        3  
        That's the 20-25% who are, most likely, not really conservative, but are, in fact, right wing authoritarians.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by bluestate69 (June 29, 2010 11:44 pm ET)
      1 4
      this, again, shows how incompetent this white house is. they seem to lose every battle with republicans. let's face it, there is no bully pulpit in this administration. republicans won the narrative on stimulus, health care, wall street reform, and now it appears that they have won the "birther" argument. 24% is a big number. when it's all said and done, i think this white house will go down as the worst political operation in the history of the republic. now they are botching the clean up in the gulf, by not using tankers and skimmers in getting oil before it reaches land. i am looking at utter incompetence, which depresses the hell out of me as a progressive democrat.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by bluestate69 (June 30, 2010 1:01 am ET)
        1 3
        just to reiterate my point. vice president biden went to louisiana today (not that anyone really noticed). he stayed a couple of hours and left. more importantly, he didn't talk to nungesser, one of the most vocal parish presidents on the oil spill. nungesser (spelling?) can be seen every night on anderson cooper and sean hannity. nungesser said the biden trip was pointless and that biden didn't really talk to him. this is a failure in communications 101. biden makes the trip but doesn't talk to the face of local government down there (more importantly the face on tv)???!!!! pathetic!
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