The ‘Birther Movement’ - made up of right-wing supporters - began during the 2008 presidential election campaign when questions arose regarding then Senator Barack Obama’s citizenship. As the first African American presidential nominee, rumours began to swirl that Obama was not born in the United States but rather in Kenya, thus making him a citizen of Kenya. Therefore, ‘Birthers’ believe that he is ineligible to be the president.
In an attempt to quash the allegations, the Obama administration released copies of his Certificate of Live Birth for public viewing along with statements from state health officials who have seen and verified the original documents, in order to prove that he is in fact a natural born citizen of the United States.
And eight months into the Obama presidency, the ‘Birthers’ remain unconvinced by the evidence presented so far.
Speculation Over Obama Birth Documents
The Certificate of Live Birth released during the 2008 presidential campaign clearly states that President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, the 50th state, on August 4th, 1961. The Health Director for the state of Hawaii, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, confirmed that he has, “…seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen. I have nothing further to add to this statement or my original statement issued in October 2008.” However, the ‘Birthers’ believe that the documents are fake and have since sought legal action to have their concerns heard about the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency.
The ‘Birther’ Bill
The ‘Birther Movement’ has gotten a significant amount of attention, especially in the past month, from the likes of mainstream media personalities CNN’s Lou Dobbs, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Fox News’ Glenn Beck and comedian Bill Maher has even weighed in. Because of this attention, some Conservative representatives introduced the ‘Birther Bill’ earlier this year where candidates who run for president must provide “…a copy of the candidate's birth certificate, together with such other documentation as may be necessary to establish that the candidate meets the qualifications for eligibility to the Office of President.”
The preponderance of evidence is still causing doubt among what may seem like a small minority of right-wing conservatives questioning the legitimacy of the first African-American president to serve as commander-in-chief to one of the most powerful nations on earth. It is no doubt the ‘Birther Movement’ has received mainstream attention. However, the question remains, how much influence will the ‘Birthers’ have on public opinion come election time?
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