Dear Barack Obama:
If you want to run for reelection in the State of Arizona, we will now require you by law to show us your birth certificate and prove your citizenship to our satisfaction.
Sincerely,
The State of Arizona
Well, it looks like Arizona is at it once again. Last week, the Arizona House of Representatives voted 31 – 22 to advance a bill that would require Arizona’s secretary of state to review a presidential candidate’s birth certificate before that candidate could get on the ballot in the state. This would be in effect for any future presidential candidate, including the current President of the United States, Barack Obama, when he seeks reelection in 2012.
According to the Arizona Republic, “The legislation originated from a fringe group that believes President Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and therefore ineligible to be president.” The irrational beliefs of the fringe group somehow made its way to the State House, which took such beliefs seriously instead of dismissing them outright. And that’s how it made its way onto the floor of the House of Representatives. The so-called “birther movement,” has consistently questioned Mr. Obama’s origins since his presidential campaign, which has in turn questioned the validity of his presidency. Somehow, this belief has steadily persisted despite overwhelming evidence Mr. Obama was born in the United States — including his 1961 official birth records certified by the State of Hawaii and seen by the Republican Governor of Hawaii himself. But for the “birthers” who still refuse to accept Mr. Obama as the legally elected President of the United States and his constitutional right to serve as the U.S. Commander in Chief, the Arizona State House has provided a platform for skepticism to continue to run rampant.
The White House has strongly dismissed the legislation. “I can’t imagine Arizona voters think their tax dollars are well served by a legislature that is less focused on their lives than in fringe right-wing radio conspiracy theories,” White House spokesman Bill Burton said. Robert Schlesinger at U.S. News and World Report took a harsher tone, writing that “members of the Arizona state House have made a strong bid for this year’s coveted ‘nuttiest legislative body’ award.” And Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly took the whole Republican Party to task, since the bill was supported by members of the Arizona GOP, saying “The fact that fringe lunacy is being taken seriously at this level suggests a strain of contemporary Republican thought that’s gone stark raving mad.”
The legislation still must clear major hurdles before it can become law. The Arizona House needs to give its formal approval, as well as the state Senate. Then, the governor will need to sign it. Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett has expressed concern that the amendment may violate the Constitution, since it would create state-level eligibility requirements for a federal campaign. CNN’s Anderson Cooper debated the issue recently, with guest Roland Martin calling the legislation “stupid.” WATCH:
