Birthers

Birther in chief

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:01:00 PST

There's no way to talk about all the crazy that was 2009 without talking about Orly Taitz. The sad part is, by the end of the year, her Birther movement (the hodgepodge of crazy glued to the idea that somehow Barack Obama isn't eligible to be president) wasn't even all that far out on the fringe.

Crazy's rising star

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:01:00 PST

If 2009 goes down in history as the year when ideology finally pinned fact-based politics to the floor and dribbled a loogie over its face, then the people of Minnesota's 6th Congressional District will have proven themselves ahead of the curve. After all, they first elected Michele Bachmann to Congress back in 2006. And get this: They reelected her in 2008. Take that, evolution.

Palin: Birthers have "fair question" about Obama

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:58:00 PST

During her year in the spotlight, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has jumped on her fair share of conspiracy bandwagons. She's even kick-started one or two, like the infamous "death panels." But, at least, she'd never joined up with the Birthers, the people who believe President Obama wasn't born in the U.S. and is thus not eligible under the Constitution to hold his office.

Oh, those wacky Birthers

Alex Koppelman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:31:00 PST

The Birthers may be shut out of most media outlets -- it's a conspiracy! -- but the Washington Times is apparently still happy to take their money, even if it means running erroneous advertisements that barely even flirt with the borders of reality. Monday's Times, for instance, featured a Birther ad (an image of it accompanies this post) that declares President Obama ineligible for his job not because of where he was born, but to whom.

A Birther senator in California?

Alex Koppelman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:35:00 PST

This is probably not the smartest thing for someone who works for a company that's headquartered in the state to say, but let's face it: Californians don't have the greatest record on Election Day. They elected (and then un-elected) Gray Davis, set up a system of referendums that has essentially crippled their state government. Also, don't forget, they chose one governor who co-starred with a chimp -- and another who co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis.

Taitz refusing to pay $20,000 sanction

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:55:00 PST

One month ago, U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land hit Birther attorney Orly Taitz with a hefty penalty for having played her games in his courtroom: a $20,000 sanction. At the time, Taitz called the fine "a sign of a dictatorial regime, of tyranny ... [that] shows how corrupt this regime is, how many in federal judiciary are aiding and abetting this massive fraud perpetrated on each and every member of US military and each and every citizen of this country."

Taitz's protest against Fox News falls flat

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:40:00 PST

Birther lawyer Orly Taitz hasn't been having a great few months. One federal judge fined her $20,000, another dismissed her best shot at bringing one of her lawsuits about President Obama's eligibility for his job to trial. Her stature in the movement has fallen rapidly, as even the other attorneys involved have become disillusioned with her eccentric tactics and her apparent ignorance of basic legal procedure.

Orly Taitz responds to her case's dismissal

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:00 PDT

Birther attorney Orly Taitz has never responded well to having one of her many cases tossed out of court. Unsurprisingly, she had much the same reaction after a federal judge dismissed the case she brought on behalf of Alan Keyes and many others on Thursday.

Judge dismisses Taitz, Keyes' biggest Birther suit

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:45:00 PDT

The Birthers' last, best hope -- a case brought by Orly Taitz on behalf of Alan Keyes, among many others -- has failed. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge David Carter issued a ruling in which he dismissed the case, which had been ongoing since the day of President Obama's inauguration.

Orly Taitz goes to war against Bill O'Reilly

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:05:00 PDT

It's an awful feeling, watching your heroes turn on you. That's how Birther leader Orly Taitz's followers seem to feel about a brief segment Fox News' Bill O'Reilly did earlier this week about the $20,000 sanction that a federal judge hit Taitz with a couple weeks ago.

Taitz responds to judge's sanctions order

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:01:00 PDT

Orly Taitz doesn't take defeat lightly -- if she did, the lead lawyer in the Birther movement would have given up tilting at windmills a long time ago. So it's not surprising that her reaction to the news that U.S. District Judge Clay Land has imposed a $20,000 sanction on her for her conduct in one lawsuit before his court is an angry one.

Quote of the day

Alex Koppelman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:45:00 PDT

There were a lot of classic moments in U.S. District Judge Clay Land's order hitting Birther lawyer Orly Taitz with a $20,000 sanction. But there was one that stood out above all the rest, in part because it's disturbing, in part because it sums up much of the Birther movement and in part because it was just funny.

Birther lawyer Taitz slapped with $20,000 sanction

Alex Koppelman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:01:00 PDT

U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land is not a happy man these days. Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia by then-President George W. Bush, Land generally has pretty important matters to consider. But lately, he's been forced to deal with Orly Taitz, the rather eccentric lawyer-slash-dentist who's become the de facto leader of the Birthers. And he wants that to stop.

DeLay: "No idea" if Obama's a citizen

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:30:00 PDT

Former House Majority leader Tom DeLay needs something to keep him busy now that he's left the cast of "Dancing With the Stars" due to injury. So he's attaching himself to the Birthers -- again.

Birthers get a big new supporter

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:30:00 PDT

Michelle Obama's recent appearance on "Sesame Street" gave late-night host Conan O'Brien the opportunity to have a little fun with the classic children's show, and the first lady. Below, a clip from Obama's guest spot on "Sesame Street," as overdubbed by O'Brien and crew. Big Bird as a Birther who says to Obama, "Well, look who's here to push her husband's socialist healthcare agenda" is just hilarious.

Even Orly Taitz's clients are ditching her

Alex Koppelman — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:05:00 PDT

Birther lawyer Orly Taitz has gotten herself in some hot water recently. Last week, federal judge in Georgia who was presiding over a suit Taitz brought on behalf of Army Capt. Connie Rhodes got fed up with the Birther-in-Chief's antics and threatened her with $10,000 in sanctions. Now, it seems that the motion Taitz filed that provoked the judge wasn't even authorized by her client.

Judge ready to slap Orly Taitz with $10,000 fine

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:15:00 PDT

Orly Taitz, one of the leaders of the Birther movement, may have finally crossed one too many lines. The courts will, after all, overlook the occasional frivolous lawsuit, even when filed by an attorney who can't get basic procedural issues right -- just the cost of doing business. But even a federal judge has a breaking point, and Clay Land appears to have reached his.

Orly Taitz gets laughed out of court

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:25:00 PDT

Orly Taitz, the de facto leader of the Birthers -- the people who believe President Obama doesn't meet the Constitution's eligibility requirements for his job -- is nothing if not persistent. So she'll probably be back in court soon enough. But the fairly epic smackdown she received at the hands of a federal judge Wednesday is bound to be discouraging.

White voters and Obama's slide in the polls

Gabriel Winant — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:30:00 PDT

Barack Obama made his name by telling us that there aren't two separate Americas, black and white, but just one United States. Still, knowing the color of a voter's skin offers a fair amount of information about how that voter feels about the president. Among white voters, it's been dropping since this spring. Joan Walsh discusses some of the likely reasons, and some of the possible inflection points, in her blog; here, we're simply going to look at the numbers, and then look at what was happening in the political world while those numbers were being collected. Using Gallup polling data, the following charts show how President Obama's approval rating broke down among white, nonwhite, black and Hispanic poll respondents, and how those figures changed as specific key events occurred.

The Blackening of the president

Joan Walsh — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:18:00 PDT

When South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson screamed "You lie!" at President Obama Wednesday night, he dragged the paranoia and anti-Obama contempt that marked so many August "town hells" into the chambers of Congress. Wilson's shriek also served as an exclamation point on an undeniable trend: Obama steadily lost support among white voters during this long, hot summer of hate, with his white approval rating dropping by almost one-third, from 63 percent to 43 percent between Memorial Day and Labor Day.