Outside the Beltway

Whereas every other serious Republican has distanced themselves from Donald Trump’s birther crusade, Sarah Palin appeared on Fox News yesterday where she opened her Alaskan arms wide and gave The Donald a big hug:

Sarah Palin was interviewed live today on Fox News’ Justice with Judge Jeanine, and was asked to weigh in on the rather sudden addition of Donald Trump’s voice to the “Birther movement”, as well as the money “The Donald” is devoting to researching the existence of the president’s birth certificate. Palin’s answer? She noted it wasn’t that unthinkable for Trump to be curious about Obama’s birth certificate, as it was an issue that has transfixed a sizable segment of the body politic.

She expressed hope that perhaps Trump’s piles of money would be the key ingredient missing from prior investigations of the President’s birthplace; Orly Taitz, despite having about 10 jobs, doesn’t have a hotel in New York City —know what I mean? Palin also expressed hope that Trump’s money and resources could counter the $2 million she claims Obama has spent to keep the certificate hidden from the public. Her attitude suggested a quiet, but not overt, encouragement of Trump’s investigation.

Palin went on to say that she believed Obama was born in Hawaii but was “perplexed” as to why the President hadn’t released his birth certificate. Of course, Obama released his Hawaii birth certificate in June 2008.

Why Palin choose to embrace Trump’s bizarre crusade is something only she can explain.

Video:

US Politics

Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Hawaii, New York City, Sarah Palin

27 responses to “Sarah Palin On Donald Trump’s Birtherism: “More Power To Him””

Hey Norm

April 10, 2011 at 10:16 am

PALIN/TRUMP ’12
Tano

April 10, 2011 at 10:20 am

It could actually be a smart move on her part, greasing the skids for a rival to end up stranded off the deep end. By giving him some support, but not really going there herself, she makes it harder for him to ever come back, while maintaining deniability for herself.
Seems like one of the very few smart things she has ever done.
Kate

April 10, 2011 at 10:27 am

I watched the video, and wouldn’t characterize her support of Trump in the way you have in this post.

But there’s a larger question here – one has to wonder why someone who has pledged to uphold the constitution of the United States wouldn’t simply release the document to put out the fire. It’s the only responsible thing to do and should have been done as a matter of fact when it was apparent it was gaining traction with large numbers of Americans.

Given the facts at hand, the only conclusion one can draw is that your President is intentionally fueling a conspiracy theory for perceived political gain – and he has large swathes of commentators and media who are perfectly fine with that.

I find that disturbing. It’s a tactic associated with leaders of third world country dictatorships. Slur Trump et al as “birthers” all you wish, but your President should be called upon to answer for that.

Slurring Trump or anyone else as a “birthers” doesn’t change that fact.
Kate

April 10, 2011 at 10:31 am

(Whoops, missed deleting the last sentence during editing.)
Rich

April 10, 2011 at 10:48 am

But there’s a larger question here – one has to wonder why someone who has pledged to uphold the constitution of the United States wouldn’t simply release the document to put out the fire.

Kate, He has released it and the State of Hawaii has said it is authentic. Get over it. I know it is not a stretch to think that the secret organization behind Obama put notices in Hawaiian newspapers the week he was born just in case they could get him elected almost 50 years later….
John Malkovich

April 10, 2011 at 10:54 am

https://drjjoyner-cmlud.wpcomstaging.com/an-open-letter-to-my-colleague-doug-mataconis/
RickPatel

April 10, 2011 at 11:11 am

Gov. Sarah Palin’s remarks on ‘Justice With Judge Jeanine’ were clear, cogent, courteous, & courageous. She is a beautiful woman with a brilliant mind.
JB in VA

April 10, 2011 at 11:18 am

Doug Mataconis: YOU ARE WRONG. What has been released was a “Certificate of Live Birth” — NOT, I repeat, NOT a Birth Certificate.

An actual Birth Certficate would contain much more information, including the name of the hospital, the baby’s size and birth weight, a footprint, the parents’ ages and ethnicity/nationality, and much more, and it would be signed by the attending physician or designated hospital administrator. The CLB contains none of these details.

Aren’t you the least bit curious why all these details, along with all of obama’s other records throughout his life, have to be kept under wraps?
jwest

April 10, 2011 at 11:22 am

Trump not only works the birther question, but he hammers home the point that Obama couldn’t negotiate himself out of a paper bag. Showing that Obama is a indecisive, bumbling academic who is in way over his head, Trump highlights how the U.S. is being laughed at by every country in the world by giving away the farm with each foreign deal.

Palin, on the other hand, can simply point to her record of successfully besting oil companies and entrenched corrupt politicians through skillful deal making.

If Obama turns out to be the democrat candidate for president in 2012, he will have a hard time competing against whoever the republicans run.
EazieCheeze

April 10, 2011 at 11:29 am

@JB:

“An actual Birth Certficate would contain much more information, including the name of the hospital, the baby’s size and birth weight, a footprint, the parents’ ages and ethnicity/nationality, and much more, and it would be signed by the attending physician or designated hospital administrator.”

My daughter, born in Ohio in October of last year, was afforded no such document from the hospital. We were told to pay the Ohio Bureau of Vital Statistics $22 to receive a birth certificate. Samples of such a document are readily available through a Google Image Search.

And yet, she is a US citizen and will be eligible for the office of the President in 2045.
Stormy Dragon

April 10, 2011 at 12:05 pm

An actual Birth Certficate would contain much more information, including the name of the hospital, the baby’s size and birth weight, a footprint, the parents’ ages and ethnicity/nationality, and much more, and it would be signed by the attending physician or designated hospital administrator. The CLB contains none of these details.

This is not true, and will not become true no matter how many times you repeat it. Stop lying.
anjin-san

April 10, 2011 at 12:10 pm

Given the facts at hand, the only conclusion one can draw is that your President is intentionally fueling a conspiracy theory for perceived political gain

Well, if one is a complete idiot, that is probably the only conclusion they can draw.

As for Palin and Trump… birds of a feather.
wr

April 10, 2011 at 1:12 pm

Kate — If people are dumb enough to believe that Martians are laying eggs in boxes of Cheerios, the president has no obligation to send a mission to Mars to prove there’s no life there. Same thing with the birthers.
Anon

April 10, 2011 at 1:22 pm

This [that the “long” form has more information] is not true, and will not become true no matter how many times you repeat it. Stop lying.

There seems to be some conflicting information on this. I’ve read that the original paper certificate still exists. The question is whether or not Obama could authorize it’s release.

I ask purely as a matter of just liking to know all details, not that I believe it would stop the birthers. They clearly will continue to believe that they want to believe.
Stormy Dragon

April 10, 2011 at 1:59 pm

Whether the archival long form has more information on it is irrelvant. The document Obama has released is Hawaii’s birth certificate form. The information on it is the information Hawaii puts on its birth certificate form. Anyone who says that it’s supposed to say something else or contain some other form of information is lying.

We need to stop treating people like they’re just ignorant and recognize that they are lying.
wr

April 10, 2011 at 4:18 pm

Stormy — I do believe that some of these people are deliberately lying. But there are plenty out there who are simply stupid enough to believe the obvious lies.
Murray

April 10, 2011 at 5:20 pm

“Why Palin choose to embrace Trump’s bizarre crusade is something only she can explain.”

Reality TV.

Neither Trump nor Palin are seriously running for the presidency, but both know there is money to be made milking stupid. For that you have to stay in the “news” cycle by any means, and the birther nonsense requires no effort.
LaurenceB

April 10, 2011 at 5:38 pm

The only relevant issue is whether or not a certificate of live birth from Hawaii is an acceptable document for proving one is a natural born citizen when running for President of the United States.

This was decided in the affirmative by the proper authorities about three years ago.

Questions related to the “real” birth certificate (which, it has already been demonstrated, is not a requirement to prove one is a natural citizen) are, therefore, just kind of silly.

Case closed.
soren

April 10, 2011 at 7:37 pm

“Of course, Obama released his Hawaii birth certificate in June 2008.”

Um no, in fact they admit they have seen it but won’t release it.
Herb

April 10, 2011 at 7:56 pm

“Of course, Obama released his Hawaii birth certificate in June 2008.”

Interesting to be reminded of this. That was back when the Birthers were mostly Hillary Clinton supporters. My how things have changed…

PS. If I’m going to vote for any reality show candidate, I’m voting for Meatloaf.
george

April 10, 2011 at 10:01 pm

The state of Hawaii, complete with Republican governor (and a McCain supporter), officially confirmed that Obama was born there.

I’m beginning to suspect that the Democratic party is paying people to keep the birther talk going, because it makes the Republicans who support it seem a few clowns short of a circus. Really, this is just silly.
Stormy Dragon

April 11, 2011 at 1:14 am

I do believe that some of these people are deliberately lying. But there are plenty out there who are simply stupid enough to believe the obvious lies.

The truth is so readily available that anyone who doesn’t know it this point is only ignorant because they choose to be. Much like reckless disregard can rise to the level of criminal action, at some point willful ignorance becomes a form lying. They just choose to lie to themselves as well as to others.