Friday, May 18, 2012

Rebirtherism

These people don’t give up:

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colorado) is backpedaling after 9NEWS was first to report on an audio recording of his comments at a recent fundraiser where he raised the issue of President Barack Obama’s birthplace and said the president, “in his heart, he’s not an American.”

At a May 12 fundraiser at the Elbert County Fairgrounds, Coffman wrapped up a 12-minute speech to donors with an unprompted discussion of President Obama’s citizenship and national identification.

“I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don’t know that,” Coffman said. “But I do know this, that in his heart, he’s not an American. He’s just not an American.”

After a short pause, which Elbert County Republican Chairman Scott Wills recalled as “deafening silence,” Coffman was met with applause, tentative at first.

[…]

“I misspoke and I apologize,” the statement began. “I have confidence in President Obama’s citizenship and legitimacy as President of the United States.”

Coffman went on to offer a defense of his intent.

“I don’t believe the president shares my belief in American Exceptionalism. His policies reflect a philosophy that America is but one nation among many equals,” the statement read. “As a Marine, I believe America is unique and based on a core set of principles that make it superior to other nations.”

First, he didn’t “misspoke.” You “misspeak” when you use the wrong word. (Or call your wife by your mistress’s name, but that’s another story.) This was an entire chain of thought, assuming this idiot could generate such a thing.

As for the crap about “American Exceptionalism,” President Obama has explicitly stated his belief in it several times, so Rep. Coffman is just making shit up.

Anyone who thinks that someone else isn’t a “real American” because he or she doesn’t share their particular belief doesn’t really get the concept of being an American in the first place.