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In Fading DWTS Spotlight, DeLay Questions Obama's Citizenship
Rachel Slajda | October 7, 2009, 12:54PM
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
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In an interview with Newsweek today about his resignation from Dancing With The Stars, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said he doesn't know if President Obama is a citizen.
Do you think he isn't a citizen?
I have no idea.
In an August appearance on Hardball, when he said, "I would like the President to produce a birth certificate."
Asked about that today, he told Newsweek, "You have to show a birth certificate to play little league baseball. It's a question that should be answered. It's in the Constitution that you have to be a natural-born citizen of the United States to be president."
DeLay also said he's moved on from his indictment on conspiracy and corruption charges.
Are you worried that you're going to go to jail?
No. I don't think a jury is going to convict me on a law that didn't exist in Texas. It's all politics. I've put that behind me. It's been four years.
Of course, DeLay is still under indictment and a trial is pending.
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indianadave
October 7, 2009 1:56 PM
Another guy who ought to keep his mouth shut.
What's the hold up on the trial?
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Mrs Panstreppon
October 7, 2009 2:05 PM in reply to indianadave
Probably DeLayed because Ronnie Earle retired last year.
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Mrs Panstreppon
October 7, 2009 2:00 PM
Why did DeLay always sit by himself and not with his partner in the room where the contestants get their scores? Is he gay?
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jonnienohands
October 7, 2009 3:18 PM in reply to Mrs Panstreppon
You are assuming he did not sit with her; perhaps she did not choose to sit with him.
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counter coulter
October 7, 2009 2:07 PM
You have to show a birth certificate to play little league baseball.
No one ever asked me to produce a birth certificate when I played little league. Now that was quite a long time ago maybe things have changed?
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bvd
October 7, 2009 2:15 PM in reply to counter coulter
My son plays little league and we have never been asked to provide a birth certificate. And, incidentally, he wasn't born in this country.
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eric0531
October 7, 2009 2:34 PM in reply to bvd
Our league requires an *original* birth certificate at registration, and a COLB like the one BHO posted is entirely acceptable for this. If you make all stars then the league/district/national orignaization requires one original and multiple copies - it's crazy, I coached one of our league's all star teams last spring and I had to lug around notebook full of birth certificates/medical release forms/utility bills (for address verification)
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AmericanDad
October 7, 2009 5:06 PM in reply to counter coulter
I'm on the board of directors of our local Little League (affiliated with the national Little League) and, yes, indeed we require birth certificates. Copies will do, thanks. Originals not necessary. No one ever checks until we get the end of the season and enter the tournaments that eventually lead to the LL World Series. Then people get ugly and try to cheat by bringing in older, stronger kids to play against younger, weaker kids. You may recall the news about a LL World Series star pitcher who turned out to too old for the league in which he played. If memory serves, his dad lied about his age.
By the way, I'm currently coaching youth football, where birth certificates are also required. It's been useful in proving the eligibility of one of my linemen -- a 226-lbs 4th grader!
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fkaZk0sm0
October 7, 2009 10:36 PM in reply to AmericanDad
right, the purpose of the birth certificates is to verify DATE of birth.
and like you say, obama would have been eligible with the brith certificate that chris matthews would be more than happy to wave in tom delay's face.
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Willow
October 7, 2009 2:10 PM
You really only have to show a birth certificate for Little League if:
1) you speak only Spanish, or
2) you're playing in a league with 10 year olds but you're already growing facial hair
Obama speaks pretty good English, and I'm pretty sure he's not 25.
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Powkat
October 7, 2009 3:23 PM in reply to Willow
I believe the point of the birth certificate is so that crooked coaches don't bring in ringers who are older (and therefore stronger) than the age group.
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Milton Wiltmellow
October 7, 2009 2:11 PM
As classy as ever.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 7, 2009 2:14 PM
And, of course, the mere fact that Obama did so isn't relevant to the argument.
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Yail Bloor
October 7, 2009 2:19 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
I hate to get down into the muck with these people, but don't you have to show a birth certificate to, like, run for federal office, to get on those fifty ballots? I feel dirty even posing the question.
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Schmed
October 7, 2009 2:53 PM in reply to Yail Bloor
Obama produced a perfectly acceptable (authenticated by the HI Dept of Health) COLB.
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slb
October 7, 2009 3:03 PM in reply to Yail Bloor
Probably indirectly. I think you have to be a registered voter to run for office, and supposedly to be a registred voter, you have to be able to show proof of citizenship. (Then again, I can remember some years back when a guy was elected to the Richmond City Council who was not actually a registered voter -- he was a convicted felon, and his right to vote had been revoked. Ooops.)
Of course, for all offices except president and vice-president, there is no difference drawn between being a naturalized citizen and being a native-born citizen. So just being a registered voter is not necessarily proof that you are qualified to run for president. But supposedly by the time someone gets to the level of being a candidate for the highest office in the land, enough is known about you that independent documentation of your age and birthplace is not really necessary.
I wonder if Lindsay Graham will go after Tom DeLay for spouting birther nonsense? Should be interesting!
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Chilidog
October 7, 2009 3:10 PM in reply to Yail Bloor
Actually no. The idea is that the electoral college is supposed to make that determination. The states can put whomever they want on the ballots, but only the electoral college votes count.
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LFC
October 7, 2009 2:23 PM
Yet another Republican who just can't (or won't) grasp that Obama produced THE document that is considered by Hawaii and accepted by the United States government to be legal proof of birth in that state. Another birth certificate doesn't even need to exist.
Of course if they didn't have this complaint, they'd be demanding DNA from him.
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LFC
October 7, 2009 2:24 PM in reply to LFC
Sorry, Yail Bloor. That wasn't directed at you. I saw your comment after I posted.
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Cool Blue Reason
October 7, 2009 4:01 PM in reply to LFC
And the DNA proves he's Kenyan!!! [clutches pearls...]
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AmericanDad
October 7, 2009 5:13 PM in reply to LFC
Strange, isn't it? For some reason, I have my original birth certificate in my possession, and my home state has only its electronic records and the state-produced form akin to what Obama produced. When I went to apply for my passport, I was told that my old tattered birth certificate might not be acceptable, and that I should immediately ask the state for a new one. In this case, the original certificate is unacceptable to the federal government, but the state-produced form is. Just to show how twisted the birthers really are.....
Of course, none of this crap has anything to do with citizenship and everything to do with denying the legitimacy of the first black president.
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LarsThorwald
October 7, 2009 2:59 PM
I sincerely hope that when TPM opens its glorious doors here in D.C., they will join me for a drink at sideshow-attraction-cum-bar, The Palace of Wonders, on the H Street corridor. The do sideshows and burlesque shows, and they have oddities on display from the old Baltimore Dime Museum, and it's a hoot. I wan them to see it.
Because it seems that once a day there is a new freak highlighted in this here journal of news and ideas -- be it Orly Taitz, the idiots in Montana, Delay, Bachmann, you name it -- and I just want the good people at TalkingpointsMemo to see that there are other freaks in D.C. that are actually entertaining for entertainment's sake, and not just present or former tillers at the rudder of our political course.
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Chilidog
October 7, 2009 3:12 PM in reply to LarsThorwald
Batboy???
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ondioline
October 7, 2009 4:30 PM in reply to LarsThorwald
This is actually a fine idea. We should get together some sort of... um... get together... TPM DC folks, TPM Readers in DC, Rep. Weiner (just because I'd like to buy him a beer), all gathered at the H Street Freakshow! We've gotta make this happen!
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barrelhse
October 7, 2009 2:59 PM
At least Delay put to rest any lingering doubts as to whether or not he's an ignorant waste of skin.
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onceler
October 7, 2009 3:05 PM
Delay had already said all of this and more during a 'Hardball' interview about a month or so ago. He was seriously simultaneously agreeing with Matthews that this was nuts, but also then saying in the next breath "have you seen the birth certificate? I'd like to see the birth certificate." of course, Matthews didn't bother to call him on it, but lavished undue praise on him instead.
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Chilidog
October 7, 2009 3:06 PM
What an attention whore.
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bamboo
October 7, 2009 3:33 PM
What's the back story on Delay getting a spot on Dancing with the Stars? They were deferential to the hilt, though clearly some of the judges were uncomfortable.
Who at ABC is in so tight with the GOP that they were willing to do this? It was pathetic and utterly spoiled an otherwise decent line-up this season.
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Cool Blue Reason
October 7, 2009 4:03 PM in reply to bamboo
Are you kidding? Disney and ABC are lousy with Republicans. No doubt it was casually proposed in person, over golf.
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Mrs Panstreppon
October 7, 2009 6:21 PM in reply to Cool Blue Reason
Disney and ABC are lousy with Republicans.
You got that right. Zenia Mucha is Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications at Disney. Mucha was former Senator Alphonse D'Amato's right hand man for years and she is a bitch on wheels.
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Chilidog
October 7, 2009 4:38 PM
The birthers are all crowing because the court confirmed the tentative schedule dates in the Barrnet v. Obama case, but Judge Carter has not yet released any responses to the motions yet.
Does this mean that they motion to dismiss is denied or is it simply an automatic proceedural scheduling thing with the court
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kernel
October 8, 2009 3:16 PM
I always did think Delay was lame ...
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PushMe-PullYou
October 8, 2009 6:02 PM
Delay actually spoke about wanting to see President Obama's "gift certificate" at one point. This whole dancing with the stars thing was a PR move to favorably influence potential jurors should the indictments against him come to trial.
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