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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKansas Goes Birther: State Board Considers Removing Obama From Ballot
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an informal advisor to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said on Thursday he and his fellow members of a state board were considering removing President Barack Obama from the Kansas ballot this November. Kobach is part of the State Objections Board along with Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, all Republicans. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that on Thursday the board agreed consider whether to take Obama
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/kansas_birther_kris_kobach.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
Bolo Boffin
(23,796 posts)NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)Why are election officials allowed to campaign for and advise a candidate who's running in an election they are supposed to be regulating? Remember Katherine Harris, Secretary of State of Florida...oh and co-chair of his campaign in that state?
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)...Kenneth whatever-his-name was, Secretary of State in Ohio...and, oh, chair of his campaign in that state.
Funny how Florida and Ohio managed to decide those elections, wasn't it?
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)What are they scared about?
Moses2SandyKoufax
(1,290 posts)at this point in the campaign I say let them....
It might help serve as a reminder to people in swing states what the GOP stands for.
BeyondGeography
(39,379 posts)NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)By birther-logic, that should make him ineligible too.
(Actually I have seen some birthers suggest just that.)
Moses2SandyKoufax
(1,290 posts)An abundance of RWers aren't happy with having to vote Romney. Romney fails many of their personal "tests" (former Mass governor, Pro-choice governor, not a true "culture warrior", Mormon, obscenely wealthy, social skills of "Rain Man" ect...) however, despite that, he manages to pass the most important one at this time; He's white . And he is their only hope in preventing a second "that one" term. As you can imagine the base is more than willing to publicly overlook the abundance of Romney campaign shortcomings, while privately you know that they're grinding their teeth.
Unfortunately, their hatred toward The President will motivate them to once again vote against their best interests.
NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)There's the fringe of the fringe, you might say. Probably RonPaulities.
Birtherism is a racist conspiracy theory and the people who push it are racists. Period.
Moses2SandyKoufax
(1,290 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)As a proud Autistic person, let me point out that Rain Man successfully flirted with his brother's gorgeous girlfriend. Could Willard do that?
Moses2SandyKoufax
(1,290 posts)I regret saying it. We all know Raymond has better social skills and is quite a bit more pleasant than Mitt!
susanna
(5,231 posts)marions ghost
(19,841 posts)"He's not legitimate, not good enough to be on the ballot." (Officials think he's not good enough...)
A real put-down to Obama that they are even considering it. They know very well he will be on the ballot.
This is how low these slimeballs will go...
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)people leave Kansas. I guess in Kansas TPTB think this is what makes a state great. I think the US now only has 49 states. Kansas has been bought by the Koch Brothers, so Kansas is now really a private corporation, not a state. In some of Kansas democrats don't even appear very much on the ballot, there is no choice.
The state is projected to go 99.7% for Romney/Ryan. They really wanted Santorum in the primaries, but got Romney, so I guess that is one saving grace in a weird sort of way. The Governor, who apparently plans to run for president again, apparently feels Kansas will be a showcase for Teabagger austerity, and the rest of the states will flock to be another Kansas and hence a road to the presidency of the US. At least that's what some articles have said.
Diclotican
(5,095 posts)mfcorey1
Is it at all legal to take the current US president off the ballots?....
Diclotican
mfcorey1
(11,001 posts)Shadowflash
(1,536 posts)That's gonna work.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)He has no chance there anyway and the outcry will guarantee a victory for the President. Independents hate the birthers. Every reporter should be asking Romney how he feels about this. He'll either have to throw the clowns under the bus or piss off his base. I don't see how this would hurt Pres Obama at all.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)they KNOW he will not be taken off the ballot.
They just want to damage him. So the less publicity the better probably.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)Let him have to explain that he either supports the birthers (which will piss off Independents) or he throws the birthers -and much of his base - overboard. Me? I'd scream it from the rafters.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)--he's not ever going to "explain" anything. With his Mexican background, I doubt he'll play the heritage card... Anyway why should Rombot answer to it when he's got surrogates who'll do it for him?
You've got to worry about the negative effect on the down ticket races too. I say --keep it in Kansas. Everybody knows that's Birtherland.
Ironic that Obama's mother is from...Kansas...
Here's an interesting recent NYT article about how Obama's white mother was found to have African ancestry:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/us/obamas-mother-had-african-forebear-study-suggests.html?pagewanted=all
Obama is Kansas and Kenya.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)That would serve them right.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)This is gonna get ucking fugly by November.
great white snark
(2,646 posts)It's already ucking fugly and Romney hasn't even pandered to the base yet.
Mopar151
(9,998 posts)As he was acquainted with the Obama family at the time?
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Linda Lingle. (The current gov is rock-solid Dem Neil Abercrombie.) I don't believe she was acquainted with the Obamas (she was born and raised in SoCal), but she did see the original, and told the birfers to stuff it.
Hab Habit
(40 posts)Kansas is so crucial to Obama's strategy!
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)it says they are no longer a state and should be ignored as some bizarre landlocked territory.
FSogol
(45,526 posts)until they are able to govern themselves properly. Home rule for Kansas!
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)the lights. I think they just won the crown for most batshit state in the US. Florida, Arizona, Kentucky and Tennessee are pissed, but there's not much they can do about it.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)Cut all funding for roads and other federal support to the State of Kansas. Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps. Everything.
Give them about 90 days of that.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Here's what I was told...
Kansas Sec. of State Kobach has already agreed that President Obama is an eligible citizen and certified the President to be on the ballot. The spokesperson said that Koback does not believe that President Obama was born outside the United States.
Then Joe Montgomery comes along and files an objection, which he as a citizen of Kansas has a right to do. And, likewise, the state was obligated to respond to the objection and convened the State Objections Board as a result. Yes, the Republican-heavy board voted to continue the case but only because no representative from the Obama Administration showed up to the hearing, though they did receive a fax reaffirming the President's eligibility to be on the ballot.
Even if Joe Montgomery had continued to press his objection, all the Obama admin would have been required to do is to submit the relevant paperwork (ie: his birth certificate) as proof of his eligibility. The spokesperson iterated that once the paperwork was received it would be accepted as evidence of the President's eligibility and the case would be closed. (He didn't say whether or not the same State Objections Board would vote again after receiving the birth certificate, and I wish now that I had asked him).
However, since Joe Montgomery was taking heat from inquiries from the board to his employer and other associates, he decided to drop the complaint. But, the case will not be closed until the state does the necessary paperwork and the spokesperson expects that to happen and the case to be closed and the matter dropped by Monday.
This was a very quick conversation so I'm relating this as best I can remember (I am not a trained journalist ) This man at the Kansas Sec of State's office was very nice, very patient, and very calmly explained the entire matter as if he'd been doing it all day, which I strongly suspect he has .
If you have questions about what I've posted, it's very easy to get your answers from real people (no recordings at all during business hours today) you might want to call the Sec State's office directly and ask to speak to someone about the Joe Montgomery complaint. The number is (785) 296-4564. If you want if from the horses mouth, don't be shy now. I was even allowed to throw in my two cents that the state should seek recourse against Joe Montgomery for filing a frivolous claim and then dropping the complaint after having wasted state resources and everyone's time. He said that would prove difficult and perhaps it would be better to just let it drop. I also explained that it made their state look silly and he seemed to agree, though he was understandably reticent to come right out and agree with me, answering simply "Yes, well..."