President Obama Tells Untruth in Birth Certificate Press Briefing
EmailABC News' Jake Tapper reports:
The president said he was prompted to act “two weeks ago, when the Republican House had put forward a budget that will have huge consequences potentially to the country, and when I gave a speech about my budget and how I felt that we needed to invest in education and infrastructure and making sure that we had a strong safety net for our seniors even as we were closing the deficit, during that entire week the dominant news story wasn’t about these huge, monumental choices that we’re going to have to make as a nation. It was about my birth certificate. And that was true on most of the news outlets that were represented here.”
But the president was wrong.
According to Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, that week the dominant news story was without question the economy.
The ridiculous claims about the president’s birth certificate actually was the No. 4 story for the week – receiving about one tenth of the coverage devoted to stories about the economy.
According to Pew’s PEJ: “Hardly dipping from the previous week’s level of 40%, news about the economy was the top story in all media sectors studied, from cable TV to the Internet. And the particularly high level of coverage in cable (53%) and radio (52%), two politics-heavy platforms, indicated just how politically loaded the debate about federal spending was.
“Much of the coverage consisted of analysis of the speech Wednesday by President Obama, one that based on listening to many press accounts renewed support for the President among much of his liberal base. Obama was also the dominant newsmaker in 13% of stories—double that of the previous week—a bigger share than any week since January 24-30, when Obama gave the State of the Union. (To be a dominant newsmaker, someone must be featured in at least 50% of a story.)
“The jockeying for message control between an Obama-led rally to protect entitlement programs versus a Republican attempt to privatize them underscored the key subtext of last week’s federal spending debate—the 2012 presidential election.
“The week was also marked by another sign that the media are gearing up for the campaign—rumors about Obama’s national origin resurfaced, this time from tycoon Donald Trump, a potential GOP contender for the presidential nomination. These questions made up much of the coverage that focused on the Obama administration, a topic that accounted for another 4% of the newshole.”
As for which newsmaker received the most coverage, here, too, the president seemed to have a skewed perspective.
Again, Pew’s PEJ: “There was no question that Barack Obama loomed as the key newsmaker last week, mostly due to his nationally televised speech. That marked a change from recent weeks, including several where Obama was not the top newsmaker (Col. Gadaffi was the top newsmaker during the weeks of February 21-27 and February 28-March 6).
“The No. 2 newsmaker last week, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was a key figure in 2% of stories—the first time he ranked among the top five newsmakers since the week of February 7-13, when Mubarak left power in Egypt. Mubarak was hospitalized after experiencing a heart attack.
“Next was Paul Ryan, at 1% of all stories. Ryan’s budget was passed by the House of Representatives at the end of the week, effectively anointing it as the official negotiation starting point of the GOP for the ongoing debate over federal spending.
“At No. 4 was Donald Trump, whose potential candidacy got a boost from his perseverance in insisting there were troubling questions to be answered about Obama’s citizenship.”
-Jake Tapper
Rick Santorum Defends Earmarks 
Ron Paul Ad's Call Santorum a 'Fake'
I appreciate you not letting the President get away with saying whatever he wants to.
Posted by: Kathleen McKinley | April 27, 2011, 1:16 pm 1:16 pm
doesn’t abc know yet.when the president talks it mostly about himself.it’s the me problem
Posted by: nugy | April 27, 2011, 1:18 pm 1:18 pm
Ironically, now that he’s released his birth certificate, he’s providing just the sort of distraction he is claiming he wants to avoid. They won’t be talking about gas prices on the cable opinion shows tonight, that’s for sure. Mission accomplished.
Posted by: Chris Ar | April 27, 2011, 1:19 pm 1:19 pm
A new low in spinelessness by President Obama.
All those who hoped that he would fight for something–anything–should give up that hope now. It will be capitulation after capitulation.
There needs to be an alternative to Obama and the Democratic party.
Posted by: Guest | April 27, 2011, 1:28 pm 1:28 pm
I’ll believe the president was born in the U.S. when he starts making decisions that are “in the best interest” of the people of the U.S. So far….I got nothing from him in that direction….just sayin’
Posted by: Nikki | April 27, 2011, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm
One tenth of the coverage is still to much. It should have been 0% coverage.
Posted by: Duff | April 27, 2011, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm
the birth certificate is probably fake anyway – anything can be accomplished with today’s technology
Posted by: CARRIE | April 27, 2011, 1:30 pm 1:30 pm
Hey ABC – nice headline – exactly in the carnival barker tradition – “Look! UNTRUTH HERE!” which turns out to be about as impressive as a pickled salamander…which you’d probably headline as “live MERMAID captured!” Where’s the egress, I’m so outta here.
Posted by: erin | April 27, 2011, 1:32 pm 1:32 pm
You’re an idiot, Tapper. An unadulterated moron.
Posted by: Corey Hart | April 27, 2011, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm
From Twitter
Now that Ibama has shown his long form birth certificate it’s time for the birthers to show their long form white robes.
Posted by: Kevin | April 27, 2011, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
I find it hilarious that these fringe lunatics claim Obama wasn’t born in the U.S. They shout it from the rooftops. They claim if he was then he should provide his birth certificate. Then when he does?? Then they yell he should be focusing on the economy. LOL People believe what they want to believe. Facts do not matter.
Posted by: Harold | April 27, 2011, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
Jake — come on, now. The major networks broke in to see this. The president gave a speech at GWU about his budget plan and his critique of Ryan’s plan, and no major network broke in to cover this.
So you can say the media isn’t covering this so very much — but what’s this column doing?
I know the birther issue is far more easy to understand than budget politics and job creation, but it’s a poor excuse to drown it out. So much for media trying to elevate discourse.
Posted by: Howard | April 27, 2011, 1:35 pm 1:35 pm
Thanks Jake. Obama has used this ploy before:
‘I mentioned that I was in Asia on this trip thinking about the economy, when I sat down for a round of interviews. Not one of them asked me about Asia. Not one of them asked me about the economy. I was asked several times about had I read Sarah Palin’s book. (Laughter.) True. But it’s an indication of how our political debate doesn’t match up with what we need to do and where we need to go.”
HOWEVER:
Obama did not accurately characterize his interviews in Asia. He was asked about the jobs bill Obama has proposed and the South Korean trade agreement, the jobs summit and Chinese relations on human rights.
Posted by: MayBee | April 27, 2011, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm
After seeing the “Certificate of Live Birth”; why did the Obama wait so long?
What purpose did it serve him to not release this document sooner?
The politics of this escapes me.
Posted by: Zexufang | April 27, 2011, 1:44 pm 1:44 pm
Really? Jake? The only thing the major news stations have been broadcasting are the Donald Trump interviews and the royal wedding coming up. So Obama is half right and your wrong. But it is a matter of opinion isn’t it?
Posted by: Lois, California | April 27, 2011, 1:46 pm 1:46 pm
Finally the media is starting to hold the president accountable for what he says. About time!
Posted by: Archeryl | April 27, 2011, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
More navel-gazing from the press.
You want credit for “only” spending a tenth of the time on this B.S. issue that the crazy people are obsessed about as you spent on the future of our economy?
The fact that you gave any attention to these nutjobs at all is a discredit to you.
Man, I remember when we had actual journalists in this country.
Posted by: Brian | April 27, 2011, 1:51 pm 1:51 pm
You’ve got to give Prez 0bama credits for coming around and showing he was legit.
Now, he can be more persuasive – see, you birthers got to trust me; I said I was born in HI and I was. Next time, when I say taxing the hell out of you rich people like Donald T. is good for ya, you’ve got to believe it.
Next time, Prez. 0bama will show you all the Harvard Law Review Editorials he wrote and sealed to prove that he wasn’t doing nothing on that job like this one either. He feels the pain for not publishing anything then as much as he feels the pain for not having nothing to show his solution to lower the gas price now.
Posted by: Cat1 | April 27, 2011, 1:53 pm 1:53 pm
aren’t you guys sick of this by now? This is just the latest in his games. Jake, you are the best in the biz and you don’t treat the POTUS as untouchable when it comes to your Qs. I look forward to your reports, tweets and blogs.
Thank you for your great work!
Posted by: Dianne93101 | April 27, 2011, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
“After seeing the “Certificate of Live Birth”; why did the Obama wait so long?”
Because in 2008 he released what Hawaii considers, by its law, to be the official birth certificate.
That wasn’t good enough for the crazies out there — and on this blog, apparently. You all must have a much better command of the laws of the state of Hawaii than the Republican officials of that state in 2008, I suppose.
Of course this isn’t good enough for you. What do you want next? Blood sample? Stool sample? DNA test?
He’s the president. Take off your tin foil hats and join the real world.
Posted by: Brian | April 27, 2011, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
Uh, Dianne93101 …
I was president of my law school’s law review. At most places, the president doesn’t usually publish anything himself.
And all the carping about his grades? He graduated magna cum laude from HLS, where all the exams are read with the identity of the student removed. He got those marks on merit.
Just go ahead and say you think black people aren’t capable of being head of the law review and he only got there because of affirmative action. It’s what you really mean, right?
Posted by: Tim | April 27, 2011, 2:00 pm 2:00 pm
Gimme a break, your network triggered this when Stephenopa… Stefenopoli… what’s his face bothered Obama about it a week ago when he thought he was coming on to discuss the economy. According to the story I have read on other sites, he was utterly furious after that interviews and put his lawyers on it immediately. He has every right to be furious as well, with a good chunk of the nation apparently willing to reveal that they are closet racists. (I have never heard of other presidents having to deal with such a controversy. If it isn’t racism, what is it?)
Posted by: bill | April 27, 2011, 2:01 pm 2:01 pm
Even the useful idiots who try to defend zero the wonder-dummy know that he’s a pathological liar. Public financing his election, closing Gitmo, terrorist trials in NY, getting out of Iraq, single payer HC, extending tax cuts….it goes on and on. As they say, if his lips are moving, he’s lying.
Posted by: Reilly | April 27, 2011, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm
So for years the right-wing nuts have been demanding that Obama release his long-form birth certificate, because the official birth certificate from Hawai’i wasn’t good enough.
And now that he has, and shown that you’re all idiots, you’re blaming him for waiting so long?
You think it’s HIS fault that you’re stupid? Interesting theory there.
Posted by: Mark | April 27, 2011, 2:08 pm 2:08 pm
“President Obama Tells Untruth in Birth Certificate Press Briefing”
Is that what you got out of the President’s comments?
Sad and touching. You are aware that the fact that the President of the United States had to come out to address this birth certificate issue was an embarrassment to this country.
Well Jake – here’s the more appropriate title “Breaking news: free man STILL forced to show his freedom papers more than 150 years later.”
Sad, sad day. Just sad.
Posted by: ismeval | April 27, 2011, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
He was on the Law Review (but not yet president) in the first semester of his second year. He published nothing. During his entire time as at Chicago he published nothing.
By the time Obama got to HLS, grades were being not solely on blind exams, but on the prof’s subjective judgment of classroom participation as well.
We do no know what courses he took. I’m a graduate of HLS and I can assure you that some are a hell of a lot tougher than others.
Given his penchant for self-worship, I am very confident that if his SAT and LSAT scores, and his college and law school courses and grades, were anything exceptional they would have been discussed at length in his two autobiographies and in his endless campaigns. The haven’t been.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | April 27, 2011, 2:14 pm 2:14 pm
…were being *assigned* not solely…
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | April 27, 2011, 2:15 pm 2:15 pm
This is merely step one, if indeed the document is real. Next comes Mr. Obama’s Indonesian adoption and citizenship, foreign student claims in his college records, the source of funds for his expensive education, the number and national origin of the passports he has traveled under and the story behind his Connecticut social security number. Mr. Obama has attempted the classic, “Oh, look over there!” maneuver with this disclosure but it won’t work.
Posted by: Detroit Guy | April 27, 2011, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
I see my comments have been removed. Truth hurts, doesn’t it, Tapper.
Posted by: Joy | April 27, 2011, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
Jake, its funny how the president has his own idea of facts and history!? This is not the first or second time this has happened.
Posted by: deanbob | April 27, 2011, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm
Hey ABC – nice headline – exactly in the carnival barker tradition – “Look! UNTRUTH HERE!” which turns out to be about as impressive as a pickled salamander…which you’d probably headline as “live MERMAID captured!” Where’s the egress, I’m so outta here.
Posted by: erin | Apr 27, 2011 1:32:27 PM
Don’t like it when the trutyh is told?
Posted by: deanbob | April 27, 2011, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
“Obama lies to the American Public AGAIN.” Headline fixed for you Jake.
Posted by: karen mandrell-goedecke | April 27, 2011, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
Nice. A headline implying Obama is lying about his birth certificate.
This bit of hyperbole about the birther issue might have been worth a mention, but it does not fit that headline, and it hardly makes for news.
This is pathetic. People are telling really big whoppers in Washington every day, and you caught the president exaggerating.
Way to go.
Posted by: Jerry | April 27, 2011, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
Jake Tapper’s defensiveness on this subject shows exactly what the President was talking about
Posted by: Archon | April 27, 2011, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
“Don’t like it when the trutyh is told?”
Is a “truyth” what Fox News calls one of their made-up facts?
Posted by: Brian R. | April 27, 2011, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
“Jake, its funny how the president has his own idea of facts and history!?”
And it’s funny how formal documents, newspaper records, multiple affadavits, and repeated reviews of these facts by Republican and Democratic officials in Hawaii all side with Obama?!
Posted by: Mark | April 27, 2011, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
I’m really not sure why all the libs are gloating today – his certificate shows his father wasn’t american, which surely would’ve touched off the citizenship issue during the 2008 election. This is why he’s kept it hidden… if it had come out then, it might’ve cost him the nomination or the election. This also explains the democrat’s bill about citizenship in 2008, and why they altered the federal election certification forms.
Posted by: jrobinson | April 27, 2011, 2:47 pm 2:47 pm
Here we have a man along with his family that attends a racist anti-American church and clains that the lunatic screaming “God damn America” is his chosen spiritual mentor. His wife has said Americans are “mean” and she’s middle aged before she is proud of her country. BHO then goes on a world tour, apologizes for his country, bows to to bit dictators, and alienates our allies. We have never had a president who has had such seeming disdain for his own country. THAT is why people are questioning his loyalty and place of birth. It has nothing to do with race. It is also why people are not sure whether he is destroying the US economy on purpose or just due to his incompetence and lack of leadership skills.
Posted by: Reilly | April 27, 2011, 2:56 pm 2:56 pm
“his certificate shows his father wasn’t american, which surely would’ve touched off the citizenship issue during the 2008 election”
He never claimed his father was anything other than Kenyan. He is a citizen, and was a citizen at birth, under the 14th Amendment and under Title 8 US Code Section 1401(a). See, also, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 US 649 (1898).
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | April 27, 2011, 3:11 pm 3:11 pm
One of the Hollywood pro-Trump
supporters was the fat guy who
steals the dinosaur and tyronnosaur
samples in Jurassic Park,:( WORSE H SEEMS TO BE RELEASING A POLITICAL BILLIONAIRE MONSTER NOW :(((((
Posted by: Moderate American | April 27, 2011, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm
The comments in this blog are ample proof that the arch enemy of the progressive is the truth. They can’t cope with the fact that they were fooled by a fraud who preached Hope and Change and yet he brought us more war, record chronic unemployment, widespread poverty, and a skyrocketing cost of living.
It’s not like many of us didn’t warn his star-struck sycophants back in 2008. Too bad the media didn’t do its due diligence back then instead of manufacturing controversies involving Bristol Palin, or obsessing about the creases in Obama’s pants, or gushing about how Obama gave them thrills up their legs. And other important stuff like that. Think about that next time you fill up your gas tank.
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
“I’m really not sure why all the libs are gloating today – his certificate shows his father wasn’t american, which surely would’ve touched off the citizenship issue during the 2008 election. This is why he’s kept it hidden…”
Seriously? This was never kept hidden. Obama WROTE A BOOK about this very topic.
BTW, you know who else has a parent who wasn’t American? Donald Trump.
Posted by: ChuckE | April 27, 2011, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
yet he brought us more war, record chronic unemployment, widespread poverty, and a skyrocketing cost of living
======================
No thank you, we’re going to give the Republicans their fair share of the blame for all these things. But at least some of you seem to have enough sense to realize the danger: that the Palin scare having subsided somewhat the loonies on the right-wing fringe can yet ruin any chance of defeating Obama by chasing off after Trump, despite all the indications he’s unelectable. In the meantime may I sympathize and recommend copious amounts of over-the-counter headache remedies.
Posted by: Skip | April 27, 2011, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
The issue with the BC for MOST has been the father’s British citizenship. We used to even have a law, since rescinded, that demanded BOTH parents be citizens for natural born citizenship as in the constitution. The leftists called all deniers of BHO’s citizenship “birthers” to ridicule the questioning. According to the law in 1961, BHO inherited his father’s BRITISH CITIZENSHIP! When did he relinquish it?
Also, passport please:how did he go to Pakistan in college when Americans weren’t allowed? How many soc security numbers does he have? Come on, there is LOTS MORE unusual about the president to discover…
Posted by: sandyinohio | April 27, 2011, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
So…uh JakeTapper)…LOL…LOL…LOL…LOL,”that is the UNTRUTH??? (yeah, I read what you said) Oh come on man! That is no better than any other ridiculous claim that I could hear on “Faux Noise” or read in World “NUT” daily! Will people ever focus again on the important issues that are affecting us on a sort term and long term way?
Posted by: CND FOX | April 27, 2011, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
Seriously? This was never kept hidden. Obama WROTE A BOOK about this very topic.
BTW, you know who else has a parent who wasn’t American? Donald Trump.
===========
That was the Bill Ayer’s book, right? What exactly were those “dreams” Obama got from his father? Do you know what they are?
The citizenship issue didn’t disqualify Obama, and wouldn’t Trump. It’s more about the effect the debate would have caused in the middle of the 2008 election. The real issue – as they say from watergate – isn’t the crime, it was the coverup. The DNC clearly knew about this and there was an effort to conceal this.
Posted by: jrobinson | April 27, 2011, 4:06 pm 4:06 pm
Geez, no matter what he does, he just can’t win. I’m glad he released it. I’ve always believed it was there, mainly because it was hard to believe that all of the Republican officials in Hawaii were lying, and even harder to believe that his grandparents would have let their pregnant 18 year old daughter travel ALONE over 10K miles to a third world country in 1961 to visit the family of their son-in-law (records uncovered by a conservative journalist group – American Thinker – showed Barack Obama Sr. didn’t travel back to Africa to visit during his years in school in America). But I’ve already seen two sites this morning claiming it’s fake, which I knew they would. I hate to say “racist”, since I think it’s an overused excuse, but since I’ve been following the whole birther thing since 2007 and am quite familiar with it’s roots, I can’t help but thinking if he were a white man from Hawaii who had exactly the same history (born of a teenage mom, lived abroad for a few years as a child), that anyone would be putting him through this kind of crap. FUD, is what it is….Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, designed for the gullable.
Posted by: Grace | April 27, 2011, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
The poll that Drudge splashed yesterday showing that only 38% of Americans were convinced he was born in the U.S. is probably what precipitated the sudden change.
Being the man that he is, he had to find somebody to blame. This time it was “the press.” Alas, the honeymoon is finally over and it’s the Groom, President Obama, who’s too tired and has a headache because of all that other “stuff,” in his eloquent words.
Posted by: Oliver Shagnasty | April 27, 2011, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
Thank you Jake for calling him on one of his frequent lies. Please keep it up, he has been telling some whoppers out there on the campaign trail. The guy needs to worry more about the state of America than how popular he is with his fat cat political donors.
Posted by: Susan | April 27, 2011, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
Jake Tapper…the Sean Hannity of ABC News.
Grow up, Jake. You just proved President Obama’s point.
Posted by: JAZ | April 27, 2011, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
Methinks Jake doth protest too much. So, one analysis shows the story was “No. 4.” Jake still doesn’t get it — this consistently-debunked story should have been Number Zero, as in zero coverage.
The nuttery in the comments section here proves this.
Posted by: June | April 27, 2011, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
Was it a lie or an exaggeration? Hard to tell with Obama.
Posted by: LongT | April 27, 2011, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
Posted by: Skip | Apr 27, 2011 3:44:26 PM
You can’t blame Republicans for drone missile strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. Or for the “kinetic military action” in Libya. Or the fact that over 60% of the casualties in Afghanistan were on Obama’s watch. Chronic unemployment ACCELERATED under Obama, as did poverty. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid weakened our dollar so badly over the past 4 years that it’s being reflected in skyrocketing gas and food prices. Obama’s illegal moratorium in the Gulf didn’t help our supplies or our employment situation down there either. Feel free to chant “Hope and Change” and “Yes We Can” all you want at the gas station and grocery store. It won’t lower your bill.
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
This will never die, because there’s no documentation that will ever prove that Obama is white.
And Jake knows which side his bread is buttered on.
Posted by: Mr. Awful | April 27, 2011, 5:24 pm 5:24 pm
sandyinohio | Apr 27, 2011 3:47:39 PM stated: “We used to even have a law, since rescinded, that demanded BOTH parents be citizens for natural born citizenship as in the constitution.”
UH, NO, they can NOT “recind” a requirement that is listed in our Constitution. It was NOT “recinded” the Democrats who were responsible for vetting (that means verifying he meets the requirements) candidate 0bama decided to IGNORE that part of the requirements on the theory that “natural born citizen” is not explicitly defined with enough clarity. It was a commonly know term, with an exact meaning at the time this country was founded, and Democrats IGNORE any and everything they don’t like.
Posted by: SagUni | April 27, 2011, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm
Ever hear of something called hyperbole tapper?
Posted by: joe | April 27, 2011, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
Chronic unemployment ACCELERATED under Obama
===================
Unjustifiable…..no matter which measurement of unemployment you use rates have stabilized since the end of 2009. Anybody who doubts it can check the BLS charts.
Posted by: Skip | April 27, 2011, 5:54 pm 5:54 pm
Maybe Obama was just talking about ABC, which featured the story on “Good Morning America” and Jake, who ran the story of the CNN interview of Obama’s half-sister.
Posted by: Flash Override | April 27, 2011, 5:54 pm 5:54 pm
Sagweenie, the only candidate we KNOW wasn’t a natural born US citizen in the last election was McCain.
Posted by: Flash Override | April 27, 2011, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
I would beg to differ. Depends on what and where you were getting your news. Donald Trump was EVERYWHERE. Radio, FOX,CNN,GMA,NBC over and over… and he’s still making an A$$ of himself. Huffingtonpost has over 33,000 comments on one story posted just today. Obama didn’t speak an untruth, he spoke out of perception. And I’d say he was spot on.
Posted by: catsrboss | April 27, 2011, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
Obama, Pelosi, and Reid weakened our dollar so badly over the past 4 years that it’s being reflected in skyrocketing gas and food prices
======================
Most of the drop in the dollar’s value occurred under Bush [I know we're not supposed to mention him anymore], but if you’re referring to “quantitative easing” the Fed is not under Obama, Pelosi or Reid’s control.
Posted by: Skip | April 27, 2011, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
Obama’s illegal moratorium in the Gulf didn’t help our supplies or our employment situation down there either
====================
Letting bungling oil companies spill millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf certainly didn’t help the employment situation there.
Posted by: Skip | April 27, 2011, 6:04 pm 6:04 pm
This topic is a distraction from the most important question in the upcoming election: What does Donald hide under his rug?
Posted by: The Apprentice | April 27, 2011, 6:06 pm 6:06 pm
Feel free to chant “Hope and Change” and “Yes We Can” all you want at the gas station and grocery store. It won’t lower your bill
=====================
Apparently only certified baloney-meisters think somebody would believe this, but voting for Republicans won’t lower anybody’s bills either, except their corporate masters’.
Posted by: Skip | April 27, 2011, 6:07 pm 6:07 pm
GO TAPPER! He called BS and documented as to why he did.
On the more-subjective level, Trump made Obama look, made him look, made Obama look in Hillary’s pocketbook.
Kid’s rhyme — made you look, made you look, made you look in my pocketbook — sung to gloat whenever someone gets another to do something the other didn’t want to do, but finally has to.
Hillary’s democratic nomination campaign started the citizenship issue going in 2008 as a down-low tactic that Hillary could disown as out there working it’s wiles, but unofficially so. Obama wouldn’t respond to it then because such would have looked like Hillary was setting the agenda and dictating his response. And not even Hillary herself, but second-hand from Hillary, once removed, as an unofficial wile. Remember, at that time Obama was in the fight of his life for the 2008 democratic nomination.
It was all about the dominant-hamster thing when campaigning. And after election, unfortunately.
So Obama got boxed into a corner for three years because of that, not responding as best he could to initial scurilous allegations about his citizenship coming initially from Hillary’s 2008 camp. Now in 2011, Trump forced the issue because of Trump’s high profile. Trump’s high profile threatened to loom the birth-certificate issue into the real distraction Obama fears most: Any bump along the way to the 2012 democratic nomination. Obama had to finally release his birth certificate to have one less thing to contend with in winning the 2012 dem nomination.
On this birth-certificate issue, Plouffe, Axelrod, and Dunn failed Obama miserably.
Posted by: dom youngross | April 27, 2011, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
This is exactly the “silliness” the President was referring to in his speech. If ABC News can’t get serious about the issues facing us and off of the distractions, I will not watch them. Period.
Posted by: Carol | April 27, 2011, 7:26 pm 7:26 pm
Carol, It is not silliness when someone is caught in a lie. Yes, he was caught in a lie, and it wasn’t his first one by the way. He claims he can’t do anything about the gas prices, while he sics his greenies on Texas to shut down drilling for a dang lizard. His czars, acting on his orders, are stealing your freedom away from you bit by bit, and you just don’t see it. We are being nudged by regulations into a place no American wants to be.
Posted by: Susan | April 27, 2011, 7:37 pm 7:37 pm
“Unjustifiable…..no matter which measurement of unemployment you use rates have stabilized since the end of 2009. Anybody who doubts it can check the BLS charts.”
Posted by: Skip | Apr 27, 2011 5:54:01 PM
In what parallel universe did unemployment rates stabilize since 2009?
I suggest you revisit the BLS site. Chronic unemployment (> 99 weeks) is at record levels. The unemployment rate is much worse than it appears because our labor force is the same size it was ELEVEN YEARS AGO even though our population grew by over 30 million people during that time. Oh, and African-American unemployment actually went up last month while that labor force contracted. It currently stands at 15.5% with over 25% underemployment.
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
“Apparently only certified baloney-meisters think somebody would believe this, but voting for Republicans won’t lower anybody’s bills either, except their corporate masters’.”
Posted by: Skip | Apr 27, 2011 6:07:48 PM
Baloney costs 10% to 15% more now than it did when Obama took office.
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
You reporters and press people ARE responsible for this birther thing getting out of hand…you would run to anyone saying it and print it. You did the same thing with Sarah Palin…you made her more relevant than she actually was. She was your darling, you could not get enough of her…every last word she said you covered over and over each one of you making her seem important. Now you don’t touch her because you realize finally, that she is not relevant and not newsworthy. There were some of you from the beginning who did not worship at her feet but even Wolf Blitzer commented on everything she said. Lately, he hardly ever mentions her. If you all had not made her into some icon…she would never have achieved the little success she did. She walked away from her governorship because the job got too hard leaving her state in financial problems…why was she so important? She only wanted to become rich and there is nothing wrong with that but as a politician..she never really had the goods but you covering her made it seem she did. Too bad.
Posted by: talmag | April 27, 2011, 8:04 pm 8:04 pm
Posted by: talmag | Apr 27, 2011 8:04:34 PM
If Sarah Palin is so irrelevant why did you just spend your entire post discussing her? You’re obsessed with her. Admit it. It’s OK, the Huffington Post still is too. They have at least a couple of Palin articles every day and an entire SECTION of their Web site dedicated to her. Unless, you know, it’s totally normal for irrelevant people to get entire sections of Web sites dedicated to them.
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 8:13 pm 8:13 pm
As a person who has said from day 1 that President Obama was born in the US the person who choose to drag this out was president Obama head of the “most transparent administration in history”
As long as it was to his political advantage to hold it back, he did. Once it was costing him in the polls he released it.
That being said it’s amazing to watch Trump change his tune on the turn of a time and furthermore watch the press let him do it.
This proves there are advantages to not giving a damn what people think, but it still won’t get Trump the nomination.
Posted by: Datechguy | April 27, 2011, 8:14 pm 8:14 pm
What a sad state of affairs, when our President (after 2 years) takes his failures and tries to spin them to drive political issues.
Posted by: Bart | April 27, 2011, 8:28 pm 8:28 pm
The stock market is rising, however the value of the dollar is going down; you do the match….suckers….
Posted by: Bart | April 27, 2011, 8:29 pm 8:29 pm
Mr. Tapper, thanks so much for fact-checking the prez. Good work. Anyone who doubts you are a serious, objective journalist is just pouting because you don’t A) fawn over the president regardless of what he says or does or B) lash out at the president regardless of what he says or does. It seems you can’t win; no matter what you do, someone will criticize and claim you take sides (and not the side the critic happens to be on). Just keep doing the great job you are doing.
Posted by: Moderate | April 27, 2011, 8:50 pm 8:50 pm
Where are the JOBS????????????????
It’s not about birth certificates, republicans or democrats, or other nonsense topics. It’s about the destruction of the middle class by our government–by design. Kill the middle class and you kill the segment of the population with “some” power. That’s what this is about. Making sure the middle class has no more power. Wake up. It’s not left or right. It’s treason and the hijacking of our government by criminals.
Posted by: Karen | April 27, 2011, 8:59 pm 8:59 pm
I suggest you revisit the BLS site. Chronic unemployment (> 99 weeks) is at record levels
=====================
Duration is not a measurement of rate of change, and does nothing to prove unemployment is somehow accelerating when levels haven’t fluctuated by more than 1 point since the middle of 2009 after climbing 5 points the year previous to that.
Posted by: Skip | April 27, 2011, 9:01 pm 9:01 pm
Funny. I can’t recall Jake Tapper ever saying the word “untruth” when referring to the claims of the Birthers. Selective outrage methinks. Pathetic.
Posted by: suthrnboy | April 27, 2011, 9:02 pm 9:02 pm
With his money and backing he could probably produce a birth certificate for Moses…If it’s real, why didn’t he stop the “silliness” over two years ago and produce it and then say..”here it is now shut up”….
Posted by: Jane | April 27, 2011, 9:04 pm 9:04 pm
Posted by: zora | Apr 27, 2011 9:35:32 PM
Jake Tapper is a Democrat and arguably one of the best truly objective journalists in the entire business.
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
Jake Tapper has always been a stealth right-winger and ABC News is Fox News lite.
Posted by: David | April 27, 2011, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
“CHANGE” will be the only thing you have left in your pocket after this administration is done.
Posted by: Damian | April 27, 2011, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
Jake Tapper is just trying to defend himself and his occupation when in truth the more accurate measure would be what people remember from the news stories during that time period. Sensationalism always wins the day, unfortunately, and Mr. Tapper has participated in it, because, after all, it does increase ratings. Anyway, it’s been obvious since the Presidential Campaign that Mr. Tapper is either a closet Republican or a bigot. Our President was obviously not his choice and he doesn’t hide it very well.
Posted by: D. | April 27, 2011, 11:31 pm 11:31 pm
Jake, You LIE!
Posted by: Chuck | April 27, 2011, 11:59 pm 11:59 pm
Tapper’s continued pejorative comments and innuendo about the President, including this post, assures that this long time ABC & Newsweek follower will look elsewhere for my national political news.
Posted by: Jim Burke | April 28, 2011, 12:27 am 12:27 am
It is very clear that Obama sees the looming possibility that Trump can beat him in 2012. I’m no Trumpeter, either, but polls show Trump nearly head-to-head at this early stage against an incumbent president, and that is nothing for Obama to ignore. He’s trying to shut down the messenger that Americans are increasingly paying attention to. For good or bad, Trump presents a real threat to this president.
Posted by: Susan | April 28, 2011, 12:35 am 12:35 am
“Duration is not a measurement of rate of change, and does nothing to prove unemployment is somehow accelerating when levels haven’t fluctuated by more than 1 point since the middle of 2009 after climbing 5 points the year previous to that.”
Posted by: Skip | Apr 27, 2011 9:01:45 PM
What part of “the unemployment rate is much worse than it appears because our labor force is the same size it was ELEVEN YEARS AGO even though our population grew by over 30 million people during that time” don’t you understand?
Posted by: Chuck | April 28, 2011, 8:51 am 8:51 am
Give me a break Tapper. Obama used the term “dominant story” which is a vague term. He never referenced the “Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism.” You could barely call what Obama said an exaggeration, much less an “untruth”. To characterize the President as a purveyor of untruths during this press conference is cater the birther demographic. Tapper is legitimizing birthers and their repeatedly disproven conspiracy theories.
Read the comments and you will find many birthers taking solace in Tapper’s article. They are spouting all kinds of ludicrous and unhinged claims about Obama, birth certificates, and citizenship. After this article, the birthers are Tappers new fans.
Posted by: Greg Comlish | April 28, 2011, 9:30 am 9:30 am
Seriously, he found this untruth? I suspect this was to keep his objective creds while he avoids dealing with the real issues.
One would think that being president and all Obama could have gotten a notarized copy of his birth certificate.
One would think that after spending 2 million dollars or more to prevent it’s release the President would, when presenting this document, and in order to quelch further questions, if that was his intent,
MAKE SURE THAT THE ONE THAT HE POSTS ONLINE HAS AN EMBOSSED NOTARY SEAL .
One would think that Tapper might have noticed those details, and that without that seal that no agency within this same government would accept this form.
Now I have heard W. Goler (democrat) on fox telling us the seal is there but I defy you to find it for yourselves.
So honest Tapper, regale us with your insight on this non notarized form.
Posted by: MNM | April 28, 2011, 10:12 am 10:12 am
Obama ended the primary birther hysteria because, after two weeks into the “War on Ryan” campaign, he hadn’t made a noticeable dent in audience appreciation. What was worse was that his own minions in the media were working against his new campaign while they prolonged the “birther” saga with their attempts to embarrass various Republicans.
Instead of making Ryan and his budget the primary point of the current media narrative, the “birther” saga was letting other news, like high energy prices, slip into the news.
Meanwhile, various independents were showing there were susceptible to the “birther” doubts, while seniors were the group who now most embraced the Ryan budget. It was like Obama was invisible, a narcissistic death sentence.
Posted by: John Q Public | April 28, 2011, 10:41 am 10:41 am
Four years ago conservatives asked, “What has Barak Obama accomplished?” We were told he got himself elected president. Four years later that’s still his shining achievement.
When are you liberals going to realize how foolish you look supporting this guy? Too bad the entire country suffers in the process.
Posted by: Joe Blowe | April 28, 2011, 10:41 am 10:41 am
Everyone with any attention span and a minimum of intellectual honesty sees what Jake points out on an almost daily basis. This creepy third-rater is a bigger liar than Jimmy Carter, the most spectacular bunglar since James Buchanan and easily the worst POTUS of the 20th century. With his non-stop lies and inability to smear Paul Ryan despite the mighty Wurlitzer of the lamestream MSM, Obungler is going to go down as the WORST in the 21st century for a good long while. I am sad for my country that so many ignoramuses on the left support him blindly no matter what. The guy is a doofus.
Posted by: daveinboca | April 28, 2011, 11:15 am 11:15 am
it is refreshing someone finally from the msm calling Obama out for his lies and failures.
The worst president in modern times, an embarrassment to the country.
And please, all you Obama supporters, specify all he has done for the good of the country.
What is real unemployment?
Why is the Libyan war still not over?Remember now, Obama said it would last “only days”.
Why are gas prices skyrocketing and you are letting it slide unlike you did under Bush?
So, before you bust on Tapper for telling the truth and not the usual biased, letting Obama get away his failures, grow up and face the facts,Obama is through.And through no ones fault but his.
Posted by: your mama | April 28, 2011, 11:32 am 11:32 am
“Everyone with any attention span and a minimum of intellectual honesty sees what Jake points out on an almost daily basis.”
Yes, those are the requirements for being able to tolerate award winning Jake “The Hack” Tapper’s analysis.
Posted by: Remarkulus | April 28, 2011, 11:42 am 11:42 am
Obama is always lying about something, so this is no big surprise! 20 yrs. in a church and don’t know what the pastor is preaching-started then and hasn’t stoped! When I was looking for my first job out of high school-all I had was a Certificate of Live birth and they told me that was NOT a REAL birth certificate and to send off to the state and get a REAL one! That is how it is in every state that I know of. That is why so many people had doubts! Live birth just means you weren’t born dead and you do exist. I got my after I realized that when I was a kid. Where Obama is taking us with his spending and printing money and deflated the dollar is more important!
Posted by: TXAR.55 | April 28, 2011, 11:52 am 11:52 am
Regarding the PEW results:
“I’m not a professional like you, but I would imagine placement, both in print and during the hour and time of day, headline size, and even the reporters who report the story and the publication in which a story appears might contribute to an evaluation of dominance — a 500 word story on the front page of the Washington Post certainly contributes more to a story’s dominance than a 500 word story on A16 of the Fresno Bee. (No offense Bee.)”
“It would have been fine if you had put it into context — acknowledging up top that measuring newsholes doesn’t present a complete picture because it doesn’t take into account how stories are emphasized, promoted, passed around, and commented upon. Or what time of day they air. But you don’t acknowledge that at all. You set this up as a “contradiction” of what Obama said when it is, at best, a contextualization of it.”
Posted by: Ryan | April 28, 2011, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
Ahh, Jake, I’ve a question for you: If I use my PC’s text-to-voice screen reader app for this article of yours, should I stick with the terribly whiny voice that comes across in your article, or do I need to ramp it up a notch and use the il castrato setting?
Posted by: dnono | April 28, 2011, 12:35 pm 12:35 pm
President Obama has every right to claim that birtherism has dominated the media when supposedly “serious” journalists like Ed Henry of CNN ask the president’s press secretary at a White House daily briefing why the president didn’t release his birth certificate and when Donald Trump’s press conference gets full coverage on C-SPAN.
Jake Tapper is being defensive because he knows the media is doing a poor and unprofessional job of covering the White House. About a year ago, he accused the White House of being mean to his “sister” network, Fox News. Anyone who considers the liars on Fox to be sisters exposes their own bias against the president.
Posted by: Lon F | April 28, 2011, 12:45 pm 12:45 pm
Is this a joke?
You couldn’t be bothered to fact check a single thing that comes from Paul Ryan’s mouth, but you fact check and file a story on this?
Pathetic.
Posted by: Brian | April 28, 2011, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
This is pathetic. THIS is what you are going to spend you reporting efforts on? THIS is what you decide is worth 10 paragraphs of fact checking? What an embarrassment.
Posted by: mra | April 28, 2011, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm
Yes, Jake. I am glad you finally discovered something called fact checking.
Posted by: pvel | April 28, 2011, 12:57 pm 12:57 pm
If the president would be straight with Americans, the media wouldn’t have to constantly fact-check him. Spin I expect; blatant deception I don’t.
Posted by: Dan Kennedy | April 28, 2011, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm
So what that it was the #4 story. It was the perception that it was #1 that bothered Obama. It was #1 at the watercooler until tornadoes took over that conversation.
Posted by: Alan | April 28, 2011, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm
way to get your nose to the ground and report that the president isn’t checking google trends before responding to an issue the media has managed to make bigger than it really is. Bob Woodward would be proud.
jackass.
Posted by: LG | April 28, 2011, 1:20 pm 1:20 pm
Even if the birther “story” was only number 4, that, in & of itself, ought to be enough to embarrass the media. Why did this crap ever get coverage in the first place? Because “news” organizations are continually chasing the shiny object of the moment, hoping thereby to sell more eyeballs to advertisers. They don’t want to take responsibility for pushing such crap so they report on “reporting” about the “issue” by other outlets with no scruples (i.e., Fox Noyze), thereby perpetuating the lie. The wingnut mediasphere knows this very well (as do the droolers who rave about this stuff in the Comments section). The MSM is brain-dead, wingnuts are utterly dishonest & unscrupulous (not to mention racist) & the result is the squalid mess we laughingly refer to as our national discourse.
Posted by: signsanssignified | April 28, 2011, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm
What about all the untruths in Obama’s demagoguery of the Ryan plan? At least Ryan put a real plan forward with REAL cuts. Obama demagogues, goes unchecked, and puts out platitudes again, just like the campaigner he is. Glad handing friends on the golf course, playing basketball every free moment and then on to real important meetings like taping Oprah. Where is the time spent on the serious issues Obama supposedly wants to tackle? He is a joke and the media is a joke for playing such a protectionist role throughout his campaign and presidency. Tapper should be writing stories like this daily, we all know there is enough material for it with this President.
Posted by: Eddy | April 28, 2011, 1:35 pm 1:35 pm
What about all the obvious untruths in Sarah Palin’s story about the birth of Trig? I’m not saying Trig’s not her son. I’m saying there is not a sane woman in America who, if her water broke in Dallas, would give a speech, hop two planes, and drive two hours instead of going directly to a hospital. Not one. Imagine if Al Gore had been caught in an exaggeration like that … She’s either incredibly reckless and unhinged or she’s lying. But the media won’t address that. Why?
Posted by: JR | April 28, 2011, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
This is monumentally silly. What a revelation of the poverty of the press. Now let’s do an expose which reveals that many of the stories classed together by Pew’s PEJ as being about “the economy” were actually about different things only related if you use the broader abstract term “Economy.”
Posted by: Jim | April 28, 2011, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm
Jake, don’t confuse people with the truth and facts.
Obama is awesome./
Posted by: Bo, PWD | April 28, 2011, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
Anyone who considers the liars on Fox to be sisters exposes their own bias against the president.
Posted by: Lon F | Apr 28, 2011 12:45:56 PM
________________________________
Who lies at Fox and what are the lies?
Posted by: Juan | April 28, 2011, 2:52 pm 2:52 pm
Can someone please tell me the difference between an “untruth” and a lie?
Posted by: NOBAMANET | April 28, 2011, 4:26 pm 4:26 pm
Yep — another “journalist” I can scratch off my must-reads. This poor excuse of a journalist belongs in the pages of the Globe. I’m thoroughly embarrassed by my country, and this joker ain’t helping.
Posted by: Ship of Fools | April 28, 2011, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
tapper is abc’s very own orly taitz.
Posted by: zora | April 28, 2011, 7:17 pm 7:17 pm
I’m disappointed but not surprised by all the Obamabot comments. Blinders are firmly affixed and no one is going to pop my preconceived opinions. It’s a sad reflection on the voting public that so many are still taken in by the community organizer. There is little point Mr. Tapper in trying to educate the unteachable. Thank you for your efforts despite their being largely unappreciated.
Posted by: Paul Cooper | April 28, 2011, 9:52 pm 9:52 pm
MSNBC spent more air time on ‘birthers’ than Fox.
And how about some news stories about how many mainstream Democrats are ‘truthers’?
Posted by: Andrew in Toronto | April 28, 2011, 11:45 pm 11:45 pm
What a trivial report on a trivial error. The President was making the point that the press spent far too much time reporting on an imaginary story–and it did! I very much doubt that he checked the Pew PEJ before speaking.
Posted by: David L | April 29, 2011, 7:44 am 7:44 am
Beautiful, I’ve been thinking of putting up a springy wreath (even though it still feels and looks like winter in my area as well). thanks for the great idea.
Credit Counseling
Posted by: Credit Counseling | May 2, 2011, 8:24 am 8:24 am