Rick Perry Doubles Down on Birther Issue
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Perry in Iowa. Is he risking his candidacy with birther talk? Nati Harnik/AP Photo
Gov. Rick Perry will unveil an economic plan today that he hopes will revive the economy as well as his campaign, but in an interview prior to his speech, he returned to the birther issue which arose over the weekend.
“Look I haven’t seen his, I haven’t seen his grades. My grades ended up on the front page of the newspaper, so let’s you know, if we’re going to show stuff, let’s show stuff, but look that’s all a distraction, I mean I get it. I’m really not worried about the president’s birth certificate. It’s fun to poke at him a little bit and say ‘Hey, how about let’s see your grades and your birth certificate,” Perry said in an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood Monday night.
Over the weekend, Perry opened speculation over the birther topic when he did not give a direct answer about where he stands on the issue.
“I have no reason to think otherwise,” Perry said of President Obama’s birth place in an interview with Parade Magazine published Sunday. Perry said the topic of Obama’s birth certificate arose during a dinner last month with Donald Trump, who led the crusade to force Obama to unveil his birth certificate.
But when asked what Perry believed about it, he said: ”I don’t have any idea. It doesn’t matter. He’s the president of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.”
A spokesman for Perry said the Texas governor’s first answer “appears to be very clear.” But other Republicans have warned Perry of the dangerous line he’s dealing with when he brings up these birther topics.
“You associate yourself with a nutty view like that, and you damage yourself,” Karl Rove said Monday on FOX News. ”And I know he went and he’s trying to cultivate — as all of them are — Donald Trump, in order to get his endorsement, but this is not the way to go about doing it, because it starts to marginalize you in the minds of some of the people whom you need in order to get the election.”
“There’s a simple answer,” Rove said. “Yes, he was born in the United States, yes, he is eligible to serve, and don’t associate yourself with sort of this nutty fringe group.”
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I was always taught a question is never wrong or stupid. It is absolutely right for any citizen of this Constitutional Republic to ask that question and very wrong to marginalize them for it. We are to protect our Constitution and to follow it as our guide. Obama never resolved the questions, played long dragged out games and when even hinting to an answer he threw out some bogus questionable stuff experts found raised even more questions. Time will reveal these answers evn if powerful men like Rove, media etc. won’t. We should be able to see simple things as grades and papers and (senate) voting records if we feel it necessary in making our decision in voting for the highest office in the land for a once greatest country in the world! It smacks as a sham!
Posted by: Linda | October 25, 2011, 8:13 am 8:13 am
I am of the opinion that BOTH PARENTS should be american Citizens -not just one Parent –
The Language in the Constitution dealing with the ULIFICATIONS for A President needs The supreme court’s ruling on this matter to settle the issue once and for all.
Posted by: parackal thomas | October 25, 2011, 8:37 am 8:37 am
It’s absolutely ridiculous; it’s obvious the republican candidates have nothing to offer the American people so they rely on people like Donald Trump to set their agenda. Perry came out with a flat tax plan today. He’s so afraid it will get the same attention as Herman Cains 999 plan; he has to find some way to talk about something else.
Posted by: tmferretti | October 25, 2011, 8:56 am 8:56 am
Get over it, let’s get to more important issues!
Posted by: Connie | October 25, 2011, 9:13 am 9:13 am
Perry is trying to take attention off his ludicrous tax plan. Get this, an American family with mortgage; children and other deductions now pays approximately 8% to 9% of their total income in taxes. Perry says he wants to give them a choice, they can pay the 8-9 % or they can opt for a flat tax of 20%. Dah, does he honestly believe anyone under the current system will choose his 20%. Why do these republican candidates believe the American people are so stupid? oh, by the way the fat cats get a 15% reduction in taxes.
Posted by: tmferretti | October 25, 2011, 9:23 am 9:23 am
“Get over it, let’s get to more important issues!” – Connie
I’m with you Connie.
What I want to know is if Barry was breast fed or not.
I’m not a Birther but I am a Breaster.
Breasts are great! One of God’s greatest ideas.
: o )
Posted by: Noz | October 25, 2011, 9:50 am 9:50 am
“oh, by the way the fat cats get a 15% reduction in taxes.” – tmferretti
Not in GE’s case, it would be a 20% increase for them.
Besides Ferretti, wouldn’t it be more than 2x as patriotic to pay 20% instead of 9%?
Also, consider the huge increase in self worth for all of those folks who now pay no federal income tax at all!
Like President Barry said “Shared Sacrifice Shared Prosperity”.
Posted by: Noz | October 25, 2011, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Obama never resolved the questions…..
Posted by: Linda | October 25, 2011, 8:13 am.
Sure he did. Last April, if I remember correctly. Once and for all. The ONLY people who don’t believe he was born in the United States now are the hyper-partisan Right Wing fringe players who have nothing else to attack Obama on. They continue to try and marginalize him, to make him appear that he is one of “them” and not one of “us”. It’s a very thinly veiled racist attack and points out once again in big glaring letters exactly who the real crazies are in this country………..
Posted by: Searambler | October 25, 2011, 10:01 am 10:01 am
I’m very patriotic, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be stupid enough to pay 20% in taxes when I’m currently paying 9%. As John Wayne said in the Sands of Iwo Jima.” Life is hard; it’s even harder when you’re stupid”
Posted by: tmferretti | October 25, 2011, 10:02 am 10:02 am
Simple solution : Obama uses his Executive order power to extend his presidency for good, therefore there is no need for party division. I can quit and we all can quit our stinking jobs and live off government weekly unemployment benefits. Housing will be subsidized according to each individual need.
Posted by: ACDC2012 | October 25, 2011, 10:15 am 10:15 am
This birther issue is nothing more than a distraction; the republicans have nothing else to offer. If they want to make the Presidents grades an issue, I say go for it, that means we have the right to see their grades also, I think they would be embarrassed not only by their grades but by the classes they took, obviously none signed up for economics, maybe mostly comparative religion and such.
Posted by: tmferretti | October 25, 2011, 10:20 am 10:20 am
“There’s a simple answer,” Rove said. “Yes, he was born in the United States, yes, he is eligible to serve, and don’t associate yourself with sort of this nutty fringe group.”
Wow, the LAST thing I expected from Karl Rove was a true moment of sanity…………
Posted by: Searambler | October 25, 2011, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Those who still think Obama was born in another country are the same who think Saddam Hussein attacked us… a.k.a. Fixed News addicts…
Posted by: intelgent | October 25, 2011, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm
“I’m very patriotic, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be stupid enough to pay 20% in taxes when I’m currently paying 9%.” – tmferretti
Huuummmm . . . . . .
So Ferretti, would I be twice as patriotic as you if I only paid 4.5% in taxes?
Maybe not, but it sure warms the cockles of my heart to see you put in writing that it’s very stupid to give more money to the government. Deep in your DNA you must know that government is inherently inept and a Waste-o-Time™.
Hidden in your neuron firings you know that the only way to go is with Limited Government like the forefathers envisioned.
Posted by: Noz | October 25, 2011, 12:56 pm 12:56 pm
these comments by perry show exactley why he and other republicans will never become president these people are walking disasters to our future stability and commets so distasteful they think they will get voters to change there mind with such childish comments they are so far out of touch with reality its a danger to the american public to even let these people get on a ballot
Posted by: Mike Akers | October 25, 2011, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm
these comments by perry clearly telll the tale of why republicans will not be in office especially him he just burned a bridge with stupidity that just knocked him out of the race ( never would make it anyways)the republicans are like grade school kids trying every lie excuse etc. to justify there position and lets make this even more clear now president Obama will win his re election and when he is done it will be another dem that takes his place as president not some idiot republican morons…
Posted by: mike | October 25, 2011, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
NOZ
I feel this way; if I were rich I would at least want to pay my fair share. Paying more or less taxes doesn’t make you patriotic one way or the other, paying your fair share does. Anyone with any common sense would not elect to pay 20% (as the Perry plan endorses) when their fair share is 9 %. If you notice the rich in his plan get a 15% tax cut without a choice, it’s just given to them.
I
Posted by: tmferretti | October 25, 2011, 3:21 pm 3:21 pm
Birthers are idiots. People who support Birthers are idiots. Period.
Posted by: Searambler | October 25, 2011, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
Perry is a “nutty fringe group” all unto himself. Now, sit back and watch him take a machete to Romney. This is Texas-style politics at its crudest.
Posted by: ssolomon | October 25, 2011, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
Rick Perry questions whether the President is a natural born citizen of the United States. He has said that evolution is just “a theory that’s out there”. He has claimed that Global Warming is a hoax driven by the greed of scientists. He believes that the government should have a say in the medical decision in whether to terminate a pregnancy. I suppose there are a few voters to whom such positions make sense, but there can’t be too much room under their rock.
Posted by: WilliamDawesJr. | October 25, 2011, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
Thank you Karl Rove! Because of you and your like, we will continue to make sure that EVERY presidential candidate MUST go through practicallly a colonoscopy to be ‘properly and thoroughly vetted’, EXCEPT for Barack Hussein Obama, II (Barry Soetoro)!!!!!
So, WHY did Senator McCain (a former military man/POW/long-time U.S. Senator) need to be ‘properly and thoroughly’ vetted, as well as former Governor Sarah Palin (who has the $50, 000 bill to prove it), but the foreign-born, America-hating Usurper and his V.P. choice NEVER have to?!?! I thought the U.S. Constitution applied to EVERY one?!?! I thought our founding fathers put Article II, Section I, Clause 5 in the Constitution so that our national security would NOT be usurped?! I thought lying and deceiving was a moral, a value, an ethic to be despised, and if a presidential candidate did that (as Barry 0bama has done time and time again), then he has committted a crime and should be Impeached!!! Afterall, former Presidents Nixon and Clinton were………
Posted by: Sherry E. Wood | October 25, 2011, 8:47 pm 8:47 pm
Perry got C’s and D’s from Texas A&M. He got a D in economics and he’s going to get us out of this mess? Are you sure you want to ask for Obama’s grades when you can’t even get a B in a class! He knows he was born in the U.S. and he knows what a stellar student Obama was. But no one will ever take this further because this is how you manipulate the ignorant to vote for you.
Posted by: KarenT | October 25, 2011, 9:37 pm 9:37 pm