There was no there there...

[dkf]

The commodity in question is credibility. Obama has shown he has it and a sad number of Repubs have shown they have none.

It was fun for the Repubs to make up crap but that is only a good bet if Obama hides his stats forever and never shows them up. Those who made crazy allegations are exposed as conspiracy theorists.

Now all their viscious attacks on Obama's mother about what could be wrong on the birth certificate are banished.

I'd like to think he released his long form as a tribute to his mother, especially with mother's day around the corner.

:)

[Poll_Blind]

1. Then Obama, or the Administration or spokespeople thereof need to put steam behind that message.

I'd love for someone in the Administration to give a comment like "What? What more do you need? Next you'll be asking for proof that he's black. Oh...Oh, no I bet the president's 'birth certificate' legitimacy critics are already well aware of that."

PB

[MineralMan]

2. I disagree. Snark doesn't work in our favor.

Straightforward presentations do. I wish we'd do more of that.

[dkf]

4. Yup. Destroy them with the truth and with sunlight.

[Poll_Blind]

6. Ok, and I can't say I disagree with you on that- but for this specific issue...

...how could it realistically be broached that this is about race, not hyper-concerned citizens eternally-vigilant against protecting the literal interpretation of the Constitution?

Releasing the birth certificate does achieve any positive political effect. Not unless it's the first part of some segmented thing and basically "the other shoe has yet to drop."

How does the administration squeeze more out of this than saying "Ok, we released the full birth certificate. Anyone who says anything else is being untruthful."

There's got to be something a little less-tepid than that. I'm talking about things the administration would realistically do in order to leverage this for maximum effect. Without going after the jugular with the birth certificate, I don't see any "moderate" handles to grab onto this thing and use it either to defend or attack with.

And, as I mentioned, with Trump asking for grades at Harvard, this defensive posturing puts any subsequent rejections for information in a negative light. It's the whole slippery slope. "Hey, he released his birth certificate for god's sake! Why not his grades?"

PB

[dkf]

9. He graduated from Harvard with honors

Let him release his grades and let them envy his intellect. It's funny how they now want him to release stuff that validates how brilliant he is.

[Poll_Blind]

10. No, I totally already know that. And he was the first AA elected to head the Harvard Law Review.

I knew these things and I also knew he was an American citizen.

The point is, we knew these things- but how defensive a posture will the Administration keep in order to defend allegations otherwise?

PB

[dkf]

11. It is funny how when I am attacked I see showing evidence as a strong hand.

Show your evidence with a smile I say.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. You just don't get it -

with these people EVIDENCE DOESN'T MATTER.

Evidence3 is irrelevant.

What was that bit? "Spread the word that he's a communist." "But you know he's no communist!" "Sure, but I want to hear him DENY it."

Responding just lets them set the agenda, and if it is not this it will be something else. They're already moving the goalposts. Facts don't matter. Making him reactive, rather than proactive, does.

[dkf]

13. I do get it but exposing more lameness only makes him look better and them worse.

I know you all would rather he say screw you, but that wasn't working so well.

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Fine -

now just sit back and watch the goalposts move.

There is NOTHING that will make him look better to their target audience.

You really don't know the other side.

[DefenseLawyer]

3. And then they'd be "playing the race card"

You can't win with these people. The nuts will never be satisfied. But, there are plenty of "legitimate" politicians who have gotten a lot of mileage out of "well, I think he was born here, but I don't know why he doesn't just release the records". Thus they could court the nuts without fully committing to being a nut themselves. For this reason it was a good move.

[Chris_Texas]

5. Obama has credibility? On WHAT exactly?

He hasn't even kept many of his simplest promises for Christ's sake.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blondeatlast]

8. Is that even possible? nt