(CNN) – Efforts to keep President Barack Obama's name off of the Kansas presidential ballot were halted Monday when a state board ended its probe over questions about the president's place of birth, the Kansas Secretary of State's office confirmed.
The all-Republican board made its decision after the person leading the objection, Manhattan, Kansas resident Joe Montgomery, dropped his challenge on Friday saying he had received threatening phone calls.
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Last year, Obama released his long-form birth certificate from Hawaii to quell speculation that he was not a U.S. citizen and may be constitutionally ineligible to serve as president. He has previously released a certification of live birth during the 2008 campaign. Both documents show that he was born in a Hawaii hospital on August 4, 1961. Contemporaneously published newspaper announcements also noted the birth in the Aloha State.
Monday's meeting by the State Objections Board, however, did not go down without some drama. Orly Taitz, an outspoken figure in the so-called birther movement, appeared at the gathering and demanded to speak, according to local television station KTKA, a CNN affiliate. She chided board members for overlooking other questions about the president's citizenship.
Obama supporters forcefully responded at the meeting, and both parties were ordered to leave the building by a security officer. It's also worth noting that Kansas Secretary of State, Kris Kobach, is known for his tough stance against illegal immigration and has served as an "informal adviser" to Mitt Romney's campaign.
The Kansas ballot measure is one of several examples of the birther movement's still-persistent presence this election year. Officials in Iowa and Arizona, for example, called for presidential candidates to show proof of U.S. citizenship before they can appear on the ballot–a not-so-veiled nod to birther conspiracists.
While the Republican Party at large brushes off the movement as a distraction, and despite proof to the contrary, some continue to give voice to the issue, notably real estate mogul Donald Trump. Romney, meanwhile, drew criticism recently for making an apparent quip about the issue.
"Ann was born at Henry Ford hospital, I was born at Harper hospital. No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised," Romney said at a Michigan campaign event.
Obama's campaign quickly seized on the comment and faulted Romney for not "standing up to the most strident voices in his party."
The president, however, pokes fun at the issue himself. Campaigning in Florida recently, Obama ran into a six-year-old from Hawaii and jokingly asked to see his birth certificate.
– CNN's Ashley Killough, Peter Hamby, Jim Acosta and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
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Out of over 300 million Americans, the crazy birthers number about 5 million. The Kansas Kook Kobach did not know that Obama's mother was born in Kansas.
President Obama will not win Kansas, but it sure beats 2nd amendment remedies to fix the birther craziness there.
it isn't the birth certificate that has many wondering about his place of birth. it is his words and deeds that have many wondering. and after all the lies he's told over the last 4 years, many don't trust him.
Orly Taitz? The foreign-born head of the birther movement? That's like having a black member of the KKK.
This Birther is crazy stuff. Enough of these GOP idiots. World is laughing at GOP idiots in 21st century. Obama12. Period.
Aaaaand, this little piggy had klan sheets....
One more addition in the history book of the Republican party
Orly Taint and her idiotic band of birthers (along with Mr Combover) are nothing but xenophobic wack jobs with nothing better to do in their pathetic lives than dream up conspiracy theories about the president (and any other pol they don't like).
"Kris Kobach, is known for his tough stance against illegal immigration"
Hahahahaha...yes..."papers please" is just a "tough stance." Yuo running out of whitewash yet, CNN?
Kansas maybe succeed from the union along with Texas–stupid
Phone calls were probably from the CIA – LOL!
Kansas should probably forget about all government monies they get as well......
Vote republicans and you can expect more of this nonsense.
Just sayin said:
"it isn't the birth certificate that has many wondering about his place of birth. it is his words and deeds that have many wondering..."
---
Hey Just Sayin' – Get a grip! ... Bin Laden is dead, and GM is alive! Enough said!
Sounds like he got a 3 AM phone call from someone who told him this is not really helping Romney at all. Because the indepent voters are going to sympathize with President Obama with increasing national press coverage.
@just sayin
it isn't the birth certificate that has many wondering about his place of birth. it is his words and deeds that have many wondering. and after all the lies he's told over the last 4 years, many don't trust him.
September 17, 2012 04:00 pm at 4:00 pm |
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Like what? Weapons of mass destruction?
These teaplukkklans are turning this country into Cuba or worse because we don't expect elected officials to suppress our right to vote!
We should keep Willard off the ballot tiil he shows us the tax returns,
NO TAX RETURNS NO VOTES!
Only a right wingnut would think that our president's getting rid of al Qaeda leadership is unAmerican.
How is it possible – after the release of the birth certificate, verification by the health dept. & governor of Hawaii – that this idiocy goes on? Apparently, the end of the US will come at the hands of the cretins who refuse to accept facts.
Has Romney provided his birth certificate yet? Wasn't his father born in Mexico? Didn't his father also admit to being brainwashed by communists? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a communist anchor baby running for the highest office in the land.
"Orly Taint and her idiotic band of birthers (along with Mr Combover) are nothing but xenophobic wack jobs with nothing better to do in their pathetic lives than dream up conspiracy theories about the president (and any other pol they don't like)."
I blame the MSM 100%. People like Oily Taint should be mercilessly shot down with facts and ridicule, but the false equivalence rules the day. It is "improper" and "inappropriate" for he MSM to call blatant, demonstrable lies the lies that they are. Instead, they must perpetuate the lie by treating it as a legitimate "opinion" that requires many hours of bobbleheaded pundits hemming and haaawing and having pseudo-serious discussion of it during primetime in order to drum up the controversy and get more viewers and clicks for their ad revenue. I and many others would rather watch youtubes of apes eating their own feces than watch a gaggle of overpaid jackholes pretending to journalism like this...and CNN wonders why viewership is down?
He Just Sayin; I don't think YOU'RE American & definitely not Christian by your blog, grammar & handle.
"it is his words and deeds that have many wondering. "
Yeah, I mean, who else but a mixed-breed Kenyan muslim would kill bin Laden and ramp up the drone program that kills so many innocent muslim civilians in foreign countries in order to kill al Qaeda leadership? Clearly, he's on their side! Face it...the only thing that had people "wondering" was his "tan" and the GOP/Teatrolls knew it and ran with it.
what the GOP needs to understand is that it needs to represent what America looks like TODAY! Not 30-40 yrs ago. The anglo's are slowly becoming a minority yet how many minority faces did you see at the RNC?