Thursday, July 23, 2009

Matthews vs Rep John Campbell re: Rep Posey bill

July 22, 2009

Updated list of birth certificate posts
Matthews & Rudy Giuliani (video/transcription)
Matthews, Dee Dee Myers & Blankley (video)
Matthews & Axelrod (video/text/body language)

Chris Matthews going full bore at the birthers trying to protect barry. He doesn’t even stop to question why barry hasn’t just released his actual birth certificate like he has been claiming for the last year he did. Here he’s going after Rep John Campbell (R-CA), who is one of the nine co-sponsors of Rep Posey’s birth certificate bill that would simply require FUTURE presidential and vice presidential candidates to present their birth certificates. It has nothing to do with barry (this term) but the democrats and barrymedia want to make it that way. Matthews shows his lack of knowledge by calling it a birth CERTIFICATE and sayong NATIVE-born not natural born. Somebody should really clue him in.

MSNBC TRANSCRIPT & Video

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MATTHEWS: Plus, we‘re going to look at the so-called “birther” movement, the people who somehow believe that Barack Obama does not have a birth certificate and therefore isn‘t a U.S. citizen, certainly not a natural-born U.S. citizen. Most of those birthers are Republicans, and this is becoming a big problem for the party.

MATTHEWS: Take a look at this incredible video from a recent town hall meeting in Delaware with Republican congressman Mike Castle, in which a woman brandishing her own birth certificate makes her case.

MATTHEWS: I think we‘re in an insane asylum. Anyway, it gets worse. The real problem is that what‘s left of the Republican base is very open to this kind of fringe talk. We‘re going to talk and show you more about that video, more of what you just saw from that person later in the show tonight.

MATTHEWS: You think right-wing conspiracy theories about President Obama calmed down after he was elected? Well, think again. Moderate Republican congressman Mike Castle, the former governor of Delaware, held a town hall meeting in his state and he got more than he bargained for from some of his constituents. Take a listen to this.

Video of Rep Castle’s Townhall meeting.

MATTHEWS: Well, they‘re just giving the Pledge of Allegiance apropos the sort of the nut case going on there. Anyway, nutty questions about the president‘s birth certificate are being raised not only at Republican town meetings, but also in Congress, where a group of Republicans are sponsoring a bill to require future presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates. One of those Republicans is Congressman John Campbell of California.

Congressman, thank you for joining us. The reason this is fascinating is that meeting. But let me tell you, the prime sponsor of this, your colleague, Bill Posey of Indiana—[It's Florida] here‘s what he said. “I can‘t swear on a stack of Bibles whether he‘s a citizen or not.” He‘s talking about the president of the United States. His spokesman says, If the guy would produce an authentic birth certificate, an authentic birth certificate, we could stop all this. And then Congressman—Congresswoman Blackburn says people in her district in Tennessee are losing faith in the American system because they don‘t believe this guy is a citizen.

[He puts the bill together with barry]

What is going on that so many Americans doubt the obvious, that Barack Obama is a citizen, to the point that you felt it necessary to co-sponsor this crazy proposal?

REP. JOHN CAMPBELL ®, CALIFORNIA: First of all, Chris—we‘ll get to the proposal in a minute. The proposal is not crazy. The proposal is just looking forward, and I want to get to that. But wouldn‘t you like to put all this to rest? That‘s what this proposal is about.

MATTHEWS: How does this put it to rest?

CAMPBELL: This controversy—let me first say this controversy is not new. Remember there was questions about John McCain. Had John McCain become president—I remember then Senator Obama had to come out and say, Look, I don‘t think John McCain‘s eligibility to be president is an issue, and he was able to put it to rest. But the fact is, if John McCain had become president, you‘d be having this issue on the other side. If you want to go back, people thought that Barry Goldwater was not qualified because he was born in the Arizona Territory and that Mitt Romney‘s father, George Romney, was not eligible to be president because he was born in Mexico.

[McCain brought the issue up himself and provided his birth certificate.]

So, this is not a new issue. What this bill does is very simple.

It‘s only looking forward, as you suggested. It‘s 2012 and beyond.

MATTHEWS: Right.

CAMPBELL: And it just—it—well, let me back up.

You know, the Constitution, as you know, there‘s lots—most elements of the Constitution have implementing legislation. This particular element of the Constitution does not. And this is just implementing legislation…

MATTHEWS: Right.

CAMPBELL: … just saying, look, before you run for president, let‘s make sure—let‘s have you substantiate that you meet the constitutional requirements, that you‘re 35 years old…

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: Why is that crazy though, Chris?

MATTHEWS: Congressman, nice try. But what you‘re doing…

CAMPBELL: Well…

MATTHEWS: It‘s a nice try, what you‘re offering. And I‘m laughing with you only to this extent, because I know it‘s a nice try.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: What you‘re doing is appeasing the nutcases. As you just pointed out, this won‘t prove or disprove whether Barack Obama is a citizen. By the way, let me show you his birth certificate.

CAMPBELL: Right.

MATTHEWS: That‘s the way to deal with it. Mail this birth certificate to the wacko wing of your party, so they see it and say, I agree with this. It‘s over. What you‘re doing here is doing what the Republicans did after Roosevelt got elected to a third and fourth term. You said, you can‘t do it again. You‘re verifying the paranoia out there. You‘re saying to the people, you‘re right. That‘s a reasonable question, whether he‘s a citizen or not.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Is it a reasonable question, Senator—Congressman? Do you believe it‘s a reasonable question whether Barack Obama is a legitimate native-born American? Is that a legitimate question?

CAMPBELL: Chris, isn‘t it a legitimate question? And, let me ask you, isn‘t it a legitimate question to know…

MATTHEWS: Is it? Here is his birth certificate.

CAMPBELL: Chris, Chris, if—anybody who runs for president, you, me, whoever, that we meet the constitutional requirements, 35 years of age, been a resident of the country for 15 years, whatever it is, and a natural-born citizen. Don‘t you think anybody that who runs for president should—wouldn‘t you want to know that, that they meet those requirements before they run? What‘s wrong with that?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: OK. Let me ask you this. Do you have any doubts, Congressman, about the authentic native birth in this country of our president? Do you have any doubts?

CAMPBELL: Chris, my—it doesn‘t matter whether I have doubts or not.

MATTHEWS: Do you have any doubts?

CAMPBELL: It doesn‘t matter at all.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Oh, you won‘t answer the simple question. See, that feeds this.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: I agree with what…

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: No, no. You are feeding the wacko wing of your party. Do you believe that Barack Obama is a legitimate native-born American or not?

CAMPBELL: That is not what this bill is about, Chris.

MATTHEWS: No, what do you believe?

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: As far as I know, yes, OK?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: As far as you know?

CAMPBELL: Yes.

MATTHEWS: I‘m showing you his birth certificate.

CAMPBELL: Oh, I can‘t—I‘m looking at a camera right now.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Oh, you want me to mail it to you?

CAMPBELL: No.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: It‘s on the screen now. Take a close look.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: It says Barack Hussein Obama. He was born August 4, 1961, in Honolulu. Is that a state? Yes, it is. His mother was Caucasian. His father was African. What more do you want?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: He‘s male. He was born, by the way, at 7:24 p.m. in the island of Oahu. But what more do you want? I‘m serious. You say as far as you know. You are playing to the crazies.

CAMPBELL: Chris, what is wrong…

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Just tell me—OK, give me…

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: No, you tell me what—that—because that bill is not about Barack Obama. The bill is about anybody—the bill is about anybody who runs for president.

MATTHEWS: Well, then what about you? What are you about? I‘m asking you, Congressman. You know what? You have a lot of authenticity. You‘re a U.S. congressman. Say it now. He‘s a legitimate president of the United States. He was born in this country.

CAMPBELL: He is president of the United States.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: No. Was he born in this country?

CAMPBELL: Yes, I believe so.

MATTHEWS: OK. You‘re—I‘m glad we‘re making progress here.

CAMPBELL: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: You know, your colleague who put this bill in a—no, but the reason your colleague—you co-sponsored a bill by this guy Posey.

Posey‘s spokesman said, we want to see an authentic birth certificate from this guy. His people said, he—his—this is what the congressman said. “I can‘t swear on a stack of Bibles whether he is or is not a legitimate native-born American.”

You guys are playing to the wacko wing. Now, I‘m glad that you have just left the band of merry men and women who are out there jumping up at hearings of people like Mike Castle, who is a normal person, and raising what is really not a good question to raise.

Now, the reason I bring this up with you is, you say this will put the issue to rest. Do you think barring a president from serving more than two terms put to rest whether Franklin Roosevelt should have been elected a third and fourth term? Do you think it really put that to rest, or was it a way of whacking the guy on the way out the door?

CAMPBELL: No. It—he did serve more than two terms. You mean…

MATTHEWS: And why did you guys on the Republican Party side pass a constitutional amendment to say you couldn‘t do that again?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Because you wanted to say, let‘s not have this happen again.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: Right. And that‘s…

MATTHEWS: Right.

CAMPBELL: And what we‘re saying here is, let‘s not have questions about it again. As I said…

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: There are no questions.

CAMPBELL: No, no, but…

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Here is his birth certificate. Where are the questions?

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: But, Chris, the questions, even those questions will go away if there‘s a process, because, if John McCain had been elected, people would be questioning him, too.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: OK. Congressman, one last question.

CAMPBELL: Sure.

MATTHEWS: Do you believe, by passing a bill, that no more presidents, no future president can be elected without showing a birth certificate will put to rest whether Barack Obama was born in the United States or not?

CAMPBELL: I believe…

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Do you think that will put it to rest?

CAMPBELL: It—yes, it probably will. Yes, it probably will.

MATTHEWS: How will it put it to rest? How will it put it to rest?

CAMPBELL: Because—well, because he will probably run again in 2012. Is that what you mean, or what?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: OK. You‘re saying that he has to show a birth certificate to get reelected president? Is that what you‘re saying?

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: Chris, it‘s about going forward, OK?

MATTHEWS: OK.

CAMPBELL: It is about ensuring that anyone who runs for president meets the constitutional requirements, so we don‘t have that problem.

MATTHEWS: OK. OK. OK.

CAMPBELL: You have a major in the United States Army now saying he‘s not going to serve because—there‘s a lot of this rippling out there, and this would put it to rest in the future, not now. You‘re correct.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Let me tell you how to put it to rest.

CAMPBELL: OK. I‘m listening.

MATTHEWS: Get a copy of Barack Obama‘s birth certificate, which, by the way, you didn‘t have to have—to be on this show to get a copy of it…

CAMPBELL: No, I know. I know.

MATTHEWS: … if you had any interest in finding it, because, before you signed onto this bill, I would have recommended to you, if I were one of your staffers, find out if Barack Obama has a birth certificate that shows he‘s born in this country before we proceed in this wacky direction, because this will send a signal to the whole world—if the U.S. Congress passes a bill and asks the president to sign it, that says no future president can get in the door without proving he‘s a citizen, I think he might get the message that he‘s just been profiled as a suspect in this case.

[Who's connecting the two? And barry doesn't have to sign it.]

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: Chris, let me let you think about who is—whether it‘s wacky to say that you shouldn‘t have to prove you meet the constitutional requirements before you run.

MATTHEWS: OK. OK.

CAMPBELL: Why—what‘s—I‘m not sure that‘s not a wrong thing to say.

MATTHEWS: OK. I want to see the letters that you send to your constituents. And I want to know whether you tell them, you know, sir, I have a copy of his birth certificate. We really don‘t need it for this president, but I understand the need for future presidents. But I just don‘t want to see people playing to the nut wing, and you say you‘re not doing that.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: Absolutely not doing that.

MATTHEWS: OK.

CAMPBELL: In fact, it‘s the opposite, Chris. It will shut this stuff down.

MATTHEWS: No, it won‘t.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMPBELL: All right. Well, we can disagree to disagree on that.

MATTHEWS: No, no, it won‘t, no.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: If this shuts it down, I will be shocked.

CAMPBELL: OK.

MATTHEWS: Thank you for—you‘re a great guy to come on the show, Congressman John Campbell, who does believe—watch the rerun at 7:00 — he does believe that Barack Obama is an American.

So, those wackos in your district out there, don‘t vote for this guy, because he fundamentally disagrees with you. Anyway—I‘m just kidding.

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