Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Does “birtherism” have its benefits?

Few things are more bizarre than the notion that President Obama was not actually born in Hawaii but in Kenya—yet this conspiracy theory has apparently captured the imagination of a large number of Americans. According to this theory, Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, effectively surrendered her United States citizenship prior to the birth of her son—and since her husband, Barack Obama Sr., was not a citizen of the United States, but a native of Kenya, Obama Jr. is not a citizen of the US either and thus not eligible to be President.

For the record, I don’t buy any of this stuff. If credible, irrefutable evidence casting doubt upon Obama’s eligibility status actually existed, the Hillary Clinton campaign would have obtained and revealed such evidence, forcing Obama out of the 2008 race. (Even if the Clinton campaign failed to uncover such evidence, a media entity opposed to candidate Obama’s aggressively progressive agenda—think Fox News or the Washington Times–certainly would have exposed the truth prior to the November 2008 election.)

However, let’s assume for the sake of argument that the “birthers” are on to something. What if Democrats knowingly nominated a non-citizen for the highest office in the land? What if the party’s operatives knew full well that everything wasn’t copacetic with his certificate, and allowed him to become the nominee anyway?

Would that be an outrage, from a conservative standpoint—or an opportunity?

At bottom, the “birthers” argue that Democrats essentially smuggled an undocumented immigrant into the White House. If that’s the case, then why don’t Republicans do the same?

Surely, there are some solidly conservative foreign-born Republicans who are “more American than Americans themselves.” Millions who came to the United States to seek prosperity fell in love with this country’s history, traditions and values; more than a few of these “new Americans” must be of Presidential timbre, no?

Somewhere, there has to be a brilliant, firmly conservative non-citizen who loves the Constitution—well, at least the more “relevant” parts of the Constitution—and would do a better job of governing the country than some of the folks we’ve had in the Oval Office over the past two decades. So why don’t Republicans groom such a person for the White House and keep the pesky citizenship stuff hidden? Worked for the other guys, right?

If the “birthers” are correct—that Obama made it to the White House by stealth–then there’s nothing wrong with deciding that turnabout is fair play. Steering a foreign-born Republican into the White House would be one heck of a feat; if GOP operatives could keep under wraps anything that gave away the actual birth location of a charismatic conservative contender, it would be the masterstroke to end all masterstrokes.

If one has a resolute love for this country, why should it matter if one just happened to have been born in another country? Is it not possible that a foreign-born President could have a greater appreciation for this country’s uniqueness than a natural-born Commander-in-Chief who has taken this country’s preciousness for granted? If a secretly foreign-born Republican Presidential contender had the potential to inspire a rebirth of patriotism in the American people, then why not put that candidate on a path to victory, even if one must use unconventional tactics in order to make such a victory a reality?

The “birthers” believe that Obama is tearing the country down. Would these folks have a problem voting for a Republican Presidential candidate who vowed to build the country up, even if that candidate had, shall we say, citizenship issues? If the GOP nominated a candidate who was suspected to be foreign-born, but who promised to cut taxes, appoint strict constructionists to the bench, strengthen the military and promote a culture of life, would the folks currently asking for Obama’s birth certificate really pressure that candidate to verify his or her eligibility?

Considering the poor quality of recent “natural-born” Republican Presidential contenders, a secretly foreign-born GOP aspirant with real conservative credentials wouldn’t be such a bad thing. If people born outside of the United States are good enough to be neighbors, co-workers, friends and spouses, why should they be denied the chance to fight for the Presidency? If Obama did conceal his “real” eligibility status, it was only because American xenophobia forced him into the citizenship closet. That’s intolerable—and if this xenophobia also stands in the way of a highly skilled, strongly conservative Republican becoming President, then conservatives should support any effort, no matter how seemingly radical, to get such a person elected despite such archaic attitudes.

And if this strikes you as patently ridiculous, ask yourself: Is it any more ridiculous than “birtherism” itself?