Media Matters lies about Obama certificate issue ("The Definitive Birther Takedown")

Media Matters for America offers the un-bylined "The Definitive Birther Takedown" (mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200907280002). A brief glance shows it contains at least one lie and other misleading statements.

1. They proclaim the following as a "fact": "Not Only Has The Certificate Of Live Birth Been Verified By Numerous Officials, Other Primary Source Documents Verify Contents". That's an outrageous lie because the "Certificate Of Live Birth" as shown on Obama's site has never been verified by any official. For the details, see #1 here. Note also that, instead of quoting the statement that Chiyome Fukino actually gave, they quote a misleading Honolulu Advertiser treatment of that statement. Further, what MMFA refers to as a "Certificate Of Live Birth" is actually a "Certification Of Live Birth". The difference is explained here.

2. They show the birth announcement in that same paper without explaining why it isn't proof he was born there. See #1 here.

3. They claim this is a fact: "The State Department Of Health No Longer Issues Copies Of Paper Birth Certificates." That might be true, but does anyone think the president of the U.S. couldn't get Hawaiian officials - all of whom appear to be his supporters in my experience - to release his entire file? How dumb does MMFA think their readers are?

4. Regarding claims that the picture on Obama's site is forged, they cite FactCheck's "Born in the U.S.A." article, an article that's been spreading an outrageous lie since November 1, 2008. See #2 here.

5. Using the article by Spencer Kornhaber as a source, they claim that it's a "myth" that "Foreign-Born Children Could Acquire Hawaiian Certificates Of Live Birth". They clarify that to mean "The Law In Question Did Not Exist Until 20 Years Later". However, what they failed to do is to read the actual law (or they failed to understand it, or they failed to inform their readers). The law was clearly meant to be retroactive. Not only that, but adults could apply on their own behalf. Obama could have taken advantage of that law, despite it not becoming law until he was 21. That doesn't mean that he did, it just means that MMFA is yet again misleading their readers.

Sat, 08/01/2009 - 13:23 · · Importance: 6