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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > September > 12
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Editorial: Is Jean Schmidt a birther?
Reports surfaced Wednesday, Sept. 9, that U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt had told a “birther” that “I agree with you.” There was, in fact, a video on YouTube, though it had some technical problems.
“Birthers” are the people under the delusion that legitimate questions exist about whether President Barack Obama is a citizen, about where he was born. The issue has been exhaustively researched by nonpartisans. (See FactCheck.org or politifact.com, for example.) It’s over.
So if a member of Congress from the Dayton area is still in denial, that should be widely known. (Rep. Schmidt’s 2nd District, based east of Cincinnati, reaches up into Lebanon.)
Politico, an important, nonpartisan online publication out of Washington, said Wednesday:
“Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) may be the worst stage whisperer in recent American political history. At a Labor Day event in Cincinnati, Schmidt was approached by a slightly unhinged constituent who wanted to know why she wasn’t demanding to see President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. … (T)he exchange … captures the wink-wink game some GOP pols are playing with the birther fringe….
“When the woman stops talking, Schmidt leans into her ear and whispers — loudly enough to be picked up by the mic: ‘I agree with you, but the courts don’t.’
“Schmidt is referring to a string of recent court decisions throwing out birther lawsuits.”
After it surfaced, Rep. Schmidt issued a press release:
“The president is indeed a citizen of this country and constitutionally qualified to be President of the United States. … The video clip being circulated by some is part of a longer conversation with a woman who was very upset about a number of things. … I did agree with her view that the Constitution should be strictly interpreted. I was trying to be kind. …”
The statement is good news and seems to settle the matter of where she stands. If Politico jumped to conclusions, that’s because a lot of people have doubts about Rep. Schmidt’s judgment, based on past performance. But let’s not rehash the litany.
The flap has a good upshot: she’s now on record. She doesn’t deserve any great credit for political courage. Mainstream conservatives generally are not birthers. Still, it’s a relief.
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