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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 > Entry
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.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Martin Gottlieb, Miami Valley Politics, National Politics, Short editorial
Comments
By lastmanstanding
September 13, 2009 7:34 AM | Link to this
Wow, this is journalism at its finest. Go to YouTube, watch a video and write an editorial. Brilliantly lazy! Using this same model, I am puzzled as to why you didn’t apply the same hard work to Van Jones. Couldn’t find any YouTube videos of him spewing his anti-American rheteric? Ellen and Martin, you and your left wing rag are pathetic. Dayton deserves better. (Oh I love how your web site erases all comments by adding to or changing the story. Pretty effective censorship for negative comments.)By fed up
September 14, 2009 4:05 AM | Link to this
A good story to tell about Rep Schmidt. She was injured while jogging, and received better care in Germany (a universal health care country) than she received in the US(a price gouging health insurance country)By lastmanstanding
September 14, 2009 7:11 AM | Link to this
Another LIE; She was coming back from a trip to Afghanistan and started to experience severe pain (undiagnosed broken rib and vertebrae injury) after being hit by a car while jogging. The plane stopped in Germany and she received treatment for the injuries. Fed Up, you are busted!By drunken orangetree
September 14, 2009 12:50 PM | Link to this
Actually, lastman, fed is exactly right. “Schmidt, who was hit on Loveland-Miamiville Road about 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, sought medical treatment but was treated, released, and back at work in her district office by Wednesday afternoon. Her spokesman, Bruce Pfaff, said she thought she was just bruised. But when Schmidt left Friday for a congressional trip to Afghanistan, it became obvious she was more seriously injured than doctors had originally thought. “Upon landing at the United States Air Force base in Germany on her way to Afghanistan, Rep. Jean Schmidt experienced a great deal of pain and was temporarily unconscious,” Pfaff said. “She was immediately taken to a local hospital where upon a CT Scan it was revealed that the incident on Wednesday when she was struck by a hit and run driver had caused more injuries than first detected at a local Cincinnati Hospital.” Schmidt was diagnosed with two fractured vertebrae and two broken ribs that X-rays did not previously detect. She was treated in Germany and flown back to Cincinnati for examination and further treatment at University Hospital in Cincinnati, and is now “supposed” to be resting, Pfaff said. He said the campaign will reassess her schedule later in the week, depending on how she is healing.”By lastmanstanding
September 15, 2009 8:00 AM | Link to this
Orangetree- your facts are exactly as I read. My shorthand response was inadequate. My point of contention with fed up was his insinuation that Rep. Schmidt made a “choice” to go to Germany for treatment, thus making a value point comparing “government run” vs private hospital care.By lastmanstanding
September 15, 2009 8:03 AM | Link to this
Orangetree- your facts are exactly as I read. My shorthand response was inadequate. My point of contention with fed up was his insinuation that Rep. Schmidt made a “choice” to go to Germany for treatment, thus making a value point comparing “government run” vs our current system of medical care.By fed up
September 18, 2009 3:14 AM | Link to this
lastmanstanding, she was hit by a car in the USA and treated and released at the hospital here, the internal injuries were found later at a hospital in Germany. If I lie check with my sources the DDN.By Jake
September 21, 2009 4:33 PM | Link to this
These “birthers” are just the latest in a long series of conspiracy theorists. They’re just as deranged, divorced from reality and pathetic as the people who claim we never landed on the moon.