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* We’ve had some back-and-forth here about what the real reason was behind the refusal of a federal underage drinking grant by the Champaign city council and its mayor. The first time I wrote about the refusal in February, I quoted a council member questioning the “morality of accepting federal grant money for local purposes.” Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart appeared to agree with that logic at the time.
Several commenters questioned their reasoning, pointing out the large number of U of I students living in Champaign and the local taverns that depend on their underage drinking.
Then, last month, the city council voted to accept a big federal broadband grant, which the mayor had said the council ought to be “careful” about accepting back in February. So, we all figured it was about the booze.
But, now, a new CBS2 report has me wondering whether the first take may have been correct…
You can count Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart among those who doubt President Barack Obama’s citizenship.
The third-term Republican was asked Thursday at a Tea Party gathering in Champaign what he thought of Obama and answered, “I don’t think he’s an American, personally.”
“You know, if you’re not willing to produce an original certificate, a birth certificate, then you’ve got something to hide,” he added. “If he doesn’t have something to hide, produce it.”
His statements echo doubts raised by the so-called “birther” movement that has long claimed Obama was born in Kenya and is not eligible to serve as President of the United States.
Here’s the video…
Strange, eh?
*** UPDATE *** The AP called and the mayor is sticking to his story…
The 71-year-old Schweighart told The Associated Press on Friday that he stands by the statement.
“Oh sure,” he said. “My stand, and I don’t understand why everybody is so upset, is he’s never shown the original birth certificate.”
Wow.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 2:42 pm
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I guess I could never run for President because the only birth certificate I have is one that was printed out off of a computer and certified by Cook County a few years ago.
I guess I missed that part of the constitution.
Comment by George Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 2:47 pm
i am sure the Hawaii newspaper that printed the birth announcement for President Obama was in on the conspiracy as well. Idiots.
Comment by Moving to Oklahoma Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 2:51 pm
I would just run that as my commercial were I campaigning against him. What an idiot. Every single “birther” is an idiot (and perhaps something worse?). As per Neil Steinberg’s column in today’s Sun-Times, if you do need even further proof of his citizenship, an announcement about BO’s birth was written in his local Hawaiian newspaper the day after he was born. Why won’t people let it go? Its very troubling and says an awful lot about each of them.
Comment by Loosey Goosey Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 2:52 pm
my favorite quote about all this was from a McCain campaign aid.
“Don’t you think we already thoroughly looked into this? There obviously isn’t anything there.”
Maybe we should be able to recall our elected officials.
Comment by Ahoy Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 2:57 pm
Bet the mayor would have a tough time passing the 8th grade civics test.
Comment by Vole Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:02 pm
I lived in Champaign when Schweighart was police chief and then elected mayor.
When he headed the police department, they were notorious for racially-profiling black drivers, particularly U of I students.
As mayor, he hasn’t been much better.
Announcing his membership in the birther/tea party movement was beyond stupid.
Forget for the moment that Champaign has a highly-educated electorate.
Obama carried the City of Champaign precincts with 20529 votes to McCain’s 9,672.
There were only 6044 ballots cast in the 2007 mayoral election, and Schweigart’s up for re-election in ten months.
I think he just pretty much guaranteed that turnout is going to be up 50%.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:02 pm
I knew Jerry Schweighart personally when I lived in Champaign and he was very different. In May of 2005 at a City Council Meeting he openly said “Blacks need to know how to act” in response to the data from a DOT traffic study report that showed a disparity in stops of African American drivers of vehicles as compared to Whites. So suffice to say, I am not surprised he’s a tea party “birther” on top of this.
Comment by HR guy Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:10 pm
This birther theme is another layer in the loopy lasagna the right has been baking for two years. He’s not like us (psst, he’s a{insert racially offensive word here}) He’s a Muslim, a communist, a socialist, a Marxist, he wants to destroy our country, he hates the constitution, democracy, flags and kittens. He hates you.
There isn’t enough tin foil at every Cotco to block the cosmic rays bombarding these people’s brains. It is so damn tiresome.
Comment by And I Approved This Message Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:19 pm
Moving to Oklahoma’s comment reminds me of a piece I saw on FoxNews (yes - that fox news). They showed the birth announcements that were printed at the time of Pres Obama’s birth. Wow, that conspiracy was being crafted even back then? Really?
I have many issues with our President and disagree with him on many issues. These wack job birthers suffer from a collective delusional disorder that I don’t think the most powerful anti-psychotic Rx could penetrate (or legalized pot, for that matter).
They. Are. Nuts.
Comment by dupage dan Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:21 pm
Not strange, stupid.
Comment by Anon E. Mouse Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:27 pm
If you look at the past Illinois Blue Book’s boiographies of Obama from the late 1990’s when he was 13th Dist State Senator, they all state he was born in Hawaii. Guess the State of Illinois is in on that big conspiracy too. Who’d have thunk he was running for Prez even back then??
The birther community believes all that tripe for one reason–they want to. No evidence is good enough to change their already crystalized beliefs. That’s the problem with people on both ends of the political extreme. Neither side can accept the idea that maybe, just maybe, what they believe could be wrong.
train111
Comment by train111 Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:28 pm
How do we know Mayor Schweighart is an American? Anybody seen his birth certificate?
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:48 pm
I would like to see the proof just to ease my mind that he is old enough to be in office. The way he acts sometimes makes me think not.
Comment by NIEVA Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:51 pm
For the record, Schweighart voted against the Broadband grant too… he just was the only one to do so.
Comment by John Bambenek Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 3:51 pm
What an embarrassment.
These birthers should have some guts and just spit out what their real problem is with Obama. Gee, I wonder what it is?
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 4:10 pm
Wikipedia lists the following info regarding citizenship by birth abroad to one parent who is a US citizen:
For persons born between December 24, 1952 and November 14, 1986, a person is a U.S. citizen if all of the following are true [7]:
1. One of the person’s parents was a U.S. citizen when the person in question was born
2. The citizen parent lived at least ten years in the United States before the child’s birth;
3. A minimum of 5 of these 10 years in the United States were after the citizen parent’s 14th birthday.
It clearly appears from this that even if he was born in Kenya he would still be a natural-born citizen and eligible to be president, based on info about his mother that is well documented public knowledge. What am I missing here?
Comment by Excessively Rabid Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 4:12 pm
When these birthers get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 4:14 pm
–How do we know Mayor Schweighart is an American? Anybody seen his birth certificate?–
Schweighart? Sounds German. Karl Marx was German. Hitler was German.
How much more evidence do you people need!!! How long is the mainstream media going to protect this criminal!!!!!
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 4:30 pm
Excessively Rabid:
Lots of Obama critics like to focus on the “natural born” part of “natural born citizen.” The Constitution does not clearly spell out what that means, so some observers take it to mean you must have been born in the U.S. to be eligible for president, not simply meet the normal requirements for citizenship.
Comment by ToddAF Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 5:39 pm