So today President Obama released his long-form birth certificate proving that he is a natural born American citizen and thereby eligible to be the President of the United States of America. Of course, the reaction from many people is that the only reason this was an issue in the first place is because Mr. Obama is the first black president. They didn't do this to any other president. Why have they chosen Mr. Obama? In other words, those brining these charges are racists. First, let me say that I am a conservative and I thought the birther thing was absolutely stupid and should have never been made an issue in the first place. There are far more important issues on the table than this dude's birth certificate. We are fighting multiple wars, we have an economic crisis on our hands and the price of coffee is at a thirty year high. I would rather focus on getting my americano back down to a reasonable price than rummage through documents in the state offices of Hawaii.
With that said, does this mean that I agree that the main motivating factor behind the birther movement is racism? No. I think the main motivation behind the birther movement is political. It is an easy target at which to aim to discredit Obama as a political opponent. Yes, there probably many birthers who are racists. But that doesn't mean that the movement itself is racist. Just a thought.
