8.14.2020

Harris Birther-ism

Trump - Harris Birtherism

Birther Déjà Vu

Every post I see is giving Trump hell about this but he didn't start it. He amplified it and made it a wingnut talking point but it started with this opinion by John Eastman in  Newsweek. 

Some Questions for Kamala Harris About Eligibility | Opinion

Newsweek caught so much hell over it that they followed up with this.

Editor's Note: Eastman's Newsweek Column Has Nothing to Do With Racist Birtherism

Dr. Eastman was focusing on a long-standing, somewhat arcane legal debate about the precise meaning of the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" in the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. His essay has no connection whatsoever to so-called "birther-ism," the racist 2008 conspiracy theory aimed at delegitimizing then-candidate Barack Obama by claiming, baselessly, that he was born not in Hawaii but in Kenya. We share our readers' revulsion at those vile lies.

.. 
Debating the meaning of these constitutional provisions and, in the particular case of Dr. Eastman's piece, the meaning of the 14th Amendment's phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof," is not an attempt to deny facts or to make false claims.

I call bullshit. It has everything to do with racist birtherism and right-wing propaganda. 

Eastman is a right-winger and has argued this before, 2008 Obama. He did not mention it in 2016, Rubio. He brings it up again now for Harris. It is an opinion article and I'm sure it's his opinion but the law is pretty well settled against his argument. "Debating the meaning of constitutional provisions" is fine but if you only drag it out at election time against a Democrat of color and not against white Republican it is "racist birtherism" in an attempt to swing an election.

Newsweek should be ashamed to play a part in obvious right-wing propaganda.  

tnb


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