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Posted on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.

Tim Walberg says he doesn't know if Obama was born in the U.S., but then affirms his citizenship

By AnnArbor.com Staff

Thumbnail image for Tim-Walberg-110609.JPG

Tim Walberg

Former U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg told listeners of a Battle Creek radio show Thursday morning that he "really didn't know" whether President Barack Obama was born in America and whether he believes the president is Muslim.

But later that day, when asked about the interview, Walberg — who is challenging U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, for his 7th District congressional seat — told the Citizen Patriot that Obama is "certainly an American citizen."

Walberg's comments on the radio came after a caller asked him if he believes the president is an American.

"We don't have enough information about this president," said Walberg, the Republican candidate. Walberg was congressman for one term before Schauer defeated him in 2008. The 7th District includes western Washtenaw County.

In a written statement to the Citizen Patriot Thursday evening, Walberg had a different message.

“The issue is that President Obama is not doing what our nation needs to prosper," Walberg wrote in the statement. "I take the president at his word that he's a Christian, and he’s certainly an American citizen and my president.”

Comments

Awakened

Sat, Sep 25, 2010 : 6:52 a.m.

My mother lives in Battle Creek. She has the choice of Schauer, who clearly has not voted far left of the majority opinion there, or Wahlberg, who is clearly a nut. She says that she is starting a write in campaign for Donald Duck.

clownfish

Sat, Sep 25, 2010 : 6:43 a.m.

IAN, so McCain was not eligible either? A "liberal media" take on the court case that was thrown out http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-5452727-503544.html The Judge complains that the plaintiffs "have encouraged the Court to ignore these mandates of the Constitution; to disregard the limits on its power put in place by the Constitution; and to effectively overthrow a sitting president who was popularly elected."

clownfish

Sat, Sep 25, 2010 : 6:39 a.m.

@INSIDETHEHALL-"Tim Walberg will wax Mark Schauer. Schauer is out of the mainstream and voted with Nancy Pelosi over 90% of the time" So? What is this "mainstream"? Lot's of people are for reigning in insurance companies and Wall Street Banking firms (you know, the ones that got us into this recession). I for one am getting a little tired of people claiming that only THEY are "mainstream" or that THEY claim to speak for all Americans. Check the last election, Obama won by a huge margin. Pelosi won her election, and won the election in theHouse for Speaker. That is how the republic works. @TOPCAT- Why not just release the long form of the original birth certificate and put an end to all this. Because it is ILLEGAL under Hawaii law. Would you have the law broken because of some mouths on the airwaves and crazy theories? The person that is responsible for verifying the certificate has done so, a judge has thrown out the birther lawsuit. It really does not matter where he was born anyway, his mom was a citizen, therefor he is a citizen, JUST LIKE JOHN MCCAIN, who was born n Panama @BUNNYBOT- as pointed out, the 7th includes portions of Washtenaw county. Perhaps, Like Mr Walberg, you need to do some fact checking before entering the voting booth @TECHNOJUNKIE-@SemperFi: actually, Rush says that Obama is obviously a leftist atheist and not a Muslim. Try listening to Rush instead of what Democrats say about him. Actually, Obama is a centrist Christian. But, don't let facts get in the way. @IAN, He was not elected, he was installed. Really? Then what do you call a free and fair election with the electoral college doing as mandated by the Constitution? Did the "liberal media" (GE, VIACOM, Knight Ridder, Gannet etc) somehow infiltrate the electoral college? Where these the same people that are hiding the birth cert? How about it, people that claim to be a supporter of our Constitution, do you not believe that a persons religion should not be used as a condition for public office, do you not believe that a naturalized citizen can hold high office, do you not think the electoral college is the appropriate way to elect a president? Make up your minds. Or, is this like Moses Ten Suggestion, you only follow them when it suits you, but demand that they be posted everywhere for others to follow? You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. What is really worrying is that so many people cheered when the previous president ran up debt, declared two wars (off budget), rounded up people without charges, passed laws that helped Wall Street firms bet the farm and ran roughshod over the Const (see Supreme Court decisions that Bush lost), NOW these same people are out spreading misinformation about the Commander in Chief while He fights the two wars the other people wanted. These same people said it was "un-American!!!" to question a president during war, now they do it daily. Like Walberg...flip...flop...flip...flop.

Ian

Sat, Sep 25, 2010 : 6:28 a.m.

@Edward, I think you are very confused. You write, "So, try again. According to Wikipedia, had Obama been born in Kenya, he would be a "natural born citizen." If Obama were born in Kenya, he is a natural born citizen of Kenya. NOT the U.S. Therefore, ineligible to run for president in the U.S. You have to be a natural born citizen of the U.S. to run for president of the U.S. That is why, a few years ago, there were talks to CHANGE the Consititution so that Arnold Schwarznegger could run for president since he was not born in the U.S. Jennifer Granholm can't run for president because she was born in Canada. Get it? I do not think you should find another name for yourself. I am sure Edward R. Murrow would have known such a simple and obvious law.

Ian

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 9:48 p.m.

@Edward, You are right. Jonh McCain was not eligible either. Those in conrol are making a mocker of our Constitution. They are in the process of destorying it in order to take away all of our rights and freedoms.

Ian

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 9:29 p.m.

@Edward, You said: "Read it for yourself, if you like, but it makes clear that, even if President Obama had been born in Kenya, he was a "natural born" citizen and therefore eligible for the presidency under Article 1, Section 2." "This is what makes this birther nonsense absolutely hilarious, for even had President Obama been born in Kenya, he'd still be eligible to be the president." WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! In order to be the president of the U.S., he/she MUST be born in the U.S. I cannot believe you are ignorant of that fact. Go study the most important document, the Constitution of the U.S. I will make it simple for you. Here is the Wikipedia regarding the elegibility for the president of the U.S. It is really sad how misinformed the citizens of the U.S. have become of our laws. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_born_citizen_of_the_United_States

Ian

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 9:05 p.m.

@skylding, It is NOT up to me to prove anything. It was up to Obama to prove he was U.S. born. Something he failed to do and he deceived the masses. The reason why Obama was able to get away with a forged COLB is because the establishment and media chose Obama to be our president. He was not elected, he was intalled. Just as the establishment and media fooled the masses (including bedrog) into believing that Iraq had WNDs and a nuclear weapons program, they foolded the masses into believing Obama was a natrually born citizen of the U.S. Get it? I've provide enough clues for you to do your homework in my previous post. If you want the truth, I'd suggest you look into my claims. All I request is that you think for yourself and do your own research. It is absolutely vital that Obama proves he was born in the U.S. Otherwise our rule of law (the Constitution of the U.S.) means nothing. The Constitution that made this country free and great.

aatownie

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 9:03 p.m.

The only way that the discourse in our country will move out of the mud slinging and gutter is for this type of story to NOT be given ANY airtime or print. The 24/7 news cycle and the blogs need to start reporting on the important events and not just try to fill the airways and the internet with inflammatory senseless drivel.

Jaime

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 8:19 p.m.

Like so many people running for office on both sides, but much more so on the right, it not about the truth or what is best for the country. In his comments to the newspaper he refuses to acknowledge that the congress were the ones who relaxed the rules that lead to the economic melt down. Walberg wants us to return to days of GW. Like that worked for 8 years!!!!

bedrog

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 8:06 p.m.

scylding and amlive...re ian,he has actually been quite personally beneficial to me,in that his posts ( and certain others') encouraged me to profitably invest in the aluminum foil companies that produce the homemade helmets such folks wear. scylding...thanks for the kind words. moderators at a2.com are free to provide you with my real info if you want to get in touch,as from other threads we seem to have some common non-political interests.

amlive

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 6:22 p.m.

I think it best not to respond to posts like Ian's. While there is the very remote possibility that the comments may (sadly) be in ernest, I have to believe them more likely to simply be playing an antagonistic character to raise angst. If these thoughts are genuine, there's nothing you're going to be able to say to change his mind (you'd have better luck heading down to Covington, KY for a nice discussion on evolution). I'm guessing they are simply for personal entertainment of raising angst and watching tempers flare. Either way, don't let it get to you.

Scylding

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 6:06 p.m.

@Ian Why don't you go ahead and substantiate your claim, rather than lobbing a bomb? Believe me, I wouldn't give a fig if Obama were proven not to have been born here, and for that matter to be here illegally and therefore deportable, but since you seem to know that the birthers are right, pray do offer the evidence...

David Frye

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 6:06 p.m.

One of the bedrock moral principles of our civilization is -- to quote one familiar source -- "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." What a disgrace that a candidate for office from Washtenaw County should publicly display such low moral standards. Tim Wahlberg, for shame.

Scylding

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.

Once again, Bedrog shows independence of mind and does not throw his weight behind one extreme or the other just to spite political adversaries. For my two cents worth, there are plenty of ways to defeat Obama's statements and philosophies without resorting to the birth certificate. However, you will note that Walberg did not say that Obama should not be president given the controversy about the certificate, either, did he? Also, I see a number of people saying that Walberg has said a lot of stupid things, but it would appear to be so much noise signifying nothing, since these comments were very sparse on, if not devoid of, details.

David Cahill

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 5:38 p.m.

This story demonstrates once again how lucky we in Washtenaw County are to have Mark Schauer as one of our representatives in Congress.

Ian

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 5:30 p.m.

Initially I thought the birther were crazy. Hoewever, having an open mind, I decided to look for myself. Rather than just ignoring the accusation. 30 minutes was all it took to realize the birthers were right.

bedrog

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 4:19 p.m.

semperfi/techno junkie...your debate over whether or not 'birthers' like beck and limbaugh are joking or not is irrelevant and not unlike the silly and fatuous arguments about what the koran or bible etc. 'really ' means... bottom line: real people including, extremists from both poles (like 'birthers', 'jihadists, 'anti-gayers', 'apologize -for- your enemy -even -when- he's -trying -to -blow- you -upers')will put their own construction on things and act accordingly. That's reality. and there are several on this thread i have in mind.

Bob Needham

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 3:40 p.m.

(Comment removed due to a personal attack.)

John

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 3:27 p.m.

Walberg is a Birther? A Churcher? No big surprise there! He has once again demonstrated his loose grip on reality. I heard Walberg try to scare some elderly Washtenaw County residents by sowing lies about the Health Care Reform law. To say he is loose with facts is putting it mildly!

julieswhimsies

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 3:20 p.m.

Unbelievable. Keep it up, Walberg. Keep it up. Tell us what you really think. You are showing us exactly who and what you are.

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 3:02 p.m.

The Jackson Paper stated "Tim Walberg says he doesn't know if Obama was born in the U.S., but then affirms his citizenship" Walberg affirms Obama's citizenship!. End of Story.... (even if there is no Live-Birth hospital document available - showing his doctor's name, blood type, birth weight, etc.) None of that is important and supporters don't care. Why all the Questions? Just follow along for crying out loud. End of Story.

Pam Wilson

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:57 p.m.

Totally irresponsible. The last I knew, Mr. Walberg, the citizens of this country respected the Office of the President and the man who occupies it!

SemperFi

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:57 p.m.

@Tjunk: What Rush likes to "tweak" is the truth. He and Walberg use lies, innuendo and half-truths to see what sticks. You know, "Just throwing it out there." Did you ever see a copy of G.W. Bush's military record? Oh, that mysteriously disappeared, too. Rush and Walberg defended him to the end on that, even though many people that actually knew him say he was AWOL for the final several months of his duty cycle. But to the original point, Walberg's comments about Obama's birth and religion have been debunked time and time again. But he'll whip any dead horse if he thinks it will get him some traction with the far right. Walberg will lose... again.

KeepingItReal

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:52 p.m.

Just when I am fed up with the Dems and are looking for alternatives candidates (Republican) to cast my vote for, along comes a Tim Walberg. Uhh!

Jeremy

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:47 p.m.

Irresponsible and completely wrong. Walberg shows, yet again, that he's the absolute wrong man for the job.

Go Blue

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:44 p.m.

Unbelievable! We've got foreclosures escalating, homeowners losing their homes in a steady stream, can't find a job, pets being relinquished or left behind and this absurd conversation is taking place. As the old cartoon said "just plain cuckoo." There you have it. In a nutshell.

bluehoo

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:41 p.m.

I reside in Washtenaw and Walberg represented my district before and Schauer now--so please everyone don't think that this isn't relevant just because we don't all live in Ann Arbor. This news service is used by a lot of the surrounding area too--this district covers maybe a third of the county. As for Walberg, he said and did crazy things when he was representative (I received his constituent email and was always amazed) and it looks like he hasn't changed. I also receive Schauer's constituent email and it usually provides info, not just partisan statements.

Brad

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:39 p.m.

It seems that "birther" only violates guidelines for the morning moderator. What would *you* call them?

leaguebus

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:37 p.m.

Walbergs latest ads also accuse Schauer of axing half a billion from the Medicare budget. Another outright falsehood. By the way, 20% of the people in this country still believe that the President is not a citizen. We are in for an interesting couple of years if guys like Walberg get elected. It may be time to move north of the border for some sanity.

Ed Kimball

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:36 p.m.

It appears the "post-chronicle" site no longer exists. At least my browser doesn't find it.

Technojunkie

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:36 p.m.

@SemperFi: yes, Rush does like to tweak uptight liberals with bits like "Imam Obama". It's a joke. Saying it during his "comedy hour" was a bit of a clue. Watching the subtleties of conservative humor sail over the heads of "sophisticated" liberals is a lot of fun. Your links point to the certificate of live birth that the State of Hawaii laser printed a few years ago from its electronic records. Where's the original paper birth certificate from when he was born? That's what people are curious about. My mom still has mine. Yes, I know Obama attended university. I'm talking about his academic records. Papers from his time as a professor, mostly. It would be nice to know what he thought from sources other than his autobiography and assorted sycophants. I've noticed that Democrats like to take what we right-wingers say, tweak it into something different and create straw men arguments out of that. Then we have to expend effort untangling the mess and by that time normal people are bored and move on. It's really annoying.

shadoe

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:33 p.m.

I have been following Walberg for years, as I live in Tecumseh. He has issued the most idiotic statements over the years, and this one about Obama's citizenship only shows the stupidity of his thought process. Anyone who votes for him is just as unintelligent as Walberg is. Unfortunately, most conservatives who would vote for Walberg live under rocks.

David Briegel

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:44 p.m.

Don't ever trouble them with facts. They only believe what Rupert and his Saudi partner want them to believe. Downward spiral!!

David Briegel

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:42 p.m.

The lunatic right just can't resist as they cynically pander their ignorance back and forth to one another. Dumber and dumber and dumber!! Can you imagine if they actually win in Nov and the orange man becomes speaker?

Cash

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:28 p.m.

Is this person for real? I would hope that these idiotic remarks just took away any hope he would have of winning anything, including dog catcher. He's a disgrace to Michigan.

Forever27

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1 p.m.

once again showing how ridiculous the "Birthers" really are. Truth has a known liberal bias.

pbehjatnia

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.

We don't know enough about this president? What else do we need to know? The color of his underwear? We really do have TMI in walberg though: dumber than a stone.

SemperFi

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 12:40 p.m.

@Tjunk: actually, I do listen to Rush from time-to-time for comic relief. And, actually, on his August 19th comedy hour, he refered to our president as "Imam Obama, America's first Muslim President" and said that Obama "turned NASA over to a Muslim outreach program." Typical hydrocodone induced rhetoric from the big man. Stop perpetuating the myth that Barack Obama's birth certificate has never been disclosed. It is in fact a matter of public record. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html You can check these trustworthy, relevant sites that debunk any of the extreme right's blather regarding this topic. Oh, and regarding his unversity records... http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/columbia.asp http://www.factcheck.org/2010/02/obama-at-columbia-university/ Don't rely on Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck for all your exhaustive, investigative research. How does Rush put it? "I'm just throwing it out there."

Speechless

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 12:37 p.m.

Let us each gracefully acknowledge our imperfections and vulnerabilities. Any one of us could fall victim to the temptation of conspiratorial thinking. Thus, with considerable humility, a personal confession must now be made: I don't actually "know" whether or not Tim Walberg was born on Mars, nor can it be conclusively determined if he believes the president is on acid. However, should Mr. Walberg release his birth certificate to the public, we can at least better establish whether or not he is related to Marky Mark Wahlberg.

amlive

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 11:42 a.m.

Wow. Just, wow. Bunnyabbot, "The fact that they haven't released his birth certificate just gives people the whole conspericy slant to go on about it." - you're not one of them too, are you? The fact that no one has mailed you an original copy does not constitute "they haven't released" it. It's been released, made available for public viewing, authenticated, etc. Sometimes when people are "made out to be some sort of looney (racist, birther, islamaphobe etc)", it is because the ideas they seem to believe are simply looney, racist, birther, islamaphobe, etc. The fact that this is even a topic of conversation in our media, and especially among our elected officials, brings grave concern over the potential future of our country. The movie "Idiocracy" comes to mind. As to A2.com's left-leaning political slant, I just don't see that either. In spite of the very liberal readership, the paper (at the time known as Ann Arbor News) endorsed Bush not just in 2000, but in 2004 as well. When the 2008 election came along and they knew they would probably alienate 90% of their readers if they endorsed a Republican again, they shamelessly weaseled out of endorsing anyone at all, claiming they felt neither Obama nor McCain were suitable for the job. Hardly a good indicator of hard left liberal paper at heart. Maybe you see publishing this about a candidate in a different district to be politically motivated. Myself, if anyone who may end up part of the government of my state perpetuates wacky conspiracy theories like this, I think it's fair to let us know about it.

Technojunkie

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 11:38 a.m.

@SemperFi: actually, Rush says that Obama is obviously a leftist atheist and not a Muslim. Try listening to Rush instead of what Democrats say about him. The Kenyans think that Obama is one of theirs and his original birth certificate has never been disclosed, just a computer printout showing an entry in the State of Hawaii's database, but I agree with Walberg that it just doesn't matter. Or wouldn't unless there's a coverup but good luck proving that. Even Wikileaks can't find that nor Obama's university records. Obama's current destructive policies are far more relevant topics.

bunnyabbot

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 11 a.m.

quite honestly I don't know why a2.com posted this. Some canidate from Battle Creek, who is not running in ann arbor or in washetenaw county or for a state position comments were only posted in a story here b/c of the left leaning a2 crowd. If you question the birth issue or the religion issue than you are made out to be some sort of looney (racist, birther, islamaphobe etc) The fact that they haven't released his birth certificate just gives people the whole conspericy slant to go on about it. a2.coms posting this seems motivated.

Mikey2u

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:58 a.m.

Just another reason to vote for Democrats in November.

Mikey2u

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:55 a.m.

Right-wingers are always good for a laugh.

Top Cat

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:39 a.m.

Why not just release the long form of the original birth certificate and put an end to all this.

eastsider

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:37 a.m.

My comment was inexplicably truncated. The full quote I was commenting on is: Former U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg told listeners of a Battle Creek radio show Thursday morning that he "really didn't know" whether President Barack Obama was born in America and if he believes the president is Muslim.

eastsider

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:35 a.m.

AA.com staff writes: " Former U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg told listeners of a Battle Creek radio show Thursday morning that he "really didn't know" whether President Barack Obama was born in America and >>if

InsideTheHall

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:34 a.m.

Tim Walberg will wax Mark Schauer. Schauer is out of the mainstream and voted with Nancy Pelosi over 90% of the time.

Huron74

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:29 a.m.

The whole "birther" issue is a gift that just keeps on giving. Cui bono? Cynic that I am I think that it is kept alive by some for their own political benefit.

SemperFi

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:28 a.m.

Mr Walberg is only repeating what he's heard from Rush Limbaugh. They throw out comments like, "Well, I don't know if he's a Muslim." or "I don't know if he was born in America." or "There isn't enough information about him." Of course he's displaying his ignorance of facts, but as ridiculous as that is, it will still stick with a number of people who are predisposed to believe anything they hear on the radio or TV. Walberg is desperate to get a job that pays a salary. I guess that bible sales thing didn't work out for him.

Tex Treeder

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:17 a.m.

It's the "Big Lie." Keep saying something outrageous and eventually many people will start to believe it.

ex734

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 10:14 a.m.

Why is being "christian" so important to being a president, senator, etc.?

concernedinsaline

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 9:59 a.m.

Mr. Walberg, it would appear from your picture, and your name, that you must be of a Western European background. Your ancestry clearly precludes your qualification to lead our great country. You must be a socialist at heart. Thank you to the reporters who continue to ask Republican candidates these most ridiculous questions. I only ask my fellow citizens to consider the idiocy of the responses when they go to vote.