“[Obama is] just very, very scary. Now, I know there’s a lot of people that are very skeptical as to whether he was born in Hawaii. Personally I believe that he was. I actually believe he was fibbing about being born in Kenya when he was trying to get into college and doing things like writing a book and on and on and on. So if there was weird stuff going on, I actually think it was happening back in his college days because I think he has spent $1.5 or $2 million through attorneys to have all the college records and all that stuff sealed. If you're spending money to seal something, that's probably where the hanky panky was going on.”
—Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett proving he’s an even bigger jackass than I thought. When asked about his comments later, Bennett replied, “I have no personal knowledge about what happened.” But he’ll sure pretend he does!
I had emailed Bennett previously about the whole “I’m not a birther, I just play one on TV” thing. He never responded. Total shock, I know. I had to email him again about this egregiously racist claim.
And yes, I call it racist because this is the second time he’s attempted to tie Barack Obama to being Kenyan (or pretending to be Kenyan) in some way — supposedly in the name of vetting him — yet Mittbot™ escapes the same scrutiny. Remember when George W. Bush used to crack jokes about being a C student at Yale? Imagine Barack Obama doing that.
Go on. Imagine it.
It drives these people up the wall that Barack Obama, a charismatic black man, not only succeeded at an Ivy League University, but went on to have a successful career as a professor and became president. Not to mention he wouldn’t have to spend money to have college records sealed because of privacy law.
In other words, clutch the pearls and pray to all the angels and baby Jesus, because there’s an intruding BLACK man in our WHITE House. </sarcasm>
The cherry on top of this racist sundae is Bennett has formed an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2014. It’s never too late to start pandering to your base.
Anyhow, here’s my email to Ken Bennett. If you’d like to email him too, his email is kbennett@azsos.gov
[Image Text:
Dear Mr. Bennett,
I previously wrote you regarding your dabbling in birtherism. To refresh your memory, please view the email here: http://cognitivedissonance.tumblr.com/post/23321374521/my-email-to-ariz-secretary-of-state-ken-bennett
I was thrilled to see you finally back off the pursuit of Barack Obama’s birth certificate after Hawaii satisfied your desires. However, I do believe you should investigate whether or not Mitt Romney is a robot. This is a very real possibility. View the evidence here, here, and here. I have just as much evidence that Romney is a robot as Sheriff Joe Arpaio has that Obama was born in Kenya. But no matter…
I am writing regarding your recent comments about Obama lying about being born in Kenya in order to get into college. You said:
[Obama is] just very, very scary. Now, I know there’s a lot of people that are very skeptical as to whether he was born in Hawaii. Personally I believe that he was. I actually believe he was fibbing about being born in Kenya when he was trying to get into college and doing things like writing a book and on and on and on.
First off, citation needed. Second, I heard a rumor you lied about being a gay Chinese Buddhist from Lincoln, Neb. in order to get into Arizona State University. In reality, you’re a straight white Mormon from Tucson, Ariz. BORING. No wonder you lied.
Please refute these allegations, or else I will assume they are true. After all, I have as much evidence as Arpaio regarding Obama’s birthplace, and just as much evidence about your college attendance as you do about Obama’s. Also, would your office please call for Romney to refute the allegation that he lied about being a human being to get into Harvard.
Cheers,
Meg]
“{By] threatening to exclude Mr. Obama from the ballot, [Arizona's Republican secretary of state Ken] Bennett transformed what should have been a farcical sideshow of the 2012 election into an actual menace to democracy. He legitimized the lunatic leanings of the United States’, and his party’s, most extreme elements. He put it in the minds of radicals everywhere that elected officials, for the shabbiest reasons (or none at all), can float the idea of bending ballot rules and suffer no adverse consequence. In the process, he shamed Arizona on the 100th anniversary of its statehood, giving it the appearance of a banana republic that’s come unhinged under the influence of partisan fever.”
—From a Washington Post editorial: In Arizona, the birther plot plays on - The Washington Post
Let’s repeat Ken Bennett — who is planning to run for governor — “shamed Arizona.” No kidding.
My email to Ariz. Secretary of State Ken Bennett
You know the Secretary of State in Arizona who’s demanding Obama’s birth certificate to certify him for the ballot? I thought I’d give him some helpful suggestions via email:
[Image text pasted below]
[Image Text: Dear Mr. Bennett,
I imagine it can be difficult when you have constituents like Sheriff Joe Arpaio pressuring you to make sure that brown-skinned guy in the White House is really allowed to be president. And then when it appears he really is allowed to serve, well, I bet all hell breaks loose, right? I mean, Sheriff Joe makes a hullabaloo with his report a few weeks ago, stirs even more folks up, and I am sure you just thought, “Why not compromise? Why not send that $5 money order? It’ll make ‘em shut up.”
Well, you gave in to the fringes of this great country. They now own you - or at least they think they do. This is one of many requests I imagine the birther faction will make. Why not verify Mitt Romney? After all, folks just sued in California this March questioning Romney’s eligibility… his dad DID spend time in Mexico… Romney’s claimed several states as his home… Is that not suspicious enough? [Note: I’m being sarcastic, sir, but fair IS fair.]
May I make a suggestion?
Buy these in bulk: [Image of a coffee mug featuring a picture of Barack Obama, Barack Obama’s birth certificate, and the text ‘Made in the USA’]
You can purchase them here. I propose these mugs are a better use of taxpayer dollars in Arizona than kowtowing to the birthers who will likely demand further investigation.
It’s much simpler, too. One of them walks in to your office, your administrative assistant hands them a mug. One of them calls your office, your administrative assistant sends them a mug via USPS. One of them faxes you, well, you get the idea.
I cannot believe a man such as yourself is able to buy into the inherent racism of the birthers and would lack the spine to them no, the White House has already released Barack Obama’s birth certificate, and you can view it online. I pray this was only a momentary lapse of judgment. Right?
Sincerely,
Meg Lanker-Simons
Editor, Cognitive Dissonance
@meglanker
meglanker@gmail.com]
If you’d like to email Ken Bennett, his email is kbennett@azsos.gov. I’ll post a response if I get one.
I’m sick of this shit.
Hawaii to Arizona: Prove need to verify Obama's birth | Detroit Free Press
freep.comThe attorney general’s office in Hawaii is telling Arizona’s secretary of state that if he wants confirmation of President Obama’s birth records, he’ll have to prove he legitimately needs it.
Special Assistant Joshua Wisch said late Friday that Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett hasn’t done that despite numerous email and phone exchanges between their offices.
Wisch says Hawaii state laws require Bennett to show legal authority that this office needs the records to update its official lists as part of its ordinary work.
Wisch says as soon as Bennett gives Hawaii adequate authority, the Aloha State will verify Obama’s birth.
"I'm Not A Birther", I Just Believe Everything They Say
Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) told KFYI he’s not entirely convinced President Obama was really born in the United States and suggested he could be knocked off the state’s presidential ballot.
Said Bennett: “I’m not a birther. I believe the president was born in Hawaii — or at least I hope he was. But my responsibility as secretary of state is to make sure the ballots in Arizona are correct and that those people whose names are on the ballot have met the qualifications for the office they are seeking.”
Ken, personally, is not convinced? He thinks Obama needs the same qualifications that made him President to be on the ballot for his re-election? How flawed is that logic?
Arizona Secretary of State goes birther to keep Obama off the ballot
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.comNot all Republicans are racist… but if you’re a racist, there’s a 99.9% chance you’re a Republican. And if you live in Arizona, you’re probably holding elected office.
Arizona Secretary Of State Says It’s ‘Possible’ Obama Won’t Be On Ballot | TPMMuckraker
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.comThe man in charge of running Arizona’s elections has gone to the birthers. Secretary of State Ken Bennett now says he’s not convinced Barack Obama was really born in the United States and so he is threatening to keep the president off the ballot in November.
Bennett’s comments came in an interview late Thursday with conservative radio talk show host Mike Broomhead on Phoenix station KFYI.
Bennett said he was following the lead of the state’s eccentric Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a fellow Republican who ordered an investigation into the president’s birth certificate last year and concluded the document released by the White House is a forgery. Bennett said he is now trying to get verification from state officials in Hawaii that the certificate is authentic.
In doing so, Bennett caved to a fringe group of activists and writers who believe in a conspiracy theory that just never seems to die no matter how much proof they get. Hawaiian officials have said time and again that Obama was born there in 1961, yet the theory persists.
Bennett, the state’s No. 2 elected official just below Gov. Jan Brewer (R), said his investigation isn’t personal. He said the reason he started looking into it is because he got more than 1,200 emails asking him to do so after Arpaio’s investigation came out.
“I’m not a birther. I believe the president was born in Hawaii — or at least I hope he was,” Bennett said on the show. “But my responsibility as secretary of state is to make sure the ballots in Arizona are correct and that those people whose names are on the ballot have met the qualifications for the office they are seeking.”
State Leaders Talk Cars at Clean Cities Legislative Breakfast
SmartPower participated in the Clean Cities Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday, February 28, at the Arizona State Capital. This annual event is an opportunity for businesses involved in alternative fuel vehicles to showcase new technologies for state leaders.
Below Left: After test driving the Tesla sports car, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett excitedly discussed the experience with the Tesla owner and CEO of GOE3, Bruce Brimacombe.
Below Right: Arizona SmartPower State Director Toni Bouchard shares information about the Arizona Solar Challenge with event-goers.
From school buses to UPS delivery trucks and sports cars to business fleets, various vehicles fueled with natural gas, bio-fuels and electricity were on display at the event. In addition, several businesses that support infrastructure for fuel alternative vehicles, such as electric charging station companies, also exhibited their technologies.
Many of the businesses and organizations that attended the event are part of the Electric Vehicle Stakeholder project that SmartPower is leading for the State of Arizona.
Arizona's Secretary of State goes birther, says Obama might not be on ballot
dailykos.com
Republicans say they have an emergency battle plan in place to make sure Arizona doesn’t end up in President Obama’s win column in November. Could it be this?
The man in charge of running Arizona’s elections has gone to the birthers. Secretary of State Ken Bennett now says he’s not convinced Barack Obama was really born in the United States and so he is threatening to keep the president off the ballot in November. […]
Bennett said he was following the lead of the state’s eccentric Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a fellow Republican who ordered an investigation into the president’s birth certificate last year and concluded the document released by the White House is a forgery. Bennett said he is now trying to get verification from state officials in Hawaii that the certificate is authentic.
Bennett says it’s nothing personal against Obama, it’s just that he’s gotten all these emails from people asking him to investigate Obama’s birth and his eligibility to be on the ballot. He’s not one of those crazies, he’s just letting the crazies guide him.
“I’m not a birther. I believe the president was born in Hawaii—or at least I hope he was,” Bennett said on the show. “But my responsibility as secretary of state is to make sure the ballots in Arizona are correct and that those people whose names are on the ballot have met the qualifications for the office they are seeking.”
That’s one way of trying to make sure Obama doesn’t take the state, however unlikely to hold up to any legal challenge. But it does seal Arizona’s place at the top of the crazy state sweepstakes.
(Via Joan McCarter at Daily Kos)
Mitt Romney Is A Unicorn
DON’T FORGET A STOOL SAMPLE
Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett threatened to remove President Obama’s name from the ballot unless he received confirmation from Hawaii that Obama’s birth certificate was valid. Another option, said Bennett, would be to “ask all the candidates, including the president, to submit a certified copy of their birth certificate.”
YOU NEVER KNOW
After Bennett said that he asked Hawaiian officials to turn over a copy of the president’s birth certificate because more than 1,200 people had sent emails demanding an investigation, more than 15,000 people signed a petition demanding he look into whether Mitt Romney is secretly a unicorn.
“But what about Mitt Romney?” questioned the petition backers at leftaction.com. “What about the persistent rumors that Mitt Romney is, in fact, a unicorn?There has never been a conclusive DNA test proving that Mitt Romney is not a unicorn. We have never seen him without his hair—hair that could be covering up a horn.”
Bennett refused to look into the unicorn allegations.
Source: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/2012-a-real-cliffhanger/Content?oid=3606196
I demand that we look into these allegations that Mitt Romney is a unicorn immediately!
Arizona Secretary of State Decides President Obama Was Born in Hawaii After All — “I consider the matter closed,” Ken Bennett said in a statement today. Now onto verifying that Mitt Romney was born in Michigan, right? – Daily Intel
