Arizona: Bennett folds; Obama on the ballot

imageIn an interview with KTAR radio in Phoenix today, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (right) backed off earlier threats to exclude Barack Obama from the Arizona general election ballot if Hawaii doesn’t provide some verification.

While Bennett clearly wouldn’t care what this web site says, something got to him. Bennett said:

If I embarrassed the state, I apologize, but that certainly wasn’t my intent. He’ll be on the ballot as long as he fills out the same paperwork and does the same things that everybody else has.

Indeed there has been extensive coverage, generally negative, of Bennett’s email exchange with Hawaii officials.

In further news, Bennett says that he talked by phone with the Attorney General of Hawaii last night, and clarified his request. He now expects that Hawaii will respond within a couple of days. This story is reported by TPM Muckraker.

In a related story, birthers have begun moving the goal posts.

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27 Responses to Arizona: Bennett folds; Obama on the ballot

  1. Arthur says:

    Bennet said he started his “investigation” into the president’s birth certificate at the insistence of constituents. In response, the progressive online network, Left Action, took up the cause to insist that Bennet investigate the claim that Mitt Romney is really a unicorn.

    http://leftaction.com/action/mitt-romney-unicorn

  2. ZixiOfIx says:

    Dr Conspiracy wrote:
    While Bennett clearly wouldn’t care what this web site says, something got to him.

    Something or someone?

    Just anticipating what the birthers are gonna say. Sigh.

    My first (actual) thought is that he probably realizes that his comment about “1200 people emailed me and asked me to look into it” is about to bite him hard on the rump, because last I read, several thousand people had emailed him to ask him to look into Romney’s BC.

    Either that or (and this is probably the most likely scenario), as the co-chair of Mitt Romney’s election campaign in Arizona, Bennett was told to knock it off and stop embarrassing himself, Romney by extension, and the state of Arizona, with his nutty comments.

    Romney does not want to have to defend this guy or birthers in general.

  3. CarlOrcas says:

    ZixiOfIx: Either that or (and this is probably the most likely scenario), as the co-chair of Mitt Romney’s election campaign in Arizona, Bennett was told to knock it off and stop embarrassing himself, Romney by extension, and the state of Arizona, with his nutty comments.

    I think you’re right on this one being the most probable explanation. If McCain had the conversation with him his ears are probably still burning.

  4. clestes says:

    No surprise here. Someone told him to stop looking like a fool, do his job and shut up.

  5. richCares says:

    the fun comes when the wrath of birthers is upon him, I will laugh, heartily lugh!

  6. Jamese777 says:

    There is a fascinating series of correspondence between Hawaii Deputy Aftorney General Jill Nagamine and Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett that is being reported at Talking Points Memo.
    http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/05/ken_bennett_birther_hawaii_arizona_emails.php

  7. ASK Esq says:

    Apropos of nothing, slap a cowlick on him and Alfalfa is the Arizona Secretary of State.

  8. justlw says:

    Look under your seat… you get a nuclear power plant! And you get a nuclear power plant!

  9. CarlOrcas says:

    Looks like Bennett folded a litle too soon. Hawaii has given him what he asked for.

    http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/hawaii-verifies-obamas-birth-for-arizona-secretary-of?ref=fpblg

    There are gonna be some heads spinning in Arizona tomorrow!

  10. James M says:

    ZixiOfIx:

    Something or someone?

    One of Gov. Brewer’s inferiors, no doubt. I’m sure there was an uncomfortable conversation where it would have been fun to be a fly on the wall, with the unspoken assumption that if there needs to be another discussion, Jan will come down in person. And you don’t want Jan to have to come down in person.

  11. red-diaper baby 1942 says:

    “If I embarrassed the state, I apologize”.
    The use of the conditional form in an apology is an immediate signal of fake apology, as here or in “I’m sorry if anyone was offended by what I said.” A genuine apology would be “I embarrassed the state and I apologize.”

  12. JPotter says:

    This was one of the greatest birfs yet! And it came close to achieved that greatest of birfer dreams, mainstream media coverage! Although, a collective “What the hell?” / point’n’giggle session probably wasn’t their first preference. Even NPR is getting in on the fun, promising to cover it during the Wednesday ‘political junkie’ segment of Fresh Air.

    What is up with Bennett’s hair? It seems the birf has both aged him, and drawn him back in time to the 19th century. Be careful what you birf.

  13. James M says:

    clestes:
    No surprise here. Someone told him to stop looking like a fool, do his job and shut up.

    I would imagine that F. Ann Rodriguez made a call to his private line at some point, kindly informing him that Pima County would be printing ballots with President Obama’s name on them unless Mr. Bennett would care to personally like to come down and try to stop them.

  14. misha says:

    That haircut is a crime.

  15. misha says:

    Arthur: In response, the progressive online network, Left Action, took up the cause to insist that Bennet investigate the claim that Mitt Romney is really a unicorn. http://leftaction.com/action/mitt-romney-unicorn

    I signed it. In the comments I added an investigation if Romney is a polygamist. A Mormon who owned an optical shop I worked at in DC was a polygamist. I know, because I went to his home, 5 minutes from me, to learn their computer system. He wrote the software.

    They say the biblical patriarchs were polygamists, so they should be. The patriarchs also lived in a tent, and rode a donkey – not in a 5 bedroom home in Montgomery County, Maryland, with a Vette in the garage.

    Also, they practiced polygamy for economic reasons, not religious: half of women died in childbirth, and half of babies did not make it to their first birthday.

    Brief aside: Passover started as spring cleaning. Was there a captivity? Who knows? It’s a good story.

  16. Zixi of Ix says:

    misha:
    That haircut is a crime.

    Maybe next time he’ll think to require his hairdresser to have a barbering certificate.

  17. Lupin says:

    Does the silly man play a villain in a Frank Capra or Preston Sturgess movie?

  18. misha says:

    Lupin: Does the silly man play a villain in a Frank Capra or Preston Sturgess movie?

    No, he’s an incarnation of Peter Lorre.

  19. Lupin says:

    misha: No, he’s an incarnation of Peter Lorre.

    He looks like a minor comic book villain drawn by Jack Kirby. The Ringmaster, for instance.

  20. Dr. Kenneth Noisewater (Bob Ross) says:

    This story is now officially dead. Hawaii verified the birth records to Arizona

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/hawaii-verifies-obama-birth-records-arizona/story?id=16410772

    “The state of Hawaii said late Tuesday it has provided verification of the president’s birth to Arizona’s secretary of state, who claimed he needed proof of Obama’s citizenship before he could place his name on the state’s November ballot.

    Joshua Wisch, special assistant to Hawaii Attorney General David Louie, told The Associated Press that the matter is now resolved.”

  21. Majority Will says:

    justlw:
    Look under your seat… you get a nuclear power plant!And you get a nuclear power plant!

    That’s funny!

  22. Majority Will says:

    misha:
    That haircut is a crime.

    Alfalfa has not aged well.

    (With apologies to the family of the late Carl Switzer.)

  23. Jim says:

    Dr. Kenneth Noisewater (Bob Ross):
    This story is now officially dead.Hawaii verified the birth records to Arizona

    (With apologies to “Animal House”)

    Orly: Hey! What’s all this laying around stuff? Why are you all still laying around here for?
    Bennett: What the hell are we supposed to do, ya moron? Hawaii verified. There’s nothing to fight for anymore.
    Farah: [to Orly] Let it go. War’s over, man. Hawaii dropped the big one.
    Orly: What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
    Arpaio: [to Mario] Germans?
    Mario: Forget it, he’s rolling.
    Orly: And it ain’t over now. ‘Cause when the goin’ gets tough…
    [thinks hard of something to say]
    Orly: The tough get goin’! Who’s with me? Let’s go!
    Orly: What the f*ck happened to the birthers I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re gonna let it be the worst. “Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you Orly, we might get in trouble.” Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I’m not gonna take this. Obama, he’s a dead man! Tepper, dead! Hawaii…
    Arpaio: Dead! Orly’s right. Psychotic… but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!
    Orly: We’re just the guys to do it.
    Farah: [stands up] Yeah, I agree. Let’s go get ’em.
    Arpaio: Let’s do it.
    Orly: [shouting] “Let’s do it”!

    And as we know, birthers never accept any proof that doesn’t agree with them!

  24. Majority Will says:

    Jim: (With apologies to “Animal House”)

    Orly: Hey! What’s all this laying around stuff? Why are you all still laying around here for?
    Bennett: What the hell are we supposed to do, ya moron? Hawaii verified. There’s nothing to fight for anymore.
    Farah: [to Orly] Let it go. War’s over, man. Hawaii dropped the big one.
    Orly: What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
    Arpaio: [to Mario] Germans?
    Mario: Forget it, he’s rolling.
    Orly: And it ain’t over now. ‘Cause when the goin’ gets tough…
    [thinks hard of something to say]
    Orly: The tough get goin’! Who’s with me? Let’s go!
    Orly: What the f*ck happened to the birthers I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re gonna let it be the worst. “Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you Orly, we might get in trouble.” Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I’m not gonna take this. Obama, he’s a dead man! Tepper, dead! Hawaii…
    Arpaio: Dead! Orly’s right. Psychotic… but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!
    Orly: We’re just the guys to do it.
    Farah: [stands up] Yeah, I agree. Let’s go get ‘em.
    Arpaio: Let’s do it.
    Orly: [shouting] “Let’s do it”!

    And as we know, birthers never accept any proof that doesn’t agree with them!

    Donofrio: May I have ten thousand marbles, please?

  25. Jim F says:

    Can anyone point me to a good birther site where I can read their comments. I need a good laugh at this time.

  26. Jim says:

    Jim F – look below at The Bad and The Ugly and take your pick…have fun!

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