Obama Citizenship

Unconfirmed: Representative Linder Could Object to Electoral College Vote

By Phil

Please be aware that the following is very unsubstantiated, and Rep. Linder has given himself plenty of wiggle room on either side of this issue, depending on what happens on and/or by January 8.

-Phil

Some weeks ago, I had sent an email to Congressman John Linder (R-GA) through an online submission program asking him for his views on President-elect Barack Hussein Obama’s eligibility for the presidency. Here are the key paragraphs of his response:

This story has been percolating in the media for a number of months.  Unfortunately, unless Senator Obama produces the documentation on his own, at this time, there is no way to verify if he is in fact a natural born citizen of the United States.  

On January 8, 2009, both the U.S. Senate and House shall meet for the purpose of counting and certifying the electoral votes.  After the vote has been counted, the President of the Senate shall call for objections.  It is at this time that Federal officials in both the House and Senate may object to the certification of President-elect Obama by alleging that he fails to meet the Constitutional requirements to serve as President of the United States.  Please be assured that I will continue to monitor this issue very carefully, and I will act when appropriate and necessary.

After receiving the above, I replied back to the Congressman asking him to further elaborate on what his threshold would be to make a move to object. As of today, I have not received a reply back.

However, someone else at FreeRepublic.com allegedly has; AIPNews.com has also picked up on it…

Post:

John Linder to stand and object Obama at Electoral Count
12/17/2008 | Autumnraine 
Posted on Wed Dec 17 2008 13:05:48 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time) by autumnraine

I read a post the other day that a Freeper got from Congressman John Linder, Georgia, stating that he would stand and object to Obama if he doesn’t show proof of constitutional eligibility.

I emailed Mr. Linder and asked if he did indeed write that email and if he was serious about holding Obama to task on something as serious as this.

A few moments ago I received a phone call from Congressman Linder’s office confirming that he intends to do exactly that and he is just as intent as us on verifying Obama’s eligibility.

I told his staffer (very nice lady) that I was proud of him and that I appreciated his bravery as I know he is going against the tide with this.

She said that she herself was concerned as she had to show full, long form documentation to even work in the building for a Congressman and we shouldn’t be told to just take someone’s word for an office as important as POTUS.

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that at least one Congressman is standing up to this, even if the SCOTUS doesn’t have the nerve to examine what would seem to be a reasonable question.

Nevertheless, even if Rep. Linder were to follow through on making a motion to object to certification, there would also need to be at least one Senator to similarly follow through:

3 USC 15 - Sec. 15. Counting electoral votes in Congress (relevant portion, below):

Upon such reading of any such certificate or paper, the President of the Senate shall call for objections, if any. Every objection shall be made in writing, and shall state clearly and concisely, and without argument, the ground thereof, and shall be signed by at least one Senator and one Member of the House of Representatives before the same shall be received.

Be aware of the fact that just as the Supreme Court will not interfere with the lawful fulfillment of the electoral process by the Legislative branch, members of the House and Senate are likewise unlikely to move to object unless they are confident enough, by January 8, that it is the best political move for them to make.

Does this sound expedient? Perhaps so, but it’s also a practical matter as well. A Representative or Senator has significantly more to lose over this issue than does a Supreme Court Justice, despite the fact that the onus of eligibility may well fall into Congress’ hands before all is said and done.

Having said all that, would it not be interesting to find a Senator who is making similar signals?

-Phil

Full post as published by The Right Side of Life on December 17, 2008 (boomark / email).