Senate Republican Supports Birther Lawsuits

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) told a Louisiana constituent Sunday that he supports legal efforts to require President Barack Obama to confirm his U.S. citizenship.

“I personally don’t have standing to bring litigation in court, but I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court,” Vitter said when asked during a campaign event about what he would do about Obama’s alleged refusal to provide a birth certificate. “I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it.”

The exchange takes place in an online video supplied Monday evening to the political news site TalkingPointsMemo.com by the Louisiana Democratic Party.

Conspiracy theories surrounding Obama’s place of birth, which fringe conservatives claim to be Kenya, date back to the Democratic Presidential primary. In 2007, the Obama campaign responded to the rumors by publishing Obama’s certificate of live birth from the state of Hawai and allowing the non-partisan organization FactCheck.Org to examine it. FactCheck.org determined it was authentic.

The theories have thus proven to be politically toxic, a circumstance Vitter seemed to acknowledge in the video.

“If we focus on that issue and let our eye off the ball in terms of this fall’s election, in terms of ongoing policy votes, week in, week out in the Congress, I think that’s a big mistake,” Vitter said.

Vitter, who is running for re-election, recently acquired a primary challenger, former state Supreme Court Justice Chet Traylor. 

Reid Rails Against Republican's Protest

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) chastised the efforts of conservative protestors to disrupt town hall meetings, arguing the movement was not grass roots, but 'astro-turf,' a point he punctuated by holding up a small strip of the artificial grass.

"They are doing this because they don't have better ideas," Reid said during a pen and pad session with other members of the Senate Democratic leadership Thursday. "They're taking their cues from talk show hosts, internet rumor mongers...and insurance rackets."

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) claimed that the protestors were more interested in garnering attention than genuinely contributing to the health care reform debate.

"[The protestors] don't care about you, they care about YouTube," Durbin quipped.

Reid accused the Republican party of deviating from the mainstream, pointing to the popular "birther" conspiracy and the growing influence of right-ring talk show hosts.

"It's not often you try to blow yourself up, but that's obviously what [the Republicans] are trying to do," Reid said.