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Clinton rips Trump on ‘birtherism’ before Hispanic group

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Barack Obama waves to the crowd after his speech at 39th Annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Conference and awards gala today in Washington.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 39th Annual Gala Dinner at the Washington Convention Center today.

WASHINGTON » Hillary Clinton today accused rival Donald Trump of fostering ugliness and bigotry by refusing to acknowledge President Barack Obama was born in the United States, and urged Hispanic leaders to stoke a large voter turnout in November’s election.

Taking the stage shortly after Obama, Clinton noted at a gala of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute that Trump had declined to acknowledge the outgoing president had been born in the United States. Trump, who helped fuel the rise of the so-called “birther movement,” told The Washington Post in an interview that he would “answer that question at the right time. I just don’t want to answer it yet.”

“He was asked one more time where was President Obama born and he still wouldn’t say Hawaii. He still wouldn’t say America,” Clinton said. “This man wants to be our next president? When will he stop this ugliness, this bigotry?”

The Trump campaign released a statement late today saying Trump “believes that President Obama was born in the United States.” It also made an unsubstantiated accusation that Clinton launched the birther movement during her unsuccessful primary run against Obama in 2008.

Obama and Clinton made successive appeals to 3,000 Hispanic leaders and supporters, pointing to a large turnout of Latino voters as the antidote to Trump. Both noted the Republican’s hard-line position on immigration, referencing his opposition to a comprehensive overhaul of the system and his vows to build a wall along the Mexican border.

Obama said the political season’s discussion of immigration “has cut deeper than in years past. It’s a little more personal, a little meaner, a little uglier.” He said Latinos need to “decide who the real America is” and push back against the notion that the nation “only includes a few of us.”

“We can’t let that brand of politics win. And if we band together and organize our communities, if we deliver enough votes, then the better angels of our nature will carry the day,” Obama said.

Clinton vowed again to complete Obama’s unsuccessful push to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally. She reiterated her intention to release a plan to overhaul the immigration system during her first 100 days in office and expand programs that have protected some groups of immigrants from deportation, including those who arrived in the U.S. as children and the parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

Pointing to the benefits of a diverse nation, Clinton seized upon Trump’s unwillingness to say Obama was born in the United States and his past support for the “birther” movement questioning Obama’s citizenship.

“We need to stand up and repudiate this divisive rhetoric,” Clinton said. “We need to stop him conclusively in November in an election that sends a message that even he can hear.”

While the president and his potential successor did not appear onstage together, they did chat for about 15 minutes backstage. The event represented a passing of the torch before a key Democratic constituency.

Obama captured 71 percent of Latino voters against Republican Mitt Romney in 2012, a lopsided outcome that Clinton hopes to replicate with about eight weeks remaining before Election Day. Facing tightening polls against Trump, Clinton’s ability to garner big margins from Hispanics could be critical in battleground states such as Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

The president made no mention of Trump by name but alluded to his candidacy, saying if the nation is going to fix the immigration system, “then we’re going to have to push back against bluster and falsehoods and promises of higher walls. We need a comprehensive solution.”

Obama’s attempt to shield parents from deportation is in limbo after the Supreme Court deadlocked on a decision in a case challenging the president’s authority to expand the deportation protection program.

The president is ramping up his campaign activities on behalf of Clinton. Obama headlined his first solo event for his former secretary of state earlier this week in Philadelphia, and will appear alongside her at a dinner for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on Saturday.

27 responses to “Clinton rips Trump on ‘birtherism’ before Hispanic group”

  1. justmyview371 says:

    A lot of us have doubts given the history.

    • Ikefromeli says:

      What history, illuminate us with the facts, and I did say the facts, surrounding this issue?

      • calentura says:

        The fact is that Barry Soetoro Obama will be president for about four more months, so what difference at this point does it matter…? Nobody died in Benghazi because of this.

    • Keonigohan says:

      One thing is sure…”New analysis from the Washington Post removes any doubt that the anti-Obama Birther movement was started in 2007 and 2008 by Hillary Clinton, her campaign, and her Democrat supporters.”

  2. Winston says:

    I love the smell of desperation in the morning. Anything, anything to distract from the apparent health problems, the lying about the health problems, the deception about the health problems. No, Clinton can’t tell the truth, can’t be straight with the public about the simplest thing. Given her serial, layer cake of mendacity, the only rational belief is that she’s still hiding something.

  3. Winston says:

    I love the smell of desperation in the morning. Anything, anything to distract from the apparent health problems. No, Clinton can’t tell the truth, can’t be straight with the public about the simplest thing. Given her serial, layer cake of mendacity, the only rational belief is that she’s still hiding something.

  4. Ronin006 says:

    Clinton and Obama are wrong. We do not need comprehensive immigration reform. What we need is enforcement of existing laws.

    • CEI says:

      Amen to that. We have existing immigration laws and they worked great until enforcement stopped. And yes republicans are as much to blame as democrats are for that. The unlawful open door policy is a slap in the face to anyone who had immigrated legally.

  5. CEI says:

    The smell of desperation, very undignified Waldo. I sure am glad I’m not a Hillary defender. Who the heck is advising this woman?

  6. kuroiwaj says:

    Ms Hillary, “Trump: Obama was born in the United States”, from Jason Miller Trump Campaign Spokesman.

  7. 64hoo says:

    Obama was born here, but went to Columbia university as a foreign exchange student. even though he was a U.S. citizen, he broke the law, that’s why a couple of years ago the first lady said on T.V. Obama paid back his college tuition fees. he covered up a crime.

  8. st1d says:

    so the combover has agreed to release his medical records and agrees obama was born in the united states.

    that still leaves the female felon as an insatiably greedy congenital liar operating a multi-billion dollar criminal money laundering slush fund. in her tenure as secretary of state she left classified information vulnerable to hackers, emboldened china, iran, north korea and russia to pursue expansion of their militaries and borders, failed to provide adequate security for the american embassy in lybia which was then attacked by islamic terrorists, and attempted to coverup her incompetence by claiming that a video was responsible for the benghazi attack.

    that’s the kind of experience and judgement the female felon brings to this election.

  9. klastri says:

    Mr. Trump, of course, still cannot bring himself to say that President Obama was born in Hawai’i. His spokesman issued a press release, but when given the opportunity to say it himself, he refused.

    Mr. Trump helped start the overtly racist birther movement. Trump is a psychotic.

    • sarge22 says:

      What’s the Kenyan up to today. Wasting more taxpayer money supporting a criminal. Was that HiLIARy speaking today or was it her double. Trump moving up in the polls. Panic attack cough lie cough

    • kuroiwaj says:

      Klastri, as many of Ms Hillary’s supporters attempt to deflect the direction of the Trump Campaign, the Trump Campaign continues to add more supporters and the polls are all beginning to show that momentum. It is exciting to review all today’s polls and see all the “Red Numbers” where the Republicans has taken the lead in the President and Senate races. If the GOP can continue this momentum, with the Clinton campaign searching to find their footing, the White House will be have as its occupant a Republican President. Eight weeks to go and Clinton’s campaign on very shaky foundations.

    • lespark says:

      Klastri, send money to HRC. All the tea in Cina isn’t going to save her lying ways. When her whole private email Staff pleads the fifth you know they are hiding the truth. Chaffetz has a Ace in the hole. You are the legal guy. Try not showing up for a subpoena and see what happens 5th or not. Contempt.

  10. MoiLee says:

    Haaaaaaaaaaaa!So Funnnnnny and so much Desperation!Gasp! Wasn’t this whole “Birther” thing started by Hillary Clinton,during the 2008 Democratic presidential run? I mean Really folks ?
    Hillary is trying so hard to recover from the “Basket Of Deplorables” and it’s NOT working!
    Donald tweeted back in 2014 that he has moved on with Obama’s birther issue. So why is it in the news today,because of Donald Trump’s Speech he held for for the Veternans?
    Because the MSM is hugely desperate! How can you recover from the Basket of Deplorables debacle and covering up the healthe issue?
    I mean talk about “Coconut Wireless”? I was watching Donalds speech this morning, I seen and heard the SAME thing everybody did! But get this! In mere seconds of hearing the speech? The MSM hurries to spins their Negativity “Within Mere Seconds” after hearing the speech! This is what i mean by desperate.
    ……..No wonder only 32% still Trust the Media…. Is the MSM going down with the ship? LOL!
    Because of Donald’s admittance about the Birther Issue? His numbers will rise even more in the Polls.
    Favorite quote during the Veterans Speech. “We Are Deplorables,but also, we are Deployable”. Man!This guy just Nailed! IMUA Donald!

    • MoiLee says:

      ……and yes he is leading by 5-6 points. And guess which poll Hillary is leading (X 1 point)? a CBS Poll! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! & Probably The Clinton News Network aka CNN will have Hillary leading in their poll as well! LOL!

      • PMINZ says:

        This Daily “Horse Race” of polls stating who is leading every day or even every few hours is inane, It means nothing. The pollsters keep calling over and over so much I ignore their over and over calls. Why do not Both sides state THEIR pland and nor Rand on the other persons Traits? How about having a debate where they Really throw REAL Mud Balls?

    • hawaiikone says:

      According to “Polifact”, which might beed consider somewhat reliable, her campaign put the rumor out there, and until Hillary lost the nomination, no mention is made of her ever never publicly denying it. “http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/sep/23/donald-trump/hillary-clinton-obama-birther-fact-check/”. Regardless, it’s seems unwise to bring it up today, as doing so will hurt her as much as help. I’m befuddled, although not an unusual condition for me to be in, as to why more voters aren’t switching to Johnson..

  11. PMINZ says:

    What was Hillary stating about Obama’s Birth in 2002?

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