Kansas GOP Candidate Jokes Obama Doesn't Have a Birth Certificate

Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress at 4:30 AM on July 14, 2009.

The Leavenworth County Republican Party in Kansas held a BBQ on Saturday that attracted state bigwigs such as Sen. Sam Brownback and Rep. Todd Tiahrt. Also in attendance was Kris Kobach, who is running for state attorney general and revealed that he may be a birther when he talked about voter ID issues:

Kobach told the group he would fight for the requirement of providing proof of citizenship at election booths. He said photo identification is required when boarding a plane or buying certain spray paints and medication. He wants the same when trying to combat voter fraud.

A professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kobach kept the mood light with a political joke. He asked what President Obama and God had in common, with the punchline being neither has a birth certificate.

The difference between the two? God only takes 10 percent of a person’s income, Kobach joked.

As Dave Weigel notes, Kobach is “a Marshall scholar and Yale Law grad who was chairman of the state GOP until earlier this year, is considered a frontrunner for the job with jurisdiction over elections in Kansas.” An inquiry to Kobach’s camaign on whether or not he believes President Obama is a U.S. citizen has not yet been returned.

Tagged as: barack obama, kansas, sam brownback, kris kobach, obama birth certificate

Amanda Terkel is Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Deputy Editor for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.