Poll shocker! Majority wants Obama records

By Bob Unruh

Editor’s note: This is another in a series of monthly “WND/WENZEL POLLS” conducted exclusively for WND by the public-opinion research and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies.

President Barack Obama pauses as he listens to a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington

At a time when Barack Obama is getting heat for stonewalling information about an alleged administration bribery scandal, a new poll shows more Americans than ever suspect the president is hiding information about his own background and want him to come clean.

Questions about Obama’s eligibility to be president, exacerbated by his refusal to answer questions, release ordinary background documentation and his extraordinary legal maneuvers to keep his background hidden, have been on the radar of a number of top-level investigative reporters and news organizations since before his election.

Essentially, while the Constitution requires a president to be a “natural born citizen,” none of the questions about Obama’s qualifications – or lack thereof – under that requirement have yet been answered.

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“Simply put, this question about Obama’s legitimacy as president is undermining everything he does in the minds of millions of Americas,” wrote Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies in an analysis of his results.

“Our latest polling shows a majority of Americans – 55 percent – want Obama to release all records relating to his childhood and his education, including college records, Harvard Law School papers, passport records, travel records, and other similar documentation,” he said.

“Asked what should be done should it be found that Obama does not meet the qualifications to be president, 59 percent said he should be removed from office, and 35 percent said all bills signed into law by Obama should be repealed,” he said.

The poll said when asked about whether Obama’s background documentation – the school records, birth records and others – should be released, the 55 percent who said yes included more than 82 percent of the GOP, 55 percent of independents and nearly 28 percent of Democrats.

Further, another 17.1 percent of Americans said Obama should release some of his documentation, making it nearly three in four Americans who want the president to unlock the steel door on some or all of his background information.

Despite his campaign promises of transparency while in office, there has been no shortage of disputes over secrecy in the Obama administration. He’s already argued in court for more secrecy in the White House, claimed his work is “privileged” and apparently got rid of an inspector general who was applying heat to a friend.

The survey indicates Obama’s orchestrated efforts to marginalize “birthers” who are raising questions about him and his background have failed totally. The fact that only 65 percent of the members of his own party will agree that he’s been transparent is a “red flag,” the analysis said.

“When Barack Obama was campaigning for the U.S. presidency, he promised one of the most open and transparent administrations in the history of the country. Sixteen months into his term, a majority of Americans believe he has failed. That a majority of adults nationwide – 56 percent – said he has not run an open administration is a stern rebuke because there is so much power invested in the office of the presidency,” said Wenzel.

“Forget that any modern president would have trouble standing up to a comparison with George Washington and other early presidents when it comes to honesty and integrity, Obama has taken steps throughout his administration that appear secretive,” he said.

“Once elected, he appointed dozens of so-called ‘czars’ to oversee various parts of the federal government, which are extra-constitutional in that there is no provision for congressional approval of such appointees. To further complicate things, we have seen a flood of legislation that would make landmark changes to American society, all pushed by the Obama administration before congressional lawmakers had a chance to even read the bills,” Wenzel noted.

“Then, when it was clear the public was displeased with the direction in which Washington was moving under Democratic party rule, President Obama ignored the national clamor to slow down. Instead, he pushed ahead with an even more aggressive agenda, even as voters rejected his agenda wherever they had the chance – in such Democratic strongholds as New Jersey and Massachusetts,” he continued.

The opinion from only two-thirds of Democrats that Obama has been “open and transparent” is a “flashing red danger signal, but it is unclear the Obama administration is paying attention to such things,” Wenzel said.

The fundamental question of his eligibility originally came up during his campaign.

“This is an issue that … is easily put to rest once and for all by his release of his long-form birth certificate,” Wenzel said. “His refusal to do so has fed the idea that he has something to hide. Americans aren’t asking him to prove a negative here – that he didn’t do something illegal – but rather are simply asking that he prove a positive: that he was born on American soil.

“When required, every American citizen produces their birth certificate for a variety of reasons, and it is no big deal. This is why Obama’s refusal to produce his is so baffling – and so troubling – to so many people,” he said.

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Asked specifically if Americans believe Obama was born in the U.S. to two U.S. citizens – one accepted definition of a “natural born citizen,” as required by the U.S. Constitution for a president – only 38 percent said yes.

Fifty-two percent agreed Obama is hiding something by refusing to release his documentation.

“Asked specifically about their beliefs about the place of Obama’s birth, 39 percent said they suspect he was not born in the United States. This belies the efforts of the Obama administration to paint so-called ‘birthers’ as a right-wing fringe group. Even among Democrats, nearly one in four – 22 percent – said they either suspect he was not born in the U.S. or that they are not sure on the question,” Wenzel said.

WND columnist David Limbaugh said even the “liberal New York Times has begun to notice” that Obama “is still playing hide-and-seek with the press.”

“Not having a genuine news conference since July would be remarkable for the least transparent administration, let alone one that made openness a signature campaign issue,” he wrote just days ago.

Likewise, WND founder and CEO Joseph Farah has noted Obama’s secrecy in connection to the developing case of Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa.

Sestak has reported he was offered a job in the Obama administration in exchange for dropping out of the Pennsylvania senatorial primary race against Sen. Arlen Specter.

 “If he’s telling the truth, and can prove it, a very serious crime has been committed by someone in the Obama administration – one that could lead right to the president’s door,” he wrote.

 “Of course, this calls for an independent investigation. A probe of this kind cannot be directed by anyone within the Obama administration. It cannot be conducted by the Democratic Congress in a critical election year. It requires the appointment of a special counsel with full subpoena power. It also requires some transparency and answers from a regime that has pledged to be the most open administration in history.”


If you are a member of the media and would like to interview Fritz Wenzel about this story, please e-mail.

See detailed results of survey questions:

During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama pledged to conduct the most open and transparent administration in history. Do you think he has lived up to that promise?

Thinking of Obama, do you believe he has lived up to that pledge with regard to his own personal life?

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans are concerned about Barack Obama’s refusal to release his long-form birth certificate, school records, college records, Harvard Law School papers, medical records, travel records, passport records and other personal documents. What do you think he should do?

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: He is unquestionably a natural born citizen, born in the U.S. of two U.S. citizen parents.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: He is unquestionably a natural born citizen, born in the U.S. of at least one U.S. citizen parent.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: He is unquestionably a natural born citizen, but I don’t know where he was born or the citizenship status of his parents.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: I don’t know, but he is hiding something by refusing to reveal his long-form birth certificate and other documents.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: I think he is eligible, but I am confused about the constitutional definition.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: No one can be sure without public scrutiny of his long-form birth certificate and other documentation.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: He is not eligible because his father was a Kenyan national and Obama was born a subject of the British Crown.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: I suspect he was not born in the U.S.

Recent polls suggest a significant percentage of Americans question Obama’s own constitutional eligibility for office as a natural born citizen. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements on the matter: We don’t know enough about Obama’s birthplace, parentage and his residency in Indonesia to say for sure.

If it is some day determined that Obama has been ineligible to serve as president, what syould happen? Please choose the following response that best represents your opinion:

 


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Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.