Obama-eligibility doubts cost paper's endorsement

A blogger recently confirmed he's behind a website offering a $10,000 reward for specific background information on Barack Obama, because the establishment media has refused to seek out school records and other documents.

Now a prominent member of that establishment media is objecting to others who ask questions about Obama's past.

The blast comes from the Charlotte Observer, which recently retracted its endorsement of Jim Pendergraph for Congress.

The paper made its decision after Pendergraph appeared at a campaign stop with Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., whose special investigators have found probable cause that Obama's purported birth certificate and his draft registration form are forgeries.

And then the candidate personally said he had questions, too.

The newspaper, in an unbylined "Our View," stated: "What a run for Republican Jim Pendergraph. After winning the Observer's endorsement in his bid for Congress, he has done nothing but embarrass us and himself. By buddying up to one of America's more hateful egomaniacs and then joining with fringe 'birthers' to question President Obama's citizenship, Pendergraph has contradicted much of what he told the Observer's editorial board in his endorsement interview last month."

Read the preliminary findings of Sheriff Arpaio’s Cold Case Posse investigation after six months investigating Obama’s constitutional eligibility to serve as president in “A Question of Eligibility,” co-authored by Jerome Corsi and Mike Zullo.

The newspaper suggested instead voting for Edwin Peacock or Ric Killian in the 9th congressional district race.

Only days earlier, the newspaper dismissed both candidates.

"We appreciated Ed Peacock's more progressive and moderate approach to tackling issues. As we've said in previous endorsements of him for Charlotte City Council, we appreciate his ability to focus on solutions rather than dogmatic partisanship."

And regarding Killian: "His time in Afghanistan (a West Point grad and a colonel in the Army Reserve, he returned from a six-month tour in Afghanistan in mid-March) gives him a leg up on his opponents on security matters. … He stands firmly against government spending but has not signed a 'no tax increases pledge.'"

"But we give our nod to Mecklenburg County commissioner Jim Pendergraph. We believe he has broad appeal and understands the district's needs best. He speaks with a strong conservative voice but seems pragmatic in how he would represent the district – focusing on constituent needs and getting things done."

Sign a petition to show members of Congress how many Americans demand Obama's eligibility be investigated

The endorsement continued: "Pendergraph's long experience as a public servant, especially his 12 years as Mecklenburg County sheriff, would be an asset. He understands the value of service to constituents and responding quickly and efficiently to their cares and concerns."

But not asking question about Obama.

Even though polls have revealed fully half of Americans want Congress to investigate Obama's eligibility, the newspaper's U-turn didn't take long.

"He rallied in Huntersville with … Arpaio, a Melvillian character on a never-ending crusade against Latinos. The only thing that energizes Arpaio more than stroking his ego is profiling Hispanics," editors wrote.

"Pendergraph pandered further this week by saying he has 'reason to be suspicious' about whether President Obama was born in the United States. 'Generally when there's smoke, there's got to be fire somewhere,' he said, even as he acknowledged 'I haven't seen the facts.'"

The newspaper's own writer, Jim Morrill, had reported that Arpaio campaigned for Pendergraph, who said of Obama's eligibility: "I have reason to be suspicious. But I don't know. I haven't seen the facts. I think there's a lot of smoke and generally when there's smoke there’s got to be fire somewhere."

Obama a released a copy of a birth certificate through the White House one year ago, but many document experts immediately cast suspicion on its authenticity.

Pendergraph told the newspaper he's not sure but said, "I've been around long enough to know people can forge anything."

Join the billboard campaign that seeks the answer to "Where's the Real Birth Certificate?"

The Daily Caller reported the one-page site offering the reward for Obama's course transcripts from Occidental, Harvard or Columbia is run by blogger Brooks Bayne, who says media have failed to investigate Obama properly.

Bayne explained that eight individuals, including some he described as "recognizable," are behind the effort to draw out someone who may have access to the college transcripts.

"We are doing this because we are tired of the media not doing their job," he told the DC. "We are tired of the PR propaganda coming out of places like Media Matters, and we are tired of this administration stonewalling over things like Fast and Furious."

But he told the reporter the reward offer is real and will be paid to anyone who can provide verifiable documents.

"Maybe they have a copy of the transcripts laying around," Bayne told the Daily Caller. 'They can make some cash. I mean, we are just trying to spread the wealth around."

The reward website is headlined "The Trenches."

"You've failed, media," it states. "You've had over three years to vet President Barack Obama. Yet in three years in office and over a year of campaigning beforehand, you have either been oddly uninterested or purposefully ignorant of Barack Obama's educational history. You were, however, quite interested in George Bush's transcripts."

A recent WND/Wenzel Poll from Wenzel Strategies showed that almost 40 percent of registered voters think the nation is facing a constitutional crisis because of a lack of documentation regarding Obama's eligibility.

The scientific telephone survey, conducted March 10-13, has a margin of error of 3.72 percentage points.

Nearly 26 percent of respondents said they strongly agree with the statement that the country is facing a constitutional crisis on the issue of Obama's eligibility. Another 13.7 percent said they somewhat agree.

Critics long have pointed to the impact on the nation should Obama be proven to be ineligible. There would be many issues to consider: Are the laws he's signed still laws? What about the money he's spent? And how about the commitments he's made to allies overseas? What about significant social changes he's brought about, such as opening the U.S. military to open homosexuality?

The educational records are just part of the package of questions about Obama.