Three in 10 people in the United States believe President Barack
Obama is a foreigner, according to a new poll from an international
leader in market research who asked residents about their beliefs
regarding the president's birth place.
The survey was done by Angus Reid Global Monitor, a division of Vision Critical Group, which leverages "the world's most advanced online research technology
for interactive surveys, custom panels, private communities and virtual retail environments."
The results of the survey, released today, said 70 percent of
the respondents believe Obama was born in the U.S., "while 30 percent
do not."
"While only 13 percent of Democratic Party supporters believe
Obama was not born in the U.S., the proportion rises to 25 percent
among Independents and 51 percent among Republican Party backers," the
report said.
The issue is significant because while Obama secured a majority
of the Electoral College votes in November 2008 to be installed as
president, Article II of the U.S. Constitution establishes "that only
'natural born' American citizens are eligible to become presidents."
The U.S. Constitution even provides that if an elected
president is not qualified for the office, the vice president shall
stand in for him until he is qualified.
"Last year, the Obama
campaign team released a Certification of Live Birth, which states that
Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Aug. 4, 1961. The state of
Hawaii only allows for the release of an original birth certificate
under 'extenuating circumstances,'" the survey report said.