# IS Obama a natural born US citizen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083 "2008-10-15T20:16:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/21 "2008-10-15T20:58:48Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Lots of other countries use them, and the long form is required for U.S. immigration purposes such as a green card application, because in that situation often it’s quite relevant to know who BOTH of a person’s parents are. FWIW, both my parents’ names are on my birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/22 "2008-10-15T21:00:01Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Whew. The Obama candidacy is saved by the Straight Dope Message Board! 😃 Wouldn’t be the first time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/23 "2008-10-15T21:02:47Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > According to the Wikipedia article on [Ann Dunham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Dunham) (full name Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro), she was named after her father, who wanted a son. Obama’s mother is a man! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/24 "2008-10-15T21:03:36Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > He’s talking about the form that was presumably filled in by hand at the hospital and signed by the parties involved, including the doctor attending the birth. Oh, I’ve got one of those, but only by some miracle of not having lost it, as I’ve never needed it. Nobody has ever accepted it for anything. I had to get Maryland to send me a new printout of the official version of my birth certificate when I needed it. (It’s even got my footprints! I stand there with an ink pad waving my bare foot in the air, and they just look at me like I’m nuts.) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/25 "2008-10-15T21:06:31Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Obama’s mother is a man! No, Obama’s grandfather wanted Obama’s mother to be a boy. Wishing doesn’t make things happen, some times. ---
**Author:** ![mspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mspace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/26 "2008-10-15T21:06:48Z")
Then it should be easily proved. Seems like such a simple little thing. Why wait for a possible court order? Just whip it out and I’ll shut up. Side note: That’s Mr. Oddball to you Sir!..lol! I love oddball conspiracies ……(Knowing full well this was an absurd post) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/27 "2008-10-15T21:10:14Z")
> [@Rico](#): > > My favorite math teacher in high school was a wonderful lady named Clyde. > > Top that. > > 😃 While in the Army Reserve, after three years of active duty, I had the job of records clerk for my unit. One gal, whose father had wanted a son, was named Floydene Earlene. _Top that_!😛 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/28 "2008-10-15T21:13:45Z")
> [@mspace](#): > > I love oddball conspiracies And that is one of those topics on which we can find common ground! ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/29 "2008-10-15T21:15:10Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > While in the Army Reserve, after three years of active duty, I had the job of records clerk for my unit. One gal, whose father had wanted a son, was named Floydene Earlene. _Top that_!😛 Easily. Check out [this](http://web.archive.org/web/20011007165734/http://www.servtech.com/~whitfitz/names.htm) old internet chestnut from 1998ish. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/30 "2008-10-15T21:16:32Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Obama’s mother is a man! ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bOXnxmlEkY0/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/bOXnxmlEkY0?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![NicorGasMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@NicorGasMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicorGasMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/31 "2008-10-15T21:23:06Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > While in the Army Reserve, after three years of active duty, I had the job of records clerk for my unit. One gal, whose father had wanted a son, was named Floydene Earlene. _Top that_!😛 I work with a woman named Cliff ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/32 "2008-10-15T21:23:43Z")
How irresponsible that nobody has looked into this already. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/33 "2008-10-15T21:27:00Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > No, Obama’s grandfather wanted Obama’s mother to be a boy. Wishing doesn’t make things happen, some times. He was just kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/34 "2008-10-15T21:28:37Z")
> [@mspace](#): > > Then it should be easily proved. Seems like such a simple little thing. It has been proved – we can see a copy of his birth certificate. It doesn’t matter even if he wasn’t born in the States – even if born in Indonesia, he would have been a natural born citizen as the Constitution demands. So what’s the point? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/35 "2008-10-15T21:57:13Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > It doesn’t matter even if he wasn’t born in the States – even if born in Indonesia, he would have been a natural born citizen as the Constitution demands. So what’s the point? If Obama had been born in Kenya or in Indonesia, it is not so certain that he would have been a natural born citizen, because then there arises a question of how long his mother had resided in the United States. I think he would still be a natural born citizen, but it’s no longer an open-and-shut case. Being born in Hawaii makes him automatically a US citizen, regardless of the citizenship of his parents, unless his parents were on the diplomatic or consular staff of another country. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/36 "2008-10-15T22:04:31Z")
how long his mother has lived in the us? she was born in the us, from people who were born in the us. no matter where sen. obama was born he would be a natural citizen 'cause his mother is. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/37 "2008-10-15T22:12:21Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > how long his mother has lived in the us? she was born in the us, from people who were born in the us. > > no matter where sen. obama was born he would be a natural citizen 'cause his mother is. It has been alleged that the relevant US law states, “If only one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of your birth, that parent must have resided in the United States for at least ten years, at least five of which had to be after the age of 16.” I’m not sure if that is (or was) the law, but let’s assume that it was for people born outside the US. Senator Obama had only one parent a US citizen (his mother), and she was aged 18 when he was born, so she could only have resided in the US for two years after the age of 16. Hence, if he was born outside the US, he was not born a US citizen. (But, since he was born in the US, the point is moot). ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/38 "2008-10-15T22:44:50Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > It has been alleged that the relevant US law states, “If only one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of your birth, that parent must have resided in the United States for at least ten years, at least five of which had to be after the age of 16.” I’m not sure if that is (or was) the law, but let’s assume that it was for people born outside the US. > > Senator Obama had only one parent a US citizen (his mother), and she was aged 18 when he was born, so she could only have resided in the US for two years after the age of 16. Hence, if he was born outside the US, he was not born a US citizen. > > (But, since he was born in the US, the point is moot). Isn’t that kind of ridiculous, on the face of it? If your mother is an American citizen who has lived her entire life in the United States until one week before the time of your birth, and she’s twenty years old, sorry, but you’re out of luck? I will believe that is the law when someone shows me a cite. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/39 "2008-10-15T22:49:16Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > According to the Wikipedia article on [Ann Dunham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Dunham) (full name Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro), she was named after her father, who wanted a son. Oh dear God, we have a half-black/half-white man here raised by a person with serious gender identity issues. Can some someone please notify the media before this gets too far? ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083/40 "2008-10-15T23:03:40Z")
> [@Rico](#): > > My favorite math teacher in high school was a wonderful lady named Clyde. > > Top that. > > 😃 How about a boy named Sue? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-obama-a-natural-born-us-citizen/468083.md?page=3)