Large Number Don't Know if Obama is a Citizen

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August 20, 2009

Large Number Don't Know if Obama is a Citizen

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that "only 62% of respondents reported believing that President Obama was born in the United States. 10% thought he was born in Indonesia, 7% thought he was born in Kenya, 1% thought he was born in the Philippines, and 20% weren't sure. Among Republicans 44% think he was not born here while just 36% believe that he was."

The numbers are confusing because of "people who correctly believe that Obama was born in Hawaii, but who don't consider Hawaii to be part of the United States. You read that right -- 6% of poll respondents think that Hawaii is not part of the country and 4% are unsure,"

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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August 20, 2009