‘You are feeding the wacko wing of your party’

The blogosphere has been abuzz with talk about Rep. John Campbell’s recent appearance on the MSNBC show “Hardball with Chris Matthews” in which Matthews waves a copy of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate around and gets Campbell to admit he actually believes the president was born in the United States.

Campbell is one of nine co-sponsors of House Bill 1503, also known as the “Birther Bill.” The bill would require future presidential candidates to prove they meet the basic eligibility requirements to become president, as laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Members of the so-called birther movement, many of whom believe Obama was not born in the United States, pushed for the bill.

In the video, Matthews admonishes Campbell for “appeasing the nut cases.”

“You are feeding the wacko wing of your party,” Matthews goes on to say.

He then waved a copy of Obama’s birth certificate around and asked, “What do you want me to do, mail it to you?”

Campbell gets visibly flustered in the video before acknowledging he believes Obama was probably born in the United States.

“The proposal is not crazy; it’s looking forward,” Campbell says in defense of HB 1503. He goes on to say the bill would put conspiracy theories on the eligibility of future presidents to rest.

“It will shut this stuff down,” Campbell says in the video.

The video is available for viewing on Daily Pilot reporter Brianna Bailey’s blog at dailypilot.com/dailyblogger/bbailey/.

TRAN TO ADDRESS ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND FIREARMS

In other political news, Assemblyman Van Tran is slated to speak this weekend at an Orange County Young Republicans fundraiser with the patriotic theme “Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.”

For $60, $85 including a handgun safety certification test, attendees at the Saturday fundraiser will get a rented gun, one box of ammo and shooting range time, a cigar and a beer.

Hosted by Evans Gunsmithing and the Auld Irisher pub in Orange, the event runs noon to 7 p.m.

For more information, call Lauryn Picciano, president of the Orange County Young Republicans at (949) 370-7287.

MOORLACH NAMES NEW CHIEF OF STAFF

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach has named Rick Francis as his new chief of staff after the resignation of Mario Mainero.

Francis, a former pastor, has also served as Moorlach’s deputy chief of staff.

Mainero will stay on board as a part-time advisor to Moorlach, after his return to Chapman University law school as a visiting professor.