in the american political history is that whenever the economic pie shrinks, we do an ethnic balkanization. we move to our own corners and start to claim who doesn't have a claim on the american pie and that's part of what's going on here. >> as bad as the economy got under reagan nobody never said he wasn't an american. you laugh. it's so absurd. this is the thing. michael this, is what's different. no one would say george w. if they thought he had an i.q. of 4 would say he was a 4 i.q. american. they wouldn't question his legitimacy to be here. although his i.q. was arguably higher. he went to harvard business. even if you didn't like the guy you wouldn't deny his legitimacy. 27% of respondents say president obama was born in some other country. among republicans it's almost half.