Obama 2012 hammered Mitt Romney for pandering to the fringe after his son Matt went the birther route to help his father court GOP extremists.
Here is video of Matt Romney bringing up Obama’s birth certificate in New Hampshire:
While talking about the fact that his father has not released his tax returns, Matt Romney said, “He has not said that he will not do it. He has also not said that he will. It’s a matter of time until that issue comes up because I think everyone has to get a chance to do that. So I don’t know the answer to that. I’m not sure he knows the answer to that. But he will do everything that he needs to do. He’s certainly not afraid of anything. Hiding anything. I heard someone suggest the other day that as soon as President Obama releases his grades and birth certificate and sort of a long list of things then maybe he’d do it.”
In an email to supporters, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina wrote, “This is how the Romney campaign thinks it’s going to win the Republican primary: by pandering to the dead-ender fringe of extremists who still question where the President was born. We can’t make them rewrite their talking points. But we can drive up the cost of this kind of politics.”
The campaign also wrote in a blog post, “Matt Romney says his dad Mitt will release his tax returns “as soon as” President Obama releases his birth certificate. This is how the Romney campaign thinks it’s going to win the Republican primary: by pandering to the dead-ender fringe of extremists who still question where the President was born.”
Later, Matt Romney tweeted a non-apology, “I repeated a dumb joke. My bad.” Yep, he really regrets bringing up the birther thing when it just so happens to appeal to the group of conservatives who have the biggest doubts about his father’s candidacy. In the new NBC News/Marist Iowa Poll only 8% of Republican respondents considered Mitt Romney a true conservative. Republican voters still don’t like Mitt Romney, but they may be forced to settle for him as all of their more attractive options have flamed out.
By going the birther route, the Romney campaign isn’t going to convince the people who already doubt his conservative cred, but they are going to hurt themselves with other voters. Unlike in 2008, the Obama campaign is prepared to deal with the birther nonsense quickly and effectively. Obama has released his long and short form birth certificates. Only the most delusional of Republicans could still possibly believe that the president was not born in this country.
The fact that anybody from the Romney campaign went birther this soon shows that they are getting desperate.
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Linda1961
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
I could be wrong, but going birther is a non-starter with most Americans. It just appeals to the gop base, maybe even to a majority of the gop. So how does Mittens think that he can walk back courting birthers in the primary should he get the nomination? To tell the truth, I don’t see how any of the gopers running for president will be able to appeal to the American electorate during the general election, as the gop has made them go hard, crazy right. Maybe that’s why they are trying so hard to disenfranchise voters, especially those not inclined to vote gop.
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Ken
Jan. 1st, 2012 at 1:06 pm
the republican primary has been hi-jacked by the TP, so the candidates need to appeal to their craziness and blatant stupidity. The winner will have to appeal to more than the TP, but that is what is driving the right at this time. This should hurt them big time when the general election comes around since they are going to have to be more moderate in their hypocrisy. It won’t work, repugs. You made your bed with the TP and you now own what you have done.
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jlt
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
The apple does not fall far from the tree…the son is a classless as the father and as disconnected!
This does not play well in America…dolts!
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Reynardine
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
The President was never required by law to release his grades, while Mitt, like everyone else in his bracket, is required to file tax returns, and it’s far more relevant to this country’s commonweal to know if a candidate is honest in his dealings with the public treasury than to see his marks in Drama Appreciation 101.
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Maritza
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
“The apple does not fall far from the tree”!!!(So true)The birthers base their claim on PBO’s father being from Kenya but Mitten’s father was born in Mexico; his grandfather moved them over there so that he would be free to practice his cult/religion’s beliefs!
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1voice1vote
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Smells like steamed billionaire desperation with dog whistle gravy.
The whole world is watching, Republicans.
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Christopher
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Can’t wait to hear what other #Romney Dwarves, Mutt, Twit, Twat and Twerp, have to say about Obama now that Matt embarrassed the campaign.
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ibwilliamsi
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
His grades were good enough that he was selected by his peers as President of the Harvard Law Review. Certainly Mittens is not suggesting that Harvard Law students are lazy or motivated by a desire to promote the unworthy ahead of themselves? Hardly.
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majii
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
And, he had to have the support of the professors in the law school. Romney graduated from Harvard. He knows this was an exceptional accomplishment–being the first black Harvard Law School student to become editor of the Harvard Law Review. If he doesn’t release a statement correcting this, I’m going to assume that it’s part of his scheme to become the GOP candidate for president in 2012. I blasted Matt Romney on Twitter and informed him that this is why the GOP has so many problems getting POC to vote for their candidates. They’re too stupid to realize that when they insult PBO, they not only insult POC, but millions of others who support him.
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SHARKSBREATH
Dec. 31st, 2011 at 12:26 am
This is something you can’t apologize about.
It’s like being white and calling a black person the “N” word.
If you said it it’s not the first time your lips uttered the word.
–
“I repeated a dumb joke. My bad.”
What joke is he talking about. Republicans take this issue dead serious.
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Becky
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
I cannot wait until people realize that Mitt’s grandfather left the USA to go to Mexico because Utah banned polygamy. We should not judge people by their ancestors, but let’s get real—who is more American here, Barack Obama, whose father emigrated here and married a nice Kansas girl, or Mitt, whose ancestors found the USA’s brand of democracy wanting because they wanted to practice their funny little religion? And how can Mitt, whose family chose to leave the USA to avoid its onerous laws (in their opinion), judge those of us who want the laws to provide equal rights to all?
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Lea Matthews
Jan. 1st, 2012 at 2:07 pm
That is very interesting, I hadn’t heard before about the Polygamy connection. Just goes to show the Democrats don’t like to play dirty. Lots of mileage could be gotten out of that. The other thing I am not hearing about is that Mitt & Tagg are now in business with Jon “I have no idea where the money is” Corzine. Tagg even lied in an interview and said Corzine was cleared of any wrong doing right before Corzine was called to testify in court. I wonder if Sociopathy runs in families, the boys are just as good as lying as dad. I thought we had laws about disclosing that kind of financial information, or has that gone the way of Campaign Contribution limits. It really makes me me made that every time I give $10.00 to Obama or Elizabeth Warren I have to sign all that stuff about it being my personal money and where I am employed while the corporations just buy up politicians by the dozen.
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Anne
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Willard not only lacks character, but he and his son have both proven that money doesn’t necessarily confer class. The more this fool is in the spotlight, the more I have come to despise him. As for Matt Romney, the rancid frut doesn’t fall far from its rancid tree.
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D-Dawg
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
We all know its the rich kids that worked hard for every break they got and poor minorities who got the free rides, lol.
I dont care about Romneys idiot son, Mitt Romney is an idiot by himself.
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F Joy
Dec. 30th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Willard Romney and his young son are both disconnected from the reality of the US economy and it’s impact on its citizens. They never had to struggle to make a living or provide for their families. They had wealth passed down from their fathers. They are totally out of touch with the average American. And joking about birther nonsense or being unemployed is hardly funny to people who are genuinely concerned about their jobs, or finding a job or holding on to a job that may be going overseas or holding on to unemployment they have earned to care for their families. Willard’s security concerns involve how soon and how much he can add to one of his existing huge mansions to provide more space and luxury for his family and their families. As far as the average family in America struggling to keep their home from going into foreclosure, Willard Mitt Romney says it’s best to let it go into foreclosure and let the properties go back to the banks and let the process work itself out. Mitt also said let the GM company go bankrupt. He could care less about how many jobs or families that process would have impacted. He gives President Obama no credit for saving all those GM and GM associated jobs. He’s highly disrespectful of the President when his only proven record is of sending jobs overseas. He does not have a decent job creation record. Let’s not let the main stream media or the GOP deny or color that truth! We don’t want this deceptive man as our President. We need to come together and make sure President Obama is reelected. He needs more than 3 years to try to turn the page on 30 years of greed and corruption. And we need a strong democratic majority in the house and senate and supreme court! It’s time to stop our country from being offered to the highest bidder.
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SHARKSBREATH
Dec. 31st, 2011 at 12:29 am
“The fact that anybody from the Romney campaign went birther this soon shows that they are getting desperate.”
I disagree.
This isn’t a sign of desperation.
It’s a sign of racism, ignorance and pure stupidity.
It’s so Republican.
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Deborah Montesano
Dec. 31st, 2011 at 1:45 am
OH, I think it’s a sign of desperation…and of racism, ignorance, pure stupidity, and Republicanism. Just when you think they can’t get any worse, they bring in the next generation!
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Sandy
Dec. 31st, 2011 at 10:00 am
President Obama has decided to have some fun and anyone can read his birth certificate while enjoying their morning coffee. It’s a great mug and a perfect response. I followed the link from Obama 2012 (?) and it is in my opinion the perfect turn about.
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neil
Jan. 7th, 2012 at 8:46 am
Mitt-Matt equals flip-flop.I don’t see where Romney is electable.This is a guy that straps his dog to the roof of his car,wants to make a 10,000 dollar bet with Perry,tries to stop a woman from having a life saving abortion and has been a rich entitled prick his whole life.What a peice of shit.
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