Mitt's Cheap Shot on the Birther Issue

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright August 25, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

          Speaking at a campaign rally in Commerce, Mich. with his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), GOP presidential nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney raised the thorny birther issue against President Barack Obama.  When real estate mogul and reality TV personality Donald Trump questioned the authenticity of Barack’s Hawaiian birth certificate, it became a magnet for conspiracy nuts to rant about the president’s birthplace.  Insisting Barack’s certified 1961 Hawaiian birth certificate was a fake, Trump raised disturbing questions about whether or not Obama was by birth eligible for president.  Forget about the fact that Barack’s mother, Mandelyn Dunham, was a U.S. citizen, assuring his citizenship wherever he was born.  “No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate,” said Romney, whipping up the partisan crowd, hitting Barack below the belt.

            Questions of Barack’s birthplace were raised during the 2008 campaign, despite the State of Hawaii certifying his Hawaiian birth certificate issued in Honolulu, Aug. 4, 1961.  Trump questioned the birth certificate’s authenticity Aug. 6, including the birth announcements published at the time in the local Honolulu newspaper.  “A lot o people do not think it was an authentic certificate,” Trump told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer May 12, the day Romney secured his Party’s nomination.  Blitzer then got into it with Donald on national TV.  Wolf said he thought Trump was “starting to sound ridiculous,” to which Donald responded, “I think you sound ridiculous,” showing how low things can go at CNN.  Mitt’s joke about Barack’s birth certificate shows where the campaign is going between now and the election.  With the race a virtual dead heat, both candidates have come out swinging in recent days.

            As Labor Day approaches and the campaign heats up, both candidates will pull out all the stops.  Democrats have been going after Romney’s record at Bain Capital, suggesting Mitt outsourced jobs to make leveraged buyouts more profitable.  Former President Bill Clinton, now hitting the campaign trial in battleground states for Barack, called Romney’s career at Bain “stellar.”  “The Governor has always said, and has repeatedly said, he believe the president was born here in the United States,” said senior Romney aid Kevin Madden.  “They know that is the place that we were born and raised,” said Mitt referring to where he and his wife Ann were from.  With the Republican convention a week away, the GOP seeks any momentum heading into Tampa, now that tropical storm Isaac has turned northward.  Raising the birther issue opens up more doubts about Barack.

            Whether Trump was ever serious about running for president, he commands a high profile media presence, grabbing headlines when he speaks or Tweets.  Trump helped Romney rake in millions, giving the 65-year-old candidate a huge cash advantage heading into November.  Raising $24 million more than Obama in July, Romney’s Superpacs have tapped into billionaire donors like Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, primary backer of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.  However nutty Trump’s ideas, Romney knows he’s a media magnet, drawing attention away from the president.  “You know, I don’t agree with all the people who support me, and my guess is that they don’t all agree with everything I believe in,” said Mitt, especially when it comes to his Mormon faith.  NBC, known for its liberal leanings, has been hosting a special on the Mormon religion.

            Romney won’t denounce Trump or any other person or group raising money for his campaign.  Like former President George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign against Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), IRS 529 groups like “Swift-boat Veteran’s for Truth” manufactured unending defamatory stories about Kerry.  If Donald plays a similar role in 2012, Romney will be eternally grateful.  “But, I need to get to 50.1 percent or more, and I’m appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people,” said Romney looking for any help he can get.  “Throughout this campaign, Gov. Romney has embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them,” said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt, criticizing Mitt’s birther comments.  Both campaigns get that “all’s fair in love and war,” especially when it comes to political campaigns, no matter how dirty.

            Failing to denounce the birther issue, Romney welcomes anyone capable of damaging Barack’s credibility.  With the economy teetering, Barack faces stiff headwinds heading into November.  While it’s doubtful Romney could do any better managing the economy, Obama is still accountable to voters.  It’s not enough to blame past the Republian administration, the economy is now Obama’s to fix or not.  “Romney’s decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement should give pause to any rational voter across America,” said LaBolt, is a little wishful thinking.  Obama’s campaign knows that the mud flies both ways.  Talking about Romney’s offshore accounts or lack of tax returns also attempts to discredit the former Massachusetts governor.  Both campaigns need to stop whining, accept the playbook and find better ways to sell themselves.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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