Posted on 08/24/2012 5:52:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Mitt Romney cracked a joke at a campaign stop this afternoon in Michigan which has people on both sides of the aisle in a frenzy. Some say it was a poke at birthers, yet birthers are taking it to mean that Romney’s coming on board with them. Some say it was a poke at liberals who whisper about Romney’s racist undertones. In response, liberals are… well, continuing to call Romney a racist.
But I disagree with both of these assumptions. I think the joke was aimed squarely at the media.
Let’s face it — the “birther” movement has had no bigger fan than the mainstream media who likes to paint all Republicans as hateful racists who cling to God, guns and conspiracy theories to protect themselves from an apocalyptic invasion of minorities and gays, or something. So while the reporters at the Romney rally today gasped at Romney’s supposedly overt racism, the audience got the joke, responding to Romney’s dry humor with applause and laughter.
It’s a perfect example of a “secondary reaction” joke, Ace of Spades HQ writes. “The joke itself is lame. The humor comes from imagining the reaction of the thin-skinned Obama and his hyperprotective partisans in the press.”
It’s true — the reaction of the media to Romney’s joke has been hysterical:
– Never one to overreact, MSNBC calmly discussed the “breaking news” of Romney’s quip and labeled it the “most despicable bigotry we can imagine.” (Seriously? Dear MSNBC, open a history book once in a while, will ya?)
– Mediaite’s resident boy-who-cried-racist Tommy Christopher proclaimed that MSNBC’s Touré was right in accusing Romney of using “n***rization” as a campaign tool to “racially marginalize” President Obama.
–CNN’s John King tweeted that his “birther comment” ruined a perfectly good day for Romney.
–Reporters at the Huffington Post were beside themselves, saying it was “awkward for Romney to play on the birther conspiracies that have plagued Barack Obama.” Uh, awkward for whom, exactly?
–Salon.com headlined their report, “Romney Goes Birther,” and said the joke was proof the GOP candidate was “doubling down on whiteness.”
–The Washington Post also weighed in, writing that Romney’s joke “injected the toxic issue of birtherism into an already bitter presidential race.” Wah-wah.
Like the media and any other “rational” person, the Obama camp also didn‘t think Romney’s joke was funny:
“Throughout this campaign, Governor Romney has embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them,” said campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt. “Gov. Romney’s decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement should give pause to any rational voter across America.”
The outraged Obama campaign wasted no time in trying to use this “new low for Romney” as a springboard for a new email fundraising push. Yet the Obama campaign itself has repeatedly joked about the conspiracy theories surrounding President Obama’s birth certificate — they even make money off of it!
(PHOTO AT LINK)
Gee, you know who else likes to joke about birthers? Barack Obama does:
(VIDEO AT LINK)
I think perhaps Romney should just randomly insert the words “birth certificate” into every stump speech he delivers from here on out — it’s the best way to get media attention. Obama accuses Romney of being a tax-dodging felon and the media yawns. Romney cracks a birth certificate joke and they soil themselves. I bet if Ann Romney added “birth certificate” to her remarks at the upcoming convention, the media wouldn’t hesitate to broadcast it.
Romney going birther is awesome. It will induce a negative rage and hate filled meltdown from Obama like we have never seen.
No good news for Obama and nothing that can hurt Romney.
PERFECT!
Ping for later edification...
Send aloof these media folks copies of Obama’s author bio that went uncorrected for 20 years.
All of
I believe many if not all of the media know or have serious thoughts about Obama’s history/eligibility. It just doesn’t matter to them as they agree with Obama and his change USA. I suspect thee is a personal blend of politics and money in their positions.
He gave it to them ,the Obama base , the media , right between the eyes .
They reacted just like he wanted them too .
Played to perfect.
Mitt / Paul are showing a little more street smarts than Barry/AxelDork expected.
0 is white.. half... and the other half is african-Moslem —> he is no african-american
He’s 50% white, 43% Arab, and 7% black.
I think Mitt joking about this is more significant than we realize.
The media is in a frenzy because they all know OBooboo is not eligible and they are crazed with fear that everybody else will figure it out. Finally.
Speaking as a long time proud birther...I don’t think that would be a good idea. Many people will be introduced to R&R during the convention.
If Trump goes off the rails with an opposition research diatribe, he will essentially hijack the entire week and allow the media to paint the R party of being racist extremists.
I would certainly like to see such a presentation but that is not the correct forum...jmho.
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