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Romney's 'joke' panders to the worst
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When Joe Biden opens his mouth you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes his words can be deeply moving. Sometimes he puts his foot in his mouth, as he did a couple of weeks ago with his "gonna put y'all back in chains" comment. That was a stupid thing to say, but at least he was trying to make a valid point about how Republican policy would affect the American people.
On the other hand, by making a birth certificate "joke" the other day, Mitt Romney was pandering to the fringe (I'm not sure if this group is small enough to be labeled a fringe) group of our fellow Americans who hate President Barack Obama because he is black and because, in their twisted mentality, not a Christian. That was truly a hateful comment, which had no objective other than to gain the support of the racists of America.
Worst of all, though, is what he said after the comment. His birther comment was made off the cuff, but what he said afterward was calculated. He could have apologized. Instead he said, "I was only joking." I don't believe Mitt Romney is a racist, but I think he is pandering to the racist vote, which is so much worse. And he has the nerve to condemn Mr. Biden for hate speech!
I usually think U.S. election campaigns go on way too long, but maybe that's not the case. The longer we have a chance to get to know Mitt Romney, the clearer it becomes what a shallow, unsavory type this guy really is. I just hope enough voters understand that fact on Election Day.
MITCH NYER
Squirrel Hill
First Published August 29, 2012 12:00 am
