# Romney "No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 24, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504 "2012-08-24T17:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/101 "2012-08-24T23:49:45Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Well, Obama seems to think the whole [birther thing](https://store.barackobama.com/made-in-the-usa-mug.htmlhttps://store.barackobama.com/made-in-the-usa-mug.html) is funny. If he can laugh at this then I think we can all have a good laugh at this without being called racist. > > $22.50 for a mug? [Fixed link](https://store.barackobama.com/obama-2012-store-home-outdoors/obama-2012-store-kitchen/made-in-the-usa-mug.html). Hey, it’s fundraising. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/102 "2012-08-24T23:50:23Z")
They told him, be less wooden, be human, tell jokes. So, he tried. And he sucks at it, his sense of humor is the equivalent of the white guy who can’t dance because he suffers from terminal arrhythmia. But he tries. And he shouldn’t. He is trying to pretend he has a sense of humor. Think of sex joke you remember being really, really funny. Imagine if Mitt Romney were telling it. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/103 "2012-08-25T00:01:24Z")
The only people who ever seem to hear these dog whistles are the hypersensitive left who think any attack on Obama is racist. I wonder whose ears went up when Biden told all those African Americans that the republicans wanted to put them back in chains? Well, we know Biden is a racist. Remember his 7-Eleven joke? How about his Indian accent impersonation? Oh, remember his comments about Obama being articulate and clean? Hey **Marley** I think you are picking on the wrong candidate! ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/104 "2012-08-25T00:03:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I was undecided on whether or not the McCain campaign was ever deliberately racist in its attacks on Obama, but I think with Romney, the answer is clear at this point. Well, I thought it was clear, but then you went and said that you weren’t calling anybody racist, so now I’m not so sure. A casual reading of that sentence seems to indicate that you are indeed calling Romney racist. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/105 "2012-08-25T00:03:54Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > [Fixed link](https://store.barackobama.com/obama-2012-store-home-outdoors/obama-2012-store-kitchen/made-in-the-usa-mug.html). Hey, it’s fundraising. Damn it…thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/106 "2012-08-25T00:26:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **Romney “No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate”** Well yeah; he probably spawned from a pod somewhere instead of being born. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/107 "2012-08-25T01:54:12Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > The only people who ever seem to hear these dog whistles are the hypersensitive left who think any attack on Obama is racist. And the people I quoted from the story I linked to. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/108 "2012-08-25T02:19:21Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > All the racists are in states Romney is going to win anyway. Unless I missed it, nobody addressed this all the way back from page 1. Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida are all really close, and all have significant populations of white racists, and of people who think the only way to be a ‘real American’ is to drive a pickup, drink beer, and listen to that stupid song by Uncle Cracker about being raised 'neath the Georgia Pines. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/109 "2012-08-25T02:20:25Z")
double post ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/110 "2012-08-25T02:24:39Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Unless I missed it, nobody addressed this all the way back from page 1. > > Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida are all really close, and all have significant populations of white racists, and of people who think the only way to be a ‘real American’ is to drive a pickup, drink beer, and listen to that stupid song by Uncle Cracker about being raised 'neath the Georgia Pines. And some combination of those states will be needed to get him to 270. Will it lose him more than it gains him (be it turn out or “swing voters”) there? I don’t think even Nate Silver knows! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/111 "2012-08-25T02:29:43Z")
I defended Mitt’s jokes in [this other thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=663159). Can I defend this one? Here’s what I think. We all tell edgy jokes with our friends. People who know us allow us to stick a toe over the line. Politicians do it, too, and probably go farther than most of us because they have to deal with the public all the time and generally speaking, people are idiots. I can see that the birth certificate line killing in a room full or advisors or on a plane or bus going to the next appearance. Any comedian would say it in a second. But it’s a stupid, stupid line to use in a public address. People laughed, because that’s what they would do if they heard the line used by one of their friends. They’d even remember it. Hey, Mitt got off a good one last night. But politicians of much lower visibility get into trouble all the time for using private lines in public. And they should. Romney doesn’t get a pass for this one. You want to know what gaffes look like? This was a gaffe. When they say that a gaffe is speaking the truth out loud, sometimes they mean that a politician says something in plain language that’s usually couched in platitudes and sometimes they mean that a politician says something that might go over with insiders but should never be said in public. This was the latter. I can’t imagine being inside Romney’s head so I’m not going to guess whether he meant it to be racist or race-baiting or code. The fact that it can so easily be taken for any of the three is enough to make it really, really stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/112 "2012-08-25T03:04:05Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > The only people who ever seem to hear these dog whistles are the hypersensitive left **who think any attack on Obama is racist.** There was a whole thread about how Obama was leaking secrets, hogging all the credit for Osama bin Laden, etc, etc. Even though one of the key players in the original accusation about the leaks was, in fact, a self-proclaimed birther, not a single person in that thread brought up the topic of racism. Romney was not called a racist for bonding with the birthers, he was accused of TROLLING FOR RACISTS (aka race-baiting). There is a difference. Do you think that every company that markets to the homosexual population has suddenly fired all their heterosexual staff and replaced them with gay people? Of is it just that they want to sell their product to that demographic. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/113 "2012-08-25T03:07:50Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Unless I missed it, nobody addressed this all the way back from page 1. > > Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida are all really close, and all have significant populations of white racists, and of people who think the only way to be a ‘real American’ is to drive a pickup, drink beer, and listen to that stupid song by Uncle Cracker about being raised 'neath the Georgia Pines. Thanks for that. Please let us all ignorant rednecks know when it’s okay to listen to the **Zac Brown Band** , okay? I swear to God, the people on your own side are your own worst enemy. Got a bucket big enough for that tarbrush Yank? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/114 "2012-08-25T03:16:52Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Thanks for that. Please let us all ignorant rednecks know when it’s okay to listen to the **Zac Brown Band** , okay? > > I swear to God, the people on your own side are your own worst enemy. Got a bucket big enough for that tarbrush Yank? I’m from Ohio and I don’t have an issue with what **bup** said. I know plenty of people who resemble his comments. I’m not one of them, but then he didn’t say “everyone,” he said “significant populations.” ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/115 "2012-08-25T03:21:49Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > I swear to God, the people on your own side are your own worst enemy. Got a bucket big enough for that tarbrush Yank? I’m a displaced Virginian myself. And the song sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/116 "2012-08-25T03:28:44Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’m from Ohio and I don’t have an issue with what **bup** said. I know plenty of people who resemble his comments. I’m not one of them, but then he didn’t say “everyone,” he said “significant populations.” So why mention “Uncle Cracker” [sic]? Is country (not that Uncle Kracker is really country) that popular up there - but not in Illinois or Indiana? Down here, you could line up every racist there is and The Villages alone damn near out-vote them. You want Florida, get the old people. The rest of us don’t matter that much in statewide elections. Look at where state officials are coming from these days. All south of the Ocala line. Tampa, Miami, the retirement community - those are the keys to Florida and while those voters may be racist, the vast majority of them don’t consider themselves Southern and DON’T listen to country music and I’m tired of the dog whistle. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/117 "2012-08-25T03:48:25Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > You guys are all arguing past the truly stupid thing that Romney was implying with that comment. It wasn’t about race or even trying to appeal to birthers, really. He was trying to say that Obama is not obviously American (not patriotic, doesn’t believe in what Americans should believe in, etc), while Romney is. > > It’s the same old line trotted out by Palin with her “real americans” line and stuff. He’s trying to imply that Obama doesn’t ACT like an American. > > It’s annoying and offensive. This, I think, is the actual situation. Romney is trying to identify Obama as an “Other”, not to be trusted. “He’s not like real Americans like you and me.” Obama’s being Black is only part of the issue, and not necessarily the most important part. All Romney has to do is make him seem alien somehow. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/118 "2012-08-25T05:28:56Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Down here, you could line up every racist there is and The Villages alone damn near out-vote them. You’re assuming significant portions of the latter don’t also belong to the former, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/119 "2012-08-25T07:59:28Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > What’s this? Are you making a joke about birth certificates? You racist! > > [Kidding, obviously] > 😃 No, I was making a joke about racists who think the black guy with an African father is suspicious and unAmerican but the white guy with a Mexican father is above suspicion. I was also suggesting that since the racists are dumb enough to take this seriously, it’s good to ask these questions. The more they talk and try to explain themselves the worse Republicans looks. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504/120 "2012-08-25T08:43:49Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Y’know, it’s possible that Romney is just a clueless, humor-impaired tonedeaf dork who can’t put three syllables together without inadvertently offending millions of people every time he speaks. > > But why would you want someone like that running your country? How else are you going to get that much comedy in that price range ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-no-ones-ever-asked-to-see-my-birth-certificate/632504.md?page=7)