There’s off message and then there’s Mitt Romney’s son, Matt Romney, who suggested on Thursday that President Obama should release his birth certificate and grades before his father releases his tax returns.
“He’s certainly not afraid of anything, he’s not hiding anything,” he said of his father in a video recorded by a Patch reporter in New Hampshire. “But 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, that maybe he’d do that.”
After his brothers stepped in to distance the candidate from the remarks, Matt added that “that’s a suggestion from someone else.”
Both Obama’s birth certificate and grades have been a longtime focus of fringe conspiracy theorists, leading Obama to publicly release copies of both his short form and long form birth certificate. Recently a number of conservatives, including Rick Perry, have demanded Obama release his college grades, a less-than-subtle dogwhistle to conservatives looking to prove that the president, who distinguished himself as the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review, owed his success to Affirmative Action.
TPM reached out to the Romney campaign for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Update: Matt Romney quickly clarified his remarks on Twitter via a brand new account that had never been used before. A spokeswoman for the Romney campaign confirmed to TPM that the account was indeed Romney’s son and that he had created it expressly to apologize.
“I repeated a dumb joke. My bad,” he tweeted.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
Gutless punk doesn't have the stomach for the fight... Better go get a stick of butter to chew on sonny and scurry on back to your cozy reform school.
I don't know what's sadder, that he's a forty year old who's a complete dolt, and or that he's a forty year old who tweets. I'll bet he wears his baseball cap backwards.
Mickey Bitsko No no - sideways. Yo.
@Mickey Bitsko it just goes to show how romney man have no class. that said, he really cute, esp for 40 year old.
Fringe conspiracy theorist are now the main stream GOP. I think we should list the GOP as an Endangered Species. They need protection from themselves.
Dave Witter Why on earth would we want to do that?
As middle aged white Mormon men go, he's OK.
I'd like to take that silver spoon out of Matt's mouth and shove it up his ass.
Nah Matt, we'd rather see your pappy's tax returns.
ritain2001 nope, sorry, can't take you seriously.....
ritain2001 Sorry you can't accept the fact that Barack Obama was born in Honolulu HI and is an American citizen. You are delusional.
ritain2001 Nice to know mental patients have access to the internet.
Wow, the crazy train runs express here, huh? ritain2001
@ritain2001 My, My, you needs your med dosage increased!
I prefer what Joe Biden's son is doing, prosecuting corporate fraudsters in the mortgage mess.
Do you know that Mitt Romney's father, George Romney, was born in Mexico, supposedly to American parents. George Romney ran for President of the United States on the Republican ticket in the 1970's.
Funny how things have changed. A white man, who's family fled to Mexico to practice pologamy, is never questioned about his citizenship. A racially mixed man, with an African father, can't escape questions. Mark Gillar
kanthom2000Mark Gillar OH! MY! GOD! Mitt Romney is Mexican!?!?!?!
Mark Gillar Flagged as spam and offensive. Get your racist ass out of here and troll up Red State.
He probably shouldn't have brought up the issue. All he did was open a big can of worms. Turns out Mitt Romney is an anchor baby lol..... Hobbes83 Mark Gillar
Mark Gillar Oh, Marky? You wouldn't recognize truth if it bit you on your lily white buttocks. I
Mark Gillar You're an idiot.
Isn't that http://www.teapartyfifteenminutes.com? Besides your 15 minutes are up! Mark Gillar
Mark Gillar So sorry you are a delusional birther.
Honolulu HI is the United States, that is where legally elected U.S. born President was born.
I'll release my fist to Matt Romney's face.
Maybe Romney should release his tax returns, grades, and birth certificate, if Obama does the same. It makes no differece to me, but some GOP supporters may change opinions if they knew Romney's father was... A MEXICAN!!!!!
bison being a Mormon is gonna get him in the end.
People should just cut the birther nonsense. Obama's grades, however, are another matter. He is an affirmative action baby.
bills8259 I dunno -- he was making A's at Columbia. That's a pretty good recommendation all by itself. Plus he was doing community service work for several years (about 5 years, I think) before he applied to Harvard Law School -- he didn't go right out of Columbia. I would guess that would have been a plus for him as well.
And as others here have pointed out, whether or not he was an affirmative action admission at the start, he certainly more than proved that he belonged there.
bills8259 As we've discussed earlier today, bill... even if your unsupported claim is true, that Obama was an "affirmative action baby" (good job with the infantilizing, BTW) then that would be an excellent recommendation in favor of the policy.
Presumably, your argument goes that Barack Obama would not have earned admission to Harvard under the standards that were then in place. Yet he has become President of the United States. That speaks very highly of his intellect and ability to achieve.
A system that would have denied this man a place at a prestigious university in favor, say, of the offspring of an alumnus seems like a poor method of allocating these prized spots, wouldn't you say?
spas485bills8259
I agree with your statement, however, I do believe that President Obama's father went to Harvard as well.
bills8259 When has ANY candidate for Prez had to produce grades? seriously??? Give it up! He's the President of the US (and looks like he will be for another 4 years)
bills8259 Well white people have always been 'Affrimative action babies'. How many white boys and girls have either gotten a job or in school because of who they know. Many to count. How many white people kids have gotten promotions because of mommmy and daddy.
You haters have some nerve to complain when the deck has been stack in white people favor for decades and decades
demeat42bills8259 Kind of like how GWB got into Yale what do they call that, by "legacy?" Isn't that kind of like rich people's affirmative action? It sure wasn't his brains!
Even if you write it off as a dumb joke, the level of privilege one must have to feel comfortable enough to say such a thing in front of complete strangers is amazing. This isn't a teenage kid blurting out the first thought that comes to mind, this is a 40 year old Harvard educated attorney.
Kaneblues that was no accident. He was told to do that. Mister is willing to sell his lousy soul to be president. But it won't work.
Are Mormons regularly inbred?
Jokes are people, my friend.
Or something like that.
Kaneblues Some people are jokes, that's for sure.
Soooo, he believes that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God who offers no evidence at all that this is the case, but he doesn't believe Obama's birth documentation. Riiiiiight.
@Jenna Egusa Walden hahaha. Now that is spot on!
Jenna Egusa Walden I would like to know if there is any evidence of the golden scrolls? Oh right....angel "Moroni" scooted them off to the sky. THAT'S totally believable....
Obama is NOT a natural born citizen as REQUUIRED by the Constitution. We don't need his birth cert anymore..only needed it to prove his father was a NON AMERICAN.
My mother was a non-American when I was born in Boston. MA. Am I not a natural born citizen?
ana23
Ritain is on some shrooms.
If you are born in the United States, you are a natural born citizen (even if your parents aren't born in the united states).
wikipedia:The Congressional Research Service has stated that the weight of scholarly legal and historical opinion indicates that natural-born-citzien means one who is entitled under the Constitution or laws of the United States to U.S. citizenship "at birth" or "by birth,"including any child born "in" the United States (other than to foreign diplomats serving their country), the children of United States citizens born abroad, and those born abroad of one citizen parent who has met U.S. residency requirements.
ana23 I ignored that spew when I read that revisionist history lie about birthers only wanting the BC to "prove" that Obama's father -- whom Obama himself ALWAYS identified as Kenyan -- was indeed a "non-American." Yeah right.
Here are the pertinent facts. Hawaii entered the Union in 1959. His American mother gave birth to her son IN Hawaii in 1961. Case closed.
Conversation from Twitter
LasVegasJessica Nothing Grand in that party!! GOP = GROSSING OUT PEOPLE!
backstorymom Not one they want to admit, anyway...
.backstorymom Mittens son, Matten! http:\/\/t.co\/PXNtIgTa :)
LasVegasJessica I bet mitt Romney won't release his grades and birth certificate
Want to thank all of you, for your Powerfull stand against Oboma & His Corrupted political partners.
But there is so much more we Can do. Being aggressive and focusing on the facts and truth is only the first step.
We musT follow Up with more details standing by our convictions and dont back down.
Oboma has NOT brought CHANGE, In fact ~! ~ THE ONLY real THING needing CHANGE !....Was Barack Hussein Obama II.
HIMSELF
Barack Hussein Obama II ( Who hates American Values ) who is A " SELF PROCLAIMED Enemy" ~of responsible, Morally Conscious HARD WORKING Americans.
oBOMAS Irresponsible & DRUG MAFIA and reckless supporters KNOW~ that Barack Hussein Obama II, WILL FORCE YOU to paY THEM, out of your PockeT .{ FOR all of their UNCHECKED Vices and THRILLS/
{ All on YOU | /
At your COST & Sacrifice
...This UN~CHANGABLE fraud, has done His VERY BEST to Inspire VIOLENCE. For THESE ARE OBAMAS Very OWN WORDS.. saying .........To his supporters.
Saying “Get ready for hand-to-hand combat with your Fellow Americans”
– Obama has ALSO DECLARED to his Supporters....“I want all Americans to get in each others Faces!– Obama demands !
“You bring a knife to a fight pal, we’ll bring a gun” –
THESE ARE OBAMAS OWN WORDS.. /and ANGER VIOLENCE and more taxes..... THIS IS OBAMAS Change for america “Hit Back Twice As Hard”. He commands !*Obama on the private sector: ~~ “We talk to these folks…~ / so I know whose a*$ to KICK.“ OBOMA wants to KICK your a*$ / Shouting THAT Republican
victory would mean ~ “hand to hand combat”
HE IS EXPECTING people to be on Edge and BORDERLINE killing MODE, VIOLENT / and STAND up for their immoral CAUSES
THIS IS WHAT HE LIVES FOR ./ ./ ./ THESE ARE OBAMAS OWN WORDS.. !
* Obama Tells democrats: “ I’m itching for a fight.” !
....PLEASE.... go to reXes NEW WebsiTe ~ ! Oboma *( Just like Adolf Hitler~~\oBOMA~~~ Demands ! -- [ THE FINAL SOLUTION - for Un~Wanted Children
Barak Obama is A MURDERER .~Torturing UNWANTED babys on DEATH ROE
CLICK HERE http://obomlnation.webstarts.com/index.html
OBAMA TAKES a little NEW BORN innocent child. BORN. ALIVE STabS it iN the Head SUCKs ITS BRAINS OUT.
This is just too wrong and horrible. Please stand for Loving Children and the USA
- spam
- offensive
- disagree
- off topic
Like