The Truth About Mitt Romney's Birth Certificate

Mitt Romney just gave the democrats a perfect angle to spin the whole birther debate. It's simple, demand Romney's birth certificate. You might ask what that will prove? We all know that he was born in the U.S. since his father was a famous business man and politician. But this also leads us to the one line on the certificate that could cause the most controversy. How many Americans had a father like George W. Romney listed on their birth certificate? He was a man of great means and high profile.The democrats could make the case that Barack Obama was born to more normal circumstances, thus pounding home the us versus them mentality. Or as the GOP calls it, class warfare. Would this work for the democrats? Well, with unemployment high and the margin between poor and rich widening I would say it would work better than saying your opponent was born in Kenya.

The Clean And Articulate Paul Ryan

Just for fun I thought it would be interesting to write a piece describing Paul Ryan as if I was Joe Biden describing candidate Barack Obama in 2008. I'm not sure what the outcome of this exercise will be or if there will even be one. The obvious elephant in the room in comparing the two is race, but if you throw that out I think this could still be interesting. By now most republicans are probably offended by the notion that Ryan could be compared to Obama. So be it, this republican version of Joe Biden is not out to make friends.

"Mr. Biden, what do you think about candidate Ryan?" Anonymous reporter asks.

"Well, I tell ya. This guy is the first, you know, clean and articulate guy they've produced out of Wisconsin." Biden responds.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know, its the farm land up there. Good God fearing people, but bless their hearts when it comes to policy."

Without the injection of race was the above scenario as offensive? I would say no. The quote in 2008 did do something though. It brought an underlying issue about the campaign to light. For all we know this could have been staged. Would you take a guy as your V.P. if he said anything close to this? Wait, it has been done. Reagan took Bush after the "voodoo economics" quote. Does getting the elephant out of the room clear uncomfortable sentiment in voters? I think it does.

Now that I have established a direction in this piece, lets put it to practice. The elephants in the room for Mitt Romney are his wealth, tax returns and Bain Capital. When those on the right tried to play Biden they were thoroughly hushed. Newt Gingrich was basically called a traitor. Some agreed though, saying that it was a part of the vetting process. I agree as well, but the way this should have been approached should have been different. It should be handled in the tabloid gotcha moment way. Sorry, but that is the only way to get people's attention these days.

So to put a little spin on what Joe Biden did in 2008 I will present something the Romney campaign could do now. The biggest issue the Romney campaign should be worried about is the label of being rich and out of touch. The democrats are doing a great job on this one. To approach this issue I would go to the old "didn't know the mic was on" routine. One Paul Ryan could be visiting with a small business owner when he gets the question.

"I don't trust Mitt Romney because he is rich." Joe the business owner says.

"Ya know what Joe, I thought the same thing too. I mean who makes 20 million a year off of investments." Ryan shockingly responds.

"What?"

"That's what I thought before I got to know the real Mitt Romney." Ryan follows up.

This exchange would be played on every news/entertainment program for the rest of the campaign cycle. It would also get the point across to voters on the fence. The message would be that the GOP understands your concerns and that's why we have good old Paul Ryan there to make sure Romney doesn't get out of line. While a political campaign would never admit to doing something like this, it happens. It's part of the game. This is also how elections are won.

Some R & R For The Republicans

This time around there was not a "game changer" pick or a maverick. What you got was a young conservative who seems to be clean an articulate. While I do not believe this choice changes things in Ohio or Florida, it should solidify the GOP's position in the House and help them make a run at the Senate. For the first time in recent history the president ticket will have a private citizen on the top and a congressman in the VP position. This will force Romney to accept positions and legislation that Paul Ryan has proposed. For the future of the party this is a good thing. It will be interesting to see how it affects the presidential election. With labor day coming up it will be the last break before the final stretch of the campaign, and over the next two and a half months things will intensify time ten. That being said, with the selection of Ryan conservatives can rest easy and relax their ticket is now balanced.

Where's the Veep?

OK Mitt, you've had enough time to decide on your running mate. We both know that if you wait until the week before the convention it's going to be anti-climactic and whomever you pick will let down your base. How about for histories sake you just come out and make the announcement tomorrow? Or the day after. No fan fare, no staged event where the families are waving to a massive crowd. How about just announcing who will be your partner and just getting down to business? Better yet, why not announce your choice at a small business that has been affected by Obama's time in office or one that will benefit from your plan once you get their. Talk about a stark contrast that you can draw with the president. A small town event like this would make history; or at least make you go down in history based on the reaction you get. The presidency is about taking chances and so far the Romney campaign has been to shy. With the VP choice being the next major headline grabber that Romney can control he needs to get it right. Easier said than done one might say. Well, with records amounts of cash coming in and a riled up base, Romney should be excepted to hit a home run.