Romney prepares for Trump fundraiser, refuses to reject birtherism

By Michael J.W. Stickings

UPDATED BELOW.

Mitt Romney, as you may have heard, is attending a fundraiser in Las Vegas today with no less a shining light of the GOP than Donald Trump (as well as with another party star, Newt Gingrich). In anticipation of the event, Romney was asked about Trump's birtherism:

Mitt Romney said Monday he wasn't concerned about Donald Trump's commitment to the "birther" conspiracy, one day before the GOP presidential candidate hosts a fund-raiser alongside the celebrity business magnate.

Asked on his charter plane whether Trump's questioning of President Barack Obama's birthplace gave him pause, Romney simply said he was grateful for all his supporters.

"You know, I don't agree with all the people who support me and my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in," Romney said. "But I need to get 50.1% or more and I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."

(Actually, he doesn't need 50.1% or more, he needs 270 Electoral College votes. But perhaps we should excuse him this apparent lapse of understanding of the rules of American democracy?)

What a steaming pile of horseshit. (No disrespect to our equine friends.)

Romney isn't a birther and could easily have said he thinks (or preferably knows) Obama was born in the U.S., brushing off the question and moving on, but instead he saw an opportunity to pander shamelessly and, as usual, took it. And to whom was he pandering? Why, to the many, many Republicans who are on Trump's side on the whole birther nonsense. To all those "good people" on the crazy far right, which is more and more the Republican mainstream, whose support he needs in November.

But even if you don't think he was pandering to the right, his refusal to take a side was also typical of his tendency to flip and flop like a shameless opportunist, so unprincipled is he, so utterly soul-less, so desperate for votes, so fearful of pushing any prospective supporters away. (He may tout himself as a successful businessman, but there are countless indications he's a terrible leader.)

Anyway, enjoy the Romney-Trump-Gingrich spectacle today. For more, see my recent posts:

-- "The un-holy Republican triumvirate of 2012: Romney, Trump, Gingrich"; and

-- "George Will calls out Romney for campaigning with 'bloviating ignoramus' Donald Trump."

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UPDATE:

Even Wolf Blitzer thinks Trump is an idiot. 

But Trump isn't backing down: "I never really changed -- nothing's changed my mind."

And Romney is playing right along, still refusing to reject birtherism. His campaign even released his own birth certificate today. Which is just another way of playing the birther card.