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Whether you're a a conservative deeply invested in Mitt Romney's election, or a reporter deeply invested in maintaining your pox-on-both-their-houses objectivity during this campaign season, you'll need to compare Romney's birther joke to something President Obama's done. Conservatives need to argue that Romney's birther joke, with all the wink-wink-nudge-nudge-racist connotations, wasn't all that bad. Reporters need to say, "We're sick of both these partisan pols on both sides, right America?" But it's hard. Though there is a small Romney-birther movement, it doesn't pack the same punch. Allow The Atlantic Wire to guide you in the process of figuring out what Obama joke, exactly, Romney's birther joke was really like.
Was it like Seamus?
- "Obama makes Seamus the dog reference, Romney makes birther reference. Smallness of our politics is amazing," The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza tweeted.
- "But Seamus jokes are OK from guy who ATE dog!" tweeted Ellen Carmichael, an aide to Republican Rep. Tom Price.
- "So, Seamus jokes are OK, but birth-certificate jokes aren't?" tweeted Rachael Larimore, who perhaps fits in both categories. Her Twitter bio asys she's "Slate managing editor and lonely Republican."