Column: Trump could damage Romney’s campaign

By Jeremiah Yates

Donald Trump simply won’t give it up.

In another attempt to push the “birther” theory, Trump interviewed via telephone with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and repeated his claims denouncing President Barack Obama’s legitimacy to hold the highest office in the nation.

According to Trump and others who support this claim, President Obama should not be able to continue his presidency because he was not born in the United States.

But official documents show that he was born in Hawaii in 1961.

While Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney does acknowledge the legitimacy of Obama’s birthplace, his political ties with Trump will most likely hurt his campaign in the long run.

It is no secret that presidential candidates must have large sums of money before even considering winning an election.

And it is no secret that Trump has the resources to assist Romney with enough funding. But, it does come to a point when money will lose its influence. It that wasn’t the case, it would be Trump as the presidential candidate and not Romney.

Trump’s candidacy fell short early on when he dropped out of the race last year. While he didn’t actually admit his decision not to run was because of his potential to win (or lack thereof), it is safe to say the American people would rather see another eight years of President George W. Bush than four years of President Donald Trump.

In defense of “The Donald,” it was the goal of Blitzer to talk about the “birther” issue and not the troubled aspects of the American economy, which Trump attempted to discuss.

But, Trump couldn’t resist spewing the ridiculous accusations of Obama’s birthplace. He even said that it was a matter of opinion.

“Everybody’s entitled to your opinion,” he said. “You know my opinion and you know his opinion, and that’s fine. We’re entitled – as he said yesterday in the airplane – we’re all entitled to our opinions and he’s entitled to have his opinion. I don’t happen to share that opinion,; it’s wonderful.”

But the truth of the matter is that it is a matter of “fact” and not “opinion.” For example, I was born in the state of North Carolina, which is a fact. To say I was born anywhere else is incorrect.

It can’t be an opinion because it can be proved through legal documentation, just like the documentation proving President Obama’s birthplace.

You can’t denounce a fact and call it an opinion.

This absurd tactic to bash a president should not sway voters. If Obama isn’t a national-born citizen, then our country has more to worry about than getting him out of office.

It would seem that our entire political system would have failed us, and should be reconstructed.

Because of his ridiculousness, Trump’s endorsement could be more damaging to a political campaign than having it funded through the welfare system.

Politicians want votes wherever they can get them. But when one of a candidate’s major supporters magnifies claims such as the “birther” theory, it may convince voters that his views are similar to the candidate’s and voters may lean the other way.

Romney has separated his views on the issue, but his campaign is widely advocated by Trump.

“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 when asked about the issue. “But I need to get 50.1 percent or more and I’m appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people,”Romney said.

But he should get the dollar signs out of his head, and look at the big picture. Most American’s do not support this claim, and if they make a connection with Romney to the issue, many may find Romney as ignorant as those who support it.

But, then again, if you are voting for Obama in 2012, you may want Americans to see the ignorance of the Republican Party.

Read more here: http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/column-trump-could-damage-romney-s-campaign-1.2875273
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