Jeffrey Meyer used an Aug. 30 NewsBusters post to complain that MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked “a ridiculous question about birtherism” following her “inspirational convention speech.” Meyer declared that birtherism is “an issue that numerous Republicans have disavowed since the beginning,” adding, “Matthews’ obsession with a fringe group of individuals that have been disavowed by the Republican Party shows the bigoted and small mindset he represents.”
If birtherism has been so soundly “disavowed” by Republicans, why did the Republican Party’s nominee, Mitt Romney, invoke birtherism when he remarked, “No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate”? Doesn’t that make Romney a “fringe individual” by Meyer’s definition?
Of course, NewsBusters immediately ran to Romney’s defense over the remark, portraying it as a “joke” and criticizing people from trying to read anything more into it.