Did you know Mitt Romney has ties to Mexico? His great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, moved to Mexico in 1885 because he had multiple wives (as Mormon law then permitted) and wanted to escape the anti-polygamy laws in the United States. Romney's own grandfather, Gaskell, and his father, George, were actually born in Mexico to U.S. citizens. The family moved back the states when the civil war broke out in Mexico inn 1911. George Romney eventually became Governor of Michigan and the rest is political history.
Does this make them Mexican? Not really. Well, at least not according to Gov. Mitt Romney himself. Back in January, Gov. Romney told Fox News, "You know, I wish I could claim that I'm Hispanic and it would help me with the Latino community here in Florida and around the country, but my dad was born of American parents living in Mexico."
These days, Romney sure does seem to wish he really was Mexican though. Think I'm crazy? Well, listen in for yourself....
Mitt Romney seems to be doubling down on what started as a blatant pander to the Latino voters in the U.S. Except now, he's using his family's history as a punchline, instead of an advantage. By telling the super-wealthy voters in attendance at his expensive fundraiser that if he were Latino, he'd have "a better shot at winning this [2012 Presidential election]," he's essentially poking fun at the fact that he believes we would all vote for him based solely on ethnicity.
Romney seems to have a fair-weather relationship with his ties to Mexico. Though he joked about being Latino at this fundraiser, he has touted his history in the past--most notably using his son, Craig, who is fluent in Spanish, to talk about the GOP candidate's bi-cultural past in a Spanish-language campaign ad.
"He greatly values that we are a nation of immigrants," Craig Romney said in the ad. "My grandfather, George, was born in Mexico. For my family, the greatness of America is how we all respect each other and help one another."
Funny how one second his family's Mexican past is a plus, and the next it's a joke. What do you think about Mitt Romney's joke about being Mexican?
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Editor's Note: This entry has been updated to reflect that, while polygamy was permitted under Mormon Law when Miles Park Romney moved to Mexico, that is not the case today