Associated Press
Sometimes, it's possible to gain and lose the moral high ground very quickly.
When reporters shout intemperate questions at a candidate near Pilsudski Square in Warsaw, the candidate has gained the high ground. When the candidate's aide tells the reporters, "Kiss my ass" and "Shove it," the candidate has lost the high ground.
Similarly, Mitt Romney had the high ground when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made unfounded allegations about the Republican's tax returns. And yet, he somehow managed to cede the high ground soon after.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Reid claimed he'd heard from a Bain Capital investor that Romney hadn't paid income taxes for 10 years. Which investor? Reid didn't say. Why should anyone take the claim seriously? Reid couldn't say. He heard a rumor, and he's passing it along.
Team Romney was furious and they had a point. The discourse can't work this way -- prominent officials need to be responsible when making attacks, and not just throw around second-hand innuendo, as if presidential candidates have a responsibility to respond to every unsupported rumor.
Romney had the high ground against a cheap shot. And then he gave it away.
"It's time for Harry to put up or shut up," Romney said on Sean Hannity's radio show. [...]
"Harry's gonna have to describe who it is he spoke with because of course that's totally and completely wrong," Romney said Thursday in the radio interview. "It's untrue, dishonest and inaccurate. It's wrong. So I'm looking forward to have Harry reveal his sources and we'll probably find out that it's the White House."
Is that so. Does Reid have any proof that Romney failed to pay taxes for 10 years? No, it's just an unsubstantiated allegation that Reid carelessly pushed in the media. And does Romney have any proof that the White House is Reid's secret source behind the attack? No, it's just an unsubstantiated allegation that Romney carelessly pushed in the media. High ground, lost.
As for "put up or shut up," is this really the phrase the guy who has been hiding his tax returns wants to use?
In recent weeks, Romney and his campaign spokespersons have claimed he always followed the law when paying his taxes and never paid an income tax rate of 0%. Romney also told a national television audience he'd be "happy to go back and look" to see how many years, if any, he paid a rate under 13.9%.
But these boasts are as dubious as Reid's irresponsible claims -- Romney has effectively told Americans we're simply supposed to take his defense on faith. He could bolster his own rhetoric about his tax history with documented proof, but for reasons he can't explain, Romney doesn't want to.
The message: just take his word for it. And what about his willingness to happily go back and look at his paid income tax rates? Apparently, Romney intends to break this commitment just days after making it.
This is not how one keeps the moral high ground.
For Reid's part, the Senate Majority Leader issued a statement last night that stands by the original allegations.
"There is a controversy because the Republican presidential nominee, Governor Mitt Romney, refuses to release his tax returns. As I said before, I was told by an extremely credible source that Romney has not paid taxes for ten years. People who make as much money as Mitt Romney have many tricks at their disposal to avoid paying taxes. We already know that Romney has exploited many of these loopholes, stashing his money in secret, overseas accounts in places like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.
"Last weekend, Governor Romney promised that he would check his tax returns and let the American people know whether he ever paid a rate lower than 13.9 percent. One day later, his campaign raced to say he had no intention of putting out any further information.
"When it comes to answering the legitimate questions the American people have about whether he avoided paying his fair share in taxes or why he opened a Swiss bank account, Romney has shut up. But as a presidential candidate, it's his obligation to put up, and release several years' worth of tax returns just like nominees of both parties have done for decades.
"It's clear Romney is hiding something, and the American people deserve to know what it is. Whatever Romney's hiding probably speaks volumes about how he would approach issues that directly impact middle-class families, like tax reform and the economy. When you are running for president, you should be an open book.
"I understand Romney is concerned that many people, Democrats and Republicans, have been calling on him to release his tax returns. He has so far refused. There is only one thing he can do to clear this up, and that's release his tax returns."
The issue isn't going away.
Leave a Comment:
Wanna talk about unfair allegations? "Swift boat".
Now shut up.
Does Reid have a source? Probably he does. At the core, though, I think that the Dems wanted to do something to keep the tax issue front and center, while sheilding the White House. Know what? That's ok with me. Newspapers allow anonymous sources, and the GOP feels free to rattle off whatever nonsense floats into their collective spin machine.
There may come a day when all this dust will settle, and the rhetoric will calm down, but until then, I think this was a perfectly acceptable, and fairly clever, move. Maybe if the GOP comes to realize that these kind of antics can bite them too, the might reconsider their approach in the future.
The ONLY way Willard the Wazzock could have retained the high ground at all was to release his tax returns immediately. He can't fire back verbally and imply that "the White House" (meaning: "that black guy") is behind Reid's "insinuation" and expect anyone to take him seriously. Once Reid makes a statement like that from the floor of the Senate; he has in essence, formally called out Mitt Romney to make his tax returns public and to end the speculation about whether or not he is hiding anything. Romney has only thrown more fuel on the bonfire.
Wazzock . Well done !There are only a few who know of this descriptor.
Takes me back to my Yoof .
Made me think of the Yorkshire Hills and Tony Capstick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2AcJSkUw6M
For those who cannot fathom Yorkshire accent :
http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/funnies6.html
On average, Dressage Romney would increase Middle Class Taxes by $2000 while Obama would cut out taxes.
Yet, Retroactive Romney will not release his taxes for even 1 year (still hasn't all of 2010)?
"Put Up or Shut UP" is a two way street - Republicans keep saying Obama policies are failed - well if that is so why did you not pass the American Jobs Act and let it fail? Why not pass the Transportation Bill? Why not pass any of President Obama's bills and let them prove to be failed policies or successful policies - "Put Up or Shut Up".
Romney - nothing in your tax returns than "Put Up and Stop Shutting Up". I believe Romney you are to vain to have had people destroy your e-mails and correspondence while Governor or the Financial Records, Vendor Contracts, your e-mails and your communications from the Olympics. Where are they?
"Reid's irresponsible claims"
There were plenty of allegations about Nixon manipulating the Democratic party's nomination process prior to the 1972 election. They were political allegations then- they were unsubstantiated rumors. Were the people who uttered them "irresponsible" because they could not prove them? Does that anyone who is responsible should just sit down and shut up while real journalists do their job, dig up the truth and then report back to us about what is real and what is not? Journalists congratulate themselves that bringing down Nixon was a victory of the free press. Beat reporters are underpaid and under respected for the critical role they have in our society. But this triumphalist story about journalism?
It's delusional drivel.
Nixon could have maintained plausible deniability indefinitely, and journalism would have not been able to gather sufficient empirical evidence to print the truth without a person with high enough clearance to know the truth willing to talk to the press.
Do we think there will be any Mark Felt in Romney's organization to come forward in the next 90 days? Journalism provides no shield against this kind of mendacity in the heat of a campaign, and we need to be honest about that. The President and others wish to excuse themselves that it is silly season, and that rapid pushing of the buttons of the electorate is a forgivable sin.
My idle theory is that it is no accident that Reid made this allegation. He is the highest ranking Dem with gravitas. My guess is that dem opposition research has had the last 3 years to dig up stuff on Romney. If it was sufficiently blockbusting, it would have enough legs to be a clear memory that would damage Romney in November. Whatever they have may be incredibly damaging, but it might be enough to shrug off with saturation advertising.
So the way to keep it in the new cycle is to dribble it out, and get Romney to say as many denials as possible before the info comes out. Then Romney is painted as tricky Dick, activating that old meme, and it is landslide Obama.
We are watching theater here folks. Of course it would be nice if this was conducted above board, openly acknowledging the acupuncture tactics being used, and footnoting the politically compelling messaging with the intellectual basis for the emotional appeals being made.
Danger! Will Robinson Danger! Irony shortage alert! Irony Shortage alert!!!!
The discourse can't work this way -- prominent officials need to be responsible when making attacks, and not just throw around second-hand innuendo, as if presidential candidates have a responsibility to respond to every unsupported rumor.
Rich verrrrry rich.
From a candidate and campaign who have based their whole attack on severely edited out of context tape edits and have set the record for mendacity in a political operation ( see: Benen ,Steve - Mitt's Mendacity volumes 1 through 29 with more to come)
Good for Harry Reid and F*ck Romney and his pack of dishonest country destroying neocons
I almost think Steve was being sarcastic there.
I bet Romney's problem is not that he didn't pay taxes for all those years as Harry Reid said, but that he got refunds from the federal government!
Curiouser and curiouser...it's time for Reid's source to come out, just as Herman Cain's accusers did. Also, if Romney is so sure he paid every dollar in taxes he was required to, what's so wrong in showing that the protections in our current tax system keeps all citizens from paying more than the law requires? Now, if he paid less b/c of his overseas shelters, he was still following the laws, right? Or was he? If the insider comes public, Romney will have to defend against that person and his credentials, or not. But, it might bring him closer to releasing a couple more years' worth and taking the issue away from the rest of us.
I think a better question to ask Willard's flunkies, is there anything Willards DOESN'T hide or lie about?
I bet Mitt Romney's problem is not that he didn't pay taxes for all those years but that he got refunds from the federal government! Creative accountants can do that for millionaires using all the 'legal' but highly unethical loopholes.
conspiracy theory alert -
maybe he has swindled some of the olympics money!!!
Steve, aren't you going to talk about Rachel's report... where Mr. Romney was caught going back and changing his tax filings to reflect that he'd lived in Massachusetts during the time he worked on the Olympics? This was in order to meet eligibility requirements to run for governor of Massachusetts. Maybe that's what he's doing now... busily refiling and paying his back taxes so that he can eventually reflect that he paid the "proper" amount of taxes.
When it comes to believing Harry Reid or Romney, it is clearly Harry Reid. These rich people have been getting away with not paying their fair share in taxes now for too long a time, even to the point of paying no taxes at all. The money these rich people have paid off politicians to change and manipulate laws on their behalf has left our government and the American people in a bad situation. And these rich people still cry like they have been so falsely accused of doing wrong. Of course, these rich people are a pitiful excuse of humanity and still sit there and demand they get more just so the average American can live more in misery and despair as the rich get richer. Romney actually telling the truth about anything or doing something that would really benefit humanity would be too much of a shock to see. Romney is the typical low life type of the rich and a big liar with no backbone or balls to do anything right.
I've asked many times: What is a fair share of taxes? 40%, 50%,80%? You may despise the wealthy, but part of the problem is the tax code, and how it allows people and corps to take advantage of exceptions. The obvious answer is get rid of all the deductions. Put everyone on a fair playing field.Govt should not be picking winners or losers.
No matter how much we complain about revenue, we must accept the fact we spend too much. The only answer is to change the entitlement programs, the medical compensation system, and the amount we spend on defense.
Please Tom exactly what is it that you believe WE spend too much on? WE are in our current indebtedness due to: 2 wars that were never put on the books, along with 2 sets of tax cuts tilted toward the richest Americans, plus the Medicare hole covering prescriptions for seniors - which actually means money spent on "defense contractors", money for millionaires/billionaires, and money to help seniors stay alive. As Social Security adds nothing to the deficit we won't count that. So what should be cut education, clean air/water, food inspection, nuclear regulatory commission, how about the SEC they're not doing anything, or how about that pesky FDA cause we can trust that the pharmaceutical industry to never bring products to market that will harm the population, or how about those scientists that keep telling US about global warming - please exactly what should be cut?
And if the "private sector" is going to pick up that service - exactly how much is it going to cost US all? And I'll even agree to getting rid of many of the "deductions" for those making over $250k, cutting defense, but how about we stop allowing welfare (subsidies) to BIG OIL/COAL/PHARMA/AG, how about we stop allowing those claiming "capital gains/losses" and paying less, how about we stop rewarding those off-shoring American jobs?
All I'm saying is right now spending is exactly what the government should be doing, updating our energy grids, our infrastructure, reinvigorating our nation - get money moving thru the economy, putting people back to work, increasing demand for goods and services.
Tom-3671033 - always nice to see a dumbf*ck wingnut come out and demonstrate what a dumbf*ck wingnut is.
The top 20% of income earners pay 94% of the income taxes. That is with all the many tax dodges existing now.
Isn't 94% enough? Isn't that a "fair share"?
More fair would be for each group to pay taxes according to what percentage of the wealth of the country they own. That doesn't happen.
Hum, a wealth tax! Well, Wikipedia won't wear it!
I've typed it before, and I'll type it again:
Romney's own father is the one who released more years of tax returns than ever before him, because he wanted the American people to trust him.
His father also said that releasing one or two years worth of tax returns was not enough, because it could be a 'cynical manipulation' for political gain.
Also, in 1994, Mitt Romney challenged Sen. Edward Kennedy to disclose his state and federal tax returns to prove he had ‘nothing to hide.’
And then there's the little detail that Romney released his returns to the McCain campaign, and they picked Palin.
I usually agree with Benen's perspective, but there's a point here where "the media" has slipped into groupthink. Romney never had the high ground vs. Reid. Yes, Reid "let slip" that he had heard Romney hadn't paid his taxes for ten years, but he'd also added that he didn't know whether it was true or not, and that Romney needed to clear it up by producing his tax returns. That's a whole other thing than making "unfounded allegations" in the way Romney has been doing through the past 27 editions of "Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity."
Mittens walked into a trap laid out for him accidentally by his ally, The Manatee and now it is inevitable the tax information will come out. Instead of answering The Manatee with the verbal equivalent of an eyeroll he entered a pi**ing contest with Harry Reid and he cannot win that.
Senator Reid has nothing whatsoever to lose. All he need say, if the information turns out to be untrue is, "Oh. OK. Nev-Er-Mind," and since he made the most detailed charges on the Senate Floor he has immunity from any legal action.
Mittens is not so fortunate. The questions will continue until he shows us what the truth be. It flabbergasts me how inept he is at this game.
If the Mittens actually released the tax forms, all Reid has to do is smile and say "It worked. I smoked them out of him." And turn around and walk off.
Go Harry!!
OK! Let's say Romney releases his taxes. And they reveal he paid a low rate, all legally. And, he also contributed a fairly high amount to charity. All legal. Then what? Let's face it, the tax code is convoluted. This whole tax return issue is a distraction to have Obama answer for a failure to revive the economy. And his own inability to lead.
Then nothing. As for the economy's stagnation, that's Boehner and GOPee obstruction. Pay attention:
Boehner's GOTea obstruction => Boehner's GOTea economy and unemployment of 2012.
WHAT HAPPENED:
The economy was on the upswing after the first two years of the Obama Presidency with the rescue of the auto industry, the stimulus package, etc. Then hate, Boehner, and the GOTea happened and there was to be no more consideration of ideas to solve problems because that was considered by the GOTea handing political victories of a political opponent.
GOTea OBSTRUCTION:
What we have is the Boehner/GOTea economy of 2012 which is a scandal and is what the country gets with a GOTea House obstructing every attempt to solve the problems 30+ years of failed conservative ideas and policies have caused. Just like Boehner and McConnell wanted it.
GOTea PUBLIC SECTOR OBSTRUCTION:
Republican obstruction at funding the public sector is costing 0.9 to 1.3 percentage points in employment. This is the opposite of what happened in other recessions in 1981, 1990, and 2000 when the federal government helped local and state government but Republicans in the House obstruct against.
GOTea JOB OBSTRUCTION:
Republican obstruction on President Obama's American Jobs Act (AJA) is a scandal that costs another 1 to 1.3 percentage points.
This whole Republican scandal is too huge to fathom in terms of human misery, but Republicans believe it can fool an irresponsibly inattentive and ignorant public.
Boehner's GOTea obstruction => Boehner's GOTea economy and unemployment of 2012.
Public sector austerity and obstruction by Boehner's GOTea House and McConnells' filibusters:
- http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/the-secret-of-our-un-success
- http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/07/31/government-cutbacks-separate-this-expansion-from-others/?mod=WSJBlog
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/public-sector-austerity-in-one-graph/2012/06/11/gJQAv89NVV_blog.html
- http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/american-austerity/
American Jobs Act (AJA) austerity by Boehner's GOTea House and McConnells' filibusters:
- http://macroadvisers.blogspot.com/2011/09/updated-american-jobs-act-greater-than.html
- http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/09/american_jobs_act.html
Bush holdover obstruction:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/opinion/krugman-debt-depression-demarco.html?hp
Tom, I don't disagree that the tax code is convoluted and needs to be rewritten. But is is not a distraction by the Obama campaign; it raises a serious and valid question as to whether Romney can be trusted. And if Romney DID pay what he was legally obligated to under the tax code, then why would he refuse to release his returns? Why is he fighting tooth and nail to keep from releasing anything? He clearly knows that there is something in those returns (or the audits) that would look much worse if revealed than the blowback he gets by being secretive about them. And we all know that if Obama were refusing in the same manner to release his returns, the GOP would be screaming (literally) about it.
I agree that the tax code needs to have these loop holes closed and Major Corporations like G.E. paying no Income Tax, reducing personnel and increasing profits has to come to an end. The problem is that Romney's proposed tax plan would impact the middle and lower income families and benefit those individuals like himself. We need to know what loop holes and how Romney's accountants applied them so he could pay less than 14%, so we can see to it our elected representatives close them. Mitt Romney owns an individual retirement account worth as much as $101 million, how it could have gotten so big when contribution limits are capped at $5,000 or $6,000 a year? Again we need to know so we can see that our elected representative close whatever loop hole was used.
@Tom367-1033: Ha ha! You're deluding yourself out of desperation. A pile of Romney tax returns represents a spin-proof illustration of how much the game's been rigged over the past 35 years, and would mean everyone would spend a month talking about why we treat labor and capital in such completely different and inequitable ways in this country. Even if he wasn't caught up in the Swiss account amnesty program; even if he's been tithing as he's supposed to to the LDS church; even if he's actually paying something rather than being the beneficiary of a 0% effective rate, he loses not just the election but the broader war, if the 99% get a real load of how exactly he and his ilk benefit from the tax code designed by and for his class. Even if there's no law breaking in them, the public will be treated to a full view of a man who hasn't actually worked at anything other than running for President for the last 7 years, and who's nonetheless made upwards of $20M a year during that time, and worked the system to its fullest (including taking a deduction in 2010 that's greater than the median family income in this country for his wife's snooty hobby of dressage horses) so as to pay an effective rate of tax on his earnings lower than every midlevel management employee in the country that might be considering voting for him. It makes him look vulgar, and unpresidential and unpatriotic, and puts a perfectly fine point on our larger conversation about income disparity in this country and which party we'd trust to try to do something about it. The GOP's resentment narrative on economic matters is undergirded by the religious belief in the sanctified purity and virtuousness and brilliance of the moneyed class, who are utterly deserving of all their riches. Mitt Romney's tax returns tear down that architecture.
Nicely done, MCA1.
From day one the republican's have claimed Obama's stimulus did not work, where's the proof.They accused the Pres. of not being a real american until he proved he was born in the USA,and yet they still subtly spread seed's of doubt.They also accuse him of being a secret muslim.These are just a few of the accusation's the republican's have used against Pres.Obama, with no proof.But now they are feigning outrage about Harry Ried's comment about poor little Mitty paying no taxe's.All Romney has to do is show his tax form's and prove Reid wrong, just like the Pres showed his birth certificate. But he wo'nt do it because he know's Reid's accusation's are fact.
Romney can show his tax returns the day Obama opens his college records.
Brilliant Sir, brilliant! Thank you for taking the time to post
Obama has released his tax returns - that's the apples-to-apples comparison.
Yet Obama promised to have a open and transparent administration... looks rather murky...
Obama was in college while he was president?
Maybe he should have been or at least go back for a few more years....
Nope. Not murky. Only looks murky to a fake-patriot, Fox-educated wingnut ignoramus.
The public has enough to know if Obama is intellectually competent to be President. And he is -- in spades. (Besides fake-patriot, Fox-educated wingnut ignoramuses can appeal to Laurence Tribe about Obama's intellect. The fake patriots won't like what he has to say, but that's just too bad.)
But the public doesn't have the information to determine if Romney has been as forthcoming on his financial and fiscal matters and that they can use to compare with their own financial and fiscal status.
Release those tax returns, Mitty!
Maybe you should post something that actually makes sense.
So...David. Did Mitt Romney release his college transcripts that I didn't hear about? I'd think something like that would make news. Maybe not, since college transcripts are kind of irrelevant, but since you're using them as an argument that Obama got in through affirmative action, I can make the same argument that Mitt's daddy bought his acceptance. Apples to apples. Tax returns for tax returns, transcripts for transcripts.
I never understand the argument for asking about College Transcript anyway.
First of all there is no requirement that says you have to have a college degree or even to do well in College to be the POTUS (We have Bush for 8 years, for God sake!).
Second of all, even if it was indeed true that President Obama get in to college (Harvard or no Harvard) through the affirmative action, so what? Last time I check that was legal.....just like Romney claimed so what if he uses all the loophole there is in the tax system, all the deductions he took is legal.
The difference between the two is: President Obama is not running around campaigning based on affirmative action, but Romney IS campaigning on Tax structure.
If Romney can ask the American people to just trust him when he said he was "paying what is legally required" in his taxes and the Republican base are satisfied with that, then why do they need to see President Obama's birth video and college transcript for anything? Heck, even McCain refused to show his birth certificate to show that he was indeed born in the military base in Panama, not in the local hospital.
The "college transcript" is just a FoxTalkingPoint that all the Fox-educated wingnuts have at the ready any time the Mitt-iot's tax returns come up. It's just stupid. But hey, they're wingnuts. Whaddya expect?
Look at this, David the troll-boy is so failing in his ability to argue that he's publicly celebrated his drooling moron ignorance three times, and loses more with each one.
Always nice to have one of these f*ckwits come along and demonstrate how stupid you have to be to be one of them.
Yep, the troll-etariat's on fire lately, isn't it? Hahahahahaha...
What people don’t realize is that anybody could have done Romney’s job. If you had the money and didn’t care about people, then easily you could have screwed over anybody you crossed just to make immense wealth. This type of job doesn’t take any brains just to hire the right people to screw over others less fortunate. When you see someone that needs help than that is when you act. Give the less fortunate people hope and feed them a brunch of lies than go in for the kill and run the whole thing up to a huge debt as you line your pockets. Than pay off politicians to change and manipulate laws to your favor. What would you call this? The Great American Screwing. Does this sound familiar? Actually, it is what the Republicans do all the time too, remember Bush, Chenney and their cronies. Get ready for a repeat if Romney gets into the White House.
Now you see how easy that is just barrow a 100 million dollars from your parents and go to work screwing over everybody you can.
Reid 1 --Romney 0.
Reid said what he heard was a rumor. Romney can end the rumor by showing his taxes. Romney has to know that this is just one of any number of such speculations that can only be put to rest the moment he shows his returns.
The Romney Vulture Capitalist Tax Plan. He and the other vulture capitalists get a giant tax cut, the rest of get to pay more. Ain't Plutocracy grand.
...And I can't wait, if the day should come, for Romney to release his returns just to prove Reid wrong...
"Look, Look! I did pay some taxes...2%, 3%, 0.5%...."
I don't think there is any good outcome for Romney, here.
Mitt Romney never had the "high ground." Harry Reid is trying to put pressure on Mitt Romney to release his tax returns. The only way Mitt Romney can put an end to these "rumors" is by releasing his tax returns, but he won't. Mitt Romney does nothing but lie, and has also acted irresponsibly. Why the hell should I believe a LIAR like Mitt Romney over Harry Reid? Mitt Romney is a crook!
"Team Romney was furious and they had a point. The discourse can't work this way..."
Bullshhit. The discourse works this way all the time. Romney/Republicans/Fox/Right-Wing Noise Machine make a ridiculous charge all the time and off we go. Does anybody really need to be reminded of examples at this point?
Here's the problem: this could be settled in 10 minutes by Romney releasing his tax returns.
I agree. Time to throw some back.
Waaa Waaa WAAAAAAAAAAAA
Those mean democrats are playing by the same rules as us not fair.
Why didn't Mr Boehner say just yesterday that Obama did not create any jobs?
Sauce for the pizza is the same as sauce for the old drunk
What does it say that Romney could really damage Reid's reputation by releasing the tax returns and proving him wrong? But he won't.
Mitty's got something to hide!
As for the Republican obnoxious nonsense like the Keynan-born President, no amount of evidence satisfies these reality-denying morons.
Time for the Republicans to get a dose of their own medicine. And hell, this isn't even close to what those basturds do.
Ah, Disgusted...I so look forward to your comments and rebuttals to right wing retardos. Thanks!
Of course, Romney is hiding something that big felony of hiding his money overseas and how the rich have rigged and manipulated the laws in their favor as everybody else gets screwed.
That was a great line, and started my day right. I appreciate that you are conceding that what Reid said was uncouth as well. I agree with some of the earlier posters in the premise that Reid is only trying to keep the heat up on the tax issue. The longer that the campaign for POTUS is focused on Mitt Romney's flaws in the media, the better it is for Obama's chances.
I absolutely love this hardball by Harry Reid...
hee hee hee
Yep. It's about time Democrats fight fire with fire. They actually need to do this MORE. It's take generations to catch up with the obnoxious Republican insinuation machine. Republicans need to learn their bullying is going to be met with a punch in the mouth.
Go Harry!!!
Good for Reid!! In an election cycle where MSM are reaching new grounds of fecklessness, There Is No Moral High-Ground!
Where is the moral HG, w/Bachmann's accusations?
Where is the moral HG, w/Romney campaign virtually making up videos of Obama for ads?
Good for Reid! I'm sure he knows he'll get 'hit' on this, but Reid doesn't strike me and blatantly dishonest; I think he does have a basis for his charge, even though he knows he can divulge.
And besides, just as right now we only have Reid's 'word' for the charge, we also JUST HAVE Romney's word that he's paid the taxes he owed. Maybe we should play, the "Who would you believe, game?" http://youtu.be/44Ci20GtL3c
There was some buzz on Twitter last night that CNN's Dana Bash had confirmation that Reid's source was reliable. The transcript of Bash's remarks is here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/02/1116266/-Dana-Bash-Transcript
However, given CNN's stellar record of consistently accurate reporting (/sarcasm font), I'm taking this with a grain of salt for now.
True, just the idea that Mitt's past pre-candidate actions might actually catch up to him, in spite of his hiring a PR firm to wash the truth, feels too much like justice, something we're damn short on these days.
The allegations of Romney's taxes being unpaid is ridiculous and unfounded. I do believe that he has legally paid a very low percentage rate for many years which he fears would further alienate some voters. You have to ask yourself what is it he doesn't want us to see. I can't vote for someone that isn't willing to do what every candidate has always done by divulging all tax returns.
He provided the McCain Campaign 24 years of Returns to be considered for VP Canidate, doesn't the position of President desire at least 12 years?
The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC
Dear Senator Reid:
First, I applaud your service to your constituency and the honorable way in which you conduct yourself at all times. You are, in my opinion, a model statesman and a person of character.
I am particularly impressed recently by your willingness to take a stand on the issue of GOP candidate Mitt Romney's transparency related to his investments and tax returns. I, like you and many others, believe that ANY person running for the office of President of the United States has an obligation to be honest and straightforward with the American people. Mitt Romney appears to be anything but an honest man.
I respect your privacy. But I wonder if it might further bolster your argument about Mitt coming clean were you to release your own tax returns -- not publicly necessarily, but to whatever body might provide a credible review that could return this stupid volley to Mr. Romney? In fact, were some of both Democratic and Republican political leaders and pundits to offer up the last ten years of their own tax returns as an example, how could Mr. Romney afford not to capitulate with his own?*
For what it's worth, even though I am nobody of import, I am a 57-year-old married man with two homes (both underwater unfortunately) and make an above-average income (with $0 capital gains) that may, in fact, require me to pay somewhat higher taxes under President Obama's tax plan. I have no problem paying higher taxes. I would be perfectly willing to share my lifetime of tax returns for the past 39 years with you or anyone else if it would help expose Mitt Romney for what he is and help President Obama and Vice President Biden get reelected. It's simply the right thing to do -- a concept that appears to elude Mr. Romney.
* I, for one, am very interested to learn how Mr. Romney managed to accumulate $100 million in his IRA, given the $5,000 annual contribution cap. Even if he's been contributing for 40+ years, by my calculations, he would have to have made a consistent 22.25% ROI in order to accumulate $100 million -- how is that possible?
Except that Harry Reid isn't running for President.
Consider this, perhaps Reid is just making up this allegation to force Mitt to release more tax returns.
Why Harry Reid is a Mormon , he couldn't possibly lie
I'll take shut up, for whatever I have to pay please!
Poor, poor, POOR GOPeepee, having to eat its own medicine for once in a millenium.. (sniffle)
If Romney wants to assume that the White House is behind Reid's statement, then we should assume that Romney is behind all of his supporters' statements. See, for example,
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/12-bigoted-taunts-peddled-romney-camp-and-allies?paging=off
Mitt will certainly make a fine president for
all,somea few of the people of this fine nation.