Slog
News & ArtsFriday, August 3, 2012
2012 Mitt Romney Says He Has Paid Taxes, So Harry Reid Just Better Stop Picking on Him, or Romney Will Tell Mom
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Aug 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM
One would assume that Romney is being told by his high-paying advisors to keep his cool on this not-paying-taxes rumor. And one would assume that he's ignoring that advice:
"Let me also say categorically: I have paid taxes every year. A lot of taxes. A lot of taxes," the presumptive GOP presidential nominee told reporters at a press availability after an event in Nevada.
"Harry Reid really has to put up or shut up, alright? So Harry, who are your sources?" Romney said, referring to Reid's claim that a Bain Capital investor told him Romney hadn't paid taxes in 10 years.
It's become a regular Romney campaign stunt to try to put out fires by scheduling press availabilities on Friday afternoon. But Friday afternoons are when most campaigns assume people aren't paying attention to the news. I don't know exactly why Romney's people keep doing this. Maybe it's because they don't trust Romney to not fuck it up?
Well, Romney fucked this one up. Hugely. He looks cagey, whiney, and powerless, here. I expect him to burst into tears at the end of this statement. "Bullied" is not high on the list of qualities people like in their presidential candidates. And his demand that Reid release his sources still sounds fishy, because the one human being who could conclusively settle this matter once and for all is Mitt Romney, by releasing his taxes. If Romney keeps this up, he'll look like the saddest sack to run for president since Ed Muskie. And at least Muskie was sobbing about his wife; Romney keeps getting all huffy over his money.
1
Is the Romney campaign imploding already? Even faster than McCain's? How soon until we see managers leaving "in order to spend more time with their family?"
3
"Harry Reid really has to put up or shut up, alright?"
Or what?
What are you going to do if he doesn't?
This is a political campaign.
Is this how you're going to deal with international conflicts?
Romney has had an easy life.
He's always been able to fire anyone who disagreed with him.
Running the government is not like running an investment firm.
Or what?
What are you going to do if he doesn't?
This is a political campaign.
Is this how you're going to deal with international conflicts?
Romney has had an easy life.
He's always been able to fire anyone who disagreed with him.
Running the government is not like running an investment firm.
5
At some point you have to stop calling it Romney fucking up and start calling it Romney being Romney, same old shit.
6
@3: I believe it was Bill Clinton who said that Romney's sterling business career and being a Governor that Romney crosses the qualification threshold.
No offense, fairly.unbalanced, but I'd say that the former president is more politically savvy than you -- of course until he is reined in by Obama reelection team.
No offense, fairly.unbalanced, but I'd say that the former president is more politically savvy than you -- of course until he is reined in by Obama reelection team.
7
Romney should have just said calmly "I am sure that Mr. Reid can produce more than just hearsay and rumors. And I don't respond to hearsay and rumors".
Romney fucked this up and could have resonded in a way that would have made him seem "Presidential"
I just hope he picks Palin as his running mate!!!
Romney fucked this up and could have resonded in a way that would have made him seem "Presidential"
I just hope he picks Palin as his running mate!!!
9
@6
"No offense, fairly.unbalanced, but I'd say that the former president is more politically savvy than you ..."
No argument here. The guy is a political genius.
But he does not always tell the 100% factual truth.
Hey, didn't Clinton also say that he did not have sex with Monica?
You seem to have a lot of trouble telling those two items apart.
The same way you keep defending racists.
"No offense, fairly.unbalanced, but I'd say that the former president is more politically savvy than you ..."
No argument here. The guy is a political genius.
But he does not always tell the 100% factual truth.
Hey, didn't Clinton also say that he did not have sex with Monica?
You seem to have a lot of trouble telling those two items apart.
The same way you keep defending racists.
10
I just wish people voted based on who would be a good and moral leader, not what letter they have next to their name on the television.
11
The only reasonable conclusion at this point is "What the hell is he hiding in those tax returns?" It's obviously something very, very bad or he'd have released them and snuffed this discussion weeks ago. Really. Releasing your tax returns is something you have to do when you're running for President (hate that as much as you like, but it's been standard practice for quite some time). To be blindsided by this or to be as persnickety as he's being about this indicates he didn't prepare well for this job interview at all.
15
Reid's strategy, or rather the overall Democratic strategy that Reid is implementing here is to keep the pressure on Romney to release the returns. It doesn't matter if the rumor is false, it has been presented as a rumor. Either it serves its purpose by sustaining doubt or it serves its purpose by getting Romney to release his returns, which likely contain other damaging details even considering some taxes were likely paid. Seems like a win/win strategy barring the very unlikely scenario that the returns are released and there isn't much of anything damaging about them.
16
"hey, it's just what some Bain investor told me. i don't know how he knows. i don't know if it's true. i have no way to know, but i sure am curious. only mitt can answer it. mitt?"
-harry reid, A FELLOW MORMON
-harry reid, A FELLOW MORMON
17
Raw-Money is being forced to argue with a surrogate.
Axlerod is playing Fehrnstrom like a cheap violin.
The Raw-Money campaign is so screwed already? Good goin'!
Oh and "Gay Dude"?...just what kind of fucking idiot ARE you?
Axlerod is playing Fehrnstrom like a cheap violin.
The Raw-Money campaign is so screwed already? Good goin'!
Oh and "Gay Dude"?...just what kind of fucking idiot ARE you?
19
The "drop news you don't want covered in depth on Friday" theory went out the window during the Clinton presidency. (It was even outted publicly on an episode of the "West Wing" by golly!)
Anyone who still thinks that trick can work just isn't competent enough to be a president in the 21st century.
Anyone who still thinks that trick can work just isn't competent enough to be a president in the 21st century.
20
Thinking through all the possibly strategies and possibilities that I could come up with, the only thing that makes any sense at all to explain Romney's behavior is that there is something that looks really bad in his taxes. Nothing else makes sense.
22
I have no doubt he paid a lot of taxes, at least in terms of multiples of my income. What I do doubt is: a) whether that amount was any significant portion of his income, AND b) that any of it was paid to the U.S. of A. He probably paid tax in Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Andorra, and some corporate franchise taxes in Bermuda and the Caymans. And, of course, every penny he paid in foreign tax is a tax credit on form 1116 against his U.S. income.
And if you missed it, check out Michael Graetz's op-ed in the NYT on Tuesday. It seems there's some speculation that Mitt might have cheated both on the IRA rules and on the gift tax due on his transfer of $100 M to his sons. If Graetz's guess is right, Mitt could owe upwards of $44 Million just on the overdue gift tax, plus penalties and interest.
And if you missed it, check out Michael Graetz's op-ed in the NYT on Tuesday. It seems there's some speculation that Mitt might have cheated both on the IRA rules and on the gift tax due on his transfer of $100 M to his sons. If Graetz's guess is right, Mitt could owe upwards of $44 Million just on the overdue gift tax, plus penalties and interest.
23
@20,
His returns probably reveal off shore tax sheltering and the conversion of income into lower taxed capital gains through the sorts of complicated financial strategies rich people employ. But I wonder if Reid alleging no tax was paid at all will raise the expectations for Romney's tax avoidance to a point where the most likely revelation that he paid at least some tax will appear acceptable enough to get him off the hook with independent voters. Could Romney's campaign be gaming Reid's accusations to its advantage by intentionally inflaming this controversy? Or is that too clever by half?
His returns probably reveal off shore tax sheltering and the conversion of income into lower taxed capital gains through the sorts of complicated financial strategies rich people employ. But I wonder if Reid alleging no tax was paid at all will raise the expectations for Romney's tax avoidance to a point where the most likely revelation that he paid at least some tax will appear acceptable enough to get him off the hook with independent voters. Could Romney's campaign be gaming Reid's accusations to its advantage by intentionally inflaming this controversy? Or is that too clever by half?
25
@10, the next time I see a Republican running for office who is a demonstrably better, more moral leader, I'll vote for her/him. But they've been pretty scarce the last 30 years.
26
@10 - You know, most of the people I know DO vote for who they think will be a good, moral leader. I know I do. I wouldn't hesitate to vote for a Republican, if s/he were the best candidate. It's not my fault they keep nominating assclowns.
27
there have got to be a few people who have access to those records. Isn't there somebody out there who can just pay them off and have this out in the open already? I don't care if it's unethical, so is everything else politicians do. Taxes or no taxes, I prefer truth to all this posturing.
28
@20 Another speculation is that he is hiding from the LDS Elders. He's afraid they're gonna catch him short-changing the tithe, and that he'll suffer a political backlash.
29
@6 - GDFR: I agree with Clinton: being a state Governor and successful businessman should qualify anyone for President. But Romney is so painted into a corner on both of those achievements that he can't boast about either one.
Hell, he expresses moral outrage when people "accuse" him of simply WORKING at Bain longer than he says he did. And he can't even mention his one truly great achievement in Massachusetts.
What's left to hang his hat on? Running the Olympic Games? How did things get this bad?
If he nails the debates, he stands a good chance. But he can't nail a debate by expressing moral outrage whenever someone raises one of his myriad taboo subjects.
Hell, he expresses moral outrage when people "accuse" him of simply WORKING at Bain longer than he says he did. And he can't even mention his one truly great achievement in Massachusetts.
What's left to hang his hat on? Running the Olympic Games? How did things get this bad?
If he nails the debates, he stands a good chance. But he can't nail a debate by expressing moral outrage whenever someone raises one of his myriad taboo subjects.
30
I'll have to remember this strategy at my next job interview. "How DARE you ask to see my resumé, sir? I have already shared ALL the information I need to. Now when do I start?"
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