Mr. Romney: “I have paid taxes every year, and a lot of taxes,” Romney said. “So Harry is simply wrong.”
But, Mr. Romney, have you paid any INCOME taxes?
Everyone pays taxes, but not everyone pays INCOME taxes.
We still don't know, and you still won't tell US.
Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly want him to release his tax returns.
President Obama released TWELVE YEARS of his income tax returns when he ran for the presidency, Mr. Romney's own father released TWELVE years of income tax returns when he ran for the presidency, Mitt Romney released only ONE.
WHY?
UPDATE:
"...Romney did this very thing in 2002 when he was running for Massachusetts governor, he would not release his tax returns.
He demanded, however, that the husband of his opponent in that election, Shannon O’Brien, release his tax returns in addition to Mrs. O’Brien’s records, which were already available to the public. “What is she hiding?” demanded longtime Romney aide and confidant Eric Fehrnstrom.
Yet now, as Maddow points out, when Harry Reid is doing the exact same thing, all the Romney campaign can do is whine and complain about how unfair this tactic is and how nasty mean old Harry Reid is being. And while the campaign is making what Maddow calls “positive empirical claims” about Gov. Romney’s taxes, they still refuse to disclose the actual records."
Curiouser and curiouser.
12 comments:
He turned over 23 years of tax returns to McCain during the 2008 election, so we know they are ready to go. Why does McCain get 23 years and the American people get only one?
Maybe he learned his lesson for McCain. McCain looked at them and picked Palin!
Maybe it's a "political ploy." Draw criticism from the Dems and then, close to the election release 11 more years, and Voila! make a mockery of all the chatter and speculation.
Small minded politiking, IMO.
Oh, wait...
mr. romney! tear down this wall of secrecy around your tax returns!
As you pointed out, Shaw, I too find it interesting that Romney conveniently let out the word INCOME when he said that he paid lots of taxes. Could Harry be right?
If Romney is parsing words and playing cute it's a slight improvement. So far his M.O. has been to just flat out lie whenever it suits his purpose, which is most of the time, and go right on doing it even when the lie is revealed and he's been called out for lying.
As for Romney's tax records, his refusal to make them public, coupled with his secret overseas bank accounts, speaks loudly and clearly. He's got plenty to hide, and it's serious stuff. Romney and his handlers have made a calculation that although not revealing his records looks bad and he will get beat up for it by his opponent, making public what's in those records would have worse repercussions.
"Romney and his handlers have made a calculation that although not revealing his records looks bad and he will get beat up for it by his opponent, making public what's in those records would have worse repercussions."
He's not going to come out of this looking good. It's already hurt him.
Unless he and his staff are playing a political game of gotcha!
Even then, it will be an indictment of his desperation.
He's said again and again and again that his ONE tax return is all we'll get to see.
His returns are "out there". He gave them to McCain four years ago. All we need is for someone to leak them. Then watch the poop hit the spinning blade! I can't wait.
Shaw, I find it interesting that the very people who castigated President Obama for not opening up and sharing his birth certificate, are now unable to acknowledge that through the simple act of providing his tax returns, Romney could end this controversy.
At least that is what they said when the documents being requested were related to President Obama...
Now I know SF and Skud will state that we did not agree then with Obama having to release his BC, but the certainly never defended his right to not release it.
Sorry Romney, your party ripped Obama alive for not releasing his BC and you stood silent.
You and your party are to blame for this and only you can make it go away.
@Dave, bueno, good to see you back. How was your work in Mexico?
I would like to see Mr. Romney's tax returns; the sooner the better. It will likely be uncomfortable for him; pero, asi es la vida!
I agree that he can alter the discussion of his tax returns; but I don't think it will go away. He might move the needle from criminal to greedy or ‘legal but done in bad taste’, or just fine, but it’s not going away.
For now, his taxes are the centerpiece of the discussion to re-elect President Obama. My point is, he can release ten years of clean tax returns and it will not go away. As you pointed out in your post, as discouraging as it is for Obama and Romney some things just linger.
It won’t be long now and we will all be watching the debates. Instead of tax returns and birth certificates (not drawing an equivalency), the Council on Presidential Debates will focus on domestic and foreign policy. As Fahrenkopf and McCurry said the formats will reflect extensive study by the CPD board of directors: "There are serious issues facing this country and the public has the right to expect a serious examination of those issues during this fall's debates.”
After the last couple weeks topics, that sounds as attractive as the promise of water to a wanderer lost in the desert.
By topics, I mean the relatively nasty news cycles recently. Not our valued host's articles.
How is it that Dirty Harry knew so much about Romney's tax returns. Did he or his excellency tap the IRS for confidential information. How did Harry come out with ten years when he has seen two and they showed Ronmey did in fact pay taxes. Why did dirty start this rumor and then squashed the investigation on the Federal Reserve?
This is a LBJ moment but instead of animals it is taxes. Start a rumor that they have to deny. Why not start a rumor that Obama spent almost one trillion taxpayers dollars and unemployment go worse, wait that is fact not rumor.
"He's said again and again and again that his ONE tax return is all we'll get to see."
Not true, he said he will release his 2011 when they are complete. Non short form filers take some time.
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