Democrats are starting to throw their support behind Sen. Harry Reid’s completely unsourced attacks on Mitt Romney’s tax returns. While the Obama campaign hasn’t endorsed Reid’s comments explicitly, it’s been using them as an opening to smack Romney for his failure to release more than two years of his tax information. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi is defending Reid’s credibility, calling his allegations “a fact”:
“Harry Reid made a statement that is true. Somebody told him. It is a fact,” Pelosi told The Huffington Post in a Sunday interview. “Whether he did or not can easily be disposed of: Mitt Romney can release his tax returns and show whether he paid taxes.”
Both Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus came out swinging against Reid on Sunday over his claims about Romney potentially not paying taxes. Asked to respond to Priebus calling Reid “a dirty liar” over the situation, Pelosi initially responded, “Who?” She went on to say that Priebus doesn’t know what he’s talking about since he wasn’t part of Reid’s conversations.
“Well he doesn’t know that,” Pelosi said. “Harry Reid is a person who is, as we know, A, is a fighter, B, he wouldn’t say this unless it was true that somebody told him that.”
Pelosi’s comments will at least help extend the news life of this story, giving the Obama campaign more time to hammer Romney to release his returns. But are Democrats also taking a risk with this attack?
Larry Sabato argues they are in USA Today:
Team Obama’s tactic isn’t without risk, said Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia. “Suppose Romney reverses course and releases the extra tax returns, and they show that he did pay substantial taxes,” Sabato said. “Both Reid and Obama would have to apologize, I would think.”
Sabato, however, concludes that the Obama campaign has made the calculation that Romney, who became wealthy in his years in private equity, won’t release more returns. “Every new complicated return gives Democrats and the media lots of openings for negative charges and stories,” he said.
Obama or Reid apologize for a slanderous statement about Romney? Don’t hold your breath. Democrats are tacitly supporting Reid’s comments because they don’t see a downside here. Even if Romney releases his tax returns and proves Reid’s baseless claims false, the story won’t be about Reid — it’ll be about whatever is in Romney’s returns. And if Romney’s previous tax documents are any indication, Democrats will have a ton of fresh attack fodder that has nothing to do with tax dodging. His income and his investment information will probably be more than enough to keep the DNC busy for a few weeks.
On the other hand, if Romney doesn’t release his returns — the most likely scenario at this point — then Democrats will have a few weeks to slime his reputation with baseless claims about tax fraud. It’s a win-win for them.
Someone we can't name told Harry Reid a story we can't verify about a vaguely defined series of events we can't nail down. It's a fact. Well maybe on your planet. Not mine.
An additional risk for the democrats is that they will be shown widely to avoid talking about the economy at all costs and soon, everyone will see that all of this is just a smokescreen for the ineptitude of the Administration. And it is still debatable whether any person not in either camp will be swayed more by the non- returns of Romney or the economic disaster brought on by Obama. Obviosuly, the Romney camp have gambled that the tax return flap will not hurt their candidate substantially.
Or maybe Romney is playing them like a fiddle. Let them up the ante, dig the hole deeper and then – release the returns. At that point people will be expecting evidence of serious tax evasion. If that is not the case, the Democratic talking point that the rich don't pay their fair share will be less exciting than the fact that top Democrats were apparently telling untruths. I don't see how they go from the Big Accusation – "Romney is a felon" – to "He only paid 15% (or whatever) and he should have paid 21%!" I mean, how anticlimactic. The question now, thanks to the Brainless Duo of Pelosi and Reid, is whether or not Romney even paid taxes!
I agree with you in principle, but I don't think that Romney needs to release his tax returns to "play them like a fiddle." n nGas prices are up again. If gas remains over $3.50 a gallon for the next three months, how many people do you think will swayed (as MichaelMas12 avers) by the issue of MItt Romney's tax returns? n nIf gas prices specifically and the economy generally continue to be issues, the Dems will be very petty to continue harping on Romney's taxes.
I don't trust the MSM that much. I think that if Romney releases any more tax returns, the newspaper headlines and lead TV news stories will all be "Reid forces Romney to his knees … Romney tries to show he's not a tax cheating felon by releasing more returns" and that's besides the day after day huge headlines if he made a deduction on anything a middle class person doesn't have no matter how many such deductions Dem millionaires have (Kerry's yacht). Perceptions could unfairly hurt Romney when the MSM, which despises all Republicans, goes into feeding frenzy mode. n nThis election shouldn't be about Romney's taxes and I think he'd be best served to keep talking about and hammering home the state of America under Obama and what America might be under Romney (with maybe a point or two about what Dems want the election to be about and what it really is about).
You're right – the election shouldn't be about Romney's taxes, and it won't be. But this is an opportunity for Romney to turn the Democrats' flailing back at 'em. Democratic corruption SHOULD be an issue in this (and every) election, and Reid just opened the door wide for the Republicans. As I say below, have a press conference, release the taxes, and fire back some hard, hard questions while all the attention is focused on this distraction. What a potential gift.
Quote: "But are Democrats also taking a risk with this attack?" No, they're not. And that's because they have the MSM in their back pockets who will be continually reinforcing the narrative. n nFrom an old fashioned Liberal who is now a Libertarian/Conservative, I am absolutely disgusted by these pygmies and their lackeys in the press. Thank God I got my eyes opened a few years ago.
This episode shows just how inept Romney and his advisors are. Anyone–as many did—could have predicted months ago that Romney's incomplete release would not be the end of the story of his taxes. And now, look. Secondly, Romney's responses have been, as he is as a candidate, lame and stiff. My friends, we're going down in November and it's not going to be pretty.
Once again, the gentlemen and ladies of the Republican Country Club are too polite to answer back in kind. Obama and the Democrats are Chicago thugs, and they are fighting Chicago style. It wins. Someone, not Romney personally, must go after Reid and Pelosi in kind. How did Reid get rich in the senate? There seems to be a rumor going around that he owns whore houses in Nevada, where they are legal. Why does he refuse to release his taxes? Pelosi also has a lot of explaining to do about her personal wealth. The Republicans must pick up the tire irons and start fighting back Chicago style, or they WILL lose. All the Democrats I know are thinking there must be something to the charges.
I know lots of Democrats, and though I haven't spoken with them about this I suspect they believe there might be something fishy in Romney's taxes. But so what? They aren't the ones being targeted by Reid and friends – they are in the bag for O already. It's the people in the middle who matter, and I don't know how to read them. (Besides, I don't know if they really believe it. I think they WANT to believe it, but I suspect that stories like this allow them to maintain their skepticism without having to accept that their candidates are deeply flawed. I felt that way about the Swiftboat business in 2004.) nI agree that the Republicans have to fight back, but are tire irons the way to go? As tempting as it might be to strike back harder, I have to believe there is a way to make the point without behaving like gangsters.
metaphoric tire irons, of course… nBut the Chicago gangster tactics gave Obama his Senate seat and his State legislature seat. It works! And don't you think Reid should prove he doesn't own whorehouses in Nevada?
Actually, plenty of Republicans are fighting back. Have tyou seen or heard Reince Prebus? Many Senators are piling on Reid. And ,his finances are coming under scrutiny (not the whorehouses, these are contributing the relief of nevadans and we don't want to shut these!). What you must understand is that Romney wants to have clean hands and the attacks will come -and are coming- from all kind of places, including talk radio , the press and sundry acolytes. That is how the mafia operated for decades- the capo del capos never got his hands dirty and left this to the underlings. I think that the Romney camp understands this and acts accordingly.
I understand the metaphor, and I was using it metaphorically, too. I'm torn, actually. On the one hand, I'd love to see the Republicans (metaphorically) nuke these &%^$#@#$, but I'm not sure that would work. I'm a big fan of Abraham Lincoln, and it's worth asking, WWLD? Not just on this issue, but in general. And I think the answer is that Lincoln would respect the intelligence and integrity of the voters. He always did, and that worked, too, at a time when partisan feelings were at least as strong as they are now and political attacks were at least as vicious and the Chicago way was alive and well in spirit, even if it had to wait a little longer to get the current moniker. nI think Romney, like Bush, basically respects voters, unlike Democrats in general. Politics is politics and cheap shots and innuendo are part of the deal, but seriously, can anyone imagine Romney or one of his surrogates pulling this stunt? Hardly. So I think Romney can respond by revealing his returns, but doing it in a way that treats voters like intelligent people able to handle reality. Yeah, some of the complicated nuances will invite demagoguery, but like I said above, the Brainless Duo has raised the stakes AND, simultaneously, simplified the issue! The issue now isn't some obscure part of the tax code but, quite simply, whether or not Romney paid his taxes. Watching Reid try to get back to the Democratic talking points after Romney proves he paid taxes will be like watching Geraldo trying to keep viewers' attention after the safe was empty, if you know what I mean… (The difference is that Reid knows the safe is empty already, the jerk.) nAnd then imagine Romney turning the tables – provide a list of questions at the same press conference when he releases his returns – non-partisan tax experts have already gone over them with a fine tooth comb, etc, etc. Then Romney demands some answers to HIS questions – and we can all come up with those (and yeah, the whorehouses should be brought up) – directed at Pelosi, Reid and Obama. Now that would be fighting back without tire irons, and it would be using the MSM against the Democrats in a masterly fashion. Maybe Romney could do all of this on Oprah's show – if she still has one.
I think this is one of those instances in which the only choice is to dig in one's heels. n nI don't think there is anything illegal here. Once they're released, his candidacy is likely to die the death of thousand cuts because his havens will be portrayed as immoral. n nMiddle-class families huddle together with their accountants for the express purpose of paying as few tax dollars as possible. n nI think Romney has responded to this with some moxie and I think that's probably appreciated. n nLook, the aesthetics here don't favor the democrats. Take advantage of that. n nEarlier, and for whatever it's worth, Carney threw Reid under the bus by saying he was on his own. n nRepublicans, it seems to me, often fear what they shouldn't and don't fear what they should. n nObama is playing for keeps and a loss to Romney will stick in his craw permanently. n nRisking loss is never easy but I think this is an election in which Romney really has no choice. n nHis VP pick probably should be Christie. He's the surrogate who can say what Romney can't.