Posted on 07/18/2012 6:07:18 PM PDT by Kaslin
Appearing on Wednesday's Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC, The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza warned Mitt Romney that he would suffer "a death by a thousand political cuts" if he does not release more tax returns. Cillizza further proclaimed: "...every day we talk about tax returns. Why hasn't he released them? What's in them?...the current position he has is untenable politically."
Continuing to push for Romney to release more, Cillizza predicted: "...what we don't know is how much tax he did pay. And until he releases more...the Obama team, at least, is not going to let this go away." He then concluded: "...all this stuff gets them [Republicans] away from talking about what they want to talk about, which is why I think he [Romney] needs to lance the boil, politically, sooner rather than later."
Host Andrea Mitchell opened the discussion by happily touting: "...the Romney offensive still hasn't quieted a growing chorus of Republicans calling on Romney to release his tax returns." After reading several excerpts from a National Review editorial demanding more Romney tax information, Mitchell declared: "...we're talking about...a conservative magazine, just piercingly tearing through the Romney campaign point-by-point defense of them not releasing more tax returns."
How many National Review articles critical of President Obama does Mitchell read on air?
Here is a transcript of the July 18 exchange:
1:01PM ETANDREA MITCHELL: Good day, I'm Andrea Mitchell, live in New York today. In our Daily Fix, the Romney campaign is escalating its attacks on President Obama with a new ad, and in Ohio, where the candidate will be campaigning later today. But the Romney offensive still hasn't quieted a growing chorus of Republicans calling on Romney to release his tax returns.
Chris Cillizza is an MSNBC contributor and managing editor of PostPolitics.com, Mr. Fix. Well, this whole tax return issue is not going away. Mitt Romney has tried to change the subject but we are seeing increasingly conservative calls. Let's take a look at the National Review, Chris. The National Review editorial said release the returns and it went on to say, "John Kerry actually released returns from 1999 through 2003 and also released tax returns during his Senate runs. As for Theresa Hines," that's an issue that Romney had raised, "Romney isn't the wealthy spouse of a candidate but the candidate himself. In 2008, John McCain released two years of returns, but he had been filling out financial disclosure forms for decades, every year as a senator."
So we're talking about, you know, the National Review, a conservative magazine, just piercingly tearing through the Romney campaign point-by-point defense of them not releasing more tax returns. They also said, "In all likelihood he won't be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and is a departure from campaign conventions. The only question is whether he releases more returns now or later." Chris, will it be now, later or never?
CILLIZZA: Well, I think they're right, Andrea. It just seems to me this is setting up Romney for a death by a thousand political cuts, which is every day we talk about tax returns. Why hasn't he released them? What's in them? You know, what's keeping him from releasing them? I just think I agree with the National Review here. I just think that the current position he has is untenable politically.
Legally, he's fine. We know Mitt Romney didn't break any laws. We know all those things. But what we don't know is how much tax he did pay. And until he releases more – now, depends on how you define more, I don't think he's going to release 20 years' worth, but something that provides a fuller picture of his financial background – the Obama team, at least, is not going to let this go away.
And I would say that most Republicans I talk to, here's what they say, Andrea, "Look, this is an election still about the economy. We need to get back to talking about the economy and what they believe to be Barack Obama's poor performance in making the economy better. The longer we spend talking about how much tax Mitt Romney paid, when he paid it, how wealthy he is, the Cayman Islands, Swiss bank accounts" – all this stuff gets them away from talking about what they want to talk about, which is why I think he needs to lance the boil, politically, sooner rather than later.
(...)
Otherwise no deal
Talk about stone throwing in a glass house, Barack.
Chris Cillizza who? =.=
Does this twerp think we don't already know what the media's game is?
Releasing more tax returns will accomplish nothing. Make the Dems sweat it out. They will lose the Oval Office and the Senate anyway. Now is the time to turn this country around and in a big way.
How about a 1001 cuts for 0bamie?
And that’s what Romney’s response needs to be.
Stop letting these bastards win. Stop playing nicety with them. They are evil.
I really doubt that it matters whether or not he releases his tax returns. Maybe he should just refuse to answer any more questions about them.
Question for the Obama Campaign and the Post’s Chris Cillizza:
“Using cocaine is a felony. When and where did President Obama last use cocaine and what is the statue of limitations for this felony in that state?
Romney needs to give 0 the ‘finger’, like 0 does us.
so the media is promising 12 weeks of unfounded, unsubstantiated attacks from anonymous sources while they defend Obama..
I predict that a week before the RNC, there will be someone that comes out and says that either he has had a long-term affair with Romney or was molested by Romney in Mormon camp..
Any Republican who is not 100% forthcoming with all documents and records, on every possible topic, will die the death of a thousand cuts. America demands transparency and full vetting. Republicans are on notice.
Democrats? No documents, fraudulent documents, anything goes.
They are rubbing our noses in it. This is certainly annoying -- but more than that: it's scary. The deck is stacked. We're playing poker at a table with a bunch of people who are all smirking at us and saying, "We stacked the deck, you know."
Very scary.
1) Does Andrea Mitchell ever look non-stoned, non-drunk, or non-I-just-got-an-enema?
2) Did this Mr. Hipster Chris Cizzilos or whatever, just graduate from Columbia School of Propoganda Journalism last month?
3) Is there anybody who really gives a rat's a$$ about Romney's tax returns, other than those trying to gin up some sort of nonsensical outrage? (and I say this as a non-Romney voter).
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Since the ones doing the cutting are on MSNBC, yeah, I’d say 1,000 is about right. On a good night they might get that many viewers....
But American Pravda pretends not to notice....
What “Tax Return Dilemma”? We’ve got a Kenyan in the Oval Office who can’t even produce a decent birth certificate. Now that’s a “dilemma”.
Imagine that. The network that is run by and beds terrorists is protecting a terrorist by deflection. How novel. I’m sure the other 19 domestic terrorists that watch this joke of an infomercial were enthused.
I guess that's just in case they take bribes from rich guys or something.
Let me tell you, no one who has ever been subject to those public disclosure laws gives a big rat's patooty about MItt's 'privacy' when it comes to his money.
Then there's this problem with the President when it comes to your income tax returns. He gets to call them up and look at them. As you know I've favored abolishing the federal personal income tax for many years ~ it's a failed federal program and should be among the first to be disposed of. Eliminating that tax would eliminate the President's right to snoop into affairs that should be none of his business.
All Romney needs to do is propose abolishing the federal personal income tax and I'll have no problem with him keeping his stuff secret. Until then, no ~ and I don't care one way or the other if the Democrats try to beat him on the head with the intricacies of his filing. They do that whether he releases the returns or not. At least he can cave now on the question of whether that tax is good policy ~ it's not.
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