Posted on 08/03/2012 2:49:07 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Love the bit at the end here about how this smear exposes Obama's above-the-fray shtick as the cynical Hopenchange branding nonsense that it is. I also like the added emphasis on "a lot of taxes," although Think Progress or TPM or whoever is no doubt working up a post right now explaining why the millions he's paid over the years don't really qualify as "a lot."
Serious question: Should HuffPo have published Reid's initial accusation about the mysterious Bain investor who allegedly called him about Romney? WaPo wonders:
In this case, the dissemination of Reid’s words is responsible, compulsory. It would be a shame, after all, if Reid’s constituents passed ignorant of the evidentiary standards to which he subjects his mudslinging...
In a world rigged by the Erik Wemple Blog, the legal system would be prejudiced in the opposite direction: Publications that failed to publish any and all false and defamatory charges made by public officials would be subject to criminal and civil liability. Professor Clay Calvert, the director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida, says, “The real story is the fact that Reid made the allegation in the first place. The second story is whether the allegation is true.”
Yeah, I agree, albeit with misgivings. Reid’s being clever here in using his political stature to push this smear out: "Some anonymous guy told me Romney doesn't pay his taxes" isn't a newsworthy story, but "some anonymous guy told me Romney doesn't pay his taxes, says Senate majority leader" assuredly is. If one of the most powerful Democrats in the country is being this much of a cretin, I want to know about it — even though publicizing his cretinism inadvertently spreads the allegation of Romney’s tax evasion. I think HuffPo had to run with it, even if spreading the allegation was their goal.
I see it differently. For starters, I don’t have cable...so I have to seek out news....and I have a pretty good feel for how much of a story reaches people who don’t seek out news/don’t pay attention.
I haven’t heard much about this story - other than conservative talk radio.
Now, today, Romney was asked about this...and in his answer, he implicated Obama (by name) in these false accusations, and called Obama out for not running an issues based, high brow campaign...which Obama had promised in a phone call to Romney.
What am I getting at? We’re 90 days out, and O is already being forced to use his biggest ‘scandals’...and he is being called out for diving into the mud.
This will be all but forgotten (except at DU) BEFORE the convention. The Olympics are going on...nobody is paying attention. The starting gun hasn’t gone off, O has blown his stash on fruitless Bain ads...and his campaign is so cash poor, it now has to trot out Harry with a laughable accusation.
As to why Romney hasn’t released the returns: I imagine his taxes are very complex, and take advantage of a large number of legal tax breaks. What do you think the party that seeks out the stupid demographic would do with that type of information? Every little tax shelter would become a new mini-scandal...putting Romney on the defensive every week until the election.
Romney may also be waiting for them to ‘leak’ out....so he can publicly demand an investigation into a corrupt executive branch.
I say keep holding out - the story doesn’t have legs, and it will be ‘old news’ by the time people start paying attention.
Reid is so mobbed up that he's a walking, talking blackmail machine. Axlerod and Rhambo could order him to tar and feather himself and walk naked down Pennsylvania Ave and he would do so instantly.
Read Freeper Fedora's excellent investigative thread to understand this human slimeball, and why he is willing to be a tool: he has NO CHOICE.
Reid Got $1.1M In Shady NV Land Deals
Ok, that makes sense. I'd be willing to bet that he complied to the letter of the tax law based on his tax accountant's advice.
Probably what Reid is harping on is that a couple of years he (Romney) may or may not have paid anything, or his losses offset his gains, etc., all according to the tax code. They want ammo to use as talking points because Obama's record is so abysmal
The wealthy, Senators after all, have different rules that they are beholden to than the little guy. After all, Nancy Pelosi made stock market profits on insider knowledge, a crime that sent Martha Stewart to prison.
I do not begrudge Romney at all for taking advantage of the tax laws to pay what he owed. As he said, I'm sure he has payed plenty.
We can agree to disagree. The story coupled with his tax plan that got eviscerated I think will be around. It still doesn’t change the fact of how the campaign is being run.
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