Romney's Next Move?
From the New York Times, a roundup of commentary on Mitt's finances from the Sunday morning television programs:
Some Republicans have joined the call for a broader release of tax returns, including the former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour.
The conservative commentator Bill Kristol said on “Fox News Sunday,” “He should release the tax returns tomorrow.” He added: “You’ve got to release 6, 8, 10 years of back tax returns. Take the hit for a day or two.”
Matthew Dowd, a Republican political strategist, suggested that Mr. Romney’s refusal to release the returns could suggest there was something to hide.
“There’s obviously something there, because if there was nothing there, he would say, ‘Have at it,’” Mr. Dowd said on “This Week.” “So there’s obviously something there that compromises what he said in the past about something.”
On that same program, the conservative commentator George Will was similarly critical, saying, “I do not know why, given that Mitt Romney knew the day that McCain lost in 2008 that he was going to run for president again, that he didn’t get all of this out and tidy up some of his offshore accounts and all the rest.”
The polls still indicate that Romney's doing well--better, frankly, than I'd expected at this point in the campaign--having established a dead heat with Obama in Florida and pulled within just a couple of points of Obama in other swing states.
And yet, and yet. His chairmanship of Bain for several years after he said he'd stepped down, his extensive holdings in the Caymans, his refusal to release more than one year of complete returns and an additional year of estimated returns--all this has already placed Romney on the defensive for nearly a full week. And if the likes of Haley Barbour are calling for Mitt to release more returns, maybe there's a good argument that he ought to do just that.
What think? Should Mitt tough it out or provide more information, clearing up his offshore holdings while providing, say, five to seven years of additional tax returns? I myself would be especially interested to hear what Mitt's most fervent supporters here at Ricochet would advise. Duane? James of England? Scott?
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Comments:
Mar '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
He should release exactly what Obama has released.
If Obama has not released his medical records, then Romney should not release his own medical records--and Romney should say so.
Ditto transcripts. And he should call on the LA Times to release the Obama tape it has.
Actually, a Romney spokesman should do all that.
Dec '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Personally, I could not care less.
However, and for fun, he should dangle a thick, sealed envelope and say, "OK, here they are, additional tax returns covering the past 5 years. All it takes for America to see these is for my opponent to release his medical records, his college transcripts, and the actual, copy of the official Birth Certificate issued by the State of Hawaii."
Just for fun, mind you, and to place the ball in the other court.
Jun '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
What's the underlying questi0n? Does Mitt worship money to the extent that he cheats on his taxes? Anybody that worships money that much is not likely to run for US President in the first place. Especially in Romney's case. There are probably fifty jobs that Romney could get (even without the celebrity boost of being US President) that would pay far better than the job he's after now.
Oct '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
I personally don't want Mitt to release his tax returns; I'm a little paranoid that the mainstream media will construct Mormon versions of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and I don't want to give them such a large, detailed store of data to work with. I could be unjustified in my paranoia, but that's my gut reaction (it's rather stressful wondering what sort of monster center-left media elites plan to unleash on your religion).
BuisinessWeek already wrote a very distorted article on Mormons, structured to appeal to the corporations-rule-the-world crowd. That was a shock.
May '11
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Get everything out on the table, now. Let the media frenzy happen now; people will forget it by October.
And absolutely do not tie the release of this information in any way to what the president has or has not released. That is petty and childish. If the president has been non-disclosive, the best way to illustrate the point is to be fully disclosive.
(BTW I am lobbying to get "disclosive" into the dictionary. I think it is a d*mn fine adjective.)
May '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
What would it prove? To those who oppose him already? To those who support him already? To those who oppose Obama? To those who are on the fence?
That he has made money? That he has diversified his holdings? That he has wealth enough to have diversified holdings?
My instinct is that this demand for, well, anyone's tax returns is more about envy than a real desire to get a glimpse into their finances.
Mortgage brokers have a clear and vested interest in seeing your tax returns and account statements. So do divorce lawyers, and, increasingly, the people who vet the potential spouses of wealthy people.
Most everyone else, myself included, are suffering from an excess of Envy (one of the Deadly Sins, lest we forget, and a violation of one of the 10 Commandments), and from sheer and frankly tawdry curiosity.
Whose minds will be changed by this openness? Whose votes gained? Whose votes lost that were not already lost? Enough to pander to these base instincts people seem so happy to indulge in - by proxy, of course, and resorting to the kind of high moral tone that people who regularly indulge their basest instincts often turn to?
Edited on July 16, 2012 at 1:05amDec '11
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Romney has too high a financial profile to be that stupid.
He most certainly has taken advantage of the legal 'loopholes' and I would be disappointed in him as my fiscal hero if he had not. Nonetheless, he pays federal taxes, unlike 49% of the people in this country who do not, yet maintain the right to vote on how taxpayer dollars are spent.
Agree, but he should be prepared to take on an offensive mode of attack.
Edited on July 16, 2012 at 1:18amJun '11
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Counterattack, but obliquely. Perhaps he should ask "Why did your administration attempt to overthrow the Mexican government by providing drug cartels thousands of assault weapons?" I'm sure Peter can punch that up. I like the ideas of tit-for-tat on disclosure, but that's a blocking action only.
Jun '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Even if he released his tax returns (which I am opposed to it will look like caving in) it would not be enough. Even now they are calling for them to release the minutes of Bain's board meetings. Don't know if that is public information? I can't imagine too many corporations who would want to release their board room minutes. Seems to me there could be lots of proprietary information in those.
May '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
If (God forbid) Romney should lose the election, a substantial portion of the reason why will be the constant harping, picking, b*tching, kvelling, and carrying on generally of the conservative commentariat.
Peter's post contains the names Haley Barbour, Bill Kristol, Matthew Dowd. The list is a lot longer than that.
Seems to me these people are so in love with the sound of their own voice, and so convinced of their personal brilliance, that they simply cannot help themselves when the opportunity to play "sage commentator not afraid to stand up to the party structure" and ankle-bite Romney in a public form presents itself.
They should get behind a line of "Nothing to see here folks, but as long as you're bringing up disclosure, how about: Tony Rezko, college transcripts, the tapes the LA times has in its bunker, Michelle's $300000 no-show job, &tc. &tc."
Romney was not my first pick, but he's who we have and if we don't want a 2nd Obama term we need to work on getting Romney elected, and leave the attacks to the Obama Campaign, the DNC, and the mainstream media.
May '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
(continued)
I appreciate this is how these people make their living, but are a couple bucks for a column, or 60 seconds of face time with David Gregory really worth re-electing Barack Obama?
Apr '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
It is not fair but this is a fight Romney cannot win. Release the tax returns and get it over with...it is just another example of the hypocrisy of the mainstream media.
Jul '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Release the tax returns from the years of O's presidency and then request O and his minions to explain why nearly $1 million has been spent to keep the Prez's personal records sealed.
May '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Peter Robinson
In politics, any molehill can and probably will be made to look like a mountain. That something shouldn't be an issue doesn't mean it won't. Romney is right to be cautious. Almost anything can be used against him. Financial information is of particular value to Democrats playing class warfare.
There's a difference between being honest and being open. I agree with Edward that Romney has little to gain from sharing such information.
I would agree with Scarlet Pimpernel and CJRun about setting a trap, but the Big Lie is Obama's speciality. The President could turn that trap back on Romney if he responded with false information. Swing voters might value fairness, but they won't do their own digging to verify the President's information.
And I doubt that anything from the last campaign would be effective in this one. Obama's college papers, his affiliations, and his pre-Presidential rhetoric — swing voters don't think that deeply. Hit him with the past four years.
May '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
CJRun: Personally, I could not care less.
However, and for fun, he should dangle a thick, sealed envelope and say, "OK, here they are, additional tax returns covering the past 5 years. All it takes for America to see these is for my opponent to release his medical records, his college transcripts, and the actual, copy of the official Birth Certificate issued by the State of Hawaii."
Excellent!
Also --- I'm not a finance guy, but as far as the off-shore/Swiss accounts go -- isn't this just smart "diversification" ?
Feb '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
CJRun: Personally, I could not care less.
However, and for fun, he should dangle a thick, sealed envelope and say, "OK, here they are, additional tax returns covering the past 5 years. All it takes for America to see these is for my opponent to release his medical records, his college transcripts, and the actual, copy of the official Birth Certificate issued by the State of Hawaii."
Just for fun, mind you, and to place the ball in the other court. · 1 hour ago
And explain the autographed copie of this...
Dec '11
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Exactement.
May '12
Re: Romney's Next Move?
CJRun: However, and for fun, he should dangle a thick, sealed envelope and say, "OK, here they are, additional tax returns covering the past 5 years. All it takes for America to see these is for my opponent to release his medical records, his college transcripts, and the actual, copy of the official Birth Certificate issued by the State of Hawaii."
Just for fun, mind you, and to place the ball in the other court.
Agreed. I'd also throw in info on Mitt's mission in France if Obama would explain what he was doing on 'Spring Break' in the Islamic apartheid dictatorship of Pakistan in 1981 with three other Muslims.
Jun '10
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Concerned citizens:
Jan '11
Re: Romney's Next Move?
Funny. We haven't heard much from Mike Murphy lately.