Which Candidate Really Has Something to Hide?
I have a new column at Forbes.com about the fallout from the comments that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made at a closed press fundraiser in Florida last weekend. Lurking on a nearby sidewalk, uninvited reporters overheard a different side of the presumptive Republican nominee – specific yet bold, conservative yet with crossover appeal.
In the privacy of a Florida backyard, Romney shared ideas for eliminating federal agencies and tax deductions in ways that he has not yet discussed in public. While there are fair questions about some of these proposals (especially getting rid of deductions only for certain income brackets instead of across the board), there is no question that Romney needs to take his case to the American people. No one else will do it for him.
Advisers for President Barack Obama jumped on Romney for having something to hide – a richly ironic attack considering that an open microphone recently caught Obama promising Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “more flexibility” on missile defense and other issues after the election. No doubt Romney would have the easier time explaining his statements, and let’s hope he does. Voters deserve the opportunity to decide for themselves which candidate really has something to hide.
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Comments:
Jul '11
Re: Which Candidate Really Has Something to Hide?
I agree but this election better be a lot more about Obama than about what our finger in the wind nominee may do.
Re: Which Candidate Really Has Something to Hide?
Obama's only hope for electoral survival (and the "flexibility" that follows) is to hide his own record, hence his intense focus on Romney along with all the straw men the Obama administration has created or saved. Romney can unveil his ideas and strategies at opportune times, but I agree with DocJay. He must keep an unrelenting spotlight on the wretched consequences of "fundamental transformation."
Sep '10
Re: Which Candidate Really Has Something to Hide?
Romney needs to ask Reagan's classic question, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" No matter how the liberal Democrats try, they can't spin this away.
May '10
Re: Which Candidate Really Has Something to Hide?
Oh, those unguarded moments! That "bitter clingers" remark is what allowed President McCain to put away Obama... Wait a second...