“I have no idea why Reid decided to go all-in on this point. I don’t have any idea whether Willard Romney paid no taxes, or some taxes, or paid an annual tribute to Anubis, Egyptian God Of The Dead, over the years in question. Neither, I would point out, do Glenn Kessler, or his tax experts, or the PolitiFact elves, or Reince Priebus. This is because Willard Romney, unlike any presidential candidate of my experience, declines to share those details with The Help as he seeks to be appointed CEO of America. But neither am I morally outraged that Reid is playing the kind of politics he is playing with this. That is because, when I consider what he’s doing, I do not think of Joe McCarthy. I think of Vince Foster, and I am conspicuously unmoved.” — Charles Pierce, Let’s Stop Being Upset with Harry Reid Already
Also? Rachel Maddow reminds us who we should be focusing our attention on (it’s not Harry Reid):
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If you’re defending something by saying “Mitt Romney did it too,” then you aren’t defending it. In fact, that’s probably the best argument I’ve heard so far why Reid is wrong.
Charles Pierce is comparing the past stupidity and fictional issues of the right (Foster) with the relevant, actually important issue currently at hand (Mitt’s tax returns and Reid’s challenge). I can’t believe that just because he’s your candidate you are actually defending and supporting Romney hiding his tax returns — what if what Reid says is true? Are you okay with the idea Romney paid no federal tax for 10 years? This should be information that is released by every presidential candidate willingly — WITHOUT a public fight. Even Romney’s father thought so.
First off, Romney is as much ‘mine’ as Obama is your’s. That is, neither of them are for neither of us unless this blog is hiding a richer, whiter, more New York Times editor-like alter-ego.
That aside, I never said that I support Romney doing anything and I’d urge you to find a shred of evidence to back up your one sentence assertion. Or, for that matter, *any* of your one sentence assertions. Unless ‘Reid is wrong’ is automatically ‘Romney is right,’ and that there is absolutely no middle-ground, then most readers will have a hard time following where you’re pulling these assumptions from.
Now, you have no idea whatsoever you’re talking about when we reach the realm entitled ‘tax code.’ It’s not an insult, a lot of Americans are equally ignorant. The tax code is impossibly complex. What we do have, according to Politifact, is a wide selection of tax experts saying essentially the same thing: “Reid is spouting a bunch of hokum.” I think it’s hokum from my infallible experience. I cannot conceive of a way, knowing what we know about his partial 2011 tax return, that he has not paid income taxes unless the 2011 tax return released and confirmed by the IRS as authentic is inauthentic. You cannot think of a way. Ask anyone whose seen the tax return in question and they will say much of the same thing. I’ve read some interesting theoretical projections that there is a way for Romney to have paid nothing, courtesy of Politifact, but even they eventually come to the conclusion that it’s as close to improbable as you can get.
Now, I cannot conceive of a way. You certainly can’t. A bunch of tax experts cannot. Reid, even though he has a source, hasn’t said anything about how it could have possibly occurred. But you’re going to persist, without even knowing what you’re talking about (and without the theoretical knowledge, either) and contradict these experts?
I could, on some level, respect a tax expert coming out and saying “It is not only probable, but its definitely possible. Here’s why.” I may not agree with what he said, but at least (s)he would have a reason. You simply don’t. There’s no “from my knowledge background” or even a shred of evidence beyond an irrational gut reaction. You’re resting your whole argument on “I believe a politician’s nameless source.” All right, you can do that but why should anyone take you seriously? I heard from an unnamed Bachmann source that Obama is a crypto-fascist. Clearly, that’s what he must be!
I heard from a guy really close to Obama that he’s secretly a Kenyan. He needs to release his birth-certificate because (to use your words) “This should be information that is released by every presidential candidate willingly — WITHOUT a public fight.”
See how hilarious you look?
That’s a pretty long and winding defense of a guy who wants to be president, but who doesn’t want to reveal 10 years worth of tax returns to the American public. The question is not: HOW can Harry Reid be right or wrong, as argued by the best journalist or tax expert or even by Reid’s source from Bain Capital. The question is: if Reid is wrong, why won’t Romney prove it by releasing his returns? Why won’t Romney release his tax returns? What is Romney hiding?
Extra rwnj zombie points for comparing Mitt hiding his tax returns to the laughable birth certificate conspiracy as well.