Harry Reid’s smear attack on Mitt Romney masks Dems’ problems

The New York Daily News ^ | August 7, 2012 | The Editors

[2ndDivisionVet]

Weak economy, no job growth and huge deficits should be the real target.

When he descended into smarmy innuendo about Mitt Romney’s taxes, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was merely executing a tactic that is increasingly central to President Obama’s reelection campaign.

High unemployment and trickling job production have foreclosed Obama from running strong on his domestic record. So he’s painting Romney as a rich, out-of-touch tax chiseler as a distraction from the accumulating woeful economic reports.

Reid took the rhetoric into the pits with a claim that someone had told him Romney had not paid taxes for 10 years, thereby filling a vacuum left by Romney’s release of only one year’s tax returns with a promise of one more.

The transparency of Reid’s cheap theater puts Washington’s economic betrayal of the American people on direct view. Democrats and Republicans alike have been complete busts in reviving the economy — and now they’ve done one worse.

A stunning New York Times story on Monday convicted them of gross malfeasance. The country is marching toward the so-called fiscal cliff that Congress created to get past the paralyzing fight over raising the debt ceiling.

Come the new year, defense spending plummets by $400 billion, forcing tens of thousands of layoffs. The Democrats insisted on the huge hit to force Republicans to accept tax hikes produced by the end of the Bush-era cuts.

What The Times revealed is that companies have scrapped hiring plans out of fear of an enormous meltdown. The firms want to take on people, but the picture is too uncertain and they see their customers pulling back as well.

In other words, Reid & Co. have gone beyond doing nothing. They are inflicting real harm.

[2ndDivisionVet]

The last time I checked, the Daily News wasn't a conservative newspaper, far from it, in fact. That makes this editorial even more surprising.

[God luvs America]

you are correct....they are very liberal with scum like Mike Lupica writing for them...Bobby Herbert was also their a while...this piece is very telling from an almost uber left paper.....

the last time the NYDN did something like this was when they surprisingly endorsed GWB in the ‘04 election...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Anyone who knew the first thing about John Kerry had to go for Dubya.

[Intolerant in NJ]

When he descended into smarmy innuendo about Mitt Romney’s taxes, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was merely executing a tactic that is increasingly central to President Obama’s reelection campaign...nothing is beneath this administration - 'rats cornered and about to lose what they crave most - political power - will try pretty much anything - hang on, by the time this is over they'll need a ladder to climb back up to the gutter......