Posted on 01/17/2012 7:26:03 AM PST by Lakeshark
I saw this coming from a mile away.
Mitt Romney’s original position that he would not release his income tax returns, a position he held to for several weeks, now is slipping.
At the debate last night Romney gave a convoluted answer that he “probably” would release the tax returns in April — after he likely will have wrapped up the nomination if he stays on the current trajectory. The answer was cringe-worthy:
**snip**
Newt is not letting it go:
"Newt Gingrich says Mitt Romney should release his tax returns before primary voters head to the polls in South Carolina on Saturday.
“It’s interesting that Romney agreed that he ought to release his income taxes but he doesn’t want to do it until April,” Gingrich said Tuesday on CBS. “I think the people of South Carolina ought to know now – if there’s nothing there, why hide it until April, and if there’s something there, don’t the people of South Carolina deserve to know before Saturday?”
At this point Newt and the others don’t need to convince people there is a problem in the tax returns — they just need to plant seeds of doubt as to Romney’s general election electability which influence voters on Saturday.
(Excerpt) Read more at legalinsurrection.com ...
Let's hope all the candidates keep this in Romney's face. Along with accentuating his poor (and liberal) record, this is important to keep bringing up over and over.
It should not just be a Romney issue. I’d like to see Newt link Romney’s lack of openness to Obama’s: “Romney should release his taxes now, just as Obama should release his college transcripts. If the media were doing their due diligence, they would be encouraging all candidates to release all relevant information in a timely manner so that the voters could make an informed choice.” The voters should know how much a candidate makes, how much he (hopefully in 2016, she) gives to charity, and how they did in college.
Hey Mitt, April is when you FILE your tax returns. However, there is nothing that requires you to wait until April to disclose your tax returns.
Mitt deserves to be beat up for a lot of stuff, but nothing as trivial as releasing a tax return. Let the Obamabots harp on this. Let Mitt reply “I’ll release my tax return when you release your college transcripts and admission records.” It would make an entertaining sideshow.
My husband and I can’t figure out why any politician should release their tax info. Is it so we can hate a person who makes too much? Are we looking for tax cheaters?
Newt... “Romney is like O’Bummer.. I’ll release my birth Certificate...err.. tax return after I am elected!
Newt, “Romney is as transparent as O’Bummer!”
“My husband and I can’t figure out why any politician should release their tax info. Is it so we can hate a person who makes too much?”
Money buys influence, Hopefully, any conflicts of interest will show up on the tax return.
As a forensic CPA I can say that a tax return says one heck of a lot about a person. Things like insider trading. Selling a stock short based upon insider information. Might indicate who pulls the puppet strings!
Logically, Mitt should be the FIRST to release and trumpet it loudly,....... ........ because his returns will show a huge charitable contributions line (by actual dollars or by percentage), due to his Mormon commitments, where 10% is the minimum mandatory contribution (and, unlike most churches, the LDS actually pursues you and sits down with you to make sure it happens). On top of this, successful Mormons are pretty much mandated to give significantly above the 10%, more like 15-17%. That's a lot of money...he'd be seen as the most generous candidate in history.
SO WHAT STOPS HIM??? Maybe he cheated in business? ...Maybe he cheated the IRS? ...Maybe he cheated the Mormon Church?
Incredible the GOP would run someone so hostile to our bill or rights and even more incredible that Americans support him. More proof the progressives have ruined the school system.
I’m convinced this is all part of the scam. Romney gets the nomination, the “news” is that true conservatives are staying home (whether we are or not), and obama is re-elected.
The Bystander-in-Chief never put his tax return out there. He made $10 million when Soros bought $10 million worth of his books
There was an article in November or so talking about Romney holding his tax returns as ammo against OBAMA’s records, saying if Obama releases those, Romney will release his.
Can’t find it on Google now, imagine that...
If insider trading is all he’s hiding then 90% of congress would be in trouble. Insider trading is legal for politicians.
cookcounty, maybe Mitt doesn’t want the Mormon church to know he’s skimping a little on the titheing.
Lets tighten it up a bit - having shown for the last ten years or so that he is a snake, a smirking, arrant liar and a serial backshooter of numerous other Republicans, The Willard, AT A MINIMUM, must produce ALL of his tax returns beginning with the first year of his association with Bain capital through the current year. If he refuses and thus wins the nomination without a full vetting now, he will receive a full vetting during the general election, like it or not, and his margin of defeat will make McCain’s flaccid effort look strong.
If Mitt would say “I’ll release my tax return when you release your college transcripts and admission records.”, he might get a little more support. But so far I haven’t seen any candidate say this.
Excellent point!!!!!
To flush out hypocrites, for one thing.
Of course, that doesn't work too well when you have a crooked Press Corpse:
In 2008, Joe Biden (who is angry that we are not a more "generous" people), released his returns, and they showed that over a period of 10 years, on an income consistently at or above $250,000, in his best year, he gave $380 to charity. The Press Corpse were too corrupt to report the contradiction.
In 2008, Barack Obama (who is angry that we are not a more "generous" people) released his returns, and it showed that until be began to run for President in 2006, he gave 1% of his income of to charity on an income of more than $1 million, mostly from book royalties. During the 2008 campaign, the Press Corpse assiduously refused to discuss that fact.
I believe the Amtrak commute is around 30 minutes via the Acela and Union Station in DC is about a 1.5 block walk from the Senate Office Buildings.
I do think that's an advantage to those who are still in the race, they can keep bringing this up and throw some major doubt on Romney's ability to handle the coming billion dollar scorched earth negative ad show.
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