Surprise: Obama Campaign Explicitly Approved Reid's Anti-Romney Lies

Townhall.com ^ | August 4, 2012 | Guy Benson

[Kaslin]

Earlier this morning, Karl Rove appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss Harry Reid's reckless accusations against Mitt Romney.  In case you're just joining this controversy, the Senate Majority Leader has spent the last few days peddling a scurrilous and evidence-free claim that Romney is a serial tax evader.  Rove wondered aloud why our fraudulent post-partisan prince of a president hasn't denounced Reid:

Karl Rove Calls Out Harry Reid's 'Slimeball Nature'; Says the Senate Majority Leader Should Be 'Embarrassed and Ashamed'

There's a pretty straightforward answer to this question.  Obama isn't lifting a finger to put an end to this slanderous side-show because his campaign specifically gave Reid the green light to launch these baseless attacks.  Politico reports:
 

The ruthless Senate majority leader sees political gold in his attack on Romney — and he’s got the blessing from President Barack Obama’s campaign for the attack, even if he lacks evidence on Romney’s failure to pay taxes. Reid has calculated that the frenzy created by his charge has accomplished exactly what he sought to do: Turn the focus back onto the GOP nominee’s unreleased tax returns, according to several people close to the leader and the campaign. For Reid, he’s got virtually nothing to lose: His approval ratings back home are still upside-down, and he may not even run for reelection when he’s up for a sixth term in 2016. On top of that, his aides say, Reid genuinely believes his source...

As far as Reid and Obama are concerned, the more we're discussing this foundationless rumor, the less we're discussing the president's egregious record of economic failure.  Three quick points:

(1) Even if Reid has  special "source" inside Bain, which I sincerely doubt, said informant would have no access to Romney's personal tax returns. 

(2) A former McCain aide who vetted Romney as a potential Vice Presidential pick in 2008 has reviewed many years of the current presumptive nominee's tax returns.  He says everything was totally in order, and if anything, Mitt overpaid.

(3) Here's a quote from a "top Reid confidant," explaining Democrats' thinking on this smear campaign:
 

“What Republicans don’t get is the more they fire back at Reid, the more he will fight, and in the end, what will the topic be? Romney and his taxes.”

How does one effectively combat an opponent with no shame, no decency, and not even a tenuous commitment to the truth?  One option is to take the high road, fight the smears, and continue to push your message.  For the record, this is the road I would personally recommend.  ("Oh, that's interesting Harry -- get back to me when you have some evidence.  Incidentally, have you seen the latest jobs report?")  Another option is to get down into the Democrats' mud and fight dirty.  As amusing as the Reid/pedophilia "accusation" saga is -- and we still haven't seen firm proof that the Senate Majority Leader doesn't fondle little boys -- it won't break through and capture the narrative spotlight.  If Republicans are interested in getting nasty and force-feeding Democrats some of their own repulsive medicine, they would need to make it about Obama.  Here's what they could do (not an endorsement, just an illustration):  Get a senior and high-profile Republican member of Congress to give an on-the-record "scoop" to a site like, say, Townhall.com.  Let's use Sen. John McCain as an example; as a former presidential nominee and a media fixture, he'd do the trick.  McCain could say that he's heard from "a source" inside the Justice Department that President Obama exerted executive privilege in the Fast & Furious scandal because he didn't want the public to discover that he himself ordered the operation.  McCain might add that he isn't totally sure if the leak is true, but he still believes it to be accurate -- and that it is up to Obama to release every single document pertaining to Fast & Furious to prove that he didn't directly order it.  After all, the president has been extremely secretive about the program, even as hundreds of its murdered victims' families demand justice.  Romney wouldn't have to comment on the allegation, aside from affirming that Americans "deserve answers" about the lethal gun-running operation. (The public agrees).  McCain could keep making the allegation day after day, with Democrats rushing to condemn him.  The truth wouldn't matter, though; the more they'd fire back at McCain, the more he'd fight, and in the end, what would the topic be?  Barack Obama's bloody scandal that killed hundreds of innocent people, including a US border agent.   See how this works?

The above scenario is a nearly perfect parallel to what Democrats are doing now, except Obama's scandal actually exists, and real blood has been spilled.  The only stretch/fabrication would be Obama's direct involvement in it, rather than just his Attorney General.  There are, of course, a few problems with this scenario: First, the media simply would not abide such tactics from Republicans (even as the cover Reid's lying buffoonery as a partisan squabble), and second, John McCain is an honorable man.  Democrats are working with two insurmountable advantages here -- a press that covers for them, and a surplus of dishonorable actors.

[abclily]

I am not misinformed. 90% of Special Ed students are there because of behavior problems. Students are not placed in Advanced Studies because of behavior problems.

You have nothing to back up your statement - a la Harry Reid.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Romney is going about this all wrong.

Come right out and state the IRS vetted Romneys tax records. This does a cople of things.

1- if the IRS is that inept, how can we expect them to monitor Obamacare?
2- if the IRS missed something and Harry Reid has it, then his source has broken the law and as an officer of the people he has to reveal that source and demand his immediate arrest
3- if the IRS didn’t vet Romney’s taxes and as such they should start an immediate investigation into Obamas taxes and who is covering up for him since those Chicago land deals are pretty shady.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I hate typing on an iPad.

[Kaslin]

They are

[erkyl]

How can you even give credence to anything said about income taxes by the very same man who said our tax system was ‘voluntary’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7mRSI8yWwg

With that being said, I want to point out that Dirty Harry is being clever with his words here, and he’s not saying Romney is a tax-evader. He’s saying Romney didn’t pay any ‘taxes’, which to the moronic logic of this man, probably means that he didn’t owe anything on April 15. Reid says people like Romney, with lots of money, can find ways to avoid paying taxes. Right. Exactly. Legal deductions, such as charitable contributions—we know Romney gives generously to the Mormon church. So, in the end, Romney may not be writing a check on April 15 to the IRS. So in dumb-a$$ Harry’s mind means he pays no ‘voluntary’ taxes.

Now, considering the same could be said about the mega corporation General Electric, why is this even a story? Good grief, does this crap only work on the brainless masses? I guess so...

[Travis McGee]

Dirty Harry Reid: The Mafia's "Mr. Clean Face" on the Nevada Gaming Commission

Reid is so mobbed up that he's a walking, talking blackmail puppet. Axlerod could order him to strip naked on the Senate floor and tar and feather himself and he would do so instantly.

Read Freeper Fedora's excellent investigative thread to understand this human slimeball, and why he is willing to be a tool in this libel campaign: he has NO CHOICE. He is a Mafia and Chicago Rat Mob puppet.

Mr. Cleanface’s Dirty Laundry: Harry Reid’s Mob Money. (Original FReeper research 01/20/2006 by Fedora)

Dirty Harry Reid Got $1.1M In Shady NV Land Deals: one example of how it was done.

Dirty Harry Reid is so well known as a Mafia puppet, that he was featured in the movie Casino as "Harrison Roberts."

[Mouton]

First, let me again thank the voters in nevada for returning this turd to the Senate.

Meanwhile, Romney is not running against Reid. Reid is setting himself up as a lightening rod. Romney needs to forget about responding to him and keep his crosshairs on Obama, period.

The only thing he should do vis a vis the press who will take the lead now from weed, is to issue a release to the IRS to provide his record of having filed returns in each of the last ten years. He does not have to give up any details, just his filing record. Whenever the subject comes up from some dem shill, just refer to the IRS statement and change the topic to the economy, fast and furious, fag marriage anything he wants to talk about putting His Excellency back on the defensive. A good question back to the press would be have you determined what Obama meant by his comment about substantially transforming america, did he mean where everyone is unemployed and the US is a laughing stock around the world?

[Jeff Vader]

I feel the same way you do, it’s unfortunate who the nominee is but we have to face the facts. The TEA party was not strong enough this time to get a real candidate nominated. Next time hopefully it will be different.

[beenaround]

"He did? Did you take a real close look at what he said ~"

Sure I did, did you? Here is the quote. What part of it do you find ambiguous? "I have paid taxes every year, and a lot of taxes, so Harry is wrong," Romney told reporters.

"Harry Reid has to put up or shut up," he said. "Who are your sources?"

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election-2012/mitt-romney-put-shut-tax-allegations-harry-reid-back-article-1.1128255#ixzz22gPjkS00

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

(1) Even if Reid has special "source" inside Bain, which I sincerely doubt, said informant would have no access to Romney's personal tax returns.

. . . so Harry Reid’s imaginary friend could not exist. Dirty Harry should have made up a friend who was Romney’s accountant - but that would make it too obvious, even for Harry, that any such disclosure it would be immoral and illegal.

(2) A former McCain aide who vetted Romney as a potential Vice Presidential pick in 2008 has reviewed many years of the current presumptive nominee's tax returns. He says everything was totally in order, and if anything, Mitt overpaid.

Mitt has disclosed his taxes, exactly like John Kerry has disclosed his full military record. John Kerry disclosed his full record, not openly on the Internet, but to one single friendly reporter. Mitt Romney has disclosed his income tax filings, too - to McCain’s staff, which undoubtedly means to an accountant working for McCain.

Romney also, we may be sure, disclosed all that data, and more, to his own accountant. Who thinks that Romney did all his own income tax preparation? H&R Block makes most of its money preparing Form 1040 and Schedules A and B!!! I’m confident of that, because the first time I ever used them was when I had a issue related to my IRA rollover, dealing with what for me was serious money. The first preparer I talked to saw my issue and said, “Oh, I only do 1040 and Schedules A and B. You’ll have to wait for Diana to do that one!”

So the only issue with Mitt’s tax disclosure is that it has not been made to Democrats, just like Kerry’s disclosure (if he actually, really, did disclose his whole record) was not made to Republicans. And if the reporters want to protest that they are not Democrats, they can prove it by taking a break from hassling Romney over what he hasn’t disclosed to them long enough to on Obama’s case about and the worst three years of economic performance since the Great Depression, trillions of dollars of wasted money and years of illegal failure to pass a budget, and the worst presidential lawlessness since (not that it was as big a deal as some other more recent scandals, but it takes them in as well, and sounds more dramatic) Teapot Dome. If that’s too much for them, they can hector Harry Reid over his imaginary, illegal, friend for a few weeks and maybe Romney will disclose more of his tax returns than he has already promised.

[tacticalogic]

Reid genuinely believes his source...

I'd answer Reid on this with the observation that a common characteristic of sociopaths is that they are exceptionally good liars, because they actually believe their own lies.

[Steven Tyler]

I would selectively “release” more high school, and grade school reports cards.

My hope would be reasonable people realize two truths. One, that the media are scum only working to vet republicans. Two, why do the media not publish 0bama’s records, and vet the Kenyan.

[Steven Tyler]

DWS was on ABC this AM. I would love some technically inclined freeper to get the clip and dub “birth records” over top every DWS reference to “tax returns”

[sportutegrl]

I believe this is a trap set by Romney. Let as many Dems and MSM make the specific claim that Romney didn’t pay taxes for 10 years. If the McCain aide is correct, they are being fed a lie. Romney would do well to wait this out as long as possible, possibly let the WH or Obama himself weigh in, then release his tax returns, showing all of them to be false witnesses, liars, and the MSM so partisan as to be unbelievable. Game, set, match Romney.

[Terry Mross]

A senator can say anything he wants on the senate floor and not be charged with perjury or libel. I’m not sure he can say ANYTHING about another senator. There may be rules concerning attacking each other.

The biggest problem with this “plan” is relying on McCain. Now that’s rich.

What needs to be done is another senator pulling a Hillary and standing up before the senate and holding up a copy of the 2007 LA Times about Reid accepting a bribe.

What Romney really needs to do is walk into Reid’s office with cameras rolling and tell him to take it back or Romney’s going to whip his ass until he wets himself then he’s going to cut all off all his hair. That would make me vote for Romney without question.

[muawiyah]

He isn’t going to release his tax returns for 2007 and 2008 under any circumstances.

[tet68]

On top of that, his aides say, Reid genuinely believes his source...

And what democrat wouldn’t believe the president?

[MNJohnnie]

Standard Democrat tactics. Say any lie, smear anyone, demagogue endlessly, in a hysteric effort to keep the focus off Obama’s record of corruption and incompetence

[muawiyah]

I can say exactly that ~ "I have paid taxes every year".

Hannity is the source of this absolute statement where he lays the charge that "half pay no taxes" which means not paying federal personal income taxes ~ has nothing to do with all taxes although he says it like that.

Now we get Romney flipping it and telling us "I's payin' me taxes ever' day" like he's some street corner day laborer 'splaining why he shouldn't be picked up for vagrancy.

Both statements are propaganda. The question to Romney is about INCOME TAXES (both for his personal income and the income of the corporations he owns). Hearing what he says about taxes in the broad sense is nonsense. Of course Romney pays taxes ~ he lives in America ~ maybe not Hannity's America, but the one we know where EVERYBODY gets tapped for taxes every day for everything there is.

Mittbots have got to learn you can't have it both ways on this issue.

[muawiyah]

You are mistaken. Special ed is for students with some very specific neurological differences or disorders, or treatable conditions. If you made being a bully a condition for which you'd be put in special ed you'd have parents teaching their kids how to sucker punch their classmates.

Special ed classes have a very low student to teacher ratio, and, in general, better facilities than the 'mainstream' classes.