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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA man who is terrified of releasing his tax returns publicly is a man vulnerable to blackmail..
Do we really want someone so vulnerable to being blackmailed as POTUS?
Riley18
(1,127 posts)Although should he steal the office, the point would be moot.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)spanone
(135,637 posts)Segami
(14,923 posts)coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,576 posts)Mitt Romney is a national security problem for the U.S.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)Mitt Romney is a liar and a cheat.
Bluerthanblue
(13,669 posts)to hide or be ashamed of, you don't fear people knowing who you really are.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)nt
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)lynne
(3,118 posts)- Let's face it - he's a multi-millionaire and he's been in politics a long time. I've no doubt that he has a team of financial planners, CPA's, tax accountants, who do all of his financial work for him. He doesn't see it, he doesn't think about it, he just signs on the bottom line when they tell him.
Let's say we focus on this tax business and make it an important part of the campaign. I figure that he'll October Surprise us with a full disclosure of his tax records showing that - while he's uber-rich and he's used every legal tax dodge there is - he's paid what was due.
Then we got nothin'. Months of focus on his tax records goes under the bridge and we're left back-peddling weeks before the election.
Just my opinion but something to consider.
mazzarro
(3,450 posts)Mittens has dodged this same issue so many times that one has to wonder about he has been hiding. If he is so above-the-board on this issue he would have released some of his tax reports to the public by now in other races that he has been involved. Furthermore it has been his habit considering that he has hidden the records of his Olympic administration and his governorship as well.
scheming daemons
(25,487 posts)What he is hiding is that he paid a very small percent of his income in taxes.... albeit legally.... and that will allow the Dems to cast him as even MORE out of touch with the middle class.
He's in a box. He knows it... and he wants it to go away.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)it will either show illegalities, or the fact that he has more than he's claimed, or some combination of the two.
He's screwed
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)I also believe his reluctance to disclose his tax returns revolves mostly around the negative public perception of his massive tax avoidance - that his tax rate is going to be shown to be so much less than ours - or that he found enough loopholes to avoid paying taxes at all.
His fellow rich guys completely understand what he's doing but the public perception of his tax avoidance would be hurtful.
Mitt isn't in any jeopardy of being blackmailed. His tax avoidance strategies are legal I believe. His fear is the public in this economic climate - he's a 1%er and the meme that the 1%ers have driven this economy over the cliff is powerful.
librechik
(30,663 posts)the code itself, and the years rich folks like Mitt have abused it LEGALLY should be a major item of outrage. That's what Mitt wants to hide.
Bluerthanblue
(13,669 posts)and giving people who are having a difficult time 'liking' him to begin with and even more difficult time justifying his refusal to simply end the controversy.
I have more than a few "friends" (people I know) who are struggling to come to grips with the fact that he's their 'nominee' and who are unable to answer the charge that he's hiding or ashamed of his financial history- so their remedy is to double down on stupid baseless attacks on Pres. Obama.
I think Romney may be using this. We need to keep pressing the tax issue, because it is his Achilles heel. It won't go away, and it won't be 'good' for him in the long run.
The man did not get his money "through hard work" and he's growing it through playing the system. Is that the kind of man America wants to lead us?
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)intensely"
JHB
(37,133 posts)He dodged the disclosure bullets in Massachusetts when he ran for senator and governor, and in 2008 for his bid before dropping out. He's gotten away with it before, and he expects to do it again.
It's like with Dubya and his abbreviated National Guard service: stonewall, and snarl & accuse at anyone who brings it up.
He's counting on the Media not wanting to show "liberal bias" by dogging him on it, and the Democrats not wanting to appear "partisan", so that in the end they drop the matter.
No clever trap, just cocksureness that it won't matter to the people he needs to vote for him.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)enough to lay a trap that did not include months of Mitt being an international laughing stock. If he or they were capable of such a thing, they'd be capable of something far better and less harmful to his image. What you suggest is a complex tactic which requires the candidate to be very quick in the moment, each word selected with precision.
What I see is a train wreck like in a Harold Lloyd silent movie. Slow and funny, but plunging nevertheless toward the bottom of the ravine....
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)...ACTIVE employee deductions which would be a lie to at least to other electoral committees and a felony.
This guy aint releasing anything
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)The IRS wouldn't allow it.
I believe his tax avoidances are all legal. I'm sure his returns pass the legal scrutiny. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't pass the smell test of public perception however.
Or they are being scrubbed as we speak and the tax returns we are allowed to see, won't reflect his REAL returns.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)....allows 15k entrance tops in yearly.
There are so many things he would want to hide
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)Rmoney does not let the truth come out about his income, or his taxes, period.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)I suspect that there is nothing more to this than the shocking and embarrassing fact that wealthy people structure their investments so that they don't have to pay taxes most years. And, that's perfectly legal.
That's probably the bigger scandal that Mitt (and the other plutos) don't want us to pay attention to.
nichomachus
(12,754 posts)What matters is the perception of working people who can't amass fortunes by using every tax dodge in creation.
Have you use undervalued securities to build a 401K that tops $100,000,000? Have you passed $100,000,000 to your children tax free? Can you hide millions of dollars in accounts in Switzerland and the Caymans? Did you use the 2009 tax amnesty to move hundreds of millions from illegal offshore accounts back into legal offshore accounts without penalty?
These are all legal, but they're not going to sit well with blue-collar -- or even white-collar -- workers who've seen their 402Ks go from $80,000 to $25,000 because people like Romney tanked the economy.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,011 posts)His tax returns may prove that he lied about his residency when running for Gov and voting or that he lied to the SEC.
Mitt's been hiding disclosure since 1994. I doubt that this was part of a 18-year October surprise plan.
You can tell the IRS that you have income from Mexican Drug Lords or selling nerve gas to Iran, and as long as you disclose all your income, it's just between you and them.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)Now, where's your evidence that the campaign is going to be 100% about Romney's tax returns until October?
Perhaps we'll go back to talking about Baine. Or Romney's "Screw everyone but the rich" tax plan. Or any of his other bad ideas.
Talking about taxes now doesn't mean only talking about taxes forever.
Raine
(30,540 posts)did he have be to use daddy's name to let it grow? Also yeah he's been in politics but he's held one office and other than that been a LOSER. If you want to look at someone who laid a trap look at my former Governor Gray Davis. Davis laid a trap that his opponent fell right into and he got easily re-elected. Davis ended up getting recalled but that had nothing to do with the clever trap he laid.
Marr
(20,317 posts)sofa king
(10,857 posts)This is harming him deeply, and worse for his Republican brethren in Congress, it has also focused attention on their blocking of the middle class tax cut.
They can't afford this sort of attention, and they sure as hell can't afford to ride this out another two months. No October Surprise can reverse this sort of all-permeating damage.
Why? Because Mitt Romney is now widely known to be a lying-ass weasel, and voters simply won't believe it even if he can doctor up a legitimate excuse tomorrow.
The important thing to realize is this: if Mitt were innocent, he would have long since released the proof. He didn't. The remaining choices behind the curtains are career-ending political indiscretion, or criminal behavior.
He can't show us what's behind the curtain, and he'll take the whole GOP down with him if he doesn't.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)The epitome of every bad boss and every hours long customer service call to India.
Can anyone here relate to him?
Smarmy comes close to describing him.
iemitsu
(3,888 posts)that many americans had received a day's reprieve from harassing phone calls demanding payments.
maybe unstable electricity supplies in south asia will promote the return of some tech. driven jobs?
Justice wanted
(2,657 posts)Kablooie
(18,572 posts)uponit7771
(90,225 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)The idea is not original with me, I just distilled down the thoughts of a few other people..
Scalded Nun
(1,231 posts)While I am not 100% of what all went on in MA, I am under the impression that he did in fact have to refile/straighten out tax issues once he got into office. He lied until he got what he wanted, then corrected after the fact figuring no one would care any longer. That seems to have pretty much played out like he wanted it to.
I, for one, would like to see more come to light over what happened in Italy. I guess if a lot gets made over that then the repubbies will accuse Italy of trying to affect our election.
Lucy Goosey
(2,940 posts)...and had to retroactively amend his taxes to file as a resident of Utah and Massachusetts. (But someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.)
I think it's pretty clear that he didn't actually meet the residency requirements for MA Governor.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)Hell, Bill Clinton was blackmailable before the Lewinsky matter became public.
Bush had the AWOL matter, and also the apparent felony arrest for which he did community service, and also the reported abortion for the girlfriend who was silenced.
But Bush had enough hard-knuckle power to keep the lid on.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,217 posts)Canuckistanian
(42,290 posts)He might as well be a closeted gay
Texas-Limerick
(93 posts)Last edited Wed Aug 8, 2012, 11:34 PM - Edit history (1)
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid his money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
Old Willard Marriott loved that rascal Mitt
Joining in his off shore schemes and other spurious shit, oh
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid his money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid hiUs money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Willard kept a lookout for the Coast Guard on their tail
Drug king pins and porno queens would bow wherever they came
Swiss bankers rolled out the red carpet when Mitt roared out his name
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid his money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid his money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
A mentor can't live forever but passes on his toys
And Mitt tries to teach that shit to his own little boys
One night it happened and Willard could play no more
But without his mentor, protege Mitt was just a feckless bore
His horned head bent in sorrow, his split tail felt the pain,
Mitt no longer had the gruff to continue work at Bain
Without his lifelong friend, Mitt could not be brave,
Until he devised a plan,
about a country he could enslave, oh
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid his money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
Mitt the Magic Mormon hid his money over seas
And politicked in the US, while evading taxes like disease
_____
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)Britain certainly knows it!
patricia92243
(12,590 posts)Romney has put himself in a very messy situation. It is only a matter of time before someone will absolutely, definately spill the beans - before the election.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021094872
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)do we want President who is beholden and can be controlled so easily?