Obama offers Romney a deal on tax releases- just give voters 5 years

[Ichingcarpenter]

President Obama's campaign is offering Mitt Romney a deal: Release five years of tax returns, and we'll stop demanding more.

"Governor Romney apparently fears that the more he offers, the more our campaign will demand that he provide," wrote Obama campaign manager Jim Messina in a letter today Romney counterpart Matt Rhoades.

"So," Messina added, "I am prepared to provide assurances on just that point: if the Governor will release five years of returns, I commit in turn that we will not criticize him for not releasing more -- neither in ads nor in other public communications or commentary for the rest of the campaign."

The offer comes a day after Romney said he has paid a tax rate of at 13% per year over the past decade, as reported by Catalina Camia on our OnPolitics blog.

In his letter, Messina wrote that other candidates have released more that five years of returns. He said a Romney release would "help answer outstanding questions raised by the one return he has released to date, such as the range in the effective rates paid, the foreign accounts maintained, the foreign investments made, and the types of tax shelters used."


http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/obama-offers-romney-a-deal-on-tax-releases/1#.UC44JI7v3bw


Good move on team obama.

[KharmaTrain]

1. Give 'Em More Rope...

Of course those 5 years would include all Willard's write-offs following the crash of '07-'08 and bringing onshore several millions without paying any taxes in '09. Very good move and be assured that Willard will resist thus keeping this an issue for more news cycles. As some talking head pointed out this morning the longer he avoids disclosure the more he appears to have committed something illegal. He can't talk it away, he has to put up some documentation.

[ProSense]

2. Mitt needs to

release 10 full years. He has only released a partial 2010 return.

Americans should demand it.

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. ProSense disagrees with Team Obama! Wow

I'd like ten years or more too but five will reveal enough to bring mitt down. I see this as a poker play by team obama and its good enough
to get a response and then a talking point when mitt backs down.

[nc4bo]

4. I wonder how this is all going to play out?

Romney's between a rock and a hardplace.

The GOP convention should be interesting an interesting event inside and outside.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. They met him half way 10 vs 5years

They now have a talking point over him. He won't take the bait but it will keep his taxes in the news and the mistrust of what he is hiding.

5 years would tell enough to catch his dishonesty.

The convention should be fun to observe, however they will try to control the message but with so many players left out of the
speeches, the clown car will be fun to watch.

[Panasonic]

18. Romney's sunk.

I think Obama is just about finishing his multidimensional chess game......

and is now entering the final round.

(Tired of those multidimensional chess analogies? Me too!)

In any case, it's important that while the SuperPAC's are wasting their millions on trying to get Obama out, the Democrat use a two-pronged attack - and help with the downticket Democrats that need to retake the House, and ensure the Republican's minority status for a very long time.

They have had 30+ years of screwing around in America. It's time to take it away and return it back to the FDR levels, taxation wise. Then the uberweaelthy will understand why it is important to support America, and not to themselves.

FDR took in a lot of sacrifices, but it helped America grow. We have seemed to forgotten that important part of history.

[ProSense]

12. Wow, what a silly comment. n/t

[Dawgs]

24. ProSense is not who you think. I'm surprised I'm the only one that has figured it out. n/t

[cali]

15. yeah, but asking him for the 5 is a stroke of genius

It keeps the whole thing nicely boiling and you know that he won't comply with said request.

[ananda]

6. Geezus!

Why cave now?

Demand the full monty, 12 years worth of tax returns!

[Panasonic]

19. Think about it - it's a brilliant move

Even meeting halfway increases the pressure of showing his _LAST_ five years.

Remember, Romney only released a partial 2010 tax return.

Romney is shaming his own father.

[A Simple Game]

7. May not be a good move if they don't specify the last 5 years. n/t

[nc4bo]

13. Can't get 10, I think 5 will show exactly what we need to know.

And a few other interesting thangs would be revealed.

[klook]

26. Actually, that's part of the brilliance

Team Rmoney has to decide whether to release the five years including the post-crash 0% tax rate, the five years showing he really was still Bain CEO when he says he wasn't, or the five years that show his residence was in California, not his son's unfinished Massachusetts basement.

And any five-year slice will show obscene wealth and tax evasion.

It's a Trojan Horse offer, and nicely played.

[A Simple Game]

27. Problem is it doesn't say 5 years in a row. n/t

[klook]

30. True, too

Think of how shifty it looks if he releases 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008. Everybody asks, "Why not release the other ones? Why can't he release 12 years' worth like his Dad?"

We still win.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. Romney declines Obama deal on tax return releases

Romney declines Obama deal on tax return releases

Source: USA Today

President Obama's campaign offered Mitt Romney a deal today: Release five years of tax returns, and we'll stop demanding more.

Romney's campaign refused, calling the Obama request a political ploy designed to distract voters.

"It is clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Governor Romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters, like putting Americans back to work, fixing the economy and reining in spending," Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades wrote in a response to Obama counterpart Jim Messina.

In an earlier missive to Rhoades, Messina wrote: "Governor Romney apparently fears that the me he offers, the more our campaign will demand that he provide.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/obama-offers-romney-a-deal-on-tax-releases/1#.UC5CQ92PW8A

I knew it

[nc4bo]

10. Heh, you win.

He'll run but he can't hide.

[ProSense]

14. Good, now they should go back to demanding 12 years, back to 2000. n/t

[genxlib]

9. 13% IS the issue

I would like to turn the screw in a different way.

First, a sideswipe at the earlier controversy by saying "We will have to take Romney at his word since we don't have anyway to verify it"

And then go for the kill on the real issue here. Is 13% really an acceptable number? We keep hearing about how overtaxed the job creators are. REALLY?? 13%??

Are we really going to go down a road where it would be less? Possibly far less?

I think this is the winning argument. Partly because it portrays (correctly so) as the elitist out-of-touch pampered rich guy.

But more importantly in the big picture, it destroys the theme that the rich are so downtrodden by burdensome taxes that we need to coddle them more before they will finally trickle on us.

Personally, I would use this fact to go on the offensive and put Capital Gains increases on the table. I have never seen any rational argument for Capital Gains being taxed at a lower rate. I would tax them on the same marginal rate as labor and be done with it. This would almost automatically eliminate the need for the Buffet rule and would do away with the whole "carried interest
nonsense to boot.

[mac56]

17. Good post.

And welcome.

[genxlib]

20. Thanks

Longtime lurker, Looking forward to mixing it up.

[maddezmom]

28. welcome to DU

[malaise]

11. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaah hahahaha

[Ichingcarpenter]

16. I know......LOL

[sadbear]

21. Team Obama KNOWS what's in those returns....

and they KNOW Rmoney CAN'T release them.

Man, this is fun.

[Ruby the Liberal]

22. Brilliant move!

Says to the American people that he won't even compromise AND reinforces the idea that they are beyond toxic if he won't even meet in the middle on it.

[DCKit]

23. Because they KNOW that 2009 is the poison pill. nt

[BarackTheVote]

25. The farther this goes

the more I think those taxes aren't just embarrassing but criminal o_O Wouldn't it be incredible if this whole thing spooks the delegates at the convention so much that they grab Ron Paul or Gingrich instead? Not gonna happen, but isn't it a pretty thought?

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. could backfire - Romney would give the "good" years - 1987, 2003, etc.. pick and choose

we need to see 2009,2008, 2007,2006,2005

[Ichingcarpenter]

31. Read my posts ...... I broke the story and Mitt already turned it down

but I get your point.