June 7, 2013

Romney, Taxes, the IRS, and Slithering

http://wonkette.com/518861/after-lengthy-downtime-mitt-romney-powers-up-to-explains-that-hurricane-sandy-wrecked-his-robot-dreams

Wonkette is all over it. But I would like to note a couple of things:

* The television media and right-wing radio dial have been relentless in their attempts to savage the IRS; one of the major attempts at public perception shaping is the attempt to delude Americans into believing that Republicans were disproportionately singled out;

* Romney has contrived to place himself back in front of the cameras, forgetting that God sends hurricanes to punish the evil, apologizing for himself and trying to look human;

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/06/mitt-romney-cnn-interview-hurricane-sandy/65986/

* The IRS has a roughly 36-month investigative time-limit on audits from the date of filing; Romney had a habit of filing amended returns later in the year so that he could appear to pay more taxes during the political seasons;

* The Romney's 2010 taxes indicated that the Romneys were using a Swiss bank account in 2010;

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204624204577179740171772850.html

* Virtually nothing is known for sure of the Romney's taxes in 2009, but the filings would likely have filtered in to the IRS over the summer of 2010...

http://blogs.wsj.com/totalreturn/2012/02/01/what-was-mitt%E2%80%99s-2009-income/

Approximately thirty-some months ago.

So... there's that. I'm just putting it up there for your consideration. I must note that I have a bet with myself riding on it. Last September I suggested that Mitt Romney could prove to be one of the worst candidates in U.S. history, if his subsequent prosecution for tax fraud bled into the results of the 2014 mid-terms. So I am neither impartial nor reliable.

June 6, 2013

He's a sly one, that Christie.

The Godfather just got his Tom Hagen lifetime floor access to the Senate.

Before he was New Jersey's AG, Jeff Chiesa was Chief Counsel to the Governor. From now on, the Governor has direct floor access to the Senate. So long as Chiesa does not become a registered lobbyist, he has floor access for life, and he is forever in debt to the Governor for that... because of the implication.

That's going to instantly make Governor Christie one of the most important Governors in the nation, in no small part because he will be privy to privately-generated information unique to himself and the presumed Senator. It will put him in the front-running for the Chair of the National Governor's Association next year, which in turn will put him on any list of top Republican contenders for the nomination in 2016.

June 4, 2013

Come step under my tinfoil umbrella....

I cannot help noticing that all of these IRS "scandals" appear to be a concerted offensive on the part of Republicans against the IRS.

It's almost as if it's a preemptive strike against the IRS, an attempt to delay or derail some sort of pending investigation or disclosure, and to toss some water on it by first sullying the reputation of the Service.

Who might be inclined to do such a thing? My guess back in September was that Mitt Romney might turn out to be one of the worst Presidential candidates in history, if his subsequent prosecution for tax fraud burned into the results of the 2014 elections as well.

All of this may be the defiant squawk of the chicken(hawk) just before the hatchet falls.