T Nation

Why Won't Romney Release His Tax Returns?

Politics and World Issues
#1

To paraphrase that idiot Dr. Phill, what benefit is Romney getting out of withholding his tax returns? (Dr. Phil says that everything we do, we do it because there is some sort of benefit).

Why does Romney believe that he can withhold his tax returns? He submitted 20 years worth to the McCain campaign, when they vetted him as a possible VP pick (when they went with Palin instead). Does he really think that withholding his returns will fly with the media? Maybe he wants to start a new precedent, and be the first modern president to stop disclosing his finances? It might have worked in a different era, but can that work in the ‘information age’? Why drag it out? Why not get the returns out ASAP, and let everybody move on?

Feel free to speculate wildly. What is the upside for Romney here? What is he getting out of it?

My guess is that Romney paid almost zero taxes some years, and thinks this will look bad to the average American who pays roughly 35%.

Why it matters: Romney is running on his financial expertise. It’s the basis of his campaign. “Romney understands economics better than Obama”. So naturally, people want to see what his own finances look like.

What do you think?

#2

[quote]K2000 wrote:
Why drag it out? Why not get the returns out ASAP, and let everybody move on?[/quote]

Why not release a birth certificate?

He is staying above the fray.

While all these people gladly ride along the distraction train and slander him as a felon, they ignore the actual issue of who will be a better president.

He will do what he feels is right, when he feels it is right, and not have his hand forced. Sounds like something I would like in a leader.

You’ve been bamboozeled man. The average American pays no where even remotely close to 35%. Not even in that ball park.

It is something for people to be concerned with, that largely isn’t an issue. Except that the left has started “class-warfare”, so now it is a bad, bad thing to achieve in America now.

#3

There’s no reason to - it just provides a point of distraction that the flailing Obama campaign will try and talk about in lieu of talking about bad economic performance (teetering on recession), unemployment, debt, etc.

Obama wants a distracting talking point - there’s no reason to supply it to him. Make him stick to the relevant issues.

In the alternative, Romney should agree to provide his tax returns if Obama will release his academic records. That should shut the Obama campaign up.

#4

[quote]K2000 wrote:
omney paid almost zero taxes some years, and thinks this will look bad to the average American who pays roughly 35%. [/quote]

That sounds about right.

That too.

My guess is that he will come out with it but not soon enough that the Obama campaign can have a field day with it.

Right now Obama is ramping up for a class warfare campaign and Americans do not seem to buy it it, if Romney can hold out for another 1-2 months it will be lost in the noise or, more likely, just more of the same from the other side.

#5

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:

In the alternative, Romney should agree to provide his tax returns if Obama will release his academic records. That should shut the Obama campaign up.[/quote]

That, I would like to see.

If only because the “ooooh, Obama the genius”, “ooooh, most cleverest men in the room and be it Madison Square Garden” would finally have to face the fact that they can be duped by a symmetrical face and the clever use of teleprompters.

In fact, if he were so kind to have done worse than Bush II, that would be swell.

#6

[quote]K2000 wrote:
To paraphrase that idiot Dr. Phill, what benefit is Romney getting out of withholding his tax returns?
[/quote]

Withholding? He’s not required to release his tax returns. What’s the benefit in him releasing them?

Well if Dr. Phil says that it must be so. I wish Dr. Phil could make all my decisions for me.

(Sigh…)

Nothing will fly with the liberal media. If he released them they’d just move onto the next smoke and mirrors obfuscation.

I think Romney is running for president as opposed to his accountant.

#7

Some of the strongest voices calling for him to release his returns are coming from Conservatives, including a very strong Op Ed in the “National Review”.

Why?

  1. Conservatives feel that he needs to get the returns out there; take the heat; get it over with and MOVE ON. He has time.

  2. Every distraction means that it will take that much longer for Romney to begin to define himself and his vision to the American People. He REALLY needs to get moving in that direction…and quickly.

What many fear is not so much tax shelters, off-shore accounts and the like…but how his returns may show that he and/or his Company benefitted in someway during the ENRON/WOLDcom/Overall DOTcom meltdowns that hurt a LOT of people and institutions.

In reality, it is VERY doubtful that his returns will help his Campaign in the least.

Mufasa

#8

So according to Obama, Romney’s job creation plan will actually create more foreign jobs than domestic.

I wonder if there is any actual truth to this claim. If there is, please vote Romney guys.

#9

So according to Obama, Romney’s job creation plan will actually create more foreign jobs than domestic.

I wonder if there is any actual truth to this claim. If there is, please vote Romney guys.

#10

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:

In the alternative, Romney should agree to provide his tax returns if Obama will release his academic records. That should shut the Obama campaign up.[/quote]

Amen to that!

#11

[quote]K2000 wrote:
To paraphrase that idiot Dr. Phill, what benefit is Romney getting out of withholding his tax returns? (Dr. Phil says that everything we do, we do it because there is some sort of benefit).

Why does Romney believe that he can withhold his tax returns? He submitted 20 years worth to the McCain campaign, when they vetted him as a possible VP pick (when they went with Palin instead). Does he really think that withholding his returns will fly with the media? Maybe he wants to start a new precedent, and be the first modern president to stop disclosing his finances? It might have worked in a different era, but can that work in the ‘information age’? Why drag it out? Why not get the returns out ASAP, and let everybody move on?

Feel free to speculate wildly. What is the upside for Romney here? What is he getting out of it?

My guess is that Romney paid almost zero taxes some years, and thinks this will look bad to the average American who pays roughly 35%.

Why it matters: Romney is running on his financial expertise. It’s the basis of his campaign. “Romney understands economics better than Obama”. So naturally, people want to see what his own finances look like.

What do you think?

[/quote]

Better questions:

-Why didn’t Obama deliver on his “hope and change” promise?

-Why are we now at 46 straight months of unemployment over 8%? The highest since the great depression!

Why do we have a national debt of almost 16 trillion dollars? 5 trillion dollars higher since Obama took office.

-Why did government just take over 1/6th of the US economy with the national health care bill? When a free market solution was never even tried.

-Why did Obama just pass the largest tax increase in the history of the US in order to pay for health care?

-Why does Obama hate small business people taxing them into oblivion and telling them that they are not responsible for their own success?

-Why is Obama threatening to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire which would raise taxes an additional 5% on every working American.

There are far better questions than Romney not releasing his last 1000 years of tax returns. He released the same number of years as every other candidate who ever ran for office. And if he’s worth 300 billion dollars and keeps it in the bank of China. Obama is trying to make this an issue because he has failed as President and has no record to run on! Everything that is not related to the economy and the long-term success of the US economically is a sideshow and meant to take the voters attention off the real topic.

We need to get rid of Obama he’s a complete and total FAILURE!

#12

[quote]therajraj wrote:

So according to Obama, Romney’s job creation plan will actually create more foreign jobs than domestic.

I wonder if there is any actual truth to this claim. If there is, please vote Romney guys.[/quote]

The Obama campaign doesn’t even say it will happen - they say it “could” happen:

http://www.barackobama.com/truth-team/mitt-romneys-guide-to-creating-800000-jobs-overseas1

They just want ciphers to parrot the line that it “will happen” enough times that someone actually believes. Well done.

#13

[quote]orion wrote:

In fact, if he were so kind to have done worse than Bush II, that would be swell. [/quote]

Exactly right. Further, if he did poorly, or even mediocre, the side-narrative shifts to “how in the hell did he get into Harvard Law?”.

And a college transcript is just as useful as Romney’s tax returns as circumstantial evidence of being fit for the job. So, pony up, Mr. President.

#14

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:

So according to Obama, Romney’s job creation plan will actually create more foreign jobs than domestic.

I wonder if there is any actual truth to this claim. If there is, please vote Romney guys.[/quote]

The Obama campaign doesn’t even say it will happen - they say it “could” happen:

http://www.barackobama.com/truth-team/mitt-romneys-guide-to-creating-800000-jobs-overseas1

They just want ciphers to parrot the line that it “will happen” enough times that someone actually believes. Well done.[/quote]

LOL…he never disappoints.

#15

[quote]ZEB wrote:

[quote]K2000 wrote:
To paraphrase that idiot Dr. Phill, what benefit is Romney getting out of withholding his tax returns? (Dr. Phil says that everything we do, we do it because there is some sort of benefit).

Why does Romney believe that he can withhold his tax returns? He submitted 20 years worth to the McCain campaign, when they vetted him as a possible VP pick (when they went with Palin instead). Does he really think that withholding his returns will fly with the media? Maybe he wants to start a new precedent, and be the first modern president to stop disclosing his finances? It might have worked in a different era, but can that work in the ‘information age’? Why drag it out? Why not get the returns out ASAP, and let everybody move on?

Feel free to speculate wildly. What is the upside for Romney here? What is he getting out of it?

My guess is that Romney paid almost zero taxes some years, and thinks this will look bad to the average American who pays roughly 35%.

Why it matters: Romney is running on his financial expertise. It’s the basis of his campaign. “Romney understands economics better than Obama”. So naturally, people want to see what his own finances look like.

What do you think?

[/quote]

Better questions:

-Why didn’t Obama deliver on his “hope and change” promise?

-Why are we now at 46 straight months of unemployment over 8%? The highest since the great depression!

Why do we have a national debt of almost 16 trillion dollars? 5 million dollars higher since Obama took office.

-Why did government just take over 1/6th of the US economy with the national health care bill? When a free market solution was never even tried.

-Why did Obama just pass the largest tax increase in the history of the US in order to pay for health care?

-Why does Obama hate small business people taxing them into oblivion and telling them that they are not responsible for their own success?

-Why is Obama threatening to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire which would raise taxes an additional 5% on every working American.

There are far better questions than Romney not releasing his last 1000 years of tax returns. He released the same number of years as every other candidate who ever ran for office. And if he’s worth 300 billion dollars and keeps it in the bank of China. Obama is trying to make this an issue because he has failed as President and has no record to run on! Everything that is not related to the economy and the long-term success of the US economically is a sideshow and meant to take the voters attention off the real topic.

We need to get rid of Obama he’s a complete and total FAILURE![/quote]

That’s an impressive failure list, I HOPE Romney will CHANGE all that.

#16

I know I’m Not the most intelligent guy but I can’t help but think that anyone who likes Obama is a complete fucking idiot.

#17

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:

So according to Obama, Romney’s job creation plan will actually create more foreign jobs than domestic.

I wonder if there is any actual truth to this claim. If there is, please vote Romney guys.[/quote]

The Obama campaign doesn’t even say it will happen - they say it “could” happen:

http://www.barackobama.com/truth-team/mitt-romneys-guide-to-creating-800000-jobs-overseas1

They just want ciphers to parrot the line that it “will happen” enough times that someone actually believes. Well done.[/quote]

And if I asserted it as fact, you would’ve had a point. I posted it for discussion, so no you don’t have a point.

#18

[quote]StevenF wrote:
I know I’m Not the most intelligent guy but I can’t help but think that anyone who likes Obama is a complete fucking idiot. [/quote]

I have nothing against the man. Well, maybe a little bit, but in all honesty I hope he gets to retire soon, makes millions on the speaking circus whining how he was misunderstood or the people were not ready for him and that he can snort the finest cocaine off of the asses of the finest hookers.

I hope his wife never gets wind of it or, better, participates and that he lives to see his kids grow up, and fall in love and marry and have kids themselves.

What I do not need is him in power for four more years, both Europe and the US are fucked up enough as it is, thank you.

#19

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:

[quote]orion wrote:

In fact, if he were so kind to have done worse than Bush II, that would be swell. [/quote]

Exactly right. Further, if he did poorly, or even mediocre, the side-narrative shifts to “how in the hell did he get into Harvard Law?”.

And a college transcript is just as useful as Romney’s tax returns as circumstantial evidence of being fit for the job. So, pony up, Mr. President.[/quote]

I would actually consider his academic record to be a greater (but not by much) circumstantial indicator of being fit for the job since I highly doubt that Romney does his own taxes. All his tax returns will show is that he had a good accountant and made a lot of money. Academic records at least will provide some objective insight his intellectual abilities and work ethic.

#20

[quote]therajraj wrote:

And if I asserted it as fact, you would’ve had a point. I posted it for discussion, so no you don’t have a point.[/quote]

You said Obama’s campaign asserted it as fact, and I simply noted that they did not, but I have no doubts that they’d love to people to take it is fact and would love if people like you continued to misquote the claim.