Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Amid a growing chorus of conservative commentators and Tea-Publican politicians calling on Willard "Mittens" Romney to release his tax returns, the conservative National Review late Tuesday published an editorial opinion, Release the Returns - The Editors - National Review Online (excerpts):
Romney argues that whatever he releases will not be enough to satisfy the Obama campaign and its factota in the media, who are, once again, proving their bias and double standards. Romney is right, but he should release the returns anyway. Let them go fish.
* * *
The Romney campaign says he has released as many returns as candidate John Kerry did in 2004, and cites Teresa Heinz Kerry’s refusal to release any of her tax returns. Neither is an apt comparison. John Kerry actually released returns from 1999 through 2003, and also released tax returns during his Senate runs. As for Teresa Heinz, Romney isn’t the wealthy spouse of a candidate, but the candidate himself. In 2008, John McCain released two years of returns, but he had been filling out financial disclosure forms for decades as a senator. Romney protests that he is not legally obliged to release any tax returns. Of course not. He is no longer in the realm of the private sector, though, where he can comply with the letter of the law with the Securities and Exchange Commission and leave it at that. Perceptions matter.
Romney may feel impatience with requirements that the political culture imposes on a presidential candidate that he feels are pointless (and inconvenient). But he’s a politician running for the highest office in the land, and his current posture is probably unsustainable. In all likelihood, he won’t be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and is a departure from campaign conventions. The only question is whether he releases more returns now, or later — after playing more defense on the issue and sustaining more hits. There will surely be a press feeding frenzy over new returns, but better to weather it in the middle of July.
If he releases more returns, Romney will be in a better position to resist the inevitable demands for even more disclosures.
* * *
By drawing out the argument over the returns, Romney is playing into the president’s hands. He should release them, respond to any attacks they bring, and move on.
Mittens Romney should follow the example set by his father, George Romney, who established the tradition of presidential candidates releasing their tax returns to the public in 1968, with the release of 12 years worth of tax returns. Mittens is dishonoring the ethical standards of his late father by his stubborn intransigence.
The Obama campaign has set up a new website, http://www.whatmittpays.com/. Check it out, then share it with your family, friends and business associates.
UPDATE: The Neocon Washington Post also editorializes today, Release the returns:
We’ve long argued that openness and transparency are critical in building public confidence and in the functioning of democracy. If Mr. Romney is not willing to open up his tax returns, what does that say about his instinct for leveling with the American people from the Oval Office? His refusal to release the names of his chief campaign bundlers compounds the concern.
* * *
Mr. Romney surely is capable of responding to any distortions. For voters, the documents are essential exhibits in an application for the presidency. It is insulting to voters for Mr. Romney to keep them under wraps and will only fuel suspicions that he has something else to conceal.
He should prove otherwise.
Recent Comments