Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
It looks like the Friday news dump by Willard "Mittens" Romney to try to push back against his record at Bain Capital after February 1999 has failed. The conservative Sunday morning bobbleheads turned on Mittens today, insisting that he come clean by releasing his tax records.
George Will said on ABC's This Week that Mitt Romney is hiding something bad in his tax returns:
WILL: Look, what Mitt Romney has said is he has released, and I quote, "all that's necessary for people to understand something about my finances." Now, the something is a pregnant word. And people are going to say there's -- the cost of not releasing the returns are clear. Therefore, he must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them.
* * *
WILL: [Responding to Mary Matalin] But Mary, is it not what you call a "real fact" that Mitt Romney gave to the McCain campaign, when it was considering him as a running mate, 23 years of tax returns?
In this same program, former Bush-Cheney 2004 chief strategist Matthew Dowd agreed:
DOWD: Mary, you know -- you know -- you know, if -- if that was -- that if you -- I said that's truth serum in that cup, and you were advising a candidate like Mitt Romney in this instance, you would say, "We've got to get this out there." You would say, "We've got to get this out there to deal with this."
They were responding to Democratic strategist Donna Brazile's earlier statement:
BRAZILE: Look, the problem is, George, is that in 2002, to establish his residency in the state of Massachusetts to run for governor, he had to say, well, no, I did not sever ties. I had a leave of absence, so I was still here, technically coming back, technically doing this, technically. But we don't know, but he will not release anything. He has a penchant for secrecy.
So my first request, if I was working for Mitt Romney, is, first, stop whining. Number two, get Bain to release all of the relevant documents, the minutes of meetings, board of directors meeting. Let's see what's on the record. And also, I think he could clear it up by releasing his taxes from that period. There's a gray area, and maybe we can find out more if Mitt Romney...
Like Donna Brazile, "Bloody" Bill Kristol was direct about saying that Mittens Romney needs to release his tax records on Faux News Sunday. The Weekly Standard editor called on Mitt Romney to follow in his father's footsteps and release more than just one or two years of tax returns. Bill Kristol: Romney 'Crazy' Not to Release Tax Returns :
"He should release the tax returns tomorrow," the neoconservative pundit told Fox News' Brit Hume. "It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns."
"Take the hit for a day or two," Kristol recommended.
In the last week, several Republicans have advised Romney to release his tax returns. That list includes former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former RNC chairman Michael Steele and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, appearing on “This Week,” who called for “total transparency” and said he releases all his tax returns. Conservative Pundits Wonder If Romney’s Hiding Something In Unreleased Tax Returns.
Update: The AP finds another Republican who wants Romney to release more returns: “‘There is no whining in politics,’ chided John Weaver, a veteran Republican strategist. ‘Stop demanding an apology, release your tax returns.’”
Mittens Romney is going to have to release the 23 years worth of tax records that he gave to Sen. John McCain and his tax records in the subsequent four years -- in other words, his tax records for his entire tenure at Bain Capital and subsequent years.
If Romney doesn't believe the American people have the same right as Sen. John McCain to see how he made his money at Bain Capital, which Romney himself has made the centerpiece of his qualifications for the presidency, then he has a choice to make: he can keep his tax records private, but he cannot continue to be a candidate for the presidency. Romney can keep his wealth private and retire to one of his mansions, never be bothered about his wealth ever again.
My guess is this guy loves his money far more than his desire to be president. The GOP may want to start thinking about a brokered open convention.
UPDATE: Talking Points Memo has put together a video compilation of all the Republican talking heads telling Mittens to just release the damn tax records already!
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