John Kerry’s office blasts Mitt Romney over inaccurate claims about tax returns

[OneOfTheseDays]

Your problem here is that American voters think it far more likely that Romney is hiding something in his tax returns than they think Obama is guilty of bestiality.

This hits right to the heart of the argument.

There is no evidence that Obama is guilty of bestiality, not an American citizen, or did poorly in school. So any claims by the Right to see evidence of these things is summarily dismissed.

There is plenty of evidence and reason to believe that Romney has used a myriad of tax shelters and tax avoidance schemes. Anyone running for the highest office in the land better be prepared for full transparency, especially in the areas where there are major question marks. And what's being asked of Romney is not extraordinary, it is the standard of what's been asked of every candidate for decades.

His own father basically damned him with his own words. His own father would be ashamed of what his son is doing right now. How much more damning does it get? How much more pathetic does it get for a candidate?

 

[UberNeuman]

Yes, Romney needs to prove his innocence. Just like Obama needs to prove he's innocent of screwing piggies. Join me in my efforts to prove Obama isn't a porcine molester.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

That's true, but the highly partisan posters here are calling for Romney to release personal information in a fishing trip hoping to find something, anything, anything at all that they can use against him politically.

They may be, but they aren't the only ones. Many, many Republicans have also called on him to do it, because they recognize the obvious that so many right-wingers here just deny: it hurts Romney politically to hide his returns, especially given who his father was.

And most Americans consider this to be the sort of "personal information" that a presidential candidate is expected to release.

Romney himself has demanded them of others, even their spouses. What is your comment on that?

George Will put it best when he said that the fact that Romney is taking so much damage from this and still refuses to release the returns pretty much proves that there is something even more damaging in there.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

The IRS, the most brutal, and relentless government agency ever created, and has had Romney under a microscope for years, has given him a clean bill of health. Romney doesn't have to say, or do, or prove anything!
Would you allow me to search of your home without a warrant, cause maybe I had an unnamed source, (ala, Harry Reid)? I may not find anything illegal, but hey, granny panties in your wife's dresser drawer. THIS is gonna go viral !
So I ask once again, if this is not to prove illegal activity, then why the pursuit? This time, try and be honest.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

 

[Charles Kozierok]

So I ask once again, if this is not to prove illegal activity, then why the pursuit? This time, try and be honest.

The answer is obvious: they are going after him because he has made it a weakness. What other reason is required?

Now my question for you to answer honestly: given that Romney is taking a political hit for not releasing the returns, if there is nothing embarrassing in them, why does he not release them?

 

[monovillage]

They may be, but they aren't the only ones. Many, many Republicans have also called on him to do it, because they recognize the obvious that so many right-wingers here just deny: it hurts Romney politically to hide his returns, especially given who his father was.

And most Americans consider this to be the sort of "personal information" that a presidential candidate is expected to release.

Romney himself has demanded them of others, even their spouses. What is your comment on that?

George Will put it best when he said that the fact that Romney is taking so much damage from this and still refuses to release the returns pretty much proves that there is something even more damaging in there.

He never demanded them of others and their spouses, read the article. You show me where he "demanded" them. That's my comment on that.
Obama fucks pigs, he needs to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence.

 

[monovillage]

http://home.comcast.net/~yeahyeah11/georgeromneyquote.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

I'm not a fan of Mitt Romney, I am going to vote for him, but that doesn't make me think he's a swell guy. His father George was also an asshole and supported a number of things I don't support including gun control.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

He never demanded them of others and their spouses, read the article. You show me where he "demanded" them. That's my comment on that.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic...everal-years-of-tax-returns-of-vp-contenders/

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...alled-for-tax-transparency-in-past-campaigns/

Obama fucks pigs, he needs to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence.

I just addressed this rather ludicrous false equivalence, and here you are using it again as if the discussion never happened. This sort of behavior is why reasonable people consider right-wingers to be irrational.

 

[nextJin]

IMO Romney is using this to have Obama spend all election hammering this issue then 2 weeks before the election he releases 20 years worth or something. It's not going to win Romney the election (nothing short of an economic collapse will win him the nod) but it will be amusing.

 

[UberNeuman]

IMO Romney is using this to have Obama spend all election hammering this issue then 2 weeks before the election he releases 20 years worth or something. It's not going to win Romney the election (nothing short of an economic collapse will win him the nod) but it will be amusing.

Romney isn't going to release any more than what he has to date...

 

[Jhhnn]

The IRS, the most brutal, and relentless government agency ever created, and has had Romney under a microscope for years, has given him a clean bill of health. Romney doesn't have to say, or do, or prove anything!
Would you allow me to search of your home without a warrant, cause maybe I had an unnamed source, (ala, Harry Reid)? I may not find anything illegal, but hey, granny panties in your wife's dresser drawer. THIS is gonna go viral !
So I ask once again, if this is not to prove illegal activity, then why the pursuit? This time, try and be honest.

The IRS granted prosecutorial amnesty to 15,000 tax felons who came forward to pay interest & penalties on foreign accounts they hadn't ever declared. The act of non-disclosure on any account over $10K is a felony, period.

The reason they didn't know about such accounts previously was extreme opacity on the part of tax haven govts, the Swiss foremost among them. The IRS is neither omniscient nor omnipotent, but they decided to exercise some clout, and the Swiss have knuckled under in the face of scandal-

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/13/business/fi-swiss13

Which is why 2009 matters. Just because somebody takes advantage of amnesty to get right with the IRS doesn't mean they always were. Hell- it means just the opposite.

Had there never been any amnesty, it'd be easier to take Mitt at his word, even if he was unprovably dirty. It'd be unprovable. OTOH, had the IRS decided to prosecute every well heeled tax cheat fingered by the Swiss, he might be doing time in some federal boy scout ranch.

Things change, and sometimes we just need to make the best of it. I'm pretty sure Mitt still is, by not releasing his 2009 return. He likely never will, and I can see no other reason he wouldn't.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I'm not a fan of Mitt Romney, I am going to vote for him, but that doesn't make me think he's a swell guy. His father George was also an asshole and supported a number of things I don't support including gun control.

x2 brother. Over the years, I feel both parties have put me in a handbasket, and I'm just trying to put off the express mail pickup straight to hell.

 

[UberNeuman]

x2 brother. Over the years, I feel both parties have put me in a handbasket, and I'm just trying to put off the express mail pickup straight to hell.

Embrace the lie...

Truth however is a bitter pill....

 

[monovillage]

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic...everal-years-of-tax-returns-of-vp-contenders/

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...alled-for-tax-transparency-in-past-campaigns/



I just addressed this rather ludicrous false equivalence, and here you are using it again as if the discussion never happened. This sort of behavior is why reasonable people consider right-wingers to be irrational.

The same can be said for a political hack that doesn't know the difference between "demanded" like you claimed in your first post and "requested" that's in the link you provided. Do you usually have so much trouble with semantics ? or only when you're being a partisan Democrat?

I'm using Johnson's old political ploy to make a point, it's one you understand, but you hate it so you are trying to make me stop.

 

[cybrsage]

Primarily based on race, huh? Perhaps you are unaware of such lovely GOP tactics from the Southern Strategy all the way to the modern day Birtherism. You've got a pretty weak argument there despite that link you posted. History tells a different story. Class warfare and jealousy? Put down the Ayn Rand crackpipe.

And as far as the tax returns are concerned (you know, the real subject of this thread), it has been explained ad nauseum:

1) Presidents have been releasing multiple returns beyond the legal requirement for longer than many have been alive.

2) Obama has released his returns for his past and current presidential campaigns. http://www.barackobama.com/tax-returns/

3) Willard Romney is the first in recent history to go against this trend by not releasing past returns as his opponent has done.


Period. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. Why Romney has not followed this gentleman's agreement/precedent/custom is suspicious. Had he simply released them as he was expected to this wouldn't be an issue.

Ah, the "cause everyone else is doing it" loonie returner reasons which was soundly defeated by your own mom when you were little.

 

[Matt1970]

I just think the irony here is at an all-time high. We want the people in charge of writing our tax policy to not be a tax cheat, but it's ok for Charlie Rangel to be because it only applies to the President. We want Romney to release ducuments above what is legally called for but Obama doesn't have to.

 

[cybrsage]

...pic of dead dude quote...

...pic of dead dude quote...

Ah, the old "cause some dead dude once said something about it" loonie returner reason.

 

[UberNeuman]

Ah, the "cause everyone else is doing it" loonie returner reasons which was soundly defeated by your own mom when you were little.

deal with it...

 

[cybrsage]

Your problem here is that American voters think it far more likely that Romney is hiding something in his tax returns than they think Obama is guilty of bestiality.

[channeling loonie returner mindset]
I dunno...didn't he imply in "dreams of my father" that there was a secret method to tenderizing the dogs before they killed and ate them? I say Obama needs to take a lie detector test to prove he is not guilty - if he does not he is obviously hiding something.

[/channeling loonie returner mindset]

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

 

[MovingTarget]

Ah, the "cause everyone else is doing it" loonie returner reasons which was soundly defeated by your own mom when you were little.

Romney broke with precedent on the disclosure of tax returns. This is suspicious. Sorry cybrsage, but we refuse to ignore the man behind the curtain simply because the GOP says to.

 

[MovingTarget]

Ah, the old "cause some dead dude once said something about it" loonie returner reason.

Your attempt to associate the lunacy of the birther movement with those who expect to see his returns like any other candidate is so transparent as to be vacuum. "Returners". Lol. Take your veiled false equivalence elsewhere.

 

[MovingTarget]

[channeling loonie returner mindset]
I dunno...didn't he imply in "dreams of my father" that there was a secret method to tenderizing the dogs before they killed and ate them? I say Obama needs to take a lie detector test to prove he is not guilty - if he does not he is obviously hiding something.

[/channeling loonie returner mindset]

...a swing and a miss. Nice attempt at deflection though. A for effort. :thumbsup:

 

[cybrsage]

Romney broke with precedent on the disclosure of tax returns. This is suspicious. Sorry cybrsage, but we refuse to ignore the man behind the curtain simply because the GOP says to.

Your attempt to associate the lunacy of the birther movement with those who expect to see his returns like any other candidate is so transparent as to be vacuum. "Returners". Lol. Take your veiled false equivalence elsewhere.

If you don't want to be lumped in with the other loonie birth...I mean returners, stop acting like them. Saying "cause everyone else is doing it" stopped working when you were a child and your mom told you "if everyone else was jumping off a cliff, would you do it too?"

You need to come up with a legitimate reason to demand his returns. The "cause everyone else is doing it" loonie returner reason failed long, long ago.