Why should Romney release his tax returns

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2012 14:39:54 GMT -5 caden said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:31:40 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Aren't republicans now saying, in damage control mode, that Romney needs to pony up the tax papers?

Probably, just so that the (non-)issue will go away. Maybe then we can get back to discussing things that actually matter.

LOL Caden. Like that will happen!

[heyjude]

Why is it a non issue? According to politico, he has only released one year, 2010, and is refusing to release additional material, something that is common practice among candidates. Is it because some of these documents show income from Bain during a time he says he had no part of?

[caden]

Jul 16, 2012 14:45:08 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Why is it a non issue? According to politico, he has only released one year, 2010, and is refusing to release additional material, something that is common practice among candidates. Is it because some of these documents show income from Bain during a time he says he had no part of?

He's releasing 2 years, the 2nd being in final prep now. He's already released the required financial disclosure documentation. PPs already mentioned what previous candidates have done. Romney's doing nothing out of the ordinary. And again (already covered on page 1) the tax returns are a different issue than Bain. Here's a quote regarding why Obama has made Bain an issue:

"At stake is whether Democrats can hold Mr. Romney responsible for a series of now-controversial investments Bain made during the period in question, including in companies that specialized in outsourcing, laid off some of their workers or declared bankruptcy."
www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/us/politics/when-did-romney-step-back-from-bain-its-complicated.html?pagewanted=all

See the factcheck link I posted earlier as well.

mrsbecky - You're right, but one can dream

[NitaX]

Jul 16, 2012 14:45:08 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Why is it a non issue? According to politico, he has only released one year, 2010, and is refusing to release additional material, something that is common practice among candidates. Is it because some of these documents show income from Bain during a time he says he had no part of?

Could be or maybe he just doesn't want anyone to know he has a secret plot to outsource every job at every company! *evil laugh*

Can I add that this is slightly hilarious to me. Crazy nutso people are talking about "The Illegals taking all the dayum jobs" and then the Obama campaign is talking about Romney being the outsourcer in chief. Now, all you need is for Tom Cruise to say Mormonism is the Sister Theology to Scientology or something.

[MrsDL]

Jul 16, 2012 14:45:08 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Why is it a non issue? According to politico, he has only released one year, 2010, and is refusing to release additional material, something that is common practice among candidates. Is it because some of these documents show income from Bain during a time he says he had no part of?

He said once 2011 is done, he will release it (he filed an extension). That said, this Bain accusation on outsourcing is very recent, within the last few days. The tax return issue has been going on since the GOP primary race. He said at that time he'll release only 2 years. Personally, I think he doesn't care to hear much more about how filthy rich he is, how is effective rate was so low - you know how it goes.

This is a main talking point for Obama's re-election - the whole class warefare, rich need to pay their fair share stuff. Why would Romney volunteer himself to be put out there as the poster child for bringing Obama's point home when he wants Obama's job. Personally, I think he fairs better by not releasing them. There is ammo either way, but I think releasing them gives Obama more.

Frankly, Bain is a public company - I'm sure it has records available that can prove or dispprove these accusations as easily, if not easier, than Romeny's tax returns. Whose signature authorized the outsourcing? What records are there that show who was involved? Did Romeny receive compensation after 1999 in terms of salary - pretty sure he wasn't paid under the table.

[sweettooth]

Jul 16, 2012 14:30:05 GMT -5 marie427 said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:26:23 GMT -5 sweettooth said:

Romney's father released (and was the first) 12 of his tax returns because he said that one could be a fluke and he wanted to be open.

I also have another question: Was he still working on the 2000 Olympics full-time in 2002? Why so long?

Salt Lake City Olympics were in 2002.

I had forgotten that--sorry.

Another question: He gave McCain 23 tax returns--why the difference?

From Fox: www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/11/if-romney-vetted-himself-his-tax-returns-would-ko-shot-at-white-house/

If Romney vetted himself, his tax returns would KO shot at White House

....Think about it. What candidate for president -- even a GOP candidate for president -- would pick a guy as a running mate who would only hand over one year of tax returns, as Mitt Romney has done?

[heyjude]

There are documents linking Romney to Bain. They are the 99-02 SEC filings which list him as CEO, president, shareholder, etc.

[sweettooth]

Did Romney receive compensation after 1999 in terms of salary - pretty sure he wasn't paid under the table.

Romney remained CEO of Bain Capital through 2002, receiving at least $100,000 in wages for his work.

www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/07/13/156751333/romney-defends-timing-of-bain-tenure-time-will-tell-if-it-matters

[downtoearth]

Jul 16, 2012 14:31:40 GMT -5 heyjude said:

....Maybe then we can get back to discussing things that actually matter.

I think I'm getting jaded b/c I can't seem to find the "things that matter" very easily anymore. This thread is a good example of the muddled line since it looks like some people care if Mittens was at Bain after 1999 and some people couldn't care less.

[heyjude]

Jul 16, 2012 15:18:56 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:31:40 GMT -5 heyjude said:

....Maybe then we can get back to discussing things that actually matter.

I think I'm getting jaded b/c I can't seem to find the "things that matter" very easily anymore. This thread is a good example of the muddled line since it looks like some people care if Mittens was at Bain after 1999 and some people couldn't care less.

It only matters if you have a problem w/ outsourcing American jobs and shutting American factories because post 99 is when Bain was doing this.

[pixy0stix]

I find the whole Bain thing interesting, with or without the tax return evidence (which feels a bit "show us your birth certificate!" to me).

If he had an active hand in outsourcing several jobs from an area, thereby effectively killing a segment of American jobs, then yes, that's a problem. However, I tend to side on the humanity side of issues, than the consumerism/capitalistic side.

[downtoearth]

Jul 16, 2012 15:21:47 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Jul 16, 2012 15:18:56 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

I think I'm getting jaded b/c I can't seem to find the "things that matter" very easily anymore. This thread is a good example of the muddled line since it looks like some people care if Mittens was at Bain after 1999 and some people couldn't care less.

It only matters if you have a problem w/ outsourcing American jobs and shutting American factories because post 99 is when Bain was doing this.

I'm so jaded b/c then factcheck says Romney was not involved, SEC records say was involved, Romney says not involved and he has a right not to release his private financial info (and likely will not), so how can it be answered to satisfaction if he was involved or does every voter have to infer their own answer?

It's super confusing, but I'm also have focus issues due to pregnancy, so I keep quoting things like this, "So I heard somewhere that..."

ETA: PolitiFact finds the Bain/Romney claims of outsourcing "half truths" and gives some weight to the idea that "Romney's companies" did the outsourcing since he was a builder. Another viewpoint - www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/13/barack-obama/were-romneys-companies-pioneers-outsourcing/.

[MrsDL]

Jul 16, 2012 15:21:47 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Jul 16, 2012 15:18:56 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

I think I'm getting jaded b/c I can't seem to find the "things that matter" very easily anymore. This thread is a good example of the muddled line since it looks like some people care if Mittens was at Bain after 1999 and some people couldn't care less.

It only matters if you have a problem w/ outsourcing American jobs and shutting American factories because post 99 is when Bain was doing this.

But rather than talking about why we have an environment in the US that would encourage outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries and how to change that, we'll talk about BOTH Obama and Romney as outsourcers. One more reason why this economy will be in the shitter for the next decade, at least.

[sweettooth]

Here is a list of other candidates' tax returns that were released several decades back.

ETA: posted from phone and gave bad link. It should be this one. Interesting how some candidates release so many more returns than others.

www.taxhistory.org/www/website.nsf/Web/PresidentialTaxReturns?OpenDocument

[teflep]

Two of the country's top economists said this is very normal in terms of SEC filings and that this is overblown. So, of course even releasing tax returns would satisfy Americans who are all up on these instances.

[teflep]

Fortune’s Dan Primack — who covers Wall Street “deals and dealmakers” — addressed the Mother Jones reporting in a July 2 article that came to the same conclusion we do. Primack’s more recent reporting we’ve already noted.

The Washington Post‘s Fact Checker, Glenn Kessler, rebutted the Boston Globe story in a July 12 piece. “Just because you are listed as an owner of shares does not mean you have a managerial role,” Kessler writes. We agree.

Before the Globe story broke, the Columbia Journalism Review’s Brendan Nyhan stated: “[T]he specific cases cited by the Obama campaign largely concern actions taken by those companies during a period in which Romney was not making operational decisions at the firm. Journalists must be clear about this distinction.” After the Globe story, CJR’s Greg Marx wrote “there’s less new in the Globe article than the attention it has drawn suggests.”

ABC News’ Devin Dwyer reported July 12, after the Globe‘s story appeared: “Team Obama does not provide any specific evidence to back up claims that Romney was actively managing Bain between 1999 and 2002.”

[NitaX]

Jul 16, 2012 16:40:45 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:39:54 GMT -5 caden said:

Probably, just so that the (non-)issue will go away. Maybe then we can get back to discussing things that actually matter.

like the gay agenda!!!11!

Teh Gayz are a threat to society. HTH!

[Deleted]

The republican gov of alabama has called for him to release more returns. Maybe he saw the obama has got balls ad

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jul 16, 2012 14:28:21 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:22:02 GMT -5 caden said:

I haven't noticed that at all. I've heard him talk about cutting deficits w/o raising taxes, vetoing stuff, cutting red tape, etc. All stuff from his term as governor, so I'm not sure how he's avoiding talking about it.

He raised taxes in Mass. He just preferred to call them "Fees". Fees for court filings, business licenses, etc.

Sounds like he and Pawlenty are perfect for one another.

Pawlenty did the "health impact fee." Otherwise known as a cigarette tax.

[heyjude]

Several reps called for him to do it on CNN just now. Including Erin Burnett in a scathing opening (not sure what she is but she seems to lean right).

[Deleted]

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/15/george-will-mitt-romney-bain_n_1674513.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

George Will hit Mitt Romney over his approach to his career at Bain Capital and his personal finances on Sunday's "This Week."

Those issues have been two of the main points of criticism for the candidate. Romney recently faced new criticism over his offshore investments. New reports that suggest Romney stayed at the private equity firm until 2002 — three years after he said he left — also raised fresh controversy for his campaign.

On Sunday, George Stephanopoulos asked which campaign was winning argument over Romney's record. "Mitt Romney's losing at this point in a big way," Will contended. He said that Romney should have taken care of those issues years ago, as soon as he knew he would be running for president in 2012.

"I don't know why... he didn't get all of this out and tidy up some of his offshore accounts and all the rest," Will said. "He's done nothing illegal, nothing unseemly, nothing improper, but lots that's impolitic."

He remembered that Romney faced the same scrutiny over his private sector experience during his 1994 race for the Senate. Will added that Romney's business background made him vulnerable "at a time when the financial sector is an extremely bad odor."

[MrsAxilla]

Jul 16, 2012 19:37:41 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Several reps called for him to do it on CNN just now. Including Erin Burnett in a scathing opening (not sure what she is but she seems to lean right).

Haha! I think she leans left, so she must be pretty neutral.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2012 14:25:30 GMT -5 caden said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:19:59 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

So he was still employed/paid by Bain at the time, though, which is what is in dispute with the "show your tax returns" cries, correct?

Like I said I don't think the "show me your tax returns" has to do with Bain. It's whether or not Romney had anything to do with Bain outsourcing jobs and layoffs. The "show me your tax returns" stuff is when you ask someone to do something out of the ordinary and then when they don't comply you say it's evidence that they have something to hide.

It's both.

There's also speculation that Romney took business write offs in the years he supposedly didn't work for Bain and speculation that he doesn't want to release returns that show he paid no taxes.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2012 22:07:10 GMT -5 sandsonik said:

Jul 16, 2012 14:25:30 GMT -5 caden said:

Like I said I don't think the "show me your tax returns" has to do with Bain. It's whether or not Romney had anything to do with Bain outsourcing jobs and layoffs. The "show me your tax returns" stuff is when you ask someone to do something out of the ordinary and then when they don't comply you say it's evidence that they have something to hide.

It's both.

There's also speculation that Romney took business write offs in the years he supposedly didn't work for Bain and speculation that he doesn't want to release returns that show he paid no taxes.

Ding ding ding.

What's worse? Being known as an outsource and being example #1 of why our tax code is screwed up?

[Deleted]

I can't decide how I feel about this issue. On one hand, I think its a huge distraction and part of the issue with this election is that neither candidate can stay on message and talk about things that really matter. On the other hand, I think its really sketch that he isn't releasing more tax returns.

[teflep]

It is a distraction from the poor job numbers and outlook. There is the ding ding ding.