Mitt Romney Faces Scrutiny From Own Party on Tax Returns
By Peter Barbour | 07/20/2012 | Elections 2012, Headline, President | 6 Comments
Photo: Gage Skidmore
It is not easy running for public office, especially president of the United States. Once you become a candidate for president, you have alienated at least 40-45% of all Americans. It gets worse once you become the nominee. The next 3+ months will be rough sledding for President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
While the challenge for the president will be defending his record on the economy and National Debt, Romney’s challenge at the moment appears to be his tax returns. There are more calls for the presumptive GOP nominee to release more of his tax returns, and the bad news for Romney is that these calls are not just coming from Democrats.
Texas congressman and GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul said in an interview with The Politico that Romney should release more of his tax returns. Former Mississippi GOP Governor Haley Barbour told CNN if he were in Romney’s position, he would release more than 2 years of tax returns. Alabama GOP Governor Robert Bentley recently said at the National Governor’s Association Annual Meeting “I think he ought to release everything. I believe in total transparency. You know if you have things to hide, then you may be doing things wrong.”
Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard said on Fox News Sunday “He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It’s crazy. You got to release six, eight, 10 years of back tax returns. Take the hit for a day or two.” Other prominent Republicans calling on Romney to release more of his tax returns include Rep. Walter Jones (NC), Senator Richard Lugar (IN), and Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Thus far, Romney has resisted the calls for more tax returns, but he may be forced to change his view. According to a USA Gallup snapshot poll done Wednesday night, most Americans surveyed (54%) say Romney should release additional tax returns, while 37% say he should not.
As you would expect, most Democrats said he should release more returns and most Republicans said he should not. But it’s Independent voters that will swing this election and on this issue, most Independents surveyed said Romney should release more returns.
There are more important issues for most Americans, and Governor Romney and his supporters may feel like this is being used by President Obama and his supporters to change the subject. Bottom line is in politics when criticism is coming only from your opponents you can deal with it, but when it comes from people within your own party and columnists who are normally supportive, that’s a problem and it is what’s happening with Romney on the tax returns.
If Romney continues to refuse to release more of his returns, where other candidates have released more than two years of returns, it only feeds the notion that he does have something to hide.
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6 Comments
Michael Higham
07.20.2012
@michaelhigham
I also believe in absolute transparency, but it’s almost impossible to find that in politics. This issue is going to be following Romney until this election is over, I’m not sure if it’s going to affect his votes though. I’d like to see someone poll potential voters asking if the tax return issue will affect their vote, make them less likely to vote for Romney or not!
Amos Cooper
07.20.2012
@adcooper12
It would probably be better for Romney to release his tax returns. He claims he has nothing to hide, why not show everyone he has integrity?
Lauren Moore
07.20.2012
@laurendimitra
I am so tired of hearing about this. Romney has the right to keep his tax returns, and obama has the right to not release his birth certificate. They are making a point- it took obama a long time to cave in to the ridiculous demands of the public too. Romney will probably release his but i doubt any one really thinks he’s hiding anything.
Brad R. Schlesinger
07.20.2012
@bradschlesinger
This is such a cable news driven story. If cable news didn’t talk about it, nobody would care. But, you know, the important stuff, birth certificates and tax returns — war, executive power grabs, debt, economic stagnation, drug war, crony capitalism…not so much.
P M
07.21.2012
@P M
Romney claimed owning a dancing horse as a business and declared a loss of $77,731 on his 2010 tax returns for the care and feeding of his dressage horse Rafalca which is owned in an LLC. The loss allowed Romney to take a $49 tax deduction after netting against other passive losses.
The Romney horse deduction shows that a very, rich man could not resist trying to get just a tiny, little bit more by taking a deduction that would let him keep a measly $49 instead of giving the $49 to the country he supposedly wants to unite, improve, and lead as its President.
The issue is not if the deduction was legal. The issues are that the horse deduction and his hiding money overseas to escape taxes show flaws in the tax code, lack of political awareness, insensitivity to the common man, greed, selfishness, and lack of patriotism.
The kind of patriotism asked of all Americans, by President Kennedy when he said “My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
Romney is worth over $250 million but when faced with the choice to claim a business loss for a horse or not to claim it Romney choose to claim the loss and take the deduction because he could not spare $49 for America.
Bob Jackson
07.27.2012
Willard, “Show Us the TAX RETURNS!” Your Dad ‘Showed America 12 Years of Tax Returns (to Prove “HE WASN’T A FRAUD.”) In 2008, YOU gave McCain 23 Years of Tax Returns, to be considered his V.P. Running Mate, and he chose Sarah Palin – OVER YOU.. “Show Us those Damn TAX RETURNS!” …….