Advice for Romney on His Tax Returns: Let Democrats Twist in the Wind
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His rallying cry should be: every time the Obama campaign talks about Romney’s tax returns, they are admitting failure with the economy
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From the annals of Presidential campaign surreality, the Obama campaign gave Mitt Romney an offer he could refuse. Specifically, campaign manager Jim Messina wrote Matt Rhoades, Romney’s campaign manager, saying that if Mr. Romney releases “five years of [tax] returns,” the Obama campaign will ask for no more.
At first blush, this would seem like standard jousting that can be quickly dismissed. But a more nuanced analysis may indicate that Team Obama may have maneuvered themselves into a box-canyon that they would like to be extricated from, with the help of Mr. Romney.
If Mr. Romney is on his game, as he was last week with the V.P. pick of Paul Ryan, he will stick to his campaign’s initial rejection of such request.
The Democrats are offering a Trojan Horse when they say they’ll drop Mr. Romney’s personal tax issue if he releases 5 years of them
It is no secret, even amongst President Obama’s most ardent supporters, that the economy is an election Achilles’ heel; something that is best not spoken about. Thus, the President and his surrogates have devised a number of diversionary talking points from the various Republican Wars on Humanity to Mr. Romney’s tax returns.
Ask not only the average unemployed person but any person in the middle class and they will tell you that such matters mean very little to paying the pile of bills on the kitchen table. And it appears the Obama campaign is beginning to realize such and the potential backlash that could result from trying to sucker-punch the electorate into thinking that such irrelevant issues matter to them. Hence, the offer of tax returns with honor. The Obama campaign is likely heading for the doors on this matter but is firing to cover their retreat.
Given such, Mr. Romney should stick by his rejection of the offer as it would only concede that he should have provided such in the first place (although doing so would likely have prevented much of this sideshow). And anyone who thinks that releasing the requested 5 years of returns will quell any further requests also believes that ObamaCare has no adverse effect on the economy (may I sell you some Greek bonds at a premium?). The phrases “the release of the returns raises new questions going back prior years” and “this is not the full picture, we need more” comes to mind when the MSNBC carnival barkers grab hold of his tax return release.
The best strategy for Mr. Romney is to allow the Democrats to hammer away at Mr. Romney’s taxes. At the end of the day, all Mr. Obama is saying when he talks about Mitt Romney’s taxes is: “I have failed on the economy, now let’s talk about something else.”
-I.M. Windee
