Doug Mataconis and the right wingers are really upset that Harry Reid and the Democrats are using Karl Rove's play book.
As if doubling down on his unsupported allegations against Mitt Romney weren't bad enough, Harry Reid has taken to repeating those allegations on the floor of the United States Senate:
I don't like this kind of politics but the reality is this has been the MO for the Republican Party since Karl Rove came on the scene. The only thing that is different is Harry Reid and the Democrats have discovered that you can't bring a knife to a gun fight.
Romney could end this of course by releasing his tax returns but he really can't do that because they are toxic. I think it's all about the 2009 returns - the year that UBS gave the US 4,000 names and the US offered an amnesty on foreign tax shelters. Romney knew that not releasing his 2009 taxes would hurt his campaign but a perk walk would have been worse.
I can't help but think that the only way Reid could have done it better is prefacing the no-taxes thing with "some people say..." instead of a Bain Capital investor.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson would have been lost to FOX in any case...
Obama eschewed the slime and negative in the primary and general in 2008 and won. I do not believe for one minute that we gain anything by getting down into the gutter with the opponent, and when "my guy" does that he is no longer my guy. I turn my back on him.
ReplyDeleteFighting evil by becoming evil is not winning. It is merely assuring that everyone loses. Justify it all you want, but when you adopt "win at all costs" you have abandonded any valid reason for winning.
Many people don't believe Harry Reid but I don't think Harry Reid is the kind of person who plays dirty politics. Whoever told Harry about Romney paying no income tax must be somebody Harry trusts. And beside there is a good chance that Romney didn't pay any Federal Income Tax for ten years. There are a lot of millionaires that don't pay Federal Income Tax. Most of Romney's wealth comes from Capital Gains. And you only pay taxes on Capital Gains when you cash out your winners.
ReplyDeleteHearing both theories of the value of this, I say keep it up, Harry. So much for the right wing calling Democrats weak and spineless. And I am so fatigued with talk show guests blaming President Obama for the negativity in Washington when we all know that it is the Republican House and Senate.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lets-just-say-it-the-republicans-are-the-problem/2012/04/27/gIQAxCVUlT_print.html
P.S. Joe Walsh yelling "You Lie" to the president during the state of the union speech is much worse than Harry Reid's remarks.