Mitt Romneys exotic tax problem



Posted by Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake



For years, Presidents Obamas political opponents have used his background  Kenyan father, Kansan mother, raised in Indonesia and Hawaii  to cast him as somehow exotic, someone whose life makes it hard for him to understand the average American.



And yet, its Mitt Romney, Obamas general election opponent, who is now dealing with an exotic issue that is centered on his considerable wealth and being played out in the ongoing fight over whether he will release more than two years worth of tax returns.



He is an extremely wealthy man, Steve Schmidt, who managed Sen. John McCains (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign and was involved in the vetting of Romney for vice president, said during an appearance Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. His tax returns do not look anything like the average Americans.



Schmidt hit the nail on the head in assessing the political problem of Romneys tax returns  and also lays out the most likely explanation for why the former Massachusetts governor and his campaign have been so stingy about releasing more.



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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/mitt-romneys-exotic-problem/2012/07/23/gJQAp2R13W_blog.html Posted by Chris Cillizza and Aaron BlakeFor years, Presidents Obamas political opponents have used his background  Kenyan father, Kansan mother, raised in Indonesia and Hawaii  to cast him as somehow exotic, someone whose life makes it hard for him to understand the average American.And yet, its Mitt Romney, Obamas general election opponent, who is now dealing with an exotic issue that is centered on his considerable wealth and being played out in the ongoing fight over whether he will release more than two years worth of tax returns.He is an extremely wealthy man, Steve Schmidt, who managed Sen. John McCains (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign and was involved in the vetting of Romney for vice president, said during an appearance Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. His tax returns do not look anything like the average Americans.Schmidt hit the nail on the head in assessing the political problem of Romneys tax returns  and also lays out the most likely explanation for why the former Massachusetts governor and his campaign have been so stingy about releasing more.- more -







Well, that clears it up, right? Not exactly, insofar as (1) Schmidt earlier said he didt actually review Mitts tax returns himself; (2) hes also said Romneys wealth was indeed the big disqualifier; and (3) hes an operative for a political party that thinks rich folks pay too much in taxes.



Steve Schmidt is about as reliable an authority for vetting Romneys financial and tax records for us as Mitts buddy Donald Trump. And maybe thats the next figure the GOP will trot out to vouch for him.



http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_07/glad_we_got_that_cleared_up038750.php Well, that clears it up, right? Not exactly, insofar as (1) Schmidt earlier said he didt actually review Mitts tax returns himself; (2) hes also said Romneys wealth was indeed the big disqualifier; and (3) hes an operative for a political party that thinks rich folks pay too much in taxes.Steve Schmidt is about as reliable an authority for vetting Romneys financial and tax records for us as Mitts buddy Donald Trump. And maybe thats the next figure the GOP will trot out to vouch for him.



