# Why won't Romney release his tax returns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 1, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085 "2012-08-01T18:35:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/461 "2012-08-09T01:58:42Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It is a cheap debating tactic, when Reid uses it _and_ when magellan uses it. Then why aren’t you railing to the high heavens about Reid using it. I could be wrong, but I think you’ve been doing little other than defending Reid here. If I missed your condemnation of him over this, please, by all means, point me to it. I’ll wait. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The only excuse anyone seems to be offering about why Romney won’t release his returns is “because people might find something.” False. I’ve given another reason in this very thread. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/462 "2012-08-09T02:00:14Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Actually, if you believe ANY of those constant attempts to slander/libel candidate Obama actually MEANT anything outside of the right-wing echo chamber, you have no relationship with any real world. THAT is the point. The friendly media excused them away. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/463 "2012-08-09T02:00:23Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > He needs to back it up, regardless of violating confidences, or retract the bogus accusation and keep his yap shut. I think Reid was way out of line with his public claims about Romney’s taxes. On the other hand, since Romney made it a campaign issue for his opponent to reveal her taxes when he ran for governor, I think it is quite fair to insist that Romney reveal his taxes if he is going to be considered a consistent and ethical person. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/464 "2012-08-09T02:03:31Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Well, yes, just as Crackpot Gazette talks about the moon landing hoax incessantly, only to be ignored by the mainstream media. Must be a conspiracy… I love it. So the candidate was friends with an ex-terrorist responsible for peoples deaths. One who, instead of having remorse over it today, says he wishes that he had done more. Meh. BUt did you notice how pretty he speechifies!!!? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/465 "2012-08-09T02:04:52Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Well, yes, just as Crackpot Gazette talks about the moon landing hoax incessantly, only to be ignored by the mainstream media. Must be a conspiracy… Exactly. The Ayers thing wasn’t reportable for any legitimate news reason, until Stephanopolous brought it up at a debate. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/466 "2012-08-09T02:04:58Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > THAT is the point. The friendly media excused them away. They didn’t “excuse them away”…they just understood that they didn’t MEAN anything. They were stupid, straw-grasping, desperate attempts to smear Obama with SOMETHING, even if that something was completely absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/467 "2012-08-09T02:05:04Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > He needs to back it up, regardless of violating confidences, or retract the bogus accusation and keep his yap shut. Or he can let people decide how credible he is based on other factors; history, the reasonableness of the the allegation, who he might be protecting, etc. What’s wrong with that? > [@](#): > > I did. You think I’m wrong, prove it. As I said, you get Reid to show that he is not full of shit and I will retract my statement, with an apology. UNtil then, I call him a blathering, lying idiot with no ethical core. You told me to go to youtube and watch him saying something. That’s not even close to proof. > [@](#): > > The notion that Romney would rejigger the tax code so he can save another million dollars is absurd. I think it equally absurd to say that Obama would rejigger it to benefit himself personally. For both of them, it’s ideological. Let them both stake out their positions and argue it out. What Obama paid or Romney paid is immaterial. And the other points I raised, the IRA, tax amnesty program, and whether he’s betting for or against the U.S. economy? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/468 "2012-08-09T02:07:47Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > I think Reid was way out of line with his public claims about Romney’s taxes. > > On the other hand, since Romney made it a campaign issue for his opponent to reveal her taxes when he ran for governor, I think it is quite fair to insist that Romney reveal his taxes if he is going to be considered a consistent and ethical person. Completely agree on both points. Reid is playing dirty, but it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that someone on each side gets to mud wrestle, its part of the game. Apparently, for the Dems, its Reid. And even without playing dirty, as you said, its an issue Romney himself has brought up against his opponents. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/469 "2012-08-09T02:08:04Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > You can’t even keep your pathetic lies straight. I only wish Obama really had in mind re-education camps for people like you–that would be your only chance to learn how to think for yourself instead of parroting the lines of your masters. You know, I have zero doubt that you, and others, wish there were re-education camps available for people who think like me. Having you admit it was refreshing though. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/470 "2012-08-09T02:09:19Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Same with his association with ex-terrorist, Bill Ayers. His dealings with Tony Rezko. Etc. Did anybody else hear this in Tina Fey’s voice? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/471 "2012-08-09T02:09:22Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > The notion that Romney would rejigger the tax code so he can save another million dollars is absurd. I think it equally absurd to say that Obama would rejigger it to benefit himself personally. For both of them, it’s ideological. Let them both stake out their positions and argue it out. What Obama paid or Romney paid is immaterial. Really? The idea that a person would try to save that much money, even if they were obscenely rich, is absurd? One million dollars buys a hell of a lot, even in today’s economy. The difference is we can see what Obama did vis a vis his taxes but not Romney. How hard can this be to understand?! ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/472 "2012-08-09T02:10:27Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > They didn’t “excuse them away”…they just understood that they didn’t MEAN anything. They were stupid, straw-grasping, desperate attempts to smear Obama with SOMETHING, even if that something was completely absurd. Says you. Amazing. The guy was a terrorist acting against the United States, he was responsible for the deaths of innocent people, he is unrepentant still, and your response is…“meh”. Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/473 "2012-08-09T02:11:56Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Or he can let people decide how credible he is based on other factors; history, the reasonableness of the the allegation, who he might be protecting, etc. What’s wrong with that? > > You told me to go to youtube and watch him saying something. That’s not even close to proof. > > And the other points I raised, the IRA, tax amnesty program, and whether he’s betting for or against the U.S. economy? You must have missed this: > [@](#): > > Then why aren’t you railing to the high heavens about Reid using it. I could be wrong, but I think you’ve been doing little other than defending Reid here. If I missed your condemnation of him over this, please, by all means, point me to it. > > I’ll wait. Still waiting. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/474 "2012-08-09T02:13:23Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Then why aren’t you railing to the high heavens about Reid using it. Does Harry Reid read these boards? What’s his username? I won’t tell anyone, I promise. If Reid was here, I’d be telling him what I thought of his debating tactics. He’s not; you are. > [@](#): > > I could be wrong, but I think you’ve been doing little other than defending Reid here. If I missed your condemnation of him over this, please, by all means, point me to it. > > I’ll wait. Here’s the quote you were responding to: > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It is a cheap debating tactic, when Reid uses it _and_ when magellan uses it. And you think that was “defending Reid”. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/475 "2012-08-09T02:14:33Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Says you. Amazing. The guy was a terrorist acting against the United States, he was responsible for the deaths of innocent people, he is unrepentant still, and your response is…“meh”. > > Gotcha. It kills you that he’s going to get four more years, doesn’t it? It kills you that your party nominated a total mediocrity (AGAIN!) and that every word that mediocrity utters turns out to be a faux pas or proves him to be completely clueless, doesn’t it? I was getting angry at you, but then I decided that it wasn’t in my best interests to do so…I’ll just sit back and laugh like a loon while your party circles the big white bowl because they’ve tied themselves to the wing of their party that should have been locked up in a rubber room 20 years ago instead of being gladhanded for their votes. I’m quite looking forward to the floor war that’s going to happen in Tampa. Very excited about that… ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/476 "2012-08-09T02:15:50Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Really? The idea that a person would try to save that much money, even if they were obscenely rich, is absurd? One million dollars buys a hell of a lot, even in today’s economy. The difference is we can see what Obama did vis a vis his taxes but not Romney. How hard can this be to understand?! It’s absurd that he would try to save that much money by getting elected President of the United States in order to rejigger the code so he could save a million dollars. Hell, he’ll be spending way more than he could hope to save. And that’s not even taking into account the opportunity cost of how much he could be making if not running for President and having to listen to unethical imbeciles like Harry Reid. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/477 "2012-08-09T02:22:21Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It kills you that he’s going to get four more years, doesn’t it? Kill me? No. It might damage the country considerably, and result in the deaths of others, but kill me? No. But I appreciate the concern. > [@jayjay](#): > > It kills you that your party nominated a total mediocrity (AGAIN!) and that every word that mediocrity utters turns out to be a faux pas or proves him to be completely clueless, doesn’t it? Again with the killing? :rolleyes: The truth is that calling Romney "mediocre"is ridiculous. As ridiculous as it would be to call Obama mediocre. PLease try to inject a bit more reality in the discussion, would ya? > [@jayjay](#): > > I was getting angry at you, but then I decided that it wasn’t in my best interests to do so…I’ll just sit back and laugh like a loon… We all have things we’re good at. We should do them. Pssst. Oh, and by the way, just between us, you’re not very good at controlling or trying to hide your anger. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/478 "2012-08-09T02:28:00Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > It’s absurd that he would try to save that much money by getting elected President of the United States in order to rejigger the code so he could save a million dollars. Ah, I see what you’re saying. I misread that completely. I agree that neither Romney nor Obama want to get elected so they can change the tax code to benefit themselves. My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/479 "2012-08-09T02:30:46Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > The truth is that calling Romney "mediocre"is ridiculous. As ridiculous as it would be to call Obama mediocre. So now Obama’s not mediocre? Did my list of his Senate accomplishments help to convince you? I didn’t hear any opinion about my link. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085/480 "2012-08-09T02:33:11Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Does Harry Reid read these boards? What’s his username? I won’t tell anyone, I promise. Oh, right, because no one here ever condemns a politician. :rolleyes: Wait, that calls for at least a few more: :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > If Reid was here, I’d be telling him what I thought of his debating tactics. He’s not; you are. If that were as true as it is laughable, one might fairly assume that you’ve expressed that sentiment on these boards—prior to coming after me. Can you point to an instance or two? Oh wait, I forgot, Harry Reid doesn’t post here so there’d be no reason to comment on his actions. Silly me. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Here’s the quote you were responding to: > > And you think that was “defending Reid”. Wow. Of course, you’re wrong here. I took that statement to indicate that you though you were doing something other than defending Redi. I asked you for words of yours expressing your displeasure with his tactics, which you seem to now hold as problematic. So, I’ve asked you, several times now, to point to those instance where you gave him a good scolding. :smack: Damn, forgot again. Harry Reid doesn’t read these boards so,of course, you would never comment on his actions. Silly me, again. So, am I to take it that up until you came after me and found yourself in this dilemma that there are zero—0—instances of you condemning Harry Reid’s action in this instance? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-romney-release-his-tax-returns/630085.md?page=25)