So, which one is it? You sort of have to, you know, take a position on these things. source
Report: Romney to release 2011 tax return by Oct. 15
Reuters: A senior campaign adviser said Monday that Mitt Romney will release his 2011 tax return by October 15.
“Romney, a former private equity executive who is one of the richest men ever to run for president, has come under pressure for months from the Obama campaign to release more years of tax returns.
He has released his 2010 tax return and estimates for 2011 but does not plan to reveal more years of returns. In April, he requested an extension from the Internal Revenue Service to file his 2011 tax forms, while estimating his tax liability at $3.2 million for last year.”
Photo: Romney appears at a campaign rally in Ohio on Aug. 14 (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
The Romney Plan: Release the tax return as close as possible to the election to minimize fallout, but maximize speculation.
I’m very looking forward to a Republican being back in office…When you’re rich, you want a Republican in office.Ex-porn star and rich person Jenna Jameson • Endorsing Mitt Romney for president. Jameson previously was a Hillary Clinton supporter during the 2008 campaign. source (via • follow)
What’s the downside? Jon Stewart getting all serious and haughty? Harry Reid could not care less.A Harry Reid confidante, quoted in Politico • On the majority leader’s recent allegations about Mitt Romney. Stewart called Reid a “really terrible person” for
Unnecessary lingo department: This year, the first and third presidential debates will feature six fifteen-minute “topic pods,” which basically means that the candidates will focus on one subject for fifteen minutes, then move on to another. This is a fine enough format for a debate, but we question the necessity of introducing the term “topic pods” to describe it. Couldn’t they have just called them “topics?” Anyway, there will be a total of four moderators for the debates, and they’ll be announced mid-August. source
Next to Gingrich’s petulant posturing, Romney looked like a grown-up…In losing in the most undignified manner possible, Gingrich made Romney shine. And for that, Romney owes Gingrich his gratitude.The Atlantic’s Molly Ball • Arguing that Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum’s prolonged candidacies did, in one sense, benefit Mitt Romney. “By behaving childishly and running totally amateurish campaigns, they made Romney look good,” she writes. There is something to be said for this; however, whether the “I’m not as bad as the other guys!” effect will stick with Romney through the general election seems like an iffy proposition. If anything, their campaigns made Romney look good coming out of the primary, but we’re doubtful that effect will last too long once President Obama’s campaign, which will likely be top-notch, becomes the object of comparison. source (via • follow)
I keep hearing the president say he’s responsible for keeping the country out of a Great Depression. No, no, no, that was President George W. Bush and Hank Paulson.Mitt Romney • At a town hall meeting today. We’re no political strategists, but we’re wondering how helpful it is for a presidential candidate to make a statement now, in 2012, that’s both pro-George W. Bush and pro-bailout. TARP, for instance, is currently sitting with a net -13 approval rating. Not exactly a winning issue. source (via • follow)
I would define Newt’s head space as: ‘Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’David Lane • A conservative leader close to Gingrich. This quote is actually from before the primary, and Lane’s prediction was born out in Gingrich’s speech tonight, wherein the former Speaker pledged to plow forward despite having lost Florida tonight. The article’s author, Alexander Burns, adds that “Gingrich has made a career out of upending conventional wisdom and ignoring the establishment view that he should go to the corner and shut up.” A long, protracted primary probably won’t be any help to the eventual nominee, but it’ll sure be fun for political nerds like us. source (via • follow)
An unnecessary apology? Yesterday, a post over at America Blog noted that “Keep America American,” a phrase Mitt Romney sometimes uses while campaigning, is also a slogan once used by the Klu Klux Klan. Now, while this is embarrassing for the Romney campaign, it’s probably not an intentional effort by Romney to co-opt the KKK’s message, or pander to the group’s base. That is, it’s almost certainly just an unfortunate coincidence. What’s odd, though, is that hours after reporting on the story, MSNBC felt the need to issue an apology. But why? We missed MSNBC’s original report, but as you can see above, Chris Matthews specifically apologizes for “report[ing] on a blog item that compared a phrase used by the Romney campaign to one used by the KKK way back in the 1920s.” But…the phrase was used by both groups. It’s a fact. MSNBC doesn’t dispute this. So why was it, in Matthews’ words, “irresponsible,” and indicative of an “appalling lack of judgement,” for the network to point it out? Can someone who saw the original report shed some light on this? source
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