L.A. Times’s Rainey: Hey, Maybe Harry Reid Is Lying, But By Forcing Romney to Talk About His Lies, He Is Still “Winning”
Here is the headline:
Rainey explains that, sure, maybe Reid is lying:
By some measures, it might appear Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) really stepped in it when he claimed he had a source who invested in Bain Capital who told him that Mitt Romney hadn’t paid taxes in 10 years.
Not only would Reid not name his source, but experts told a couple of news outlets it was almost impossible that the Republican presidential candidate had paid no taxes.
Salon.com talked to tax attorneys and found the claim that Romney paid zero over a decade “nothing short of ludicrous.”
Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a fellow member of the U.S. Senate, took the Reid’s credibility more deeply into question. “I think he is making things up,” the Romney backer said, adding, “I think he is lying.” Politifact.com set its Truth-o-Meter finding on the question of Reid’s remark at “pants on fire.” The website, operated by the Tampa Bay Times, said: “Reid has made an extreme claim with nothing solid to back it up.”
The sharpest rebuttal to Reid’s Romney tax-dodger claim came from Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman. He called the Nevada senator a “dirty liar” over the weekend on ABC and then repeated the wording Monday on Fox News.
. . . .
While he can’t necessarily prove it, Priebus has good reason for strong suspicion about Reid juicing his information about Romney’s taxes.
But, hey! Reid and Obama are winning because Romney has to talk about Reid’s unsubstantiated crap!
While Reid’s tax claim strained credulity, it did not seem to strain the Nevada senator. Accustomed to pitched partisan battles, he showed little inclination to back down. One of the journalists who follows Reid most closely, columnist Jon Ralston, told the Washington Post that the old pol was “fearless and shameless.” Ralston noted that Reid would not stand for election for four years and added: “The most dangerous man is one who does not care.”
Ralston predicted Reid would be happy to continue to catch flak for Team Obama, though he might be slightly chastened to find even neutral or liberal-leaning media outlets questioning his truthfulness.
Still, Reid’s gambit had the desired effect: Romney’s forces spent another day talking about tax policy and the candidate’s own taxes, much safer terrain for the president that the issue of job creation, which remains lackluster more than three years after the start of the economic crisis.
Now that’s good political analysis! The liar is winning by making the opposition focus on his lies!
#WINNING!
Rainey’s logic comes from his basic principle:
The LA Times lies but at least it is for the left.
AZ Bob (1c9631) — 8/7/2012 @ 7:52 amThat’s how republicans have played for years. Except Reid is not lying.
SEK:
http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2012/08/we-should-applaud-harry-reid-no-i-dont-care-what-jon-stewart-said-we-should
And Romney’s IS lying in claiming that Obama wants to limit voting rights of veterans in Ohio.
“President Obama’s lawsuit claiming it is unconstitutional for Ohio to allow servicemen and women extended early voting privileges during the state’s early voting period is an outrage,”
Hot Air calls him on it, in an update.
still sleeeeepy (b5f718) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:03 amhttp://hotair.com/archives/2012/08/03/obama-democrats-suing-to-block-military-voting-in-ohio/
Sleepy is a good little foot soldier, no?
JD (318f81) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:06 amSleepy is toe-jam, that’s as close to being a foot-soldier as he’ll ever be.
AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:08 amExcept Reid is not lying.
Sleeeeeeeepy joins Reed in their lying lies.
JD (318f81) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:08 amSo, according to Salon (hardly a bastion of conservative thought), our friend tye’s claim that Romney paid no taxes is nothing short of ludicrous.
Whoda thunk it?
Chuck Bartowski (3bccbd) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:13 am“That’s how republicans have played for years.”
still sleeeeepy – That is the narrative being pushed. Examples please?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:14 am“And Romney’s IS lying in claiming that Obama wants to limit voting rights of veterans in Ohio.”
still sleeeeepy – Is the issue veterans?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:17 amstill sleeeeepy – Do you believe Obama, his surrogates and the media can lie his way to reelection and if so is that the way our political system should operate?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:19 amSo the LA Times is saying that the top Democrat in the US Senate, a bastion of statesmen, is a f–ing liar.
Neo (d1c681) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:20 amI wonder who the Democrats will select for Minority Leader when President Romney leaves Harry Reid out on the White House driveway.
Romney should say he’ll release his tax returns if Obama releases the Fast and Furious documents. Then every time Mitt’s tax returns are brought up, the response is, “we’re waiting for the release of the Fast and Furious documents”. The more they are brought up, the more the general public hears about Fast and Furious. Of course, Mitt has to be willing to release his tax returns, if necessary.
MW (8af12e) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:22 amJames Rainey’s brother was brutally murdered a couple months ago, and the case remains unsolved.
There’s a $50,000 reward.
I imagine that type of reward elicits all sorts of prank phone calls from random callers claiming to have information regarding the murder.
I’ve heard a rumour that Rainey’s had great difficulty keeping his sanity.
As a result, you’d think a person in that situation would be a little more sensitive about the “evidence” Harry Reid claims to have courtesy of a random phone call by an unnamed person.
You know, since actual confirmed e-v-i-d-e-n-c-e by legitimate sources is going to be such an integral part of solving the murder of Rainey’s brother.
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:28 amSo. Who would be so stupid as to believe that the IRS would let ANYBODY get away with not paying taxes for ten years. Only someone who has never had any dealings with the taxman – like your typical Obama voter – many of whom have never had a job.
Mike Giles (14a5bb) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:34 amMike Giles – plus, it has been reported that Romney was audited, at least once, in that time frame,
JD (318f81) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:40 amstill sleeepy misrepresents the Hotair update. Hotair does not call Romney a liar, it reflects the poor reporting on the lawsuit.
still sleeeepy, still misrepresenting.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:41 amNew Obama Super PAC Ad – Romney gives people cancer.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:56 amIgnore Obama giving people cancer during Obama recession because Obama is not responsible for anything. Heh.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 8/7/2012 @ 8:58 am“Governor Romney again evaded answering direct questions about the swirling controversy concerning his tax returns, refusing to release them despite repeated calls for him to do so.
“The Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Unicornville) commented ‘I heard he eats puppies and it’s up to him to prove he doesn’t.’
“More on this breaking story after these messages….”
Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b) — 8/7/2012 @ 9:27 amThis is a bit like the fake Texas ANG letter about GWB, even if it is a lie (fake) we know it makes a good and true point….
Romney should say he’ll release his tax returns if Obama releases the Fast and Furious documents. Then every time Mitt’s tax returns are brought up, the response is, “we’re waiting for the release of the Fast and Furious documents”.
Comment by MW — 8/7/2012 @ 8:22 am
Pious makes a good point in that the media will cover, but still, Romney could put the quotes on YouTube, etc. In fact, he could probably give a different offer every day and highlight many things, not just fast and furious.
Again, he could even say, “You know, even if I didn’t pay any taxes, which is still not true, it would have been because for various legal reasons he didn’t owe any, unlike those who broke the law by not paying taxes, such as ____ insert list.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 8/7/2012 @ 9:40 amDoc, it would be quite a compendium to list the various laws, tax and regulatory, that our good Treasury Secretary has violated.
AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92) — 8/7/2012 @ 9:48 amAnd then there are the ethical considerations of the skirting of lobbying disclosures, 3rd-party Iran relationships, out-right violation of investor’s rights in the bankruptcy courts, and the winnowing of the GM/Chrysler dealership ranks of GOP donors.
As Michael Barone put it quite so well:
Welcome to the age of Gangster Government.
I agree AD, that’s why I though it would be a shame just to mention fast and furious. thanks for starting off the list for Gov. Romney to consider,
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 8/7/2012 @ 10:19 amBoth the New York Post…(on Friday)
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/reid_gutter_ball_ik0wmgzExu5qNni0ELrhLN
…and the New York Daily News (today, Tuesday)
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/harry-reid-smear-attack-mitt-romney-masks-dems-problems-article-1.1130254
…came out with editorials against what Harry Reid is doing.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 8/7/2012 @ 10:29 amstill sleeeeepy links to SEK?
[*MAJOR FACEPALM*]
Icy (11919f) — 8/7/2012 @ 10:49 amBirds of a feather….
AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92) — 8/7/2012 @ 10:50 amAt a newspaper world famous for its lazy, fatuous, ethically challenged, politically biased, whiny and entitled hacks, Rainey stands out as the worst of the bunch. Hard to imagine where else he could find work.
Kevin Stafford (1d1b9e) — 8/7/2012 @ 12:29 pmAnyone else remember Gore trying to disenfranchise the Military Vote in FL? He managed to disenfranchise a Naval Officer tasked with bringing back the damaged USS Cole?
PCD (1d8b6d) — 8/7/2012 @ 12:35 pm3- dismissive if facts with links. Beautiful. Head meet sand.
tye (a5e7fe) — 8/7/2012 @ 12:37 pmtye – How close is your ISP to sleeeeepy’s?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 8/7/2012 @ 12:39 pmtye, still sleeepy your fellow troll, misrepresented the Hotair piece.
Much as you misrepresent here constantly, when you aren’t outright lying.
SPQR (b48853) — 8/7/2012 @ 12:40 pmtye/TD/sleepy doesn’t pay income taxes, because he doesn’t work.
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 8/7/2012 @ 12:57 pm3- dismissive if facts with links. Beautiful. Head meet sand.
Comment by tye — 8/7/2012 @ 12:37 pm
— Equating links with “facts”? Head meet ass!
Oh, I see that the two of you are already well acquainted.
Carry on.
Icy (11919f) — 8/7/2012 @ 1:04 pmIs it true that Mitt Romney paid no taxes up to age 11 ?
Neo (d1c681) — 8/7/2012 @ 1:10 pmYes and I’m quite sure that biff checked those links too… #sarcasm
tye (a5e7fe) — 8/7/2012 @ 1:23 pmSleepy lied about the content of those awesome links, “tye”. I am shocked you approve of dishonesty.
JD (30f261) — 8/7/2012 @ 1:27 pmIt looks like Romney probably is going to pick and announce his vice presidential nominee on Thursday afternoon.
Bill Kristol notes Romney has got events in Illinois Tuesday, in Iowa Wednesday, and a fundraising breakfast Thursday morning in New York – and then nothing till a barnstorming tour begins on Saturday in Virginia going to North Carolina on Sunday, Florida on Monday and Ohio on Tuesday.
As for who it would be, an early indication would be whose Wikipedia page is getting a lot of edits. These edits will start happening around midday Wednesday.
http://techpresident.com/news/22680/how-spot-romneys-vice-president-pick-advance
So far Paul Ryan is having the most edits, even though Marco Rubio, Ron Portman, Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie and Tim Pawlenty have more views than Paul Ryan.
I think it may be more likely Paul Ryan than Rob Portman, although maybe Romney is keeping Ryna in reserve in case something comes up with Portman or Portman turns it down.
Note these two have connections with the budget as distinct from some of the other choices, so it’s likely to be one of these two.
The only thing about Paul Ryan, is that this is a man who turned down an opportunity ti run for the U.S. Senate.
If Ryan, Romney may be deciding against his early favorite Rob Portman or have been turned down.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 8/7/2012 @ 1:30 pmAre we attracting trolls from Glue Sniffers Anonymous these days? Someone should clue them in on the idea that the organization is meant to help them *stop* sniffing glue.
M. Scott Eiland (449af8) — 8/7/2012 @ 2:09 pmI believe Ryan does not believe it is time to put himself and his family through that meat grinder, especially as he has other good work to do either in the house or as a cabinet member. I think it should be Rubio or Jindal or Sarah palin, just for fun. 😉
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 8/7/2012 @ 2:11 pm5.0 for the 2.9 Degree of Difficulty ‘Make it up but make it just plausible enough for Team Blue lemmings’ Reid speech from the Senate floor.
East German Judge (2fd7f7) — 8/7/2012 @ 2:50 pmI accidentally marked tye’s comments as spam. I am trying to get that corrected. He should be in moderation for the lies he has told about Elissa and SPQR, amongst others. But alas, that is someone else’s call.
I apologize for the mistake, and confusion.
JD (30f261) — 8/7/2012 @ 3:13 pmtye’s comments should be marked “shineola on a shingle”.
Icy (11919f) — 8/7/2012 @ 3:34 pmAnything you need to know about Reid, you can learn from “Casino.” Wonderful these movies that are true stories.
Mike K (326cba) — 8/7/2012 @ 4:02 pmWinning… like Charlie Sheen “Winning!!!”
ParkCityHigh (b0bb5a) — 8/7/2012 @ 4:10 pmAnything you need to know about Reid, you can learn from “Casino.” Wonderful these movies that are true stories.
Love that ending where they planted him in teh cornfield!
Colonel Haiku (cdb7fc) — 8/7/2012 @ 6:32 pmMeanwhile, Obama’s advisor Plouffe got plenty of cash from a company tied to Iran and Syria … which is far more serious than how much in taxes Romney paid.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/7/2012 @ 7:54 pmEver heard of Maher Arar?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/19/syria-us-ally-human-rights
“The Arar case wasn’t a one-off. According to the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer, who has spent much of the past decade investigating what she calls “the dark side” of the war on terror, Syria was one of the “most common” destinations for rendered suspects. Or, in the chilling words of former CIA agent Robert Baer, in 2004: “If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria.”
still sleeeeepy (b5f718) — 8/8/2012 @ 12:15 pmSHINY BUNNIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!
JD (bcf1b6) — 8/8/2012 @ 12:17 pmI see still cooooomatose is still brain dead.
From the article:
Why? Because:
A) Canada didn’t want him.
B)They couldn’t send him to Jordan; he’s not Jordanian. They could only send him to Syria if Canada wouldn’t take him because according to the Syrian nationality law he was still a citizen.
Still cooooooomatose is stupid enough to believe the most transparent garbage he reads in his left wing propaganda organs. Being brain dead he doesn’t see why no one else would buy this transparent nonsense. No doubt he demands to know why we didn’t just render all these non-EU citizens to Monaco.
I mean, we can just send them whereever we want right? Without checking with the countries like Canada or Germany where they’ve been naturalized or otherwise acquired passports first, right?
What an idiot.
Steve57 (5797fd) — 8/8/2012 @ 1:00 pmThis is hilarious. It seems Elizabeth Warren wanted in on all that hot “where are your tax returns?” action … so she demanded more tax returns from Sen. Brown.
Problem? He’s already released more than she has, and she refuses to release more of her own. Oops, another Democrat moron.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:02 pmanother Democrat moron
When speaking of Progressives, isn’t that redundant?
AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:04 pmIt is, AD, but she’s definitely exceeding my expectations of stupidity. Dumber than a sack of hammers.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:07 pmChris Mathews just said it is not possible to tell who the candidate is based on what he says.
JD (1979fe) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:12 pmWith a straight face. About Romney.
JD (1979fe) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:14 pmThat’s not a straight face, that’s a hyper-caffeinated face…
Colonel Haiku (29801e) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:20 pmHe is completely off the rails tonight. Even for Crissy.
JD (1979fe) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:21 pmLiawatha Warren… 1/32 Cherokee or full-blooded fabricator? You be teh judge.
Colonel Haiku (29801e) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:22 pmChris Matthews’ afternoon bourbon has dulled his senses. In another couple hours he’ll once again be able to feel that tingly feeling shooting up his left leg !
That guy drinks like a fish—or a drunk journalist !
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:44 pmColonel Haiku,
I just checked out Elizabeth Warren’s bloodlines at Ancestry.com, and it says she’s 31/32 fabricator. Her remaining 1/32 blood is simply, “fool.”
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 8/8/2012 @ 4:47 pm