Romney's tax rate: 13.9%

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:19am

That's right, he plays a lower rate than most working families. And that's just for 2010 & 2011, when I'm sure he was posturing himself for this campaign. I'd imagine that older tax returns would be even more infuriating. If the Dems can't make him the poster boy for tax reform, we're beyond hope.
Romney

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:28am

I guess I never knew his first name was Willard. This information amuses me.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:31am

With Gringrich's huge win in SC and now this, it's getting harder to see Mittster Romney as the presumptive nominee. For all these months, no matter who was zigzagging toward the top at a given moment, I remained pretty firmly convinced there was no way Mitt would lose the lead in the long term. I'm honestly starting to wonder now...

If Fox News threw all their weight behind Ron Paul, I think not only would he be a shoo-in for the nomination, but I think he'd have a chance at besting Obama. Without that push by the GOP spin machine, though, he's just out there making a point. Santorum is the only truly unelectable one among them, being so out of touch socially, and Gingrich would make for fantastic debates, but I'm not sure he could emerge a winner in November.

But in the wake of these latest developments for Romney, it's getting harder to imagine right-wingers on the fence swallowing their pride for this guy.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:37am

While you're rooting around over at Huffy Post, why don't you ask Arriana how much she pays.

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:38am

I don't think there is a Republican still in the race that has a chance of beating Obama, barring some bizarre force majeur. Ron Paul is truly a horrible human being- Whether he wants to maintain that he never read those horrible newsletters that went out above his name or he really wrote such racist garbage, all but the most hardened racist would have to find his behavior repulsive.

Romney's returns certainly give the President a great opportunity to demonstrate that the richest among us are not overtaxed.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:41am

Though I disagree with him on virtually everything, I can respect Ron Paul for his consistency. That said, he is unelectable. His views are far outside the mainstream, from isolationism to civil rights.

I think a brokered convention is becoming more of a possiblity. Even if Santorum drops out soon, the three others are likely to hang around for awhile, and they could divvy up the delegates so that no one gets the required majority. This will become even more likely if we see some 'favorite son' candidates popping up in some states.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 10:46am

"While you're rooting around over at Huffy Post, why don't you ask Arriana how much she pays."

Wow...in a career of lame responses, this has to be right up there with the lamest.

Simple yes or no question: do you think it's fair that Romney pays 13.9% taxes on his income?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 11:15am

Simple yes or no question: Do you think it's fair that Romney uses the same loopholes that every other rich person uses including the Obamas, the Clintons, the Kerrys, Nanny Pelosi, Nanny Bloomberg, etc, etc, etc?

Direct your anger back at Barack Obama and your rich Congress Democrats who actually are tasked with setting tax law, not at Mitt Romney.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 11:18am

Goth - Simple yes or no question: Were your parents siblings?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 11:30am

Goth answering a yes or no question

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 11:35am

And apparently the Obamas paid about 26 percent in 2011. You can research the others on your list yourself.

Posted: 1/24/12 at 11:39am

Yes- the Obamas paid about 26% in federal taxes, 3% in Illinois state tax and donated a little more than 14% of their income to charity.
No offshore accounts either

[SNAFU]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 12:00pm

I find the 13.9 % appalling! Though I have been angry at the disparaging tax rates since McCain released his returns. I made less then a third of what he made that year and paid a lot more in taxes then he did. (I was hit with 33% that year!).

I am sure this is going to bite Old Mitt in the butt!

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 12:02pm

Nah. Most Americans are worried about what Arianna Huffington pays.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 12:06pm

I agree with Goth. I demand to know what tax rate Arianna Huffington pays. How dare she run for president without revealing this???

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 12:09pm

13.9% is absurd. Absolutely, completely absurd. The Romney's give nearly as much (if not more) to the Mormon church through their tithes. That church is getting as much as our government from these plastic people.

Best regards,

Madame Defarge

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:04pm

If Fox News threw all their weight behind Ron Paul, I think not only would he be a shoo-in for the nomination

If Fox News threw all their weight behind Ron Paul, hell would freeze over.

Ron Paul is unelectable.

Mitt Romney is unelectable.

Newt Gingrich is unelectable.

There is absolutely no scenario under which Barack Obama can be defeated in November.

The Republican Party is is suffering a crisis the likes of which it has never seen before--and at a time when the Democratic president is seen as unpopular by much of the three bases of the GOP: the fiscal conservatives, the social conservatives, and the libertarian conservatives. And the Democratic Congress is even more unpopular!

But these three bases of the party, which were brought together by Nixon and Reagan and joined with the corporate Republicans and the foreign-policy conservatives, have split at the seams and there is no one who can put them back together again.

And yet they keep having these debates, which have done nothing except turn the Republican nomination into a reality show.

Updated On: 1/24/12 at 01:04 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:21pm

Do you get the feeling if they ever pick a nominee, he'll only agree to one debate with Obama?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:27pm

I wish I had your optimism, PJ.

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:33pm

Gingrich thinks he'd whoop Obama in a debate. If he manages to get the nomination he'll want as many debates as he can get.

Updated On: 1/24/12 at 01:33 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:41pm

Newt is once again claiming that he has been victimized by the media. Now he's whining that NBC kept the crowd quiet for last night's debate. He claiming that he won't debate again unless the crowd can be allowed to be as vocal as they want.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:53pm

Newt should star in one of those barnstorming Tyler Perry shows that play the Beacon. He'd be great as The Man in 'Momma...Where My Food Stamps At?'

I do believe that there are many ways in which President Obama could lose the election...most importantly, a crisis in Europe. But this primary battle seems like the photo negative of the 2008 Democratic one, right? That one was exciting and divisive and hopeful and bloody...but between two people who were clearly expert politicians presenting some sort of vision for the United States of America.

This primary is about a group of loons and one plastic man presenting how they'd like to govern only about 30% of America. It's shocking in its tone-deafness.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 1:57pm

If Newt does win the nomination, Obama is going to have to think about how to handle the debates. Newt is going to be loud and demanding and full of lies. Obamas usual calm and reserved manner could look weak next to that. It'll be a very interesting next couple of months.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:05pm

I agree 100%, Jordan. Newt against Obama in one-on-one debates is a slightly intimidating prospect, at least partially for the reason you've stated. Newt is also very intelligent. You may not like him. You may disagree with everything he says and stands for. But he's no dummy. And he's far more eloquent and fiery than the only other hopeful with a head for actually talking policy, Ron Paul.

[romantico]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:19pm

If the crowd was full of independent voters, Newt would be whining for them to stop heckling him. It amazes me that these crowds are all entirely Republicans.Newt knows how to stir the pot and give his base a good show.This is what they want to hear. Lets see how Newt does when someone in the audience boo's him. Let's see how he handles it when he takes a question from someone in the audience who asks him about his ethics violations and his hypocrisy when it comes to family values and marriage. He will accuse the person of being a Liberal plant and demand he bus in his own audience with pre-approved questions.

Newt is a fake and his popularity is with EXTREME REPUBLICANS ONLY. Obama is the cool calm black man in the room laughing at all this crazy drama. I want to see Obama debate Romney or Gingrich. TRUST ME,It will not be pretty.Newt or Mitt will remind the voters why Obama in 2012 is the only way to go. Lets not forget, McCain tried the angry old man approach in the debates in 2008 and Obama ended up looking like the most Presidential one up there.

Updated On: 1/24/12 at 02:19 PM