Romney's tax rate: 13.9%- Page 2

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:22pm

Oh please. I'll give Newt this. He's quick. And he's got a vocabulary. But he's only pseudo-smart. He won't have the fiery crowds at a Presidential debate. And when he doesn't have the vocal masses at whom he can toss the reddest of meat, HE'S the one who comes across as diminished. I relish the opportunity to watch Obama, the man who ordered Bin Laden killed, who has destroyed al Qaeda leadership and who has Iran freaking the f*ck out debate Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Run Out of Town on Ethics charges. PLEASE. Pretty please with sugar on top.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:23pm

Some thoughts about debates:

1) General election debates will either have no audience or a hushed audience. Gingrich will not be able to work the room like he did on the Fox & CNN debates.

2) Obama is a much better debater than anyone who has been on the stage with Gingrich.

3) As much as Gingrich can fire up the GOP base, he will also fire up the Dem base and alienate independents.

4) Debates have less effect than most people think, and I'd think an Obama/Gingrich debate will have minimal effect. Both are well known public figures that the vast majority of the electorate have already formed thei opinions about.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:36pm

And, no matter how much he cries victim, Newt's checkered past will continue to haunt him. His multiple affairs (specifically, cheating on women who were seriously ill), his ethics violations, his bluster and lies and overt hypocrisy. He can work a crowd of fervent supporters. But he's inherently unlikable, and totally unelectable.

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:39pm

As Stephanie Miller remarked yesterday, Newt Gingrich is a dumb person's idea of what a smart person is like- a smug, lecturing blowhard.

If I were debating Gingrich (oh, be still my heart!) I would let him rant and bluster then stop and say "Newt, do you ever take responsibility for your actions? You insist you've atoned for your personal and governmental misdeeds but the first step in asking for forgiveness is acknowledging your errors and you have never done that. Not when you stepped down as Speaker in disgrace, not when you left your first wife, not when you left your second wife, not ever. Now here you are again lying about me and attacking anyone who dares to question you- You want to be president of the United State? The President has to accept the consequences of his actions and you are absolutely unable to do that. Harry Truman said 'The buck stops here,' not "It's the media's fault."

Updated On: 1/24/12 at 02:39 PM

[romantico]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:43pm

Here are some highlights from the last presidential debate. Look at how McCain,the angry fed up approach,vs. Obama's,cool calm, delivery and tell me who the winner is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao5V66m5FaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWW1Q73eY8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHW-0LDQ0IE

McCain as weak as he was, was a better candidate than Romney or Gingrich is. Nothing will deflate Newt's God size ego than Obama beating him in 2012. I doubt Newt would even have the class to concede the election. That is how big of a sore loser I see him as being.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:51pm

John Kerry - 13%

"In 2004, John Kerry and his wife released portions of their separate tax returns that showed the couple paid an effective federal tax rate of about 13 percent"
Link

[Kad]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:52pm

Kerry's not running for president and attempting the guise of "I'm a common man".

[Kad]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:53pm

And Goth- so, it won't be okay when Newt uses this information against Romney? Right?

[romantico]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 2:54pm

Goth, it's actually getting kind of sad. You have to go back to 2004? Really Goth? Arianna Huffington(who is not running for office mind you) now it's John Kerry? Stop already. Its just getting pathetic.

Goth, are you supporting Romney,Santorum,,or Swingrich?

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:03pm

Hey, if Goth and the rest of the fringe are OK with it, I'd be more than happy to put Kerry right up there next to Romney if they're willing to discuss tax reform in earnest.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:07pm

Who's John Kerry? Is he running for president?

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:16pm

It's really kind of cute! After throwing out a bunch of current democrats with a "They do it too!" raspberry, when challenged with actual facts, Goth dredges up JOHN KERRY's Tax return from 8 years ago. It shows the pathetic weakness of the Republican position.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:20pm

Frank Bruni has a great column in the NY Times this morning called "The Gusts of Gingrich":


Frank Bruni: The Gusts of Gingrich

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:33pm

If I'm reading correctly, it was actually Kerry's wife who paid the 13% (or 12.3%), thanks to Bush's tax cuts; it looks as though his tax rate (they filed separately) was more like 23%.

"Ms. Heinz Kerry paid a federal tax of $628,401, which is 12.3 percent of her total income and 27.4 percent of her adjusted gross income.

"She was a big beneficiary of the reductions in tax rates on dividends and capital gains that have been enacted under President Bush. She collected more than $2.2 million in dividends, all of which qualified for the new 15 percent tax rate, saving her $440,000, compared with the 35 percent rate that previously applied to dividends for those with million dollar-plus incomes."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:39pm

"As Stephanie Miller remarked yesterday, Newt Gingrich is a dumb person's idea of what a smart person is like- a smug, lecturing blowhard."

Stephanie must have been paraphrasing Paul Krugman, who was quoting somebody else.

PS But but but KERRY

Updated On: 1/24/12 at 03:39 PM

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:42pm

She probably quoted Krugman and I paraphrased her. I couldn't find the quote, I only knew I'd heard it on her show Monday.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 3:52pm

That's beside the point. But but but KERRY...

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 4:20pm

My fantasy is that Newt wins the nomination and an ad goes out showing Joe Scarborough repeating, over and over, a comment he made on Morning Joe: "Newt Gingrich is a horrible person."

[Yawper]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 8:06pm

I think the whole 13% tax rate thing being used against Romney is overblown in that Warren Buffet has talked about it, or at least tax inequality, for years. I don't think anyone is surprised that Romney makes a ton of money.

I still think Romney is going to win the nomination and he's going to be a tougher opponent than Gingrich. I fully expect Romney to shift to a more moderate stance once he has the nomination and is competing directly against Obama. Any GOPers on the fence now about Romney ('don't trust him - he's too liberal') certainly aren't going to jump onto Obama's wagon in the general.

[AMH]

Posted: 1/24/12 at 11:46pm

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

Yes, because that is the tax law. Romney didn't write the Internal Revenue Code, he just follows it. Long-term capital gains are taxed at a 15% rate, while short-term capital gains are taxed at an individual's ordinary rate. In fact, the income used to earn those capital gains has already been taxed, presumably at the top federal tax rate.

[dented146]

Posted: 1/25/12 at 1:21am

Newt is a very tough and smart guy and debater but also a scum bag. His past would kill him in an election. I don't see what the big deal is about Mitt's taxes or income. He's a bright guy who made a lot of money legally and pays the taxes he owes.

He didn't write the laws. Hell at least six Yankees make more than he does plus every celebrity in Hollywood.

In case you haven't noticed the economy stinks. And although Bush may be mostly responsible Obama owns it now. I do not believe that he will have an easy road to reelection.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/25/12 at 8:30am

Perhaps this is a good time to mention that it's Gingrich who is proposing to completely eliminate the capital gains tax, which would reduce Romney's taxes to near zero. Romney, on the other hand, is proposing to 'increase the tax base'. That's GOP-talk for taxing the poorest Americans. The GOP is offended that the very poor in this country pay little or no federal income tax. What they fail to mention is that we would have to tax the poor at a near 100% tax rate in order to raise the equivalent amount of revenue that eliminating loopholes and raising the rate on the top bracket by 2% would raise. That's the GOP's idea of fairness.

[AMH]

Posted: 1/25/12 at 10:04am

Newt's idea of a 15% flat rate and 0% capital gains rate sounds good to me. I think marginal rates are complete crap, and not exactly fair since 40% of filers don't pay any federal income taxes.

I like Newt's approach of "paychecks, not food stamps."

Posted: 1/25/12 at 10:53am

Why do you think capital gains should be tax-free? You seem bothered the lowest income Americans don't pay income taxes- why in the world would you like to make it that the richest among us not pay any taxes?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/25/12 at 11:01am

And BTW, the question being asked was not "is it legal?" but "is it fair?"--two entirely different propositions.