Harry Reid: Mitt Is Not The Face Of Mormonism

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Is it cynical of me to think that Reid is harsh on Romney as some sort of plan to take the Mormon issue off the table for Romney? I feel like a conspiracy theorist even thinking this, but seriously, who would be better than Reid, a Mormon, to diffuse the Mormon issue for Romney? No one. It's like Reid is taking one for the team (the Mormon team) or something. He wins because he appeals to his democratic base with his attacks on Romney and Team Mormon wins because they can always say, "Hey, Romney's Mormonism is a non-issue, after all, his biggest detractor, Reid, is a Mormon!" It's counter-intuitive, but as far as the Mormon issue goes, I think Reid being such an attack dog helps Romney on this issue. Am I crazy? I don't want to be crazy. If I'm crazy, someone tell me.

[_Cicero]

I'm actually really surprised to see that Reid said this. It's one thing to think it, but quite another to actually say it "for the record". I wonder if Reid will get dressed down by his stake president (or even someone higher up) for saying this?

I was very surprised to see Reid imply that Romney is not a very good Mormon (that is the way I read it anyway). Having said that, I have been hearing folks like bcspace and Droopy argue for years that people can't be good Mormons and support the platform of the Democratic Party, and I haven't seen any of them be disciplined or "dressed down." I am guessing that Reid has heard the same thing for many years now, so maybe he assumed that he could make the argument for the other side?

[_Nomomo]

Is it cynical of me to think that Reid is harsh on Romney as some sort of plan to take the Mormon issue off the table for Romney? I feel like a conspiracy theorist even thinking this, but seriously, who would be better than Reid, a Mormon, to diffuse the Mormon issue for Romney? No one. It's like Reid is taking one for the team (the Mormon team) or something. He wins because he appeals to his democratic base with his attacks on Romney and Team Mormon wins because they can always say, "Hey, Romney's Mormonism is a non-issue, after all, his biggest detractor, Reid, is a Mormon!" It's counter-intuitive, but as far as the Mormon issue goes, I think Reid being such an attack dog helps Romney on this issue. Am I crazy? I don't want to be crazy. If I'm crazy, someone tell me.

Your crazy, but it's a mild case -_~

[_son of Ishmael]

Is it cynical of me to think that Reid is harsh on Romney as some sort of plan to take the Mormon issue off the table for Romney? I feel like a conspiracy theorist even thinking this, but seriously, who would be better than Reid, a Mormon, to diffuse the Mormon issue for Romney? No one. It's like Reid is taking one for the team (the Mormon team) or something. He wins because he appeals to his democratic base with his attacks on Romney and Team Mormon wins because they can always say, "Hey, Romney's Mormonism is a non-issue, after all, his biggest detractor, Reid, is a Mormon!" It's counter-intuitive, but as far as the Mormon issue goes, I think Reid being such an attack dog helps Romney on this issue. Am I crazy? I don't want to be crazy. If I'm crazy, someone tell me.

Good point and it is win-win for Reid.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Harry got caught fibbing about Romney's taxes. Luckily, he made his statments in the house chamber and so he cannot be sued. But he was wrong. Harry is definitely not the face of Mormonism.

Romney shows himself to be a giving person. That is the face of Mormonism. But he is a politician and as a politician everything he does will be considered by antimormons as a reflection of the LDS church. Which of course will be an antimormon tactic. The church cannot win on this one.

There you go again, why me.

There is no evidence whatsoever that Reid was fibbing about Romney's taxes. And there will not be any evidence until Romney releases his returns for the ten years before Reid claimed the Bain Capital executive had told him about Romney's taxes (say 1999 to 2009).

This is highly unlikely because, well, seems pretty clear now that Romney has not been paying anything close to his claimed 15% tax over the last 10 years. If the best Romney could do when his feet were to the fire on his 2011 tax return was to give the Treasury a gift and still not make the 15% he claimed, why should the American people believe him?

Romney not releasing his tax returns is a big red flag. Most Americans can see that. You apparently cannot.

Was Romney not the one who said that his tax rate was at least 15%?

Based on the evidence, who is really fibbing?

Think, why me - think.

DrW, according to the letter from PWC (Romney's accounting firm), Romney's average federal income tax rate between 1990 and 2009 was 20.2% and the lowest % he paid during those years was 13.66%. Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't seem like Romney was lying when he said his rate was at least 15%.

[Guest]

I wonder if Reid will get dressed down by his stake president (or even someone higher up) for saying this?

Extremely unlikely.

[_Nomomo]

There you go again, why me.

There is no evidence whatsoever that Reid was fibbing about Romney's taxes. And there will not be any evidence until Romney releases his returns for the ten years before Reid claimed the Bain Capital executive had told him about Romney's taxes (say 1999 to 2009).

This is highly unlikely because, well, seems pretty clear now that Romney has not been paying anything close to his claimed 15% tax over the last 10 years. If the best Romney could do when his feet were to the fire on his 2011 tax return was to give the Treasury a gift and still not make the 15% he claimed, why should the American people believe him?

Romney not releasing his tax returns is a big red flag. Most Americans can see that. You apparently cannot.

Was Romney not the one who said that his tax rate was at least 15%?

Based on the evidence, who is really fibbing?

Think, why me - think.

DrW, according to the letter from PWC (Romney's accounting firm), Romney's average federal income tax rate between 1990 and 2009 was 20.2% and the lowest % he paid during those years was 13.66%. Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't seem like Romney was lying when he said his rate was at least 15%.

It's not quite that simple Tim, in fact it is very slippery. The PWC letter is basically meaningless. > Mitt Romney PwC Letter Is Meaningless, Reid Fires Back > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blackberr ... id=1904543

[Guest]

-

[_Joyful]

Just to be clear:

I like Harry Reid and have a lot of respect for him and his staff. They do a great job.

Mitt Romney?

Not so much.

Just to be clear, I cannot believe anyone likes and respects Harry Reid?

[_Kishkumen]

Just to be clear, I cannot believe anyone likes and respects Harry Reid?

Mitt Romney is the guy who yammers on about the importance of pulling one's self up by one's own bootstraps.

Harry Reid is the guy who did it.

That's something to respect, I think.