The Campaign Against Romney

Romney is being coy about revealing his history as a taxpaying citizen. For the Democrats, that’s a godsend.

My colleague Daniel Haufler simply calls it a “treacherous attack.” I call what the Democrats are doing in bringing up Mitt Romney’s history as a taxpayer underhanded and dangerous.

It’s common knowledge that Mitt Romney is being coy about releasing his tax records. The multimillionaire won’t even say whether he has ever paid a tax rate lower than the 13.9 percent he has already admitted to. The question is whether he is obligated to do so. Who will force him to do so? Romney has to decide whether continuing to dummy up will eventually benefit him or do him harm. That the U.S. tax system already permits paying shamefully low tax rates has been common knowledge for a long time now.

What is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid trying to accomplish with this? First he hints he has information that Mitt Romney paid no taxes at all for ten years. But then he immediately follows that by saying, “Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain.” So Mitt Romney then says it’s time for Reid to back up his charge or keep his mouth shut about his supposedly reliable source.

It’s not much help. It’s underhanded tactics. If the Democrats want to get something on Romney — perfectly legitimate during an election campaign — they should produce proof (in this case names and/or documents) or look elsewhere for ammunition to use against him.

Resorting to such tactics is also dangerous for the Democrats. Continuing in this vein will only succeed in driving some undecided voters into the arms of the Republicans.

I know, the Republicans don’t hesitate to use such tactics themselves. But that doesn’t mean the Democrats have to resort to taking similar cheap shots.