Campaign Bias

The Dominican Republic is left to reflect on the electoral process while analyzing the notes that have surfaced in the campaign for the Republican Party’s candidate for the United States presidency in November.

As it turns out, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney made $21.6 million in 2010 but was taxed only 13.9 percent, the same rate as a family who earns only $50,000 a year, which reflects the average home in that country. But Romney, a multi-millionaire and a favorite candidate for the elections, is not a tax-evader. The reason he pays so little in taxes is because his income is considered interest earned on investments in a company dedicated to buying, cleaning up and selling other companies.

The funny thing is that it was Romney’s Republican rival Newt Gingrich, author of the idea that “people power” will defeat “money power,” who forced him to make his tax return public. And in the U.S., unlike countries like the Dominican Republic, candidates and officials call each other out so they’re not able to hide their stories.

But this didn’t matter for Romney, a millionaire and son of millionaires. It is reprehensible that the former governor of Massachusetts was forced to only now reveal his taxes, which should have been submitted and available since the launch of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

It’s a given that history is not decisive, but it remains an important factor when calibrating the speeches. Not everywhere, like in the Dominican Republic, but in many countries people are often distracted by façades and marketing gimmicks. President Barack Obama had to not only present his birth certificate, but he also had to find witnesses. Politicians should be transparent if they are to speak of transparency. Romney is a perfect example.