Why the Bain story won't have any legs

[quinnox]

It is boring. Unsexy, having to do with taxes, and obscure filings of reports, its not something that is interesting or "juicy". Most Americans aren't even paying attention, as the lazy days of summer are here.

The Bain story makes me think it reinforces the image of Romney as a "white bread" boring and bland candidate. Hell, the guy is a boy scout, and probably hasn't jaywalked in his life. If this is the "biggest" scandal they can find on the guy, it is par for the course.

[ProSense]

1. Why this

"Why the Bain story won't have any legs"

...is wishful thinking: It just damn is.

[DevonRex]

18. GMTA. nt

[FarLeftFist]

96. This OP seems like a common RW tactic. "It's not working, lets give up". Except it IS working.

[2pooped2pop]

121. hell, even if it's legs get crippled now

It ran a nice little course already. Brought out a lot of shit. And it may not go away since he won't release those returns.

Fuckers think they can make an issue that has dragged on for 4 years on Obama's birth certificate, and we're suppose to stop demanding to see Mitten's returns? I don't think so and I don't think this will ever stop haunting Rmoney.

[Fresh_Start]

2. they have to put the workers who lost their jobs in the picture

and have the workers talk about the final straw...when they as taxpayers had to bail out the pension funds that Bain robbed

[Zalatix]

8. That right there, is the killshot this Baingate campaign needs.

[OverseaVisitor]

11. Bulleye

It is call telling the story to the American people.

[ProSense]

13. Already

"they have to put the workers who lost their jobs in the picture"

...being done:

I was fired by Mitt Romney and Bain Capital
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002948977

[OverseaVisitor]

3. Look beneath the cover

[mfcorey1]

4. Wrong, the American people are watching. I have had more people who do not follow politics talking

about this and Mitty.

[OverseaVisitor]

33. Cause it is cutting through all the cowpie

It is removing the wool for the eyes so they can see beyond the hatred and division.
Everyone often forget Obama experience _ COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

Obama is a Responsible person.
For him willing to put his safety, his family safety on the line for this job speak volume about him as a human being

He pick a hard road
And all the crowds that still comes to listen to him shows that many still trust the man as it show be.

[zappaman]

5. I disagree.

The Obama team, unlike those of Kerry's or Gore's, knows how to run a campaign and they will find a way to keep it going.
The guy is coming across as hiding something in regards to his income taxes and this is something Americans want to see.
This issue will not go away.

[DainBramaged]

12. And I agree 100%

He is the toast for the shit sandwich he's being served

[AngryOldDem]

35. Also agree.

Mary Matalin said the exact same thing as the OP. I disagree entirely.

This is not one of those "move along, nothing to see here" issues. Serious, legitimate questions have been raised, and Mitt needs to answer them.

[Tarheel_Dem]

106. Mary Matalin, you say? Well that explains quite a bit.

[JoePhilly]

6. Which is why Mitt flipped out and did 5 interviews on Friday ... totally boring.

It plays to how Mitt would engage the economy as President.

How the super rich like him get to play by a different set of rules.

How hiding money in foreign tax havens is a good thing, for him.

[BamBamBane]

7. Sexy is as sexy does

just ask any Republican Family Values exponent.

The underwear element of the Big Bain Brouhaha has not yet, um, dropped.

[DainBramaged]

10. I disagree completely

At work the brickheads are bemoaning the stupidity of the mittster

[DevonRex]

14. LOL. Nt

[Spazito]

15. LOL!

Romney went on FIVE mainstream news programs on Friday because Bain has "no legs". Rove's whining at a high-decibel level because Bain has "no legs". Republican pundits are "outraged" because Bain has "no legs".

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. I think it will continue to nag at him, but it won't make him drop out.

For that, you'd need the proverbial "dead girl/live boy" type of story. This doesn't have that bite. But it will be good to hammer him on come debate time.

[quinnox]

25. I think those who think this Bain story will cause Romeny to drop out or

have any real effect on the election are fooling themselves.

[CreekDog]

38. then what the heck has been happening the past two weeks?

are you smarter than the rest of us?

everyone sees what's happening now, and you say it's nothing?

huh.

[SunsetDreams]

39. Says who?

Those who think this Bain Story will ...."have any real effect on the election are fooling themselves."

[Douglas Carpenter]

105. it will not make him drop out - but obama will lose if they don't push the Bain story and Romney

will win. It is not possible to follow recent events or to be familiar with Romney's earlier political career without realizing that Bain is Romney's achilles heel - because it is the story of a rich son of privilege wrecking the lives of hard working Americans This is the issue that turned the election around for Kennedy in 1994 and is also the issue that forced Romney to have to fight off primary candidate after primary candidate and why he could never stay at the top of the polls during the primary campaigns until the very end when there were no candidates left. If Obama wins it will be because of Bain. I question how political aware someone could be if they do not understand this.

[HiPointDem]

115. The Rpmneys are relative newcomers to great wealth. Mitt's dad didn't start out superrich &

didn't die superrich, I think. Just a highly-paid functionary.

Mitt went to public school through the 7th grade -- he started prep school at about the same time dad entered politics.

Mitt very much deserves to be called out for Bain. But an informed electorate has to realize that both parties are being funded by people just like Mitt, and pushing the same kind of policies.

[Douglas Carpenter]

116. well it certainly is true that predatory capitalism funds both political parties. If I were to find

a progressive silver lining to all of this - it is that this whole campaign is putting the Democratic Party on public record by basing the whole reelection strategy of President Obama on opposing the most retrograde and extreme forms of predatory capitalism - however hypocritical this may be. How much this will actually affect policy - time will tell. But now it is in the mainstream of popular discussion and front and center in the market place of ideas that there is something wrong with this extreme form of speculation driven casino capitalism. To change a long established political-economic policy it is necessary to change the political culture. The Democrats have now learned that they cannot run and win anymore simply representing the left-wing caucus of hedge fund managers and private equity firms.

[HiPointDem]

119. yes, and that to me seems a very odd thing. you don't go there, because you know your own

ox can be gored.

so why are they going there?

it's almost like mitt's a sacrifice.

[npk]

70. Romney is in too deep at this point

He couldn't drop out even if he wanted to. He is the GOP candidate, every one else has bowed out - well except for Ron Paul, but nobody was going to vote for him anyway. Romney is never going to show his tax returns, since there is no law requiring him to do so. So at the end of the day, the issue will be something that ties to his credibility, which is what the Obama camp has sought to call into question. I think the way President Obama has handled this is brilliant. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if Romney shows his returns, in fact it's better that he doesn't, because his credibility has already been degraded as it will continue to be as the campaign goes forward.

[Ruby the Liberal]

83. He needs to dig his heels in on this.

Seriously.

The "law" doesn't require him to release records. The "law" allowed him to take loopholes in his taxes to evade paying them. In 2009, the "law" allowed people with foreign accounts to fess up without penalty, and a fraction of what they would have owed if they weren't playing the tax haven game.

Sure - everything is by the book and under the "law". This just serves to expose what is wrong with the "law".

So, I hope he keeps everything tucked away so that the debate on the "law" is kicked down the road (this Congress won't touch it) and it keeps the current focus on WHAT IS WILLARD HIDING.

Where the focus needs to be.

His ethics.

[valerief]

17. It's a GREAT story. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

19. It has legs. Just go over to the Freeper site

The teabagger crowd has had it with him and that is his "base", who really didn't want him but were stuck with him. And they are usually loyal voters. Now they are pissed because it confirms their misgivings and many plan to sit home come election time and prepare for 2016.

[progressivebydesign]

34. frankly the freeps would be better off with Obama in office, unless they're billionaires. n/t

[Xyzse]

20. I guess?

That is, until something can be linked to one of the following topics:

1 - Sexual Cheating (though that didn't really stop Newt)
2 - Raising Taxes (Not that they pay attention to what Raegan and Bush I actually did)
3 - Abortion ...

Well, with a company being related to Bain(during the time frame he was heading the company before he was retroactively mentioned not to head it) which involved wasting a bunch of aborted fetus.

Who knows? Thing is, I doubt that they really care as long as that person is part of their ilk.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

21. Bain is only a small part

only the beginning. Only republicans aren't enjoying this

[OverseaVisitor]

44. Bain

define how American got thrown over a cliff

It is about K street, Citizen united, Income equality, austerity cut (taking money out of everyone wallets to give to the few ), Greedy capitalism gone nuts.

In simple it will be a game changer for the American people but they need to vet the representatives better from bottom up.

[Tarheel_Dem]

108. "Only republicans aren't enjoying this"

Ding! Ding! DIng!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

124. Did they anticipate this or what?

[SunsetDreams]

22. I suppose it wouldn't be sexy to

those that try to find every loophole to get out of paying taxes, like the rest of us. I suppose everyone has so much money they can stash it away in foreign countries all to save a buck. I suppose everyone will just understand how a candidate who runs on being a job creator and his business expertise, destroyed American jobs and took them overseas all for the mighty dollar. Yeah I suppose that's par for the course for the rest of us who work our ass off just to barely get by.

[Lint Head]

23. That's the reason the story was trotted out early. It will stick but wil be a small part

of the litany of dirt yet to come on Willard. They have just begun. The VP pick will be very telling. Willard will have to placate his billionaire backers and the Morman church with his pick.

I have stocked up on popcorn.

[cali]

24. uh, it's strutting all over the media and social media.

[progressivebydesign]

26. And Mitt whining that Kerry's WIFE didn't release HER returns doesn't mean a thing.. bwahaha

And Rush is in absolute meltdown mode screaming that the President "hates America" and his "father was a communist and his mother a leftist' today, because Mitt is doing so well.

Bain owns Clear Channel, and no doubt the word is to go full out to try the Obama is a secret Muslim America-hater. Oh.. it's got legs alright. It's also a top search on google now.

[SunsetDreams]

27. "It's also a top search on google now."

Shhhh it doesn't have legs!

[rox63]

28. It already has legs

And it has been strutting its stuff since mid last week. Mittens is still trying to wiggle away from it, and is failing miserably. And there is much more where that came from. This is just the beginning of the effort to make sure the entire country knows what a lying slime Romney is.

[Javaman]

29. noted.

[RZM]

30. By itself it's not going to be particularly important. But it will be part of the larger narrative

It will be one example of many in the Obama campaign's portrayal of Romney. They will go after him as a rich guy who cares more about money than he does about you or me.

As a scandal, it won't amount to much. But it will be used as evidence against Romney and certainly won't help him.

[Arugula Latte]

31. It's been a several-day story already. It already has legs.

[coalition_unwilling]

32. I notice this OP has not returned to the thread. Grr, at least

stay with your OP for a few minutes after launching it! (Pet peeve of mine.)

It would not have 'any legs' if Mitt had released his returns forthrightly. But now even prominent Repigs are calling for him to release his returns and he's still not doing it. So now the story is not so much 'Bain proper' as it is, "What is Romney hiding?" And that, my friend, is a story with the legs of giants. (See Nixon, ca. 1972-74.)

[quinnox]

37. yes I did

see post #25.

Let's see who is right in a couple weeks or so, me or those who claim its a gigantic scandal.

[CreekDog]

40. in addition to getting the story wrong, you have gotten us wrong

wrongly assuming that most people who think it's a story think it's a "gigantic scandal".

might want to actually get to know what your fellow posters are saying and thinking about it better since you've misunderstood what most of them are actually thinking about it.

[coalition_unwilling]

42. My apologies. I won't self delete my post b/c

of my substantive objection to your point in the second paragraph.

But I now admit I indulged my pet peeve too hastily.

The story has morphed into 'What is he hiding and why?' That is a dangerous story and one with mega-legs.

[Ruby the Liberal]

36. You may be confused by the implications of the Bain story

and the tax returns, but telling the average American "just trust me" while not producing the documents is going to be the gift that keeps on giving in reinforcing him as being shady and having something to hide.

If the political damage from not producing these records has been deemed to be less of a problem than if they were released, thats all people need to know.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

41. This story is so fucking sexy I'm going to go take a cold shower right fucking NOW, Skinner!

I am SERIES...the Bain story is HUGH and it is SEX-EEEEE.

Gordon Gecko singing "God Bless America" with a history as Buffy the Job Slayer behind him?

NOT SEXY? NO LEGS?

FIE upon that assertion. FIE!

[RedStateLiberal]

43. Bain is Romney's admitted primary qualification for being president

At the least this will get the average American voter asking what exactly did Romney do at Bain? When they find out they will not like it and every time he brings up his business experience they will be reminded about what he did in business. Romney = Bain now.

[Liberal_in_LA]

60. weird how Romney doesn't mention his Gov days. like they didn't even happen.

[Ruby the Liberal]

63. Thats an easy one. Romneycare and Same Sex Marriage.

Both were enacted under his watch.

Governor Mitt Romney ordered town clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses on May 17, 2004.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts

[RedStateLiberal]

68. And his horrible record as Gov on job creation.

47th out of 50 states in job creation. You'd think he'd cherry pick something from his record as Gov but I guess everything he did that was good would piss off the wingnuts too much. He's boxed in more than a mime!

[Ruby the Liberal]

80. Outsourced State Government functions to India.

We should start making a list.

[RedStateLiberal]

86. Charged a fee for being blind

plus other goodies from McCain opposition research:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002955557

[Ruby the Liberal]

91. This guy is a cartoon.

I still can't believe the establishment let him win this primary season.

[Liberal_in_LA]

93. wow

[kentuck]

45. quinnox, I would have to disagree on this one.

It is whatever the Democrats want to make it. What is he hiding? When he was shipping jobs overseas and putting all his profits into offshore accounts and not paying his fair share of taxes, the people are very interested. Romney is going to have to come clean. What is he hiding?

[SoCalDem]

46. More legs than a millipede

why?

1. EVERYONE worries about their money.. He presented himself as THE money-man. but won't prove his money is clean

2. He's proud of the fact that his last "job" was in 1999.That's the job he's basing his whole campaign on

3. Our whole economy almost collapsed because of secretive money manipulators just like him

[quinnox]

47. ok, fine, let's see if it is still being talked about in, say,

two - three weeks from now. My guess is you won't hear a peep about it by then.

[SoCalDem]

49. It may ebb, but it will be back..as well as the erased hard-drives in MA

Obama's team is not going to play nice..

[CreekDog]

57. How long did you hear about Swift Boat? (unlike thus, a fse issue)

Did Swift Boat affect the election even though it was off the radar by Election Day? Yes it did.

[otohara]

73. I'll Bet You $10,000 Romney Bucks

it's still an issue.

Outsourcing jobs doesn't sit well with people.

[Ruby the Liberal]

85. What - Willard's ethics? How much you want to put on that.

Drip, drip, drip.

[FarLeftFist]

97. Are you serious?! That will be about the time Romney is forced to make a tax return dump.

Then he will REALLY be on the defensive. This election is only 15 weeks away.

[Drunken Irishman]

101. It's been talked about since the primaries...

Where have you been? This has constantly dogged Romney since the primaries and nearly cost him the nomination. It came up in May and it's back in July - over six months he's faced questions over Bain & his tax returns. It will be linger until the election.

[DonCoquixote]

48. depends on how it is sold

For example, while I am pro-choice, imagine an ad aimed at conservatives where we ask them how they like a guy that made money out of disposing of aborted fetuses?

Anything we can do to promote infighting on their side is good, it's not like they have not tried that with us.

[brush]

50. No legs?

You must realize by now that your post is not accurate, right? The Obama campaign has him corner in a lie. Either he was or wasn't with Bain from '99-'02. Either way he's caught in a lie and everyone now has to cover it, even the corporate network media.

[Nye Bevan]

51. Granted, it's not Weiner's cock,

and it's not Clinton's cigar, but I think it's got plenty of potential. Americans understand lies and money.

[chowder66]

52. Boyscout you say

Hmmm.
Animal cruelty
Intense Bullying
Lying as if his life depended on it.

Yep. That sounds like the guys I know who were boyscouts.

Also, having legs in todays 24/7 news cycle is not the same as in the past.
If the MSM is covering it then it has legs because well, they are covering it.

No story is going to last for a year anymore. It will come and go. This will come up
again at the most critical time. At the debates. There will be plenty written about it at that
time for those who catch up closer to election day. Of course, more may be coming as new
information is uncovered.

No one disputes Mitt is boring or bland but many are wondering what boring-and-bland is hiding.

[arely staircase]

53. so why are the goopers flippin' out about it? NT

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

54. That's what they said about Watergate. "A third-rate burglary," they said.

More damn legs than the Folies Bergere.

[Spazito]

56. LOL!

Perfect!

[Tarheel_Dem]

111. Or The Rockettes!

[coalition_unwilling]

117. Hey, VO, figured you would enjoy this little trip down memory lane:

PRESIDENT: You think, you think we want to, want to go this route now? And the--let it hang out, so to speak?

DEAN: Well, it's, it isn't really that--

HALDEMAN: It's a limited hang out.

DEAN: It's a limited hang out.

EHRLICHMAN: It's a modified limited hang out.

PRESIDENT: Well, it's only the questions of the thing hanging out publicly or privately.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_hangout

*****************************

[Liberal_in_LA]

55. the tax return part has legs.

[CreekDog]

58. How could any informed person call Romney a boy scout?

[quinnox]

59. because of this is the type of dirt they can find on the guy

he is a freakin' boy scout compared to most politicians. Sex scandals, corruption, bribes, prostitution rings, etc are way more serious than this. Why do you think Romney being painted as a liar will be like a revelation to most Americans? I think most Americans know every politician lies, its not something that is shocking.

[CreekDog]

71. look, your gambit to drum up sympathy isn't working with me

not this, not the various posts from you to make him look like a sympathetic character.

nor do i need reminding that racists might vote for him, thank you for that insightful observation (a little while back).

your posts keep referring to how Romney looks the part of president.

what do looks have to do with anything? skin color?

they both wear suits, they are both middle aged, they are both wealthy, exactly what look does he have that Obama doesn't?

whatever it is you're trying to convince us of here, long term, is not working on me.

http://election.democraticunderground.com/1002643137#post1

[quinnox]

75. I'm sorry you have such a problem with those who may disagree with you

or hold a different opinion than you do. I stand by my view that this Bain thing is a tempest in a teapot, and will have little to no effect on the election.

I guess I could put on some rainbow and sunshine glasses and pretend this is the biggest scandal since Watergate and will force Romney to drop out in a week or so, or cause Obama to win a landslide victory, but as a realist, I'm not the type to do that.

[CreekDog]

78. Please explain why Romney looks like a president?

reminds them of the 1950's, etc.?

would like to know more about that since you are the one who has posted these things on DU multiple times.

and now he looks like a boy scout. how do they look?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

61. Boring subjects such as hedge funds and credit default swaps ruined our economy

Americans lost their houses, their jobs, and their healthcare because of non-juicy business practices of the financial overlords. I hope Americans are just a little concerned about having a financial services vulture capitalist and job layoff king running for office.

[Quantess]

62. Why are you are pornifying this?

Shame on you! "Legs"? "Juicy"? "Biggest?" and, most egregious yet... "unsexy".
WOW...just WOW. I suppose you are fantasizing about a pornified librarian, too.



.
.
.

Just kidding, but that is the kind of answer your dumb OP deserves.

[quinnox]

64. well, they say we men are always thinking about porn

in one way or another, so it is what it is.

[Quantess]

89. Oh, is that is why it's such a dumb OP? No, but...

Maybe you just need to imagine a pornified librarian pointing out all the SEC documents that Romney signed, which contradict all the lies he has been telling to everyone else, for you to finally notice!

It is really not that difficult to see the obvious, whopping lies. I disagree with your OP.

[Enrique]

65. don't look at it as a scandal

that's why I think it's a mistake to talk about the "felony" aspect, and why Karl Rove is pushing that aspect and Obama is steering in another direction.

This isn't a bombshell type story, the Bain stuff is not anything new, it's used against Mitt every time he runs, but it frames him so that when he makes his arguments about creating jobs, people won't believe him.

[DearAbby]

66. Many made the same mistake thinking the Shots at Kerry

in mid-summer wouldn't be all that big...until they were wearing purple heart bandaids a the GOP convention.

Obama team has to define Romney early, after the convention there will be an avalanche of negative ads being carpet bombed everywhere.

People are interested, the wealth disparity is painfully felt. People are hurting, and because of this they are paying attention. I have more faith in the American people. Not all are feeding at the trough of Fox Fear.

[LiberalAndProud]

67. Really? I don't think retroactive retirement is boring at all.

Think of all the fishing Romney's going to get to already did.

It's mind-bendingingly sexy.

[WilliamPitt]

69. The Romney campaign would disagree

if they weren't too busy doing damage control.

Mmm?

Hm.

[maddezmom]

72. I've bookmarked this thread

you might be right, but I highly doubt it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

74. Watergate was just a botched burglary by low level burglars.

[reformist2]

76. Wrong. Bain is shady and creepy, making money by firing people. Anything but boring!

[Cali_Democrat]

77. Romney is a boy scout? You do realize he had to have committed a felony?

If the SEC documents are true, then the FEC disclosure form is false. If the FEC disclosure form is true, then the SEC documents are false.

The the SEC documents say he was still in charge of Bain. The FEC disclosure form says he retired in 1999. Both signed by Romney, but both can't be true.

If he's telling the truth on one, he's lying on the other. Either way, it appears Romney has committed a felony by lying on one of those forms.

Some boy scout

[quinnox]

84. ok, so when will Romney be forced to withdraw from the race?

I mean, if he committed a felony, that should finish his candidacy, right?

This is great, Obama will win by default, without even trying!

[Cali_Democrat]

87. I didn't say he would withdraw, I just said he was no boy scout like you claimed

The GOP had a war criminal run for President in 2004. It's not like this is uncharted territory for them.

[ProSense]

88. Red herring, but

this thread has an air of disappointment about the fact that Romney is caught in a shit storm

He knows it.

Exhibit A:

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/new-romney-video-uses-footage-of-obama-singing

[CreekDog]

92. the OP previously posted a thread saying that it didn't change his opinion

[NRaleighLiberal]

79. My twitter feeds are full of boring, legless Bain stories. They are endless.

I've never seen to many so bored!



I think this story has great legs!

[proud patriot]

81. Ha!

You should have more faith in the American People.

[Politicalboi]

82. I don't agree

This is going to stay for a long while. And what of his VP pick. You would have to be crazy to sign onto his ticket without him showing even his VP his tax returns. And what is he going to expect of his VP pick taxes?

[treestar]

90. Disagree

Not a boy scout, but a weirdo - the dog story, the haircutting story, etc.

The big issue here is that he doesn't have to pay taxes or won't show his taxes like everyone else who runs for the office and that he is close to outsourcing of jobs overseas. People identify with job losses a lot.

[muriel_volestrangler]

94. This has revealed Romney wants to deny his Bain work from 1999 to 2002

and that has turned what might have been a boring dispute about venture capital actions into "what decisions did he make at Bain that he subsequently tried to cover up?" If Romney hadn't lied on his federal disclosure report about his involvement in Bain Capital in that period, he could have bored people with financial jargon until the story dropped. Now we know (a) he lied, (b) he must have had some reason for lying.

It's not a 'scandal' to force him to drop out; it's a way of reminding people he is a 0.01%er, who made hundreds of millions by sucking companies dry, and that he himself would rather some if it is covered up. It hurts him with typical voters.

[scheming daemons]

95. Thanks for your concern .... FAIL

[spanone]

98. i think a rich guy possibly gaming the system to the tune of a felony is damned sexy

[Harley Jacobson]

99. BAIN MATTERS: Conservative Talk Radio Show Hosts PAID by Bain Capital

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/26/1095014/-Bain-Capital-and-Mitt-Romney-s-Best-Kept-Secret-Clear-Channel-Radio

[BklnDem75]

100. I disagree

It already has legs. Team Romney's demand to retract the Washington Post article gave it running shoes.

[pnwmom]

102. What's so boring about lying, cheating, and stealing?

You never watched any soaps.

[Angry Dragon]

103. Willard is no 'boy scout'

if he was he would stop telling lies and show us the returns and records


I have no idea where you have been

[still_one]

104. It may not interest you, but it sure is interesting a lot of other people. / nt

[intaglio]

107. Your OP is wrong

This story has legs - because it has lost Romney an election before. This story has been about since his failed attempt to defeat Kennedy.

Yes it will quieten down, but your mistake is in failing to see the heart of the tale; this story is about patriotism, it is about truthfulness and it is about a cruel man failing despite his cruelties. These are big themes, the sort of themes you find in myths.

[Yeah Its Spin]

109. LOL, Hell, the guy is a boy scout, and probably hasn't jaywalked in his life.

Is jaywalking a felony?

Yeah it's got legs, and it knows how to use them. It walked straight though the weekend after a Friday news dump and will be strutting into Tuesday.

[Kalidurga]

110. Oh no this story is just getting better and better.

Romney being the empty suit that he is got on tv and demanded to see Teresa Kerry's returns. As if she had been running for President of the United States. Or rather he was complaining that she didn't have to show hers, whatever. The point is that Romney instead of showing his returns was trying to play the equivalency game with someone who wasn't even running for office. That reeks of desperation. His retroactive retirement is another desperate move. I think his next move should be to retroactively not run for President, but I doubt he is that smart.

This story will be the main reason Romney has trouble in the swing states. It will be telling which Republicans will be seen with him in the coming weeks. My guess is that when asked if they want a photo op with Romney they are going to come down with a cold or something that day and will need to stay home eating chicken soup. I think Romney is going to be the radioactive Retroactive Man.

[Tarheel_Dem]

112. Well, I think the verdict is in, but thanks for the laughs anyhoo.

[Historic NY]

113. Every day & every hour it goes by people have to begin to wonder..

just what is he hiding. The legs on this is the doubt forming in people minds. It going to come back.

[MjolnirTime]

114. you really can't stand Obama, can you?

[cecilfirefox]

118. I disagree- as politico's with a dog in the race objectivity is hard.... BUT ->

It does appear fare to say that this line of attacks, especially the insistence on not releasing years worth of tax returns, seems to be working. It's making inroads, especially in Ohio and PA. It's working. Mittens is digging himself in a hole with this Bain/tax return mess.

[kraj8995]

120. Why the Bain story won't have any legs

Yes it is true its sound like very bad..

[quaker bill]

122. It is not the details that matter

The broader narritive is what matters. He claims to be a successful business leader as his qualification for this office. His quite successful business experience involved gutting the manufacturing sector, plundering pension funds, and sending jobs overseas.

To the extent that the details are very complex, confused, hidden, and involve offshore corporations and tax shelters only adds to the total package.

A businessman / hero creates a product that everyone likes, works hard, brings it to market, makes a mint, pays his taxes, and gives a bit back to the community. A businessman / villian, makes nothing new, doesn't work hard, brings nothing new to market, manipulates in finances, avoids taxes and disclosure, destroys the careers of others, and makes a mint anyway.

A hero can and does sing his own praises and wants you to see what he as done. A villian wants to work in the dark and keep things murky. The fact that the story is complex and confusing adds negative context all by itself.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

125. Romney has a poor track record

[Shankapotomus]

123. It's not obscure

it's pretty simple.

[lonestarnot]

126. This biatch is a centipede.

[Skittles]

127. bullshit

times are hard and when people see that bastard worth $250,000,000, made on the backs of real workers? They'll get it.

does this sound boring?

[gateley]

128. Because he's Not Obama. That's ALL that matters. nt

[alittlelark]

129. Wow.....just WOW....

'clueless' doesn't even begin to respond to this.

[patrice]

130. Yeah, those Tea Partyers standing in the streets with signs about "hands off my Medicare" won't give

a damn that a Bain owned company defrauded Medicare for several 10s of millions of dollars and ended up having to pay about $120 million in fines and law suits.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/01/30/romney-damon-corporation-and-a-119-million-medicare-fraud-settlement/

- sarcasm thingee -

[oldtime dfl_er]

131. I think we should all keep quiet about this

until after the Repug convention. Nothing would disappoint me more than a Rmoney withdrawl or some kind of backlash that brings some other candidate forth.

(I'm kidding about the keep quiet, but I'm not kidding about a possible withdrawl...that scares me)